# Chemical imbalance?! Curable?!



## RockinCelery

Do you guys think that if DP is a result of a chemical imbalance or some sort of damage done to the brain by drugs or something that it is curable?!


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## Visual

RockinCelery said:


> Do you guys think that if DP is a result of a chemical imbalance or some sort of damage done to the brain by drugs or something that it is curable?!


It depends on the individual. In the end, the brain is not 'firing' right.

Some here have brain injury from recreational drugs.
Some have it triggered by stress
Some have DP pop out of the blue.
Some have brief DP episodes in connection with migraines or some other event
Some have abuse background with corresponding dissociative feelings and memories

Likewise, treatment is very individualistic. Medications that help one group can aggravate symptoms for others. It is most likely curable but there is no simple blanket answer, just many avenues to try.


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## RockinCelery

So then do you thnk that the brain is capable of repairing itself over time?!


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## Visual

RockinCelery said:


> So then do you thnk that the brain is capable of repairing itself over time?!


Absolutely. Neurologists say the brain is very 'plastic', meaning it grows and repairs. It needs food and excitement - nerves love innervation. So everything from learning, movement, play, talk therapy, &#8230; encourages growth and repair.

It is important to understand the source of the problem to know the most effective treatments. This opens a vast door. Genetics, general health and diet, metabolic damage vs physical damage all make a difference. Resources can also affect results - money, time, knowledge, efforts, attitudes. Thus while some recover well from difficulties there are many people that experience little progress.


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## RockinCelery

Visual Dude said:


> Absolutely. Neurologists say the brain is very 'plastic', meaning it grows and repairs. It needs food and excitement - nerves love innervation. So everything from learning, movement, play, talk therapy, &#8230; encourages growth and repair.
> 
> It is important to understand the source of the problem to know the most effective treatments. This opens a vast door. Genetics, general health and diet, metabolic damage vs physical damage all make a difference. Resources can also affect results - money, time, knowledge, efforts, attitudes. Thus while some recover well from difficulties there are many people that experience little progress.


I find this very interesting. I myself am trying to figure out the real cause of my DP and DR symptoms. At the time of the onset of them I was under severe stress emotionally and very anxious but I also at the same time briefly experimented with some drugs, which obviously wasn't wise at the time but I suppose I needed and escape. I have come across some of your other posts regarding visual disturbances and I can relate to some of them, I too get visual jerks and I also get the weird vision that you provided an example of with a link to a youtube video. I am trying to figure out what is exactly going on basically but there is so much in my life that could have brought this on. I suppose it really is a voyage of discover though....


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## Visual

RockinCelery said:


> I find this very interesting. I myself am trying to figure out the real cause of my DP and DR symptoms. At the time of the onset of them I was under severe stress emotionally and very anxious but I also at the same time briefly experimented with some drugs, which obviously wasn't wise at the time but I suppose I needed and escape. I have come across some of your other posts regarding visual disturbances and I can relate to some of them, I too get visual jerks and I also get the weird vision that you provided an example of with a link to a youtube video. I am trying to figure out what is exactly going on basically but there is so much in my life that could have brought this on. I suppose it really is a voyage of discover though....


Glad you looked at the video - you are the first to give any feedback on it. I like it because 1) it is a communication tool for something hard to describe and 2) since it creates the effect, then understanding how and the brain processing involved may help to unlock understanding as to what is going wrong with us and how it may be treated.

Tracing what has occurred isn't a simple task. Do you have motion perception problems or the pattern around the moon that Bluetank made a picture of? It is interesting to compare notes.


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## RockinCelery

Visual Dude said:


> Glad you looked at the video - you are the first to give any feedback on it. I like it because 1) it is a communication tool for something hard to describe and 2) since it creates the effect, then understanding how and the brain processing involved may help to unlock understanding as to what is going wrong with us and how it may be treated.
> 
> Tracing what has occurred isn't a simple task. Do you have motion perception problems or the pattern around the moon that Bluetank made a picture of? It is interesting to compare notes.


As of yet I haven't notived any motion perception problems bar the one exemplified by the video and that only happens if i've been walking for a while and come to a sudden stop, and I also haven't noticed any patterns around the moon like those pictures either.

However the perceptions problems I am having are causing me enough worry as I am afraid I may not be able to get on the road to recovery if there is some damage done. I try not to let the dp take over and get me down but at times i'm finding it very hard. How are you finding you are getting on with this?! Also do you see any improvement in your visuals?!


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## Visual

RockinCelery said:


> As of yet I haven't notived any motion perception problems bar the one exemplified by the video and that only happens if i've been walking for a while and come to a sudden stop, and I also haven't noticed any patterns around the moon like those pictures either.
> 
> However the perceptions problems I am having are causing me enough worry as I am afraid I may not be able to get on the road to recovery if there is some damage done. I try not to let the dp take over and get me down but at times i'm finding it very hard. How are you finding you are getting on with this?! Also do you see any improvement in your visuals?!


Anxiety is a natural response to having these problems. It can also be part of the injury as well. Learning to be calm and taking reasonable steps to repair and protect yourself from further injury *builds inner strength*. Whereas letting worry recycle and build on itself both feels like hell and put further physiological stress on the CNS. A little philosophy can help here.

If you feel anxiety is getting the better of you, you could try the supplement GABA. Also short-term use of benzodiazepines can be beneficial. I feel very cautious about SSRI but they have helped some. Know that it will probably take some time to get better and then go with the flow - *live the other parts of your life* while you slowly pick at this problem.

This is how I am getting on with it. I was very worried the first year. Afraid of going blind. While appreciating that age gradually takes things from us, I did NOT appreciate aging 20 years in 3 weeks. Doctors were not helpful and at first didn't take it seriously. Finding the dopamine/Parkinson's connection relieved some anxiety even though this is only a piece (a major one).

Unfortunately the last few years has been a series of major setbacks. Eventually this made me somewhat helpless and thus feeling vulnerable. Feeling this way forced the psychological brain to address past abuse under the same theme - powerless against predators. This is my DP emotion work. In retrospect it is good to get this stuff hashed out but it is not an easy and quick process.

Most visual problems have improved greatly - contrast, color, depth perception, shape distortions, starbursts and smears, motion latency, pain, and others. The visual 'tremors' have not improved. The stationary objects that move or change size still occur but its hard to say if better or worse. Neither of these have been severe yet. Nor have they shown response to medications or nutrition. Fatigue and fumes aggravate them however. These two are what you have reported so we both still have more detective work.

As you work through your voyage *you will find helpful stuff*. I am glad to try to help and have posted a gob of stuff. Hopefully it is clear enough so that there is some coherence for people to understand and make application to themselves.


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## Pablo

RockinCelery said:


> So then do you thnk that the brain is capable of repairing itself over time?!


Yes

People have had severe head traumas like half their brains blown out and they recover full cognitive and emotional ability because the brain is plastic and can rewire itself, a couple of piddly drugs wont do much long term, you would have to take hard drugs regularly every week for many years to create severe cognitive damage to your brain and even then nothing is certain


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