[PLAZ]

After a grueling fight with DPDR, I have finally overcome this horrible mental state. There were many times where I had backtracked, only to move forward and conquer it yet again. My mind is fully exempt of all symptoms regarding Depersonalization Disorder. I know I will never experience it again because I am not mentally capable of "contracting" it any more. Ask your questions now before I forget*. I may have an answer.

The Story

I had an existential crisis due to heightened states of anxiety (I won't tell you what it was from as to not trigger you) that kicked in such a strange feeling from within me... Like feeling high on marijuana, yet with the overwhelming fear of not feeling real and also subtracting the euphoric feeling that weed can give. Immediately I went to Google and within five minutes tops, I had found everything I needed to know; All thanks to the good ol' internet. Little did I know, that was half the battle there done.

Now, I won't spend the entire night typing a book's worth of information explaining EVERYTHING I went through just for my damned keyboard to malfunction around page 20 or 30, so I'll make it short and sweet.

After my brain kicked into DPDR mode, I figured that it'd be best to not browse the internet for hours and instead go outside and meet with others. This was probably the main reason I accredit to "curing" me. I went on with life and eventually realized that I had no more symptoms left. You'd think I would get a huge dopamine rush from this or be extremely happy... but it wasn't that way at all. I shrugged, kinda smirked, and moved on. I had defeated such a horrible thing yet I still was indifferent.

Don't get me wrong, I am very happy returning to "normal". It is an accomplishment. It's just that at that point, I gave DPDR no piece of my mind and didn't care about it. So what I bested such a trivial thing?

Fast forward to now: yes, I have recovered. I no longer feel disconnected from reality, no sense of feeling as if there's an invisible wall in between my eyes and the world, no anxiety about strange, insignificant things, no "blank mind", and of course no more of the absolute worst thing... This forum.

Yep, you heard me. Err, I mean, yep, you read that right. www.dpselfhelp.com is the absolute worst symtpom of DPDR. The people here are very nice (excluding those assholes who say you'll never recover) and there are some very useful guides on here. So what brings it down?

The constant reminder that you have Depersonalization.

If you sit on here reading post after post every day waiting to recover, it's definitely not going to happen. That's why there are people who have it for years upon years. They can't and won't forget it. They won't let it go. If you tell them that this is the reason why they haven't returned to normal, they will simply brush it away or say "no, THAT's not why... mah brain's just fucked..."

I've learned a lot going through DPDR. Of course, when I was in the middle of my "tour", I would have said that I had hit "rock-fuckin'-bottom." Now, I am so grateful to have experienced it. I made so many changes to my life, in both mindset and lifestyle, that really couldn't have been sparked natrually. I'm not a liberal or anything but now I really have found a unique appreciation to nature and the beauty of this universe. I have also learned to respect other's opinions because neither of us may be right nor wrong. It's just perspective, really.

That's all I have for today - my fingers are beginning to hurt from typing so much. I wanna hear from all you guys in the shit right now and for a limited time offer, you may get a response from me! If I don't get to you, remember one thing: it'll be fine. Just learn to live with DPDR and eventually nothing more becomes of it. Thank you all for reading and ajsdfasds , m;,l, my kebaord isnd wokng anymroare.jlkds;f

*Yes, I actually did somehow forget about DPDR. How? I mean, I only spent a huge chunk of my life dealing with it's struggles day in and day out... Well, once you "re-enter" reality again, it is extremely easy not remember what it was like during that time. It all came back to me when I saw an image online that reminded me of it. This is just my experience (though I have heard of many others that feel this way too), so it might not be easily forgettable for you.

 

[Nadosa]

Could u help me? Please read my recent threads.

 

[PLAZ]

If you're suicidal, tell someone immediately. No one wants you to kill yourself. You just have to push through it. There's light at the end of this dark tunnel. Just remember that you'll be fine

 

[un4gotten1]

How did you get DP/DR? And how long did it take before you noticed it "went away"? I am about a month and a week into this caused on a major OD on an edible, and the first 2-3 weeks were TOUGH. I couldn't stop thinking about it and I would panic. It has only been just over 5 weeks for me since this started, but the last week or two I started working out with heavy weights, running, eating and sleeping way better and I find this going away maybe a little? Like a few times throughout the day I am stressed about it but it is fading more and more. The only concern I have is my vision, which is pretty good besides things up close look "trippy", but I find it getting better every day, or maybe I am just getting used to it? Just curious mainly on the vision / movie feeling!

