Not sure how helpful this will be, but there does not seem to be a pattern to this state of disorientation, suffice to say that you can tell when it is close by how bright and fuzzy the screen begins to get before the state sets in, so if there was any advice I have to offer, if you are in a "safe" room, and the screen is bright and fuzzy, trigger the state where no one can catch you, and that should give you a window, even if a small one, to make a break for another safe room, before another state of disorientation sets in.
In response to the side note, I've actually encountered unlocked chapters without completion of the prerequisite chapter before trauma and assault, with a bit more testing, I found the unlocking of a chapter seemed more frequent when quitting a prerequisite chapter during the chapter intro, it could be different for others, however.
Post edited October 24, 2012 by desnoscross