# My intense symptoms and how I got better



## Hopefullythishelpsomeone (Jun 22, 2021)

*Some background on my DPDR related Symptoms below (MENTAL)*

unable to comprehend objects
unable to comprehend reality/existence/people
terrified of existence
feeling reality too much ---feels like I am 1 step away from psychosis
more derealization than depersonalization but it switched between em
intense, pareidolia seeing faces EVERYWHERE < think this is OCD though
audio pareidolia, would hear birds chirp in the fan/white noise, some times whispers triggering schizo OCD (the audio Pareidolia didnt happen untill I started researching schizo)
intense illusions -I was see like a person in My, peripheral vision but then it will end up being a tree. <<I think schizo OCD too
feeling an overlap of my imagination and reality, like a tree will be in my peripheral vision and my brain will be like "ITS A PERSON" and it wont go away until I look(i think its the same thing as above) -> schizo OCD too
perceiving things like clothes, pants, chairs, as being alive <I've seen a few folks with this on dpselfhelp, really hard to explain. my schizo OCD made this worse
nights (IT WAS ALWAYS WORSE AT NIGHT) where I legit felt as if my soul was being sucked out, I can't even explain this feeling but all I could do was go in my bed and sleep.
agoraphobia, holy shit going into supermarkets sometimes was SO BAD I felt so connected to reality and people there, once again can't explain this but it was so bad.
at night before sleeping sounds will scare me for some reason.
brain fog
scared of thoughts/thought process, family+friends I don't recognize when thinking about them
Afraid of man made structures - looks so dreamy hard to explain
intense imagery before bed, thoughts also become LOUD
feels like I am high
Jais-ma-vu - everything is unfamiliar
intense de-ja-vu - comes and goes, feels like im in an alternate universe sometimes.
thoughts/feelings I cannot explain.
weird imagery < cannot explain
scared of reflection sometimes (only when I over thought it)
much more......
*Physical Symptoms:*

Dizziness when going into stores
initial dizziness all day (I think this was a sinus infection or covid tho)
lump in throught
Heart Palpitations (HEART BEATING STRONG AND LOUD)
Fibro Symptoms, hands feel like they are burning, pins and needles, tired, some days I couldn't even leave my house.
deconditioned/POTS heart would jump to 110 when standing.
Head Tension
Trembling/ muscle jerking
GERD/acid reflux
much more but I'm getting tired from typing lol...
*How I got better:*
*There is no magic pill, or magic techniques almost everyone who recovered did so by "ACCEPTING/Not Caring" this is different from distraction but rather it is shifting your attention. observe the unreality and go about your day, you will not be able to do this in a week or a month, but it will be possible. (which is easier said than done.)
having said that the below is what made the above easier:*

block dpselfhelp.com (this forum) r/DPDR, r/Derealization, r/visualsnow, r/HPPD, r/Depersonalization, on (reddit) DPDR is Highly linked to OCD and seeking reassurance from the subreddits make you feel better in the short term but worse long term. your thoughts become your reality, so the more you research and think about it, the more it will become your reality. also there are some very NEGATIVE people.
stop all the "Does anyone else feel" threads, and reading them. the fact that 80% of the posts are "DAE??" proves this is an anxiety/OCD symptom
running every other day. I started a couch to 5k program (I highly recommend doing this, and running OUTSIDE rather than in a gym. 24-30 minutes typically )
lifting weights every other day you are not running (20-30 minutes)
going outside especially if there is sunlight, try to minimize sunscreen, i tan so I never wear it. if your white try to get 10-30 minutes without sunscreen
I ate more MEAT, and plants
some supplements, I only take Vitamin D, Digestive enzyme, and Probiotics everyday (helped with my GERD symptoms). I also take others from day to day I also take some electrolytes before working out.
socialize more (IN PERSON if possible)
*How I am doing now*

can have existential thoughts and they don't really bother me except some days it will for like 30 minutes MAX
have actually not experiences DPDR in a long time I think a week or so, I did have an episode the other day, but I simply observed it and it left after 30 minutes.
only symptoms I have left and some OCD symptoms but even those are like 30% as bad as they were in the last few months.
feel free to look at my post history I made a lot of posts on this subreddit, but don't stay too long on here.
I will probably answer some questions people have, but this might be my last post here unless something changes
typing this I wanna cry, I remember reading all the recovery stories and thinking that will never be me, but wow I really am getting better and better.
hope you all recover! it is possible I would say I am at 80-90% recovery now (I had it for 6ish years)
FYI, MY DPDR was triggered from weed 6 years ago... MUCH LOVE!


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## Findmywayhome (Oct 11, 2020)

This is all great advice. Thank you for sharing. Was your DPDR chronic? Or would it happen in episodes? Was it a weed induced panic attack that caused DPDR? Or was it from just smoking it and it gradually developed

What is your opinion on weed induced dpdr versus other causes? Mine happened from a short bout of intense depression/anxiety, but since it passed ive been chronically having DPDR for about eight months now. I cant help but feel that weed induced is easier to recover from, I really only think that because 85% of recovery posts are from weed induced experiences. Yet it seems that on the discussion forum— the people who still suffer from it and havent yet recovered— most people tend to have it from other causes.


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## Hopefullythishelpsomeone (Jun 22, 2021)

Findmywayhome said:


> This is all great advice. Thank you for sharing. Was your DPDR chronic? Or would it happen in episodes? Was it a weed induced panic attack that caused DPDR? Or was it from just smoking it and it gradually developed
> 
> What is your opinion on weed induced dpdr versus other causes? Mine happened from a short bout of intense depression/anxiety, but since it passed ive been chronically having DPDR for about eight months now. I cant help but feel that weed induced is easier to recover from, I really only think that because 85% of recovery posts are from weed induced experiences. Yet it seems that on the discussion forum— the people who still suffer from it and haven't yet recovered— most people tend to have it from other causes.



both my DPDR was chronic so it was there 24/7 but then I would get episodes where it would get 5000% worse. it was a weed induced panic attack that causes DPDR at the beginning. when i had it 6 years ago I got better after 2 years, 70-80% better, but then it came back this year, after I had a bad anxiety period.

I read a study on this topic actually they realized that basically drug induced DPDR and other DPDR had no difference in intensity, but that other DPDR tended to last longer, I think drug induced had an average of 4 years vs 6? I can't find the study....


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