[Array]

(This theory is only applicable to people with light/moderate DP)

My theory on DP is very simple -

You know when you are acutely aware of your breathing because someone or something triggered you to think about it? What takes place next is a disruption in breathing patterns, as your "Manually breathing".

Well, I see DP as pretty much the same, you're just aware of your living, let's call it "Manually living".

Before I ever had DP I never was contemplating life and thinking about anything unless it was in front of me, I never thought about who I am or where I am.

We're not designed to think about these things because they disrupt the function of what it is we are to monitor.

Before we had DP we were in this automatic mode of living, but something has triggered us to become slightly existential and think about ourselves outside the box.

That DP feeling is always there 24/7, you're just realising your consciousness. Just like in the manual breathing, you're realising your breathing.

OCD and obsessive thoughts and anxiety can cause us to DP and the anxiety of finding an answer causes more DP and so on.

To know if you're experiencing the same sort of DP as me I'll list my symptoms:

-Not feeling real or like you're watching yourself from the back of your head (Duh!)

-Constant seemingly random thoughts in my head along with songs and other mind chatter.

-Time seems to go way faster than usual

-Depression (Particularly existential)

-Health Anxiety

-Sometimes symptoms clear while very distracted

-A myriad of weird nervous system problems

I'm on the road to recovery, I usually only experience DP once a week.

Take this with a grain of salt I'm just speculating because of my personal experience.

 

[FirstAid]

Sounds like it makes sense. I didn't really look at my Hand before all this etc. The stage I am in seems like im stuck in my subconscious, thoughts are basically dissociation, I don't know who the fuck I am and cant seem to connect to anything or think normally. Gnna try just not thinking

 

[Broken]

Nice post and very true. I have chronic DP but recently am trying to pay attention to my whole body, what Eckhart Tolle referred to as 'the inner body'. Seeing if I can be aware of as much of my body as possible and whenever thoughts come, again paying attention to the body. Here is a quick meditation that sums it up:

 

[inspiredpoet]

Sounds like it makes sense. I didn't really look at my Hand before all this etc. The stage I am in seems like im stuck in my subconscious, thoughts are basically dissociation, I don't know who the fuck I am and cant seem to connect to anything or think normally. Gnna try just not thinking

Yeah I remember before I felt this way, I had a class in school on philosophy and there was something about the nature of reality and what was real etc. and I had a brief moment of contemplating the chair in front of me, like "i guess it's real, but what is reality made of", and then just moved on to my next class and never thought about it again because it was a deep, pointless, existential question and life was to be lived.

Now I feel stuck contemplating questions like that and feeling like my reality is constantly asking that, even though it's pointless and unanswerable.

 

[128682]

I believe this. I have obsessive thoughts too and before this a had other obsessions, this one has been the hardest/longest.