# So cut off from self that I am barely breathing



## CoffeeGirl9 (Oct 4, 2009)

Anyone else have this problem? I feel so cut off from myself that it's really hard to breathe. It feels like I am not breathing at all. I will "wake up" and it's like I have not been breathing. I am not exaggerating. Obviously I am not dead I am somehow breathing but it's not normal AT ALL! You guys! DP has ruined everything.


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## mezona (Sep 4, 2015)

Unfortunately I do


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## thy (Oct 7, 2015)

CoffeeGirl9 said:


> Anyone else have this problem? I feel so cut off from myself that it's really hard to breathe. It feels like I am not breathing at all. I will "wake up" and it's like I have not been breathing. I am not exaggerating. Obviously I am not dead I am somehow breathing but it's not normal AT ALL! You guys! DP has ruined everything.


I have had this experience too before I got DP actually. I would wake up and it didnt feel like I was waking up from sleep more some deeper state. I used to worry that I had stopped breathing in my sleep and when I woke up I started breathing again. Presumably I would have died if I had actually stopped breathing so it couldn't have been the case. I know worrying that you arent breathing properly is a very common worry, if you are still alive I very much doubt you have an issue with your breathing.


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## CoffeeGirl9 (Oct 4, 2009)

thy said:


> I have had this experience too before I got DP actually. I would wake up and it didnt feel like I was waking up from sleep more some deeper state. I used to worry that I had stopped breathing in my sleep and when I woke up I started breathing again. Presumably I would have died if I had actually stopped breathing so it couldn't have been the case. I know worrying that you arent breathing properly is a very common worry, if you are still alive I very much doubt you have an issue with your breathing.


I don't think we are going through the same experience.


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## slenderman124 (Dec 26, 2014)

CoffeeGirl9 said:


> Anyone else have this problem? I feel so cut off from myself that it's really hard to breathe. It feels like I am not breathing at all. I will "wake up" and it's like I have not been breathing. I am not exaggerating. Obviously I am not dead I am somehow breathing but it's not normal AT ALL! You guys! DP has ruined everything.


I saw a youtuber complaining about some bad dp symptoms. He also mentioned the breathing and looked to be in a really bad shape. Unfortunatly I cant remember his name, but if I stumble over him again, ill post a link here. Anyways, my point is that his more recent videos reveals that hes in a much better state. Just wanted to mention this to give you some hope. Hope is important, and I believe it can even contribute to improvement or even complete recovery in conditions like these.


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## LolaBananas (Feb 1, 2016)

I don't have that very strong anymore. Other stuff still. So for me the thing here was when I focused on my breathing I became scared because I am alive obviously.. Still get scared focusing on me because of that. Anyhow so I tried to just relax on a couch or in my bed listen to music or do nothing and just hear and focus on my breathing SOMETIMES. First I get scared as hell than after around half an hour I am more relaxed than before. I try to feel my body a lot or listen to my breathing and thought. Don't get me mistaken usually it has gotten me scared as fuck. But some symptoms got better. For me focusing on something helped a lot. So I usually focus on relaxing my muscles and get some of the tension from the day away. Maybe someone could be with you for the time being or if thats all too much watch a movie and still try to focus sometimes on the thing that scares you. I wish you the best


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## jenndp (Nov 9, 2015)

I feel you! You are not alone ????


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## mana_war (Jul 3, 2014)

shallow breath is a symptom of trauma


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## Ezio (Nov 24, 2015)

Yes i know this feeling exactly you're not alone


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## 707 (Mar 1, 2017)

oh my gosh... I thought I was the only one.. I'm really glad I found this post.. but I hope things get better for us all


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## Pondererer (May 18, 2016)

Luckily i don't struggle with this part anymore. But yeah have been struggling with that alot in the past. When i was a kid, and specifically in long car rides, i'm pretty sure i fainted many times due to lack of breathing, no joke! I remember clearly feeling dead, as usual, while having my eyes closed TRYING to relax. I would slip into this "unconscious" state where i would still have the same anxious state of mind, the same conscious state as before, but not knowing i was unconscious at the same time. Then when i "woke up" i felt super confused, and my tongue f.example would LITERALLY feel dead. Like it was a dead piece of meat that had dried out in my mouth, it was super weird and uncomfortable.

I'm pretty sure this was fainting because when you actually fall asleep during a car ride, it feels amazing to get some rest with the white noise of driving soothing you. This was ENTIRELY different.


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## Billy D.P. (Apr 12, 2016)

Definitely had this during my first episode of DP. If you have it during sleep you might have sleep apnea, also maybe some hormonal issues. I'd have it when awake though. I always thought it was like my brain was forgetting how to breathe, like I was perhaps so self conscious that I even had to dictate when to breathe or not and would sometimes forget to, if that makes any sense.


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## 707 (Mar 1, 2017)

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## M1k3y (Sep 19, 2016)

CoffeeGirl9 said:


> Anyone else have this problem? I feel so cut off from myself that it's really hard to breathe. It feels like I am not breathing at all. I will "wake up" and it's like I have not been breathing. I am not exaggerