Task-induced transient depersonalization- and derealization-like experiences: a comparative examination of mirror gazing and fixed attention tasks
Shun Sasaki, Tokiko Harada, Hideki Ohira
Consciousness and Cognition July 3, 2026 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2026.104090 via OpenAlex
Summary
Mirror Gazing Task (MGT) and Fixed Attention Task (FAT) both induced transient dissociative experiences, with MGT leading to higher scores on the Depersonalization scale compared to FAT. In a study of 54 non-clinical adults, participants reported altered visual perception during both tasks. While both tasks increased dissociation scores, only the MGT showed a significant advantage for depersonalization experiences in retrospective measures. Derealization scores did not significantly differ between the two tasks.
Study at a glance
| Sample size | 54 |
|---|---|
| Population | non-clinical adults |
| Key finding | MGT resulted in higher depersonalization scores compared to FAT, while derealization scores did not differ significantly between the tasks. |
Abstract
Depersonalization (DP) and derealization (DR) are dissociative experiences involving altered bodily self-experience and diminished felt reality of the external world. Although various paradigms have been used to induce transient DP-/DR-like experiences experimentally, their relative induction profiles remain unclear. The present study compared Mirror Gazing Task (MGT) with a closely matched Fixed Attention Task (FAT) to characterize task-induced DP-/DR-like experiences in non-clinical adults. Fifty-four participants completed MGT, FAT, Baseline, Break, and a follow-up assessment. During MGT and FAT, participants gazed either at their own face in a mirror or at a black dot on the wall, reported altered visual perception and transient DP-/DR-like experiences using real-time button presses, and completed retrospective post-condition ratings on the DP and DR subscales of the State Scale of Dissociation (SSD-DP and SSD-DR). Both MGT and FAT increased SSD-DP and SSD-DR relative to Baseline, Break, and the follow-up assessment. SSD-DP was higher following the MGT than following the FAT, whereas SSD-DR did not clearly differ between tasks. Online button-press indices of transient DP-/DR-like experiences did not show a clear task difference. These findings suggest a partly shared rather than fully selective induction profile: DR-like elevations appeared more closely linked to contextual features shared by both tasks, whereas the relative advantage of MGT for DP-like experience was clearest in retrospective measures and may be linked to mirror-based self-focus and self-face-related processing. Overall, MGT and FAT provide useful but limited experimental access to transient DP-/DR-like experiences in non-clinical samples.