# Does Anyone Actually Ever Recover?



## Guest (Nov 9, 2009)

How many of you have fully recovered? How many have recovered and relapsed? I had a short period of dp at the beginning and made a fully recovery, for 2 weeks, and then relapsed and can't break back out this time. All I see are hundreds of people looking for help and only a handful getting better. Just wondering how many actually get better, as the "research" says that the prognosis for recovery is good.


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## melbilnz (Oct 31, 2009)

I am sure a lot do, they probably don't post anymore because they have moved on with their lives and forgot about ever having DP. One of my friends is agoraphobic and she says it's the same their on their boards, the ones that get better have no use for the support groups and disappear. While we could use the encouragement, I actually like the fact that people who recover seem to put it completely behind them. I have read the prognosis reports and I got the same information...good, most people make full recoveries, etc.


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## Guest (Nov 9, 2009)

melbilnz said:


> I am sure a lot do, they probably don't post anymore because they have moved on with their lives and forgot about ever having DP. One of my friends is agoraphobic and she says it's the same their on their boards, the ones that get better have no use for the support groups and disappear. While we could use the encouragement, I actually like the fact that people who recover seem to put it completely behind them. I have read the prognosis reports and I got the same information...good, most people make full recoveries, etc.


I sure hope so. I desperately want to recover.


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## Surfingisfun001 (Sep 25, 2007)

I've been around this website for 2 years. I've seen people I'd never think would get better report that they are better and then not hear back from them again. In the "On the Road to Recovery" and "Regaining Reality" sections there are lots of threads about people who recover. Most of the people that report getting better usually move on with their lives... makes sense, ya know? Sometimes it does seem like an eternal state of hell but surprisingly a lot of people do report getting better. This is one of my favorite recovery stories... http://www.dpselfhelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=6179

Here is another encouraging story, this one is recent too...http://www.dpselfhelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=21093

another good one
http://www.dpselfhelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=20936


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## Misia (Nov 1, 2009)

I've recovered.

Today though I felt a bit nervous... and so the derealization came back. But it's Monday, and being with people I don't know raises my anxiety anyway. But I can concentrate and do my schoolwork so honestly, as long as I have my attention span I'm good enough.

But the weird thing is, I don't get the haziness, or lack of color I've seen people describe. Instead, everything becomes extremely clear and sharp. I guess because I notice everything extra hard... if that makes any sense.


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## dreamingoflife (Oct 22, 2006)

Probably because most everyone that recovers never comes back to this website to tell about it. If you have read threads dating back to 2004 you will notice A LOT of people who posted then, don't now. I chalk it up to either they recovered and never looked back or they moved on with their life and don't let dp hold them back anymore.

Some people who get this probably don't even find this website and have recovered. It's easy to get discouraged from lack of recovery stories but there are so many people in this world who deal with this and once they get over this they move on and never look back. I can't blame them. I tell myself all the time if I get better I will at least come back and write a story of hope and recovery but I honestly don't know if I will when the time comes because one of the ways of getting over this is blocking it out of your memory and never looking back. I will try my best to write my story of recovery when I get better though because people really need to know it's possible to get over this.


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## Guest (Nov 10, 2009)

surfingisfun001 - I believe Jeff's story ties in to my post that you linked (ta  ) very much in that he hadn't been able to recover from the trauma (which I don't think he explains what it was in that post) as he'd fixated on the DP and the normal recovery from the chemical imbalance hadn't been able to happen/lack of the 'safe' feeling. I do truly believe this 'safe' feeling is a key.......as I have started to feel it more and more recently. At the moment I am getting almost daily improvement which is fab. I am still learning to not dwell though, I do still get moments of giving in to the thought loops etc but gradually I am learning to distract myself. It helps so much being in a job where I am forced to concentrate, especially as I have patches whereI have to go to college for a few days (again I have to concentrate as it's not easy stuff). 
Where Mastermind says 'acknowledge that it is DP and then DISTRACT' also ties in. While you can't NOT think about something (i.e. DP), you CAN replace those thoughts by distraction thus in a roundabout way retraining yourself to think about things that aren't DP and thus eventually the DP won't have room to be there...... in theory your brain will no longer be thinking it has to protect itself because you are worrying all the time, because you won't be, you'll be doing other stuff, keeping your mind occupied, and eventually it'll sort itself out.
So while you do not have the power to force the DP away, you absolutely have the power to occupy yourself with other things, no matter how trivial and menial they might seem.

Good luck everyone


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## FoXS (Nov 4, 2009)

in my opinion, I am nearly recovered, lets say 80 percent 
it feels soo good! you just have to listen to your insides and give your body, what it needs.


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## CindyinMontana (Nov 10, 2009)

I mentioned this earlier in a different post but I thought I would share again to give hope. I am 37 years old and have been recovering from a relapse of dp that began about a year ago. I had one other major episode with this when I was 17, so twenty years ago, and was basically dp free for *those twenty years* before this last relapse. So, yes, people do recover!!! I guess I have extra confidence that I will recover because I have done it before. When I was 17, it did take me a couple of years to fully recover but I did recover (without the help of anyone or anything except trial and error!) and dp was never something I even thought about after that.

I think the only reason that I got it again was because I panicked when it reared it's ugly head. The important thing to remember if, after recovering it comes on again is to _not panic_. Panicking seems to flip the switch in the brain to dp mode and it's hard to unflip that. Did you ever see one of those posters that have a 3D image in it. You stare at it for a long time and suddenly the image pops out? Well, once you see that image, it's hard to then *not* see it. That is how dp is, it's hard to not see something, especially when you _trying_ not to see it. It's the strangest mind fuck.

Twenty years ago, no one knew what was wrong with me, including me. Not much was known about this disorder and a forum like this certainly did not exist. I am just so glad I found this site and the Wikipedia explanation of this disorder. This time, my hope is that by knowing and understanding how to manage this is, I am going to keep this from ever occurring again. I would say I am 80%-90% recovered at this point which I am very proud of because it has taken a lot of work to get here. I have also made myself a dp emergency kit for the future if this ever occurs again. If I can keep from panicking, I can rid myself of this forever and the kit was designed for me to do just that. In it contains: the dp manual (an absolute must for speedy recovery), my homemade self help tapes which remind me to not feel sorry for myself (another dangerous emotion which can cause a similar outcome as panic), a list of supplements and vitamins, meditation cds with guided imagery, therapeutic grade essential oils which calm the nervous system, my homemade flash cards with positive affirmations on them, a list of suggestions to ease anxiety and ways to distract myself, and a letter to myself that encourages me to stay calm and relaxed and reassures me that I can handle this. Since I don't really need the things in the box anymore, except occasionally, I keep it on shelf and have labeled it DP Calming Kit. It gives me comfort just knowing I have a support plan in place.

How you deal with feelings of dp when they first occur is of utmost importance. I know this from experience because there had been a few times in those dp free twenty years that I had it appear but I stopped it in it's tracks by going to sleep and ignoring it. One of the times I put in a movie and went to sleep, I was able to wake up and be completely fine. Another time I just stopped everything and went to bed as soon as I felt the dp sensation. Even as a 17 year old I remember explaining to the doctors that if I wouldn't have panicked, I don't think this would have happened. They didn't understand what I was even talking about. Follow your 6th sense, your gut instinct. If you have a hunch about any clues regarding dp, follow them and learn from them. Honor your gut instinct.

Why wasn't I able to avoid it a year ago and prevent it's return? Because I had the sensations linger on and off for about a week and was mostly able to ward them off by going to bed early etc. but because of the severe stress I was under, I ultimately panicked. I had not had them come on repeatedly like that and it through me off. They say hindsight is 20/20. Well what I should have done was made a severe life style change when the feelings started coming on, instead of ignoring my mind/body. I refused to think that I couldn't handle anything instead of listening to what my body was trying to tell me. At the time, I was not only taking care of my own children, ages 2 and 3 but also my sister's kids ages 3 and 4 as well as co-running a restaurant. Then I took a stressful trip home with my young children without the help of my husband. I thought I could handle it all but my body showed me otherwise. I should have told my sister that I couldn't watch her kids anymore (she had just moved here so I was helping her out because she is a single Mom), I should have holed up at home with movies and engaging projects and cancelled that trip which I knew may be stressful. Dp has a lot to teach... unfortunately it makes you learn the hardest way possible!!! I have changed my life during this last year. I say "no" a lot more to other people and have learned to honor my needs and wants. I think I am going to come out of this a more in tune person. It's ok to say no to everything, it's ok to not have to prove that you can do it all. It's more important to find joy in the simplest things. Yes, I am definitely learning this the hard way. I don't think I will forget these lessons this time!! This can feel like a painfully slow process most of the time and can be so utterly exhausting, especially at the beginning but RECOVERY CAN BE DONE! You almost have to look at it upside down and backwards while at the same time try to forget about it. You really can't go at this puzzle of dp logically. Read the dp manual and follow it's advice, find what works for you, start to identify and then avoid possible triggers, and if possible try to have fun with this process whenever you can and then not be too hard on yourself when you have little regressions. Remember, every thought you think creates your future. Be hyper aware of your thoughts, don't let those negative and hopeless thoughts in!!! Read only positive posts, be proactive, put the work into this so you can begin to turn it around. Each moment in life is a new beginning point. The past has no power over you! The minute before last has no power over you, this moment is the point of power! Little by little, tier by tier, you will get there.

I will leave you with a poem that I have memorized and recite to myself often: By Emily Dickenson "I gained it"

I gained it so --
By Climbing slow --
By Catching at the Twigs that grow
Between the Bliss -- and me --
It hung so high
As well the Sky
Attempt by Strategy --

I said I gained it --
This -- was all --
Look, how I clutch it
Lest it fall --
And I a Pauper go --
Unfitted by an instant's Grace
For the Contented -- Beggar's face
I wore -- an hour ago --


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## FoXS (Nov 4, 2009)

hey, this is a damn good poem?!


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## timsbookshelfdotcom (Nov 13, 2009)

People do fully and permanently recover. It is documented. I'll find the documentation later and include it in the series of articles I'm planning on writing about this in the near future. I am fully recovered about 2 years and no beyond a shadow of a doubt that I'll never relapse. Once you realize the true nature of DP and allow it to run it's course your done with it for good, and believe me life can be absolutely amazing afterwards. I'd like to reiterate what CindyinMT said, DON'T PANIC when DP starts manifesting. Easier said than done I know. But if you stick it out and face it, your brain will ultimately realize the sensations are nothing to be concerned about it and it'll naturally move on. Never ever run from or fight the symptoms of DP, this merely gives credence to something that in all actuality is powerless over you. Be ruthless in your acceptance of it. Make a game of it. See how DPish you can feel. The more you expose yourself to it in a spirit of accceptance, without worrying over it, the more and more it'll fade. It's gradual but it's really not that long of a recovery process. So relax a little and be hopeful. Accept where your at right now and know improvements are coming. And it is true, people who do recover move on with their lives and generally don't spend much time around here. It is sad and irresponsible, I'm guilty of it myself which is why I decided to come back now and try to encourage others.


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## Guest (Nov 14, 2009)

Cindy, to me there is no question that your stressful situation was your trigger, I was exhausted just reading about it! More power to you for recognising it , not only this time but 20 years ago with no knowledge/resources


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## CindyinMontana (Nov 10, 2009)

Thanks for the props (and for getting through my email novel!) The responses and support feels great. We all need to believe in each other. I'm rooting for all of you just as much as I am for myself. Sometimes I worry if going on this site is another form of "checking in" with myself. But I think if I just stick to the positive and supportive reads, it's all good. Thanks again! Cheers


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## CindyinMontana (Nov 10, 2009)

Thanks also Timsbookshelf, your story is inspiring and I appreciate your words of encouragement. Good points...it explains why there are so many more negative stories than positive. It's hard to come near this site for a lot of reasons when you are well. Fear of it triggering dp is probably one of them, thanks again!


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## leminaseri (Jul 1, 2020)

Surfingisfun001 said:


> I've been around this website for 2 years. I've seen people I'd never think would get better report that they are better and then not hear back from them again. In the "On the Road to Recovery" and "Regaining Reality" sections there are lots of threads about people who recover. Most of the people that report getting better usually move on with their lives... makes sense, ya know? Sometimes it does seem like an eternal state of hell but surprisingly a lot of people do report getting better. This is one of my favorite recovery stories... http://www.dpselfhelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=6179
> 
> Here is another encouraging story, this one is recent too...http://www.dpselfhelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=21093
> 
> ...


@ThoughtOnFire 

can you make these threads visible again? im curious as fuck


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## ThoughtOnFire (Feb 10, 2015)

I cannot :/ they are wiped from the forum database


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## Stevemc92 (Jul 31, 2016)

Yes twice just recovered from my second bout once I have recovered I forget all about this site and yes it’s true you move on and can’t relate to the feelings of DP and DR


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