Depersonalization

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 3:44 pm

My therapist is a genius with this disorder. I absolutely LOVE that she gets it and has knowledge on how to alleviate it.

Again, it can come from many, many different roots. It can be a way your brain deals with stress and anxiety, it can be part of other issues like PTSD, it can come from smoking too much pot, fatigue, or too many carbs etc.

DP/DR are really two sides of the same coin. You're trapped in your head and overly conscience of your existence. You live in your head in almost a dream state that your brain feels to stay in. It is a habit. A habit. Fighting it is similar to fighting OCD. It's OCD for the brain (pure "o"). You think about thinking and overanalyze your every thought making you seem outside yourself. It's a habit of coping.

It has been proven that there are chemical issues with this disorder. It's very painful I know. Mine waxes and wains and I'm keeping a journal to understand possible triggers.

Zoloft and xanax has helped me greatly. I don't suffer with anxiety and depression any more, especially since the program, but this disorder is probably the foundation to my discomfort.

It will not hurt you. You will not loose touch with reality and it will not get worse. It's just a pain in the ass.

15 years ago we did not have the support with anxiety we know have and medicine is catching up with DR/DP sufferers. I float with it when it happens and ignore it. I refocus my attention on something else and throw myself into conversation or use my brain for a thought filled task. Many of the StressCenter.com tools are very helpful also.

I think the StressCenter.com should have a space for DP/DR members, much like they do for OCD. Other sites are really scary and do not have the compassion and spirit this site has.People need to know they are not alone, and many have recovered. I have had years of no symptoms.

People need hope and love not horror stories. I recommend the <A HREF="http://www.dpmanual.com" TARGET=_blank>www.dpmanual.com</A> for everyone

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 5:12 pm

WOW, I have to say, the replys in this thread have to be the most comforting things I have read about this symptom to date, I want to thank everyone for taking the time to reply...This ebook is GREAT everyone who has this should get it, it sheds light on the matter ALOT.

Kelly22 everything you wrote is EXACTLY what Im going through. I also had DP about 6 years ago pretty bad, it lasted 3 months, then one day it was just gone. Now it's back. The thing is, last time I had it everyday but in episodes, with some relief time...this time there is no relief it chronic all day but not as severe as the episodes back 6 years ago...does that make sense?? So now this is my second bout with it. Back in february, I had a major medical scare, not a real one, I had no real evidence there was anything wrong, but I've always been SCARED TO DEATH of doctors...Im 32 and I had never been to a OBGYN, and maybe had 2 blood tests my entire life. Well I just got married and am thinking about having kids soon so I knew I had to get over this and get my butt to get ROUTINE check ups, but to me of course there were like death sentences...I've always had this Cancer and aids phobia, would go back and forth with the 2m I either had a brain tumor or aids...had no reason to fear either but I just did. So I finally get the guts to go but it took me months to decide and every day, day in day out, I made myself SICK with worry and fear and basically had myself dead and buried before I even got there. Then it took me a while to get appts so that was another wating period, and even MORE time to make myself SICK. Well got all the check ups, aids test etc.. all fine, thank god, but I thought it was over and it didn't stop there, from there I began to worry about my heart then my lungs etc. I'd wake up in the middle of the night sweating and choking from panic. The ironic thing is I kept remembering what I went through 6 years ago and saying to myself Im jusy gladf I don't have THAT, and sure enough it came back, and the funny thing is, all my other symptons are GONE! The hypochondria-GONE, Panic-GONE, and now Im left with this and it just won't go away...Does anyone think my doctor scare brought it on? I watched this movie called "Numb" with Mathew Perry where he suffers from DP and in the movie his shrink tells him that he was predisposed to it and it was dorment, and something triggered it and he was just going to have to live it...intersting movie but I shouldn't have watched it because I BELIEVE EVERYTHING, Im like a sponge with negativity, I absord it all....

drg · Post by **drg** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 4:25 am

I totally can't believe you mentioned that movie "Numb".

My therapist was talking about it. I know it's a good movie but I know I would over identify. Not gonna see it.

I definitely believe some people are predisposed. Absolutely. Usually highly intelligent wonderful people

So does he come out of it or learn to live with it? Wasn't his trigger smoking like 12 joints or something?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 9:11 am

Yes, he had anxiety and one night he smoked ALOT of pot, and from then there on, he had it. Honestly, it's a good movie to see when NOT in that state, because in a normal frame of mind it will make you laugh BECAUSE you can relate. I totally over identified, and in the end he had to live with it, that's the reason I didn;t like it...I need to see happy things like it going away!! lol It's funny though, he tried to do all these things to "find comfort" like taking all women's spinning classes, and when he needed to "feel real" he had to shop lift in hoped to get caught, because he needed stimulation I guess...

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 11:00 am

I can't believe someone made a movie about depersonalization! I've had it for a few years, starting when I was 16. But it has gotten much better due to the lessening of my anxiety. Unfortunately, I recently had something of an anxiety relapse so it came back pretty powerfully. It really is the scariest, most indescribable feeling.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 11:32 am

My exboyfriend saw the movie "Numb" and he wrote me an email saying, "Is that what you feel like? I understand it so much better now." And I said, "Yes, that is what I feel like." I'm not going to watch the movie, because I will over analyze it, but I'm glad they made a movie about it, seeing how common it is. I do not like the fact that he lived with it, but it's a movie afterall.