 

[PLAZ]

Un4gotten-

I had the same concerns as you did (pertaining vision) and like every other "symptom" of DPDR, it goes away. I too remember wondering if my eyes were returning to normal or if I was just getting used to it. Truthfully, your vision is not getting any better or worse; It's just an illusion. A placebo. There's actually nothing wrong with your eyes, voice, hearing, or any other thing you notice is "off". It's all fueled by anxiety and depression. The existentialism just adds more to the flames. You need to focus on forgetting DPDR. I hate to suggest this to you, however this worked for me: Act as if you'll never get better. Yup, that's right. When you get used to DPDR, then it will truly recede.

But yeah, to answer your other question, I got DPDR from a panic attack watching videos about existence and the nature of reality. Marijuana may or may not have played a part in triggering it.

Also, make sure that even after you recover from DPDR to keep up a healthy lifestyle like you are now. Once all the anxiety wears off, people tend to fall back into their old habits, so let this be a lesson.

DPDR is a great teacher and I'm actually glad that I went through it. It's a great reality check for all the people who definitely need it. When you recover, do everyone a favor and tell your story, then move on with your life. Good luck fella.

(and stop wondering when you'll be "cured!")

 

[PLAZ]

and also stop smoking weed, it turns you into a loser blockhead.

 

[RedSky]

I have been recovering over the past few years but the only symptom I have left is really heavy brain fog, If I could just get rid of it I think I would snap back since I have gotten over the daily panick attacks and the constant worrying... did it all go away at once? or did the symptoms slowly go away one by one? any advice to help with the brain fog? I have been trying everything. Thanks for the post and I am glad you are better!

 

[PLAZ]

It seems as if the symptoms went away slowly, one by one. Brain fog is supposedly the brain's way of relieving itself. Just give it time and you'll be back to normal

 

[mstan]

how?! i don't understand how these feelings simply go away? i've been trying for 5 years. nothing has helped me

 

[DPDR_Spouse]

"Fast forward to now: yes, I have recovered. I no longer feel disconnected from reality, no sense of feeling as if there's an invisible wall in between my eyes and the world, no anxiety about strange, insignificant things, no "blank mind", and of course no more of the absolute worst thing... This forum.

Yep, you heard me. Err, I mean, yep, you read that right. www.dpselfhelp.com is the absolute worst symtpom of DPDR. The people here are very nice (excluding those assholes who say you'll never recover) and there are some very useful guides on here. So what brings it down?

The constant reminder that you have Depersonalization."

I love that you said this. My spouse is in the final stages of recovering, and this forum was the absolute worst provoker of the symptoms. Incredibly nice people here, but the people who have recovered and come back here all constantly say the same thing "You will recover, but you have to accept that these symptoms are temporary, stop reading about it!"
My spouse also forgot a lot about the condition, things they did or said, how they acted. Once you get to the point where symptoms are disappearing, you may recall for a while that you are still going through it, but you just brush it off and go back to living, because you realize that you're in a far better position and you just stop worrying.

"If you sit on here reading post after post every day waiting to recover, it's definitely not going to happen. That's why there are people who have it for years upon years. They can't and won't forget it. They won't let it go. If you tell them that this is the reason why they haven't returned to normal, they will simply brush it away or say "no, THAT's not why... mah brain's just fucked..." "

