Jackdaw Wood CIC

04/06/2026

Depersonalization

Depersonalization involves a sense of disconnection from oneself.

Young people often describe it as:
Feeling detached from their body
Feeling emotionally numb
Feeling as though they are watching themselves from the outside
Feeling disconnected from their thoughts or emotions

Feeling robotic, automatic,
or unreal
Many describe the experience as if they are observing life rather than living it.
Derealization

Derealization involves a sense of disconnection from the external world.

The environment may suddenly feel:
Dreamlike
Foggy
Artificial
Flat or distant
Visually strange
Emotionally unfamiliar

A teenager may walk through a place they know well and suddenly feel as though they have never been there before.

A young adult may sit with friends yet feel disconnected from the reality of the moment.

One important clinical distinction is that people experiencing depersonalization and derealization usually maintain reality testing.

They generally recognise that something feels unreal rather than believing the world has literally changed. This difference helps distinguish dissociative experiences from psychotic disorders.

More Common Than Many People Think
Brief experiences of depersonalization or derealization can occur in otherwise healthy individuals during periods of stress, exhaustion, panic, illness, or major life transitions.

Research suggests that transient experiences may occur in a significant portion of the population.

Persistent depersonalization-derealization disorder is less common,
affecting approximately 1–2% of the general population, though symptoms are particularly prevalent among adolescents, young adults,
and individuals exposed to trauma.

Research has consistently found higher rates of depersonalization and derealization among individuals experiencing:

Anxiety disorders
Panic symptoms
Depression
PTSD
Complex trauma
Interpersonal abuse
Substance misuse

Some studies have found especially high rates among individuals with histories of chronic interpersonal trauma.

Why Does Dissociation Happen?

One of the most misunderstood aspects of dissociation is the belief that it is random.

In reality, dissociation often serves a protective function.

When the nervous system experiences something as overwhelming, frightening, painful, or emotionally unmanageable, it may create distance from the experience. This distancing process can reduce emotional intensity and help the person continue functioning during periods of threat or overload.

From a trauma-informed perspective, dissociation can be understood as an adaptive survival response.

Rather than asking:

“What is wrong with this person?”

a more useful clinical question is often:
“What happened that made disconnection feel safer than full presence?”

Researchers have repeatedly linked dissociation to traumatic experiences, particularly chronic or repeated forms of stress that occur during childhood and adolescence.

The Adolescent Nervous System Under Pressure

Adolescence is not only a social and emotional transition.
It is also a period of significant neurological development.

Young people are navigating:

Identity formation
Academic pressure
Social belonging
Family expectations
Emotional development
Emerging independence

At the same time,
the brain systems involved in emotional regulation,
self-awareness,
threat detection, and decision-making are still developing.

When significant trauma,
chronic stress, emotional neglect,
bullying,
migration stress,
family conflict,
loss,
or prolonged anxiety occurs during this developmental period,
dissociative symptoms may become more likely.

For some adolescents, depersonalization appears during panic attacks.

For others, it develops gradually after years of emotional overwhelm.

In both cases, the nervous system may be attempting to manage more distress than it can comfortably process.

Some young people become frightened by the symptoms and repeatedly seek reassurance.

Others keep the experience completely hidden because they worry no one will understand.

The response of caregivers matters.

When young people are met with curiosity, validation, and calm support, they are more likely to talk openly about what they are experiencing.

What Parents Often Notice

Parents rarely hear the words

“depersonalization” or “derealization.”

Instead, they may notice that their teenager seems:
Distant
Disconnected
Emotionally flat
Easily overwhelmed
Withdrawn from friends
Less engaged in daily activities
Frequently saying things feel strange or unreal

How These Symptoms Affect Development
Depersonalization and derealization affect more than momentary perception.

They can influence the developmental tasks of adolescence itself.

A young person who feels disconnected from their emotions may struggle to understand who they are.

Someone who feels detached from their surroundings may withdraw socially.

Another may become preoccupied with monitoring their internal state, leaving less energy available for learning, relationships, creativity, or exploration.

Over time, chronic dissociation may contribute to:

Social isolation
Academic difficulties
Reduced self-confidence
Emotional confusion
Increased anxiety
Depressive symptoms
Difficulties trusting one's own experiences

Research consistently demonstrates
associations between depersonalization, anxiety, depression, trauma-related symptoms, and impaired functioning.
Can Treatment Help?​

We are here to help as are many local organisations

Yes. Depersonalization and derealization are treatable. Effective therapy helps the nervous system feel safer and more regulated, so connection can return naturally over time.

Depending on the individual, treatment may include:

Trauma-Informed Integrative Therapy
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Brainspotting
Grounding and regulation skills
Family support and psychoeducation

💚🍀🌱🌱🍃🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳

04/06/2026

"Elm do grieve, 🌿
Oak do Hate, 🌳
Willow do Walk, 🍃
if Yew travels late!"🪾

This old English folk rhyme warns travelers to be cautious when walking past trees at night, particularly willows, which are believed to be able to move or even walk around in the darkness.

