# Some things that made my DP go away for YEARS (not medicine)



## jordinsilver (Mar 10, 2010)

Hey Friends-
I've struggled with this all my life. At points, the DP was so bad I couldn't go to work, and I spent a lot of time crying in my room cos I wanted it to go away. (I've even thought the darkest thought a human could think, which I know some of us have also thought of.......But I would hate to know that this carried on into the afterlife!!) I have beaten DP a couple times and for YEARS on end:

THESE ARE WAYS THAT I HAVE GOTTEN THROUGH CONSTANT ATTACKS OF DP WITHOUT THE HELP OF A THERAPIST OR ANY MEDICINE:

1) First off, in my personal experiences, this does not just go away. If you cause major trauma to your arm, your arm is going to hurt for days and days. The pain will lessen as the days go on, but the pain is still there. THAT is what I've noticed with DP. You'll have your really bad day, (sometimes where it all starts for you) and then when you finally recover from that big attack, other little ones will happen so often that you think your having an attack constantly. That is not true... There ARE times where you are thinking about something else OTHER than the DP.. It may be for only seconds..... But what you have to do is make the time between your attacks longer and longer as the hours/days/weeks go by.
It will take a while (days/weeks/months) for you to 100% go back to normal after you've had the kind of attack that really messes you up. So just know that. You won't wake up tomorrow and it will be gone. It's a healing process, just like everything else.

2) WRITE OUT WHATEVER IS GOING ON IN YOUR HEAD. 'Stream of consciousness' or however you decide. Write til your fingers hurt. Because, something is going on in your head to make this red flag defense mechanisms happen. And guess what? It's PROBABLY not the first thing that is coming to your mind. Always ask yourself WHY when you are writing? Start with the big question..."Why the hell am I having another DP attack?" and then work backwards. Don't worry about writing about the attack, but what is going on in your head to make it happen. Did you lose your job? Did someone leave you? Did a family member die? Are you under a lot of stress? Can you live your life this way, anymore? Are you willing to make a big change, if you have to?

3) NEVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES LET YOUR DP WIN.....IN OTHER WORDS, DO NOT AVOID GOING PLACES/DOING THINGS BECAUSE YOU ARE AFRAID. Believe me, 99.9% of the world will not know what a brave little soldier you are for going to the grocery store, but this community does. It's a huge step. We know how brave you are for going out, and doing things. It feels like the hardest thing you will EVER do, just to go to out in public but you MUST do it. You can NOT let your DP win.....IF YOU AVOID GOING PLACES BECAUSE OF YOUR FEAR, IT WILL GET WORSE..... Go, live life, GET OUT, talk to people..... cos it will start taking your mind off of your dp... If you're in the middle of a good or funny conversation, you CANT think about your DP.....(Though I do know that sometimes talking to people, it'll hit you like a ton of bricks, but that is because your mind starts to wonder from your conversation, to the fact that you have not had an attack in a while...

4) DO THINGS THAT MAKE YOU HAPPY.

5) STAND UP AGAINST YOUR DP!! This was the biggest thing for me...... I was always so scared of it.. Scared of another attack, scared of what was going to trigger another attack, scared of the feelings I get when I get an attack.. SCREW THAT! DP is ANNOYING! REALLY REALLY ANNOYING. When you get an attack don't let it turn into fear, let it turn into you standing up against your DP (I'm not saying for you to get mad at anyone/anything EXCEPT for your DP!) STAND UP!! 'UGH, NOT THIS AGAIN...I WILL NOT LET YOU WIN, DP!!!'

6) STAY BUSY. Perhaps a game on your phone will help you with an attack. Say you're having this attack at work, what work can you do, that will absolutely take you mind off of your DP attack? Bury your mind in something else OTHER THAN THE OBSESSIVE THOUGHTS OF HAVING A DP ATTACK...

I hope that my suggestions help someone out.


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## Katezorz (Jan 10, 2010)

These are all very good suggestions, thank you for these. Are you almost completely recovered now?


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## ChrisPA (Dec 22, 2009)

Good post, I agree 100% with everything you just said. It's all about living your life like DP doesn't exist. I too went months not years implementing these same things. They definitely are the answer!


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## opie37060 (Jan 9, 2010)

jordinsilver said:


> Hey Friends-
> I've struggled with this all my life. At points, the DP was so bad I couldn't go to work, and I spent a lot of time crying in my room cos I wanted it to go away. (I've even thought the darkest thought a human could think, which I know some of us have also thought of.......But I would hate to know that this carried on into the afterlife!!) I have beaten DP a couple times and for YEARS on end:
> 
> THESE ARE WAYS THAT I HAVE GOTTEN THROUGH CONSTANT ATTACKS OF DP WITHOUT THE HELP OF A THERAPIST OR ANY MEDICINE:
> ...


