# Things you need to know to recover



## Tommygunz (Sep 7, 2009)

This post is originally from my blog section but i moved it here in hopes of more people finding these useful tips for recovery.

Many you of you are probably sitting there wondering what this disorder is, why it happened and how to make it go away. well for most cases there is a fairly simple answer. you over did it. their are a multitude of triggers: stress, trauma, drugs etc. what is important for you to learn and accept is that it does not matter what triggered it. the trigger is not what has allowed it to stick. what has allowed it to stick is your awareness of how you feel. self analyzing is what allows DP/DR to be prevelant in your life.

How many times have you looked at something and checked to see if your symptoms were still there? if you're like most DP/DR sufferers you do it all the time. when you wake up in the morning the first thing you do is check to see if it's gone, and it never is. right? well that is part of the problem, you checked.

What happens in DP/DR that allows it to become such a dominant part of your life is you notice it. when it triggered you may not have been aware of any immediate danger. you may have been under alot of stress at work, or just smoked a bowl with your friends. as far as you knew though you were well within your ability to tolerate the situation at hand. subconsciously though you couldn't handle it. whatever action that you took was one action too many. this action sent a signal to your brain that you had overdone something and that you needed to dissociate in order to avoid any further stress/trauma/toxic influence. so your brain triggered the fight or flight response. a state of mind that makes you essentially hyper aware so that you can better defend yourself from any threats. now as far as you were aware there was no threat. as far as you knew, you were in control just moments ago. you had nothing to fear. but now your brain is telling you that there is an immediate threat, but the only thing out of the ordinary is the way you feel. so you send the message to the brain that the threat IS the way you feel. well, now you have confirmed with your brain that there is a threat, so it maintains the fight or flight response so that you can stay in a heightened state to protect yourself. do you see where this is going? Because the feelings that come with the fight or flight response are interpereted as a threat, the threat does not cease. everytime you think about it or notice how you feel, your brain gets the message that the threat is still there. it gets locked in a self sustaining cycle.

So how do you break this cycle? simply put, you have to stop perceiving the sensations of DP/DR as a threat. you must learn and believe that they are harmless sensations. you in affect have to send the message to your brain that there is no threat, that you are safe, and that it is ok for it to deactivate the fight or flight response.

How do you do this? ignore DP/DR. move on with your life. forget about how you feel. get out and live a little. basically it will only go away once it is no longer perceived as a threat, so don't let it threaten you. don't be afraid of it. find distracting activities that allow you to not think about it. outdoor sports are a great distraction that help you relearn social skills and are a great source of exercise. go for nature walks and bike rides, go to the grocery store, out to dinner, to the movies, the book store, the library, the park, your friends house, your parents house, or even the coffee shop down the street. get out of the house, off your computer and live your life. think about the person you were before DP/DR. don't sit there and wallow wishing that you could be that person again, remind yourself that you ARE that person. i understand that it is hard at first. it doesn't get better over night. but it won't get better at all if you don't make a move in the right direction. you have to forget about DP/DR in order to recover. not really forget it exists but forget that you have it. once it is out of your mind and no longer your focus, your mind will receive the "ALL CLEAR" signal. it will see that the threat is no longer there and begin to halt the feelings of DP/DR.

I have come up with a list of supplements that help ease the symptoms to make them easier to ignore. this list was over a year in the making and is rather affective at lessening things like anxiety, obsessive thoughts and brain fog. the supplements are:

Aniracetam - 750-1,500 mg (optional but very effective.)
Alpha GPC - jarrow formulas, 300-600 mg (if taking Aniracetam)
DMAE - jarrow formulas, 150 mg (exclude if taking aniracetam and alpha GPC)
Phosphatidylserine - jarrow formulas PS100 softgels, 100-300 mg
Sublingual B complex - use as directed

Good luck and please consult a physician about any potetial interactions with medications you may be on.


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## MrSpock2 (Mar 16, 2011)

Great post, I often think that if I had a few sunny days all to myself with no people around I could beat this. Just a few days with no stress at all would help so much. I still haven't figured out how to do that yet. My biggest problem is that no matter what I'm doing, I'm thinking. And the only things that make me not think are unhealthy. So what should you do in this case?
Thanks for posting this, it's a great motivator. Makes me hopeful.


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## Jayden (Feb 9, 2011)

I have been living my life regardless of DP/DR for a year now and I it's still there haha. I guess it just needs lots of time.


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## Guest (Aug 31, 2011)

That's a good positive post Tommy.
Quite a few people advocate distraction, ala Linden Method, being active in life and doing things to take your mind of dp/dr, but if I may add something:

It's quite tricky trying NOT to think about something. The old example is, Dont think about a pink elephant. It's very important that you DO NOT think about a pink elephant.
The chances are you just did.
Now think about a blue rabbit. See the blue rabbit in your mind. Can you see it?
As long as you did, you werent thinking about a pink elephant!

Many sources say that the best way to change a bad habit is to focus on an alternative - a desired state or outcome.
As long as you are dwelling on dp/dr, even if you are wishing it would go away, you are building it up in your mind and reinforcing it.
But if you get into the habit, throughout the day when the thought crops up or when you are daydreaming or dozing off, of focusing on the alternative, you are actually telling your mind how you want to be, like a new programme.
Imagine if right this moment a phsycho-vacuum sucked all the problems away. How would you feel? Perhaps a sence of lightness and relief, a feeling of freedom that you can happilly and comfortably go anywhere and do anything you like and theres nothing stopping you. Really feel it and believe it like its already happened.
If you find this difficult imagine someone else, who has all the attributes of a happy, care-free person with a zest for life. How would that feel? Feel it yourself. You are overwriting the old with the new. Practice it until you do it automatically.
So you dont neccesarily have to go out straight away and join a squash club -although that would no doubt help!- you can actively work to ease you symptoms. Not so much distraction as providing your mind with a better alternative.

(I appreciate this will be easier for some more than others, depending on the level of disturbance someone is suffering. An ammount of trauma clearing may have to be done first.)


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## opie37060 (Jan 9, 2010)

Good post tommy, out of all those supplements what would be the best for just feeling unreal? I have visual disturbances and can hear my voice all the time which is annoying but right now just totally out of it is my main problem.


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## Tommygunz (Sep 7, 2009)

opie37060 said:


> Good post tommy, out of all those supplements what would be the best for just feeling unreal? I have visual disturbances and can hear my voice all the time which is annoying but right now just totally out of it is my main problem.


definitely aniracetam, it increases communication between the left and right hemispheres of the brain which goes a long way towards sharpening mental clarity, memory, attention and learning ability among many other things. also phosphatydilserine did wonders for me in reducing brain fog.


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## Jayden (Feb 9, 2011)

Hey tommy, I finally found PS in a vitamin store. I ran out quickly cause I took it 3 times a day and there was only 30 in a bottle. They were in vegetarian caps though (don't know if thats bad or good).

I haven't noticed a big difference yet but I probably need to take it longer to see results.

Anyways, is Aniracetam something you can find in a vitamin/supplement store as well?


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## Chris P Bacon (May 31, 2011)

If nothing else, this thread confirms just how amazing the human brain is.

Its almost like you have another organism inside your head, that is protecting you and looking out for you. Its amazing and although you maybe cursing your mind right now, just remember that this experience will make you a stronger, braver and more confident person.









Take care! x


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