Inflammation may be behind a mysterious phenomenon known as dissociation, a mental state that includes "out-of-body" experiences and the feeling that the world is "unreal," emerging research suggests. But new research hints at how: Trauma triggers a stress response, which dials up chronic inflammation. When that stress response doesn't subside, the body's stress system stays activated, continually releasing the hormone cortisol from the adrenal glands. Some researchers think that the link between out-of-body experiences and traumatic life experiences runs through inflammation. For now, more research is needed to determine whether therapies targeting inflammation would benefit people with dissociative disorders.