Storytelling is an extremely powerful thing. Stories are used as an escape, a connection, or a memory. In "How to Tell a Real War Story," by veteran and author Tim O'Brien, the stories were used to help the author stay sane after fighting in a brutal war. In “Selections from Reading Lolita in Tehran,” written by Azar Nafisi, author and activist, Nafisi explains how escaping reality through works of fiction helped her retain her individuality and sanity during a time of great struggle in his native country, Iran. The ideas of these two authors are opposed by that of Martha Stout, clinical psychologist, "When I woke up Tuesday morning, it was Friday", by scientifically examining the experiences of her patients to explain the phenomenon of dissociation. Stout's definition of dissociation was described in terms of how it has varying levels, from mild to monumental, and how it disrupts people's lives and changes their self-esteem. In these three pieces, it is clear that dissociation is used differently and has different effects on each scenario. Dissociation is often linked to healing, but it is not a method of healing, it is a method of coping with tragedy. People use different aspects such as imagination and fiction as tools to facilitate their dissociation, but in the end, they are always forced to come back and face the harsh reality of their lives. The real question is whether dissociation helps protect or harms the delicate sense of self. This essay will explain how these tools, derived from imagination and fiction, are used to protect the person's sense of identity, and whether dissociation helps or harms them. The mind is fragile, so when it breaks, it “heals” in different ways, but it is never truly healed. In Stout's work, she describes many moments of great struggle, moments where it would have been much easier to take a back seat because it was expected. Instead, they fought against their traumas, using their minds, to protect and shelter them, through this tactic they both adopted, but they only won the battle, not the war. In conclusion, dissociation is not a form of healing. It cannot change what has already happened, or when or if it will happen again. Dissociation protects the mind so that the individual can cope and move forward with their life. According to these three authors, it is clear that survival is one of the greatest victories that trauma patients can aim for, along with their individuality and strong self-esteem. Many people, like Stout patients, lose pieces of themselves to this protective process, because they are not there..