This. The people that have it, have never given themselves a chance to be without it because they are always here. There's a reason you rarely hear back from those who've recovered, and it's not because it doesn't happen, it's because they know how fucked it is to be here, or they'll be told that they just didn't have it that bad then, or whatever else someone wants to say because to them, it validates the anxiety fueling the DPDR. DPDR looks for validation constantly, and tries to force you to prove it wrong, which of course you can't do because there are just so many people here who aren't like you or got DPDR in a different way or a treatment they used to recover didn't help you - there's a pattern here, it's called DPDR is a liar and will use every trick it can to cheat you out of your life. You beat it by accepting it. That's the scariest thing you can ever imagine I know, my spouse said so, and utterly refused to believe that was ever remotely a possibility, and that accepting the symptoms was truly a death sentence, and is what drove their suicidal thoughts. But, one day, after months of me forcing them to continue living, and realizing that I wouldn't let them kill themselves, they decided that they would just have to live with the symptoms. Don't get me wrong, it didn't just end there, it was still work, but now here we are, and my spouse is 90% recovered, almost no symptoms left, never talks about it because they understand that it's getting better by ignoring it.

I'm really glad that you posted this here today. I think a lot of what you said is spot on. This condition does go away if you let it go away, but you have to be willing to take a "risk" according to the DPDR in your mind, and that means to let the DPDR be and do everything in your power to realize that if you go back to living, you will rid yourself of the condition.

 

[nickcb96]

"Fast forward to now: yes, I have recovered. I no longer feel disconnected from reality, no sense of feeling as if there's an invisible wall in between my eyes and the world, no anxiety about strange, insignificant things, no "blank mind", and of course no more of the absolute worst thing... This forum.

Yep, you heard me. Err, I mean, yep, you read that right. www.dpselfhelp.com is the absolute worst symtpom of DPDR. The people here are very nice (excluding those assholes who say you'll never recover) and there are some very useful guides on here. So what brings it down?
The constant reminder that you have Depersonalization."

I love that you said this. My spouse is in the final stages of recovering, and this forum was the absolute worst provoker of the symptoms. Incredibly nice people here, but the people who have recovered and come back here all constantly say the same thing "You will recover, but you have to accept that these symptoms are temporary, stop reading about it!"
My spouse also forgot a lot about the condition, things they did or said, how they acted. Once you get to the point where symptoms are disappearing, you may recall for a while that you are still going through it, but you just brush it off and go back to living, because you realize that you're in a far better position and you just stop worrying.

"If you sit on here reading post after post every day waiting to recover, it's definitely not going to happen. That's why there are people who have it for years upon years. They can't and won't forget it. They won't let it go. If you tell them that this is the reason why they haven't returned to normal, they will simply brush it away or say "no, THAT's not why... mah brain's just fucked..." "

This. The people that have it, have never given themselves a chance to be without it because they are always here. There's a reason you rarely hear back from those who've recovered, and it's not because it doesn't happen, it's because they know how fucked it is to be here, or they'll be told that they just didn't have it that bad then, or whatever else someone wants to say because to them, it validates the anxiety fueling the DPDR. DPDR looks for validation constantly, and tries to force you to prove it wrong, which of course you can't do because there are just so many people here who aren't like you or got DPDR in a different way or a treatment they used to recover didn't help you - there's a pattern here, it's called DPDR is a liar and will use every trick it can to cheat you out of your life. You beat it by accepting it. That's the scariest thing you can ever imagine I know, my spouse said so, and utterly refused to believe that was ever remotely a possibility, and that accepting the symptoms was truly a death sentence, and is what drove their suicidal thoughts. But, one day, after months of me forcing them to continue living, and realizing that I wouldn't let them kill themselves, they decided that they would just have to live with the symptoms. Don't get me wrong, it didn't just end there, it was still work, but now here we are, and my spouse is 90% recovered, almost no symptoms left, never talks about it because they understand that it's getting better by ignoring it.

I'm really glad that you posted this here today. I think a lot of what you said is spot on. This condition does go away if you let it go away, but you have to be willing to take a "risk" according to the DPDR in your mind, and that means to let the DPDR be and do everything in your power to realize that if you go back to living, you will rid yourself of the condition.

Did your husband take any medication at all? I'm 9 months in to this thing and sometimes I just feel so hopeless. Do you truly think it's just anxiety and stress? Why do you think people say they've had it for 30-40-50 years?

 

[americancow]

Great advice, i'm trying to do the same. However tonight it felt so bad that I made an account and shared my story to try and get some advice