Disintegrated Self in Time: The Effect of Depersonalisation Experiences on Time Perspective

Time is fundamental to human cognition, deeply intertwined with bodily awareness, motion, and sense of self. When a sense of time is disrupted it can undermine bodily regulation. A disrupted sense of time is commonly reported by those with depersonalisation (DP) in the clinic, however it is unclear whether time perception is normatively linked with human connection to the body. This study delves into the nuances of self-reported time perception manifested in non-clinical individuals on the depersonalisation (DP) continuum. Understanding the dynamic basis of time perception in depersonalisation may shed light on the role of sensory and interoceptive timing and integration in humans, opening the way for precise experimental hypotheses.. Method: The study sample consisted of 542 participants, with an average CDS score of 97.83 (SD= 63.16). Two network structures were constructed to examine item and subscale-level associations between Depersonalisation traits, Time Perspective and Time Distortions using the CDS-29 questionnaire (Sierra & Berrios, 2000), Reduced Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (Orosz et al., 2015), and two (slow and fast) time distortions questions. Results: DP continuum experience was strongly associated with sensory distortions to smell, touch and external perception of objects, as well as internal bodily sensations. Higher self reported DP experiences showed significant associations with past negative and present fatalism; contrasted by a reduced connection to future oriented time perspective. Slow-time sensations emerge, which are associated with frequency of symptomatic experiences rather than their intensity, and closely affiliated to abnormal inward bodily sensations. Conclusions: These findings diverge from prior studies that emphasised solely altered presentism in the context of CDS. We offer insight into the intricate dynamics between depersonalisation, time perspective and distortions, generating new hypotheses on the causal role of altered sensory timing and integration on DP experiences. The significance of sensory distortions in relation to time fluidity underlines the need for more holistic evaluations of psychopathological symptoms in DP .