# 100% better.



## LeaveThisForum (Jan 13, 2010)

Hi,

I'm going to keep this short as I'm quite tired and need to sleep.

I suffered from DP/DR for 3 months. It was severe and I know what you are going through. I have been to the complete depths of this "illness" and I have come out fine. Notice the inverted commas above illness - it is not an illness or a disorder, it is a side effect of anxiety. That is all, you are not unique and you are experiencing something that has been experienced by literally millions of people.

Everybody recovers from this nasty side effect. Anxiety is simply a habit of though, break the habit and the DP/DR goes away. Once it goes away you will look back and realise how silly you were being - that is why it's hard to find lots of success stories online, because nobody cares once you're done with it. You do, however, finding hordes of people looking for help in a blind panic, listing their symptoms and reading other peoples stories which adds to the snowball of worry.

Distract yourself and learn new habits. Most importantly, LEAVE THIS FORUM and stop looking for cures. Stop googling about DP, the memory will fade and you will get out of this habit of thinking about it. DP exists are a protection mechanism for anxiety, it is not an enemy - it is a part of dealing with severe anxiety. Play some video games, go for a run, get some routine into your life and stop monitoring your progress. Trust me, I know what this is like - it's hard at first. The memory will fade into the back of your mind once you stop giving it ANY time. There is nothing to be scared of, reality exists just as it always has done and you are a part of it, just like you always have been.

Stop coming to the forum and take your mind off it. Stop talking about it, just let it fade. Give it time. I started taking some supplements, just regular vitamins and it seemed to help. I no longer take them, I am 100% recovered and I no longer feel DP/DR unless it's the odd time were I'm anxious. But it no longer scares me as I know I have gotten better and that I now go days without even thinking about it. Even when I think about it it's simply me remembering that I went through something difficult, no recollection of the feelings of DP. I cannot feel it anymore, it's gone and it will go for you.

I probably won't come back to check replies here. I'm busy and I'm not giving DP another second of my time. I just thought I should come tell you this.

Goodluck (not that you'll need it).


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## Guest (Feb 27, 2010)




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## BananaMan (Jul 23, 2009)

LeaveThisForum said:


> I probably won't come back to check replies here. I'm busy and I'm not giving DP another second of my time. I just thought I should come tell you this.


Of course you won't. Because you just came here to tell a group of people how stupid they are. So don't give it another thought and get lost!

If you truly had suffered this and truly knew what it was like and wanted to help, then you would be here offering helpful suggestions and supporting others. If I want someone to tell me to eat proper, get exercise and stick to a routine I can simply grab someone off the street.

By the way, how much of a kickback do you get from the person selling the book?


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## Cathal_08 (Apr 7, 2008)

A. its is a disorder
and B. i wouldn't consider 3 months as even having full blown DP, at least 6 months or more or you must just had a brief episode of it or something similar!


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## Sarasi3 (Mar 4, 2010)

Hello, i sincerely hope you do come back to check replies. why wouldnt you? but I dont think we should be getting annoyed at peoples posts as everyone has a slightly different story, and different things work for different people. i'm sure i dont need to be telling people this either though. all i can do is share my experience and hope that someone benefits from this.

I am a 25yo female suffering from consistant depersonalisation for over 8 years now. some years worse, much worse, than others. some years have also been a breeze. these are the years where i have let go of searching for a cure. i stopped thinking about this all together. i had a stable job, relationship, friendships, i was healthy, and generally quite happy with myself and my life. but... always was there the consistant lingering dp. it never went away. its quite confusing because some of you may say 'but you never really tried -if you still knew it was there, then you WERE thinking about it still, so you never let it go'. this may be true, who knows. all i know is that i have tried for many years to not let it bother me. and i have suceeded to not let it bother me, accept it and moved on with my life. i am happy... but it (dp) is still very much there ALL the time. the same as the first day i felt it. its only better because i dont let the anxiety drive me crazy. if you let it get ontop of you, it is harder to see the way out.

so yes it does improve if you ignore it. and for some, im sure, it may even dissapear. but if it dosnt, dont ignore it too long. i mean people do say it goes away when the anxiety goes away. but for others there are more layers to the story, and you may need outside help.

some people, like myself, have tried this theory of not worrying about it for years, and many times over also. i think sometimes, when the thought patterns of anxiety are so ingrained it becomes quite difficult for someone as an individual to re-train the way they think about situations, phobias etc. it becomes quite difficult to even see where you are going wrong, and what is causing the anxiety. it may be very hard to find these things about yourself let alone spend the time catching the things as they happen (in your mind or outwardly expressed) it becomes tiring, confusing and seems hopless. i often feel this way. if in the time that you 'forget' and stop worrying about the anxiety, if your thought patterns arent corrected, then some or most of the anxiety will stay. it cannot be helped this easily.

i have been doing alot of research over the 8 years i have had this condition and come up with some things i would like to share:

-depersonalisation (on its own) is harmless to your physical body (unless it drains you of looking after yourself of course)
-every web site/doctor i have visited says it is caused by anxiety disorders or something related to anxiety. 
-(as far as i know) it is not a physical condition, purely mental.
-many web sites and individuals say that it gradually, sometimes over a long period of time, will dissappear when the anxiety dissappears.