Photo was taken by Suzie at Big Rock,Jackdaw Wood 🌳🌱🌿

With the stone circle at Scawhenge 🪨

04/06/2026

We just couldn’t exist without the help , past , present and future from our Volunteers and the events days which form the basis of ongoing Wood activities

I am basically a glorified ( and let’s be honest qualified ) Volunteer
The last few events and trainings we have done - go straight bank into the yearly running costs within the Wood 🌳💚🫶🏻

So every penny, moment of time or kind thought - also supports other people .

As with all grassroots , things are tight . Running grant to grant . Donation to building a days events from nothing but the kind hours donated by volunteers.

It means the world to us 🌱💚🌳
So thank you 🙏🏼

But in many ways it helps you too

When we help others,
the brain responds.

Acts of service are linked to the release of dopamine and serotonin,
the chemistry of mood and motivation, which is part of why people so often feel better after volunteering than before.

The Royal Voluntary Service found that among people living with underlying health conditions,
those who volunteered reported better mental health than those who didn’t - 18% noted an improvement,
against 9% of non-volunteers.

The Mental Health Foundation puts it simply.

Taking part in community activities like volunteering boosts our self-esteem, confidence and overall wellbeing.

The impact goes further than mood, though.

They note that feeling like we belong, and being part of a community with shared values reduce our heart rate and activate the regions of the brain that calm us when we feel stressed.

Belonging, in other words,
isn't a soft idea.

It's a physiological state, and volunteering is one of the most direct routes to access it.

There is a wider point of significance here too, beyond the individual.

The political scientist Robert Putnam spent decades studying what he called ‘social capital’ - the networks of trust and reciprocity that hold communities together. In Bowling Alone,
he charted a steep decline in civic participation across the second half of the twentieth century.

Across the countries he surveyed,
the denser a society's web of association and membership,
the more its citizens trusted one another.

When we volunteer, then, we’re not only helping the person in front of us. We're adding to the connective tissue of a place - the trust,
the mutual obligation, the sense that we are in something together. In an age of isolation and screen-mediated everything,
that tissue has rarely been more worth protecting.

Which brings me to why this feels especially important right now.

Last week the Office for National Statistics reported that over one million young people aged 16 to 24 are currently outside education,
employment and training - the highest figure since 2013.

Behind that number are young people who are disconnected, often invisible to the systems meant to support them.

Volunteering won’t fix structural failure.
It can, though, offer something that structures struggle to provide:
agency, a place in a community and a reason to show up.

One of the problems with volunteering though is image - too often associated with retirees,
or ‘the older generation working in a charity shop’ one young man recently said .

To counter this I want to highlight my our own helper children’s journey with it - after their time working alongside me in the wood gave them a solid foundation - sustained commitment over time,
with a community element that took them out of their comfort zones.

We supported younger pupils in team building .
We ran a mental wellbeing course training that included adults alongside young people.

During lockdown we ran outdoor confidence building and problem solving skills and volunteered on tree 🌳 planting days .

The form matters less than the act. Whether it is a regular weekly commitment - a sports team,
a local group,
taking a dog to visit someone who is lonely - or a one-off at a Park Run or a mountain race, the value is the same.

My six years promoting volunteering at Jackdaw Wood eventually led to be able to give references & support to many in our community .

Many came back from the community involvement days , tired , worn out , full of smiles and sausages
At there age, a full stomach is satisfying enough and sufficient reward for a day of volunteering.

The point isn't the full belly.
The point is what happens when you put yourself in service of something beyond your own immediate life.

You find out what you are made of.
You find out you are needed.

Sometimes that's exactly what we need to find out.

What does volunteering mean for you?
What have I missed?
I would love to hear your thoughts.

💚🌳🌱🌱✌️☀️⭐️

03/06/2026

Weird Tree 🌳 drop
What’s he saying ??

Apart from Grrrrrrrr 🤣🤣

03/06/2026

The rose does not bloom because conditions are perfect. 🌳🌿🌱

The rose blooms because its roots stayed alive through winter,
through darkness.

If Gaia could speak to you directly,
I feel she would say this:

'“I know what it is to watch the world move against everything you hold sacred.

I know what it is to love something:
a teaching,
a lineage,
a vision of what is possible -
and to watch it be diminished and distorted by forces that are afraid of its power.

I know the particular exhaustion of being a woman who sees clearly in a world that would prefer you didn’t.

Of losing everything and having to build yourself up again.

Of holding the flame of hope for others when everything you hold dear is taken from you. You are allowed to be tired.

You are allowed not to know what to do with the intensity of your feelings.

You are allowed to feel discouraged,
have doubts or lose hope at times.

But then,
always come back to yourself.

Reconnect to your roots,
to what you know to be true, not because someone told you but because you feel it in every fibre of your being.

Don’t let them write the story.
No more.

There is an eternal fire within you, one that burns since the beginning of time and that no amount of darkness could ever extinguish - the fire of your spirit.🔥✨⚡️💫⭐️☀️

Rest when you need to rest.

Grieve when you need to grieve.

And then,
when you are ready - come back to the rose.
🌹
The rose has survived worse than this.

And so,
I promise you,
have you.

You are held in a lineage that has carried this flame for centuries through suppression, through endless attempts at pretending it did not exist.

You are part of this lineage.
You know that you chose to be here,
you also know why.

That is your thread,
just keep following it. 🌳🫶🏻🌿🩺🪶🌱

02/06/2026

Working through an emotional or trauma trigger means shifting your brain out of survival mode and into the present moment.

The most effective approach involves identifying the shift,
grounding your body, and practicing self-compassion to break the cycle of automatic reactivity.

In the Moment:
Managing the Reaction
When you feel activated,
your nervous system is on high alert.

Instead of trying to think your way out of it, focus on physical and sensory actions:

Pause and label it:
Say to yourself,
“I am feeling a strong emotion right now because of a past event,
but I am safe in the present moment."

Naming your feelings helps reactivate the logical part of your brain.

Reset with the breath:
Try the "physiological sigh":
take a deep inhale through your nose, followed by a quick,
sharp second inhale,
and then release a long, slow exhale through your mouth.

Engage your senses: Use the 5-4-3-2-1 method to reconnect with your surroundings. Name 5 things you can see, 4 you can touch, 3 you can hear, 2 you can smell, and 1 you can taste.

Change your physical state:
Stand up, walk to a different room, or splash cold water on your wrists.
Movement helps discharge the sudden surge of adrenaline.

Long-Term:
Doing the Deeper WorkManaging triggers over time is about understanding your patterns and changing how you respond to them,
rather than just reacting:

Keep a trigger tracker:
Note down the specific situation,
the exact thing that activated you,
how your body reacted,
and what you did to cope.

Over time,
you will start to see patterns and can better prepare for them.

Find the root cause:
Ask yourself, "What does this remind me of?"

Triggers usually strike a vulnerable nerve from a past experience or deep-seated belief.
Understanding this connection allows for more self-compassion.

Practice self-forgiveness:
Never beat yourself up for being triggered. Your reaction is an old, hardwired survival mechanism.

Acknowledge the feeling without judgment and repair any damage done to relationships once you are calm.

Seek professional guidance:
If triggers continue to have a heavy hold on your daily life,
consider working with a therapist who can help you reprocess these feelings using techniques like CBT or trauma-informed therapy.

For tips on how to build physical and emotional grounding routines that work for you please contact us 🌳🌿🪶🌱💚🫶🏻

01/06/2026

Remember You beautiful forest days of my ancestral stories. 🌿💚🌳

I remember when you were different.
When you were small.

When you lived in my lap like the animals still do,
reading the wind,
sleeping when the dark came,
singing when the sun returned.

I remember your first fires,
how carefully you tended them,
how you understood,
without anyone teaching you,
that fire was alive and needed to be fed with play and respect.

I remember the prayers you left at the rivers.

The way you’d bury your dead with seeds in their hands,
because you knew, you knew,
that death was just my way of composting love into something new.

I remember the women who pressed their ears to my belly and heard things your instruments still can’t measure and won’t ever be able to.

I remember the men who’d walk for days without eating to ask the mountain a single question,
and then wait,
actually wait,
for the answer.

I remember when your children could name forty birds by song before they could read.

I remember when grief was communal and loud and allowed,
when the whole village would wail together under the moon and then, afterward,
eat together and laugh because they understood that grief and joy are not enemies,
they are married,
they sleep in the same bed,
they need each other.

I remember all of this.

I carry it.
In the sediment.

In the rings of the oldest Trees.
In the Stone Circles.

In the songs of the kestrels who still sing the old melodies even though fewer and fewer of them remain to hear it.

I remember you.
Even when you have forgotten me.🌳💚🫶🏻

01/06/2026

A growing body of research suggests that taking a proper break every couple of months may help reduce burnout,
improve productivity,
and support long-term mental well-being. 🌿

For many people,
the most effective escape isn’t a busy city or a luxury resort — it’s nature.
Forests, fields,
wildlife,

and fresh air provide something modern life often doesn’t:
silence.

Sometimes the best way to recharge isn’t doing more.
It’s stepping outside and doing less. 🍃🌳💚

31/05/2026

31/05/2026

Setting some Summer Solstice intentions at Scawhenge