[my_name_is_idk]

I've been feeling much better with my DPDR for a few days now, I can say that I don't have it for 90% of the day. And I know very soon this 90% will become 100% ... but I've always wondered:

Why do some people continue to suffer from DPDR after decades? Are there different types of DPDR?

I'd like to know so if you do, please answer

 

[ThoughtOnFire]

This is purely my opinion. I've been around the DP Community for 12 years now. And I can say that there seems to be different ROOT problems of the Dissociation. What we all have in common, I think, is the "Protective Mechanism" being stuck on fight or flight. Whether you got this from abuse, trauma, drugs, panic or anxiety etc, is unique to each individual. Also it appears that we use the same limited terminology for our feelings. For example, my best friend I found here on this forum and we have been talking for 10+ years now. After some time we realized we use the same words but in fact experience symptoms on nearly the opposite ends of the spectrum.

 

[Phantasm]

I think that for some people the tendency to dissociate is more deeply ingrained than in others, depending on their background. Someone who "only" suffered DP from, say, a panic attack from smoking cannabis - depending on how they respond to it - is more likely to recover relatively quickly, while someone with a history of neglect and abuse going back to early childhood will have a longer and more difficult road to negotiate. Of course sometimes cannabis is also a trigger for people who are already vulnerable.
You could argue that the mechanisms - both for cause and recovery - can be the same, but one person may have more obstacles and further to go than another. You could think of it as inner resources and a set of balancing scales. It stands to reason that someone with a healthier background will recover more quickly than someone who was emotionally abused their whole life. The first has less trauma and more positive experience to draw on, while the second may have to work through a lot of negative learning and build internal resources from scratch, and that can be a long process.

 

[Findmywayhome]

I ask myself the same question.

Oftentimes, the people who’ve shared their recovery story on here will tell you that the only obstacle impeding your recovery is yourself. Implying or sometimes outright stating that those whove suffered for decades simply never took the proper steps or invested a sufficient amount of effort to recover. What I’ve come to understand is that this is merely survivorship bias. And I think to say that every single person who chronically deals with dissociation has simply not tried hard enough or didn’t properly change their lifestyle is foolish and somewhat insulting.

From what I recall, dissociation on the neurological level manifests the same in all cases, albeit it is scarcely studied in all aspects. I suppose that— and this was mentioned above— the distinction between those who recover and those who don’t is a mixture of nature and nurtureOne can change their environment(nurture) and even their psychological mechanisms, but one cannot change the genetics that have predisposed them to dissociation in the first place (nature).

anyway, while recovery may not be possible for a considerable amount of people, Id like to believe that most can at least improve their symptoms, and almost ALL can learn to lead a fulfilling and positive life regardless of the nature of their disorder.