[Guest]

Any tricks appreciated.

When you become into this dp/dr land, and you begin to have no memory of your recent past actions, and feel like you will make a full-blown panic attack and feel like you have no past and no future because you don't know who you are *i.e. when you suffer greatly from dp/dr, do you have any tricks to settle you down a bit? (rapid stuff to calm down)? My major problem is public spaces, and I don't have any tricks who works. I wonder if having pictures of your loved ones help, or repeating you name, or stuff like that.

Thanks!!!

C xxx

 

[Monkeydust]

I have a major problem with this as well. If I'm in public spaces and end up in DP/DR land I always end up just trying to withdraw and "think" out of it - it never works.

The only solution that I can think of would be to try and focus outward. I know it's easier said than done, and I usually fail in doing it myself, but it should help. I've learnt that I'm most successful (and that's still not very) at doing this when I stop thinking "How distracted am I now?" and just learn to get "lost" in whatever it is I'm doing.

Beyond that, I remember hearing somewhere that having flashcards can help. If you're feelig very "out of it", just pull out a flashcard reminding you it's only DP and you're not losing your mind. I haven't yet yet tried this myself, but apparently it engages the rational side of your mind and helps with whatever's happening.

As for repeating your name, I guess it could work. The first week I had DP/DR - and at the time I didn't know what on earth it was - I went for a walk around the block and said to myself "wake up", it worked, but it doesn't seem to now anymore.

As you can see, I'm really at a loss as to ow to solve this myself, so any help from others would be appreciated.

 

[Guest]

when im in dr land, i usually pop in 2 pills of selenium and i feel semi normal throughout the day

 

[Beth]

I count. In my head obviously if it's a public place. Sounds really stupid and basket-casey, but works for me. And tell yourself that by the time you get to 50 you'll feel noticably more normal, and you generally do. Or I do. The other thing I do that helps is focus on the shape of things about me. Like the width of a pavement, height of other people, reaffirm that it is all there in a really simple way, keep a vague model in my mind and believe in it.