 It sounds like you were having anxiety attacks which is easier to get rid of...most of us have constant dp/dr which we have tried everything to get rid of it...


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## jordinsilver (Mar 10, 2010)

Katezorz said:


> These are all very good suggestions, thank you for these. Are you almost completely recovered now?


Hey Kate-
Thank you for reading my post. After I started really doing the things that I mentioned, my DP went away. Completely. I had not had an 'attack' I couldn't instantly recover from, for years. I was somehow able to 'forget' this horrible 'mindset' that had been bothering me for 20 years.

I know everyone is different, and perhaps some of the things that worked for me, may not work for other people. Have you had any success relieving your dp?


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## jordinsilver (Mar 10, 2010)

opie37060 said:


> It sounds like you were having anxiety attacks which is easier to get rid of...most of us have constant dp/dr which we have tried everything to get rid of it...


Hey friend-
I was 100% diagnosed with depersonalization/derealization. I just re-read my post, and I can see how it may have sounded like I was just dealing with an anxiety disorder.

For the past 20 years, I've had some serious bouts with it. 3 years ago, it hit me and wouldn't go away. Days turned to weeks then months. I was taking medicine, but it wasn't doing anything. I didn't feel 'real'. I didn't understand the history of my life, and most importantly, how I EVER felt 'real' ever before.

Finally I just got really upset with it. What a huge pain in the *** this thing was that was ruining my life. My relationships. My friends. I started trying to fix it myself.

In my personal experience, I found that it ALL stemmed from something going on in my brain. Your brain is so big, and you're only using "X" percent of it. Somewhere, your brain is thinking of something and it's throwing up a red flag. Just like when you flinch to protect yourself if something is coming at you...that's exactly what your brain is doing.

I'm not saying it's a simple thing to figure out what's wrong, but it will be the best feeling in the world when you finally figure out what it is. It'll be like a weight is lifted off your shoulders, and I can promise you that.

I think we all know there is no such thing as 'magic'. And whatever seems 'magical' is just something that we don't understand yet, as humans/society. But DP is not magic. I think the first step to really getting over it, is understanding that. DP is the EFFECT of something. Now you need to figure out the cause.

I hope you feel better, my friend. Believe me, I know what you are going through, and my heart goes out to you.


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## jordinsilver (Mar 10, 2010)

ChrisPA said:


> Good post, I agree 100% with everything you just said. It's all about living your life like DP doesn't exist. I too went months not years implementing these same things. They definitely are the answer!


so awesome, chris!!!! Can you think of anything I may have missed?


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## ChrisPA (Dec 22, 2009)

No, not really maybe just the importance of a healthy diet (no caffeine) and a good sleep cycle. Those are things that most here know already though. Other than that I'd say your suggestions work perfectly to getting out of the DP/DR cycle. Opie I had constant DP/DR as well, and I still get days here and there of constant DP/DR, but doing the types of things suggested by jordinsilver are the answer. I think the key word you mentioned that is a huge problem in the way your approaching this condition is, "tried everything to get rid of." Putting that much focus and attention on DP/DR and "trying to get rid of it" won't produce successful results. That is the wrong logic to use. There is no way to consciously try to get rid of it. There are things that help sure, such as taking proper supplements, eating well, etc. etc. But I believe the real key is implementing techniques in your lifestyle such as the ones described in this post. I don't claim that this is the only way to alleviate DP/DR, but these types of things are what have helped me such a great deal and allowed me to almost fully recover so I know they work for constant DP/DR not just anxiety attacks. DP/DR stems from anxiety anyways so the same types of practices apply.


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## Katezorz (Jan 10, 2010)

jordinsilver said:


> Hey Kate-
> Thank you for reading my post. After I started really doing the things that I mentioned, my DP went away. Completely. I had not had an 'attack' I couldn't instantly recover from, for years. I was somehow able to 'forget' this horrible 'mindset' that had been bothering me for 20 years.
> 
> I know everyone is different, and perhaps some of the things that worked for me, may not work for other people. Have you had any success relieving your dp?


Jordin, it's great to hear that you are now completely dp/dr free! Really wonderful. I feel I am starting to recover somewhat, but new symptoms are popping up for me that are harder to deal with. I am going to California soon to see a doctor for CBT. I'm hoping this will help.


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