# Breathing and Depersonalization



## Skynet (Jan 21, 2005)

My Psychiatrist says that DP is caused by improper breathing. Who agrees and who disagrees? I think he's partly right. When I purposely concentrate on slowing my breathing, I start to relax more. I haven't got to the point yet where my DP has gone away. However I definitely feel some sort of a shift. It's as if I'm headed in the right direction.

I also remember getting DP has a teenager when I had a bad cold and flu. Those were the times when my nose was stuffed up and I was having trouble breathing.

So there may be a very strong connection between breathing and DP. It all seems connected and it does make sense.


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## Midnight (Jul 16, 2011)

There's certainly some connection. I find that when I breathe more I feel incredibly light headed like I'm going to pass out, maybe because my body has adjusted to shallow breathing for so long.

Breathing definitely helps one put things in perspective.


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## ValleyGirl (Nov 10, 2017)

Your psychiatrist could not possibly be more wrong. You need to find someone who knows what they are talking about. The only relation dp and breathing have would be through anxiety. Dp is triggered by anxiety and if we use breathing techniques we can calm our anxiety, which in turn lowers our level of dp. That is because anxiety is part of our sympathetic nervous system. When we feel anxiety a number of physiological things happen. Our heart rate and respiration increases, our pupils dilate, adrenaline is released, and the fight or flight response begins to activate. Dp is directly connected to the fight or flight response. When we use breathing and relaxation techniques it activates our parasympathetic nervous system which is our "feel good" nervous system. The heart rate and breathing slow, feel good chemicals in the brain are released, our muscles relax, we feel safe. When we feel safe, the threat signal that dp feeds on is turned off and the dp begins to ease up.

Do you see the connection?

Dp is absolutely NOT caused by improper breathing. Dp is a natural defense mechanism of the brain against a perceived threat. It's sort of like a mental bomb shelter. Your brain feels like it needs to go into survival mode. The sensations that come along with it sucks but it's most basic function is self preservation.


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## Midnight (Jul 16, 2011)

Valleygirl... you realize that you just said that DP is improved by proper breathing, meaning that you just proved OP's point?


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## Skynet (Jan 21, 2005)

I think my Psychiatrist was making the same basic connection that you explained valleygirl<3. You said that "Dp is triggered by anxiety and if we use breathing techniques we can calm our anxiety." Perhaps he simplified it. But you and him pretty much said the same thing, It's all linked together. ANXIETY - BREATHING - DP.


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## Skynet (Jan 21, 2005)

I don't think valleygirl realizes how closely related DP and improper breathing are. Breathing the wrong way and not getting enough air is enough to scare you and trigger the defense mechanism that causes DP. I personally never feel like I get a good breath anymore. Before DP I use to feel fresh air enter my nose and travel to my head and lungs. A very refreshing feeling. However with DP all I feel now is stuffiness as if every breath stops half way up my nose and doesn't go anywhere else.

This could also be why things like Meditation have cured people of DP. When you meditate, your breathing totally changes.

I meditated once and my DP instantly went away. When I had a cold and flu as a teen, my DP also went away when I was able to breathe normally again.

I think it's very safe to say that many of the symptoms of DP have to do with breathing. Perhaps lots more than anyone realized.


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## mipmunk40 (Nov 13, 2012)

Improper breathing alone doesn't cause DP. I am deeply breathing now and relaxing and I still have DP....... sorry but I don't buy it!!


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## Skynet (Jan 21, 2005)

mipmunk40 said:


> Improper breathing alone doesn't cause DP. I am deeply breathing now and relaxing and I still have DP....... sorry but I don't buy it!!


 Improper breathing alone doesn't cause DP. But for many people it could be part of the chain of events that leads to it. Just something to keep in mind. Especially for people like me who definitely notice that they don't breathe as well as they used to. Lots of people with anxiety do a shallow breathing thing which just makes everything worse.


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## Visual (Oct 13, 2010)

Skynet said:


> My Psychiatrist says that DP is caused by improper breathing.


Well, if you stop breathing long enough, your personality will cease to be ...

http://www.theliberaloc.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Blue-Fish.png

http://images.catholic.org/ins_news/2012065848breath.jpg


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## Skynet (Jan 21, 2005)

^^^ LOL ^^^ True!


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## Gordy (Jan 4, 2011)

yea , my breathing is way different now...its hard for me to breath through my nose and it feels weird


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## Jessica Rose (Jan 12, 2013)

Breathing deinitely isn't the cause of DP, but it definitely plays a big role once you have it. I have found myself concentrating on my breathing numerous of times, mostly in situations where i feel I am nervous and have a lot of anxiety.


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## Jessica Rose (Jan 12, 2013)

Sometimes it even feels like I am closterfobic.


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## Guest (Jan 16, 2013)

Shortness of breath and a tight chest is close to fear, so yeah, there is a connection/association.

Breathing is also the only conscious way we have of moderating our nervous system


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## Guest (Jan 16, 2013)

learning to breathe from the belly does help


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## ValleyGirl (Nov 10, 2017)

Midnight said:


> Valleygirl... you realize that you just said that DP is improved by proper breathing, meaning that you just proved OP's point?


 No. I said that anxiety is calmed by the activation of your parasympathetic nervous system and one way to achieve that is to use breathing techniques. Not the same thing.

Are dp and anxiety related? Yes. Will you not have as bad of dp if you don't have anxiety? That's the theory. Does slow breathing help anxiety? Yes. Is dp caused by improper breathing, if such a thing even exists? No. Can breathing properly make dp go away? No.


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## Skynet (Jan 21, 2005)

valleygirl<3 said:


> No. I said that anxiety is calmed by the activation of your parasympathetic nervous system and one way to achieve that is to use breathing techniques. Not the same thing.
> 
> Are dp and anxiety related? Yes. Will you not have as bad of dp if you don't have anxiety? That's the theory. Does slow breathing help anxiety? Yes. Is dp caused by improper breathing, if such a thing even exists? No. Can breathing properly make dp go away? No.


 Proper breathing CAN help make DP go away, if the reason you are anxious is because you aren't breathing right. It's all a connected chain of events. DP is often caused by Anxiety. So if you can lower the anxiety, in many cases DP will go away. You can't separate the importance of breathing. It's a part of the equation. Can you imagine if you suddenly felt that you couldn't breathe? You would get pretty damn anxious. Get anxious enough and DP will hit you too.


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