I feel that this may help:

-please relax. i know this can be difficult, especially for long term sufferers.
-do not ignore that there is something wrong, keep it in mind but try not to let it control you too much.
-be aware that this may take time to fix, months and sometimes years.
-be strong. you can beat this fucker if you are smart about it and never give up. because it would be worth it if in the future when you can 'have your life back completely' how great would that feel!

i know that many if not all of you would have tried this, otherwise you would not still be searching. but i feel that the only thing that will cure this is confidence. in yourself and your life ahead and behind of you. long term confidence- similar to a natural way of training your brain thought patterns and chemicals (like antidepressants do, but not having to use them!)some of you may need long term help from a psychologist (not a councillor who dosnt know much about thought processes) but a psych who practices cognitive behavioural therapy. dont be scared if you dont think your psych is a good one, or you dont like them- just leave and find one you really like and believe in.

the australian government will bulk bill psych appointments with a refferal from a GP, other countries may have a similar plan if you are worried about the cash. if you are confident in yourself, proud of who you are, speak up for yourself and live true to what you believe in, you are a step in the right direction. for me, i needed a psychologist to help me recognise the things i wanted to change, my thoughts and the way i see the world. sure, the world is always going to have its horrible dark moments. but it no longer outweighes the time i have now to enjoy the many other aspects of my life.

if you decide to take anti anxiety/anti depressants (i tried this and it only masked the situation, made me feel groggy, and prolonged the time it took to fix my ACTUAL and real anxieties) if you are going to take meds.. please see a psychologist too. it cant hurt. it may make you feel down and anxious the first few sessions, but it does get better. if you relax and realise ther is no quick fix, a psych will do you wonders.

any way. i hope this comforts you in some way. i know it it a horrible, uncomfortable feeling that you cant stand and hope that you dont have to deal with it for years and years. not everyone does. speaking as someone who has had this for a very, very long time, please take my advice. dont let it ruin your life or get you down too much on your journey to recovery. but please dont ignore it. fight it, but dont forget to relax and enjoy your life, even a little along the way.

please reply, i WILL be reading replies.

be strong everyone!
-


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## Sarasi3 (Mar 4, 2010)

yes i agree also. i guess this person is not as educated in this disorder as they suffered short term. but this may still be useful to short term sufferers, it worked for him.


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## A_Logical_Thinker (Feb 23, 2010)

LTF, I know your trying to be positive, but, it's different for everybody. There is no "universal cure". If a person is having symptoms, then something most likely is wrong with their life.


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## nix (Feb 27, 2010)

25yo said:


> yes i agree also. i guess this person is not as educated in this disorder as they suffered short term. but this may still be useful to short term sufferers, it worked for him.


Nobody is "enough educated" about DP, not even doctors. Overrating DP and overanalyzing it can also make DP to lasts forever. 
In the end... 3 months or 3 years... it's all subjective and it all mostly depends on us, not on DP itself that much. 
Some people with DP caused by marijuana will have it only for 1 month, while somebody else will have it for 1 year. My point is- it's the same thing caused by same cause to someone and still, it can last 1 day or 10 years depending mostly on our way of dealing with it.

I also agree with LTF and I am happy for him that he is free from DP and I hope that he will never need to come back to this board again.


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## LeaveThisForum (Jan 13, 2010)

I didn't think I'd bother coming back to this forum but now that I have had a few drinks I thought I would check it, just to reply to what was said.

First of all to BananaMan, you seem very offended at my post. I'm very sorry that I caused you offence as that is the last thing I ever wanted to do to anyone. I know how this feels and I'm very sorry if you felt I was belittling you in anyway. My apologises if you felt like that, your post seemed quite short tempered and I never wanted to annoy people in a way that would induce that.

I have to disagree with your statement that my problem was "garden variety". I spent prolonged times in bed, too distant to get out of bed as I knew it would just make everything else worse. I had SEVERE panic attacks all the time, many times a day. An apocalyptic crushing feeling on my body, I wished the world would end right then so I could be done with these feelings. It was awful. I find it a bit offensive that you have viewed me as a melodramatic advice pusher - I can assure you that I felt this condition very, very strongly. I suffered for only three months which is nothing beside some of you, but it is still a long time. Imagine being in agonising pain, like from a gunshot wound, for three months - that is how I felt. It was not something subtle or easy.

