Dissociation is a mental process that can cause a person to feel disconnected from their thoughts, feelings, memories, sense of identity, or actions. It can range from mild to severe, and can be a normal response to stress or trauma, according to WebMD.

It is also labeled an ‘involuntary experience.’

‘There were just chunks of time and memories and projects that we don’t remember working on, which was really fascinating to me,’ she continued as she modeled a gray Loewe suit.

‘I guess I didn’t understand the level of the intensity of fame and how it really, really affects your brain, your chemistry.’

Lovato, who is an award-winning singer, said ‘curiosity’ made her want to do the project.

She said looking at ‘why people get into the industry at such a young age’ and ‘how it affects us’ was on her mind for years.

At she wanted to look at the history of child stars ‘dating back to Shirley Temple and Jackie Coogan.’

Lovato also told young people ‘it’s OK to take breaks.’

When asked what’s next she said: ‘I don’t know what the future looks like for me,’ she said, noting that this project in particular was ‘so personal’ for her and therefore ‘such an obvious fit.’ ‘I hope to do more of that, yeah.’

‘Child Star,’ which Lovato co-directed with Nicola Marsh, is now streaming on Hulu. Lovato also produced the documentary alongside Michael D. Ratner, Scott Ratner, Miranda Sherman, and Kfir Goldberg for OBB Pictures.

Lovato, 32, made the comments on Good Morning America on Wednesday when promoting her directorial debut, Child Star

Barrymore, seen here on September 9 in NYC, is also in the film

(L-R) Alyson Stoner, JoJo Siwa, Lovato and Raven-Symone attend the Los Angeles premiere of Hulu’s Child Star on September 12 in Hollywood

It is a documentary about growing up in the entertainment industry. ‘I think there were several common themes, but one that really fascinated me while going on this journey was finding out that so many of us had – we used the same coping skill of dissociation, where I think it was a… response to the trauma of fame being so young,’ she revealed

 

‘There were just chunks of time and memories and projects that we don’t remember working on, which was really fascinating to me,’ she continued.

Earlier, she admitted she gets a feeling of ‘existential dread’ about aging.

The singer — who last year switched from using they/them pronouns back to she/her — turned 32 last month and explained while she isn’t ‘worried’ about her looks changing as she grows older, she still has ‘anxiety’ about the process.

This comes just hours after her film Child Star was released on Hulu. In it she makes her directorial debut and tells stories close to her heart after rising to fame on Barney and Friends and Camp Rock.

She told People magazine on Tuesday: ‘Aging is something that, if I think too hard about it, I can get anxiety about — not because I’m worried about how I look or the changes in my body or my face, but because of that existential dread.

‘I like to stay in the present moment. When we think about things that are in our past or things that are in our future, we’re not present, and presence is the biggest gift that we can give ourselves.’

Looking ahead to the next year, the New Mexico native acknowledged that humans ‘always want what we can’t have’, which means ‘we sometimes put pressure on ourselves’ simply for not being as young as we once were.

Seen in a photo with Selena Gomez as she talked to GMA

According to an official press release, Child Star ‘explores the highs and lows of growing up in the spotlight through the lens of some of the world’s most well-known former child stars’; Demi seen in Camp Rock 2 in 2009

She noted that ‘one day’ in the hopefully very distant future, people will regret wasting time ‘worrying about age’ with the world at their feet.

She said: ‘You’ll be 80, 90 years old and you’ll look back and you’ll say, ‘Why did I waste my time when I was 30-something worrying about age when I had so much to look forward to and so much time on my hands?’

‘I try not to focus on how much time we have left, but rather than how much more life experience that we get to have if we’re lucky enough.’

She also opened up about her new documentary, Child Star.

She explained: ‘This was just a story that I had been wanting to tell for quite some time.

‘I’ve always thought about exploring the history of child stars, and also looking at different points of views and the perspective of what it’s like to be a child star in today’s day and age.’

The documentary is available for streaming on Hulu and sees exclusive sit down interviews with Demi and former child actors Drew Barrymore, Kenan Thompson, Christina Ricci, Raven-Symoné, JoJo Siwa and Alyson Stoner.

According to an official press release, Child Star ‘explores the highs and lows of growing up in the spotlight through the lens of some of the world’s most well-known former child stars.

‘Through celebrity interviews, verité scenes, and archival footage, this film deconstructs the stages of earlier stardom and looks at the entertainment system over the last century.’

Demi released her new documentary Child Star, her directorial debut, on Tuesday; seen in December 2013

Demi will be joining forces with author Nicola Marsh co-directing with OBB Pictures, SB Films and DLG taking the reigns with film production.

The Disney Channel alum had a hand in producing, alongside Michael D. Ratner, Scott Ratner, Miranda Sherman and Kfir Goldberg.

Child Star was executive produced by Nicola B. Marsh, SB’s Scooter Braun, Scott Manson, Jen MeDaniels, and James Shin. Glenn Stickley served as co-executive producer.