DP/DR is an anxiety related condition. I'm sorry but if you have managed to convince yourself that it is not, like I did at one point, then you are wrong in my opinion. The human anatomy uses derealization as a response to strong anxiety. There is no DPD, it doesn't exist. You can agree to disagree with me on this point but please, do not post an endless list of reasons why. Remember, there are hundreds of "lurkers" on this board. People who are feeling these symptoms and read what you post. Most never sign up, but they all read. Be careful what you post here.

The effects of derealization induced by anxiety (which all DP/DR is caused by) can linger - severe anxiety causes changes in the brain chemisty which can take months, even years to get back to normal. Just remember that your brain is the most brilliant, intelligent thing in the entire universe. It will heal itself. Someone once told that after experiencing a 2 year long Salvia Divinorum induced derealization, he ended it with - "You will return much wiser. Take it from me." He was correct, I would not change what happened to me. It made me more mature in my approach to drugs - this is, none at all - aside from a social drink with friends.

The last thing I want to add is that, even I, reading posts on this board of peoples updates on their long, gradual recovery makes it seems like this is something you will have to live with. It is not, you need to get that thought out of your head. DP/DR is like an endless cycle - think about it, becomes worse, reading this board, think you have it forever, think about it, becomes worse. You will get over this, I don't care how long it takes. I know a lot of the replies here have been negative because I'm a "baby sufferer" in only three months but I don't give a fuck; 3 months, 3 years - it's all proportional to your time to recovery.

Good luck to everyone here.


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## Tommygunz (Sep 7, 2009)

to bad your not stickin around LTF, we need more people like you.


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## LeaveThisForum (Jan 13, 2010)

Tommygunz said:


> to bad your not stickin around LTF, we need more people like you.


How are you doing Tommygunz? I remember reading your posts way back in december, they gave me a lot of hope as they were always positive. It'd be great to know that you're doing well and have recovered. If not recovered yet then I look forward to seeing your recovery post sometime soon, I know from the posts that you made that you're a very level headed person and that recovery will come to you in certainty.

Again to people reading this, I do not and will not argue with people on this forum. This is about recovery, nothing else and everyone suffering from this deserves recovery. I know that for sure.


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## Freya4SmilesAgain (Mar 8, 2010)

Try around 9 years of not feeling right and not knowing if I was feeling wat normal people feel, happy, excited.....just sad, numb and angry. Im only 19 and just been told wats up. We r not looking for cures on this website, we r looking for comfort in knowing that other people can relate exactly to wat we r feeling and can talk about it. Yeah people can have it for short periods of time and im sure even they would like to talk to someone who is or has experienced it. It is to do with anxiety i agree and its all in the mind and body but it is lovely to just chat to people who know this feeling. It's not all about recovery on here, it's feeling normal around other people and not having to explain ur feelings and getting questions shot back.


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## Tim (Jul 17, 2009)

im going to have to agree with Freya on this one.

but i agree with you, LTF, on some level too. this forum does become a habit for a good amount of people, and staring at a computer screen by itself isn't good for this whatever you want to call it..

But hear me out when i say that not everyone on here is dumb, not even close. Most people on here are actually pretty wise. And after a while (a few years) with DPD people tend to recognize what is "good" and "bad" for it.. worrying about their symptoms = bad, going out and being social = good, drinking = bad, eating healthy vitamins = good.. ect. but we are still here? we must be stupid.

or maybe , like Freya said, we are here for comfort because maybe we cant conquer this just quite yet. Personally i live in a violent household, to say the least, and no matter how much "good" i do for my state of mind i will bump into some stress or issue (mostly at home, but schools good for that too) that will distress me and here's our good friend anxiety to kick me while im down, and DPD and panic. not to mention the visuals i get (trails behind object, solid objects "breathing"). ive been fighting this for some time now, but it wont just go away if i forget about it.. because i have, last summer i was somewhat clear until a certain indecent. and it came back full force, of course i still have the visuals, but ive gotten used to them by now. and this isn't something ive blown up to make it sound like "oh poor me, take it back", this is all true for me, and this is where i stand as far as a peaceful recovery goes. so i might as well get comfortable. this isnt how i always thought, but its how im thinking now, ive gone through so many possible thought processes (about recovery, and just life) that i just feel lost. this place helps.

and i tell you all this because i bet my left nut im not the only one.. maybe you just had some anxiety issue that passed fast, maybe it was full blown DP that you could tackle in 3 months, either way im happy for you. but we are all different, there's no right answer for it so when you give people somewhat of "tough love" about it, it comes off negatively. you know?


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## m&m (Mar 8, 2010)

For anyone who read that message.

Support groups are used in all aspects of mental health.
If you are looking for more.

http://psychcentral....oups/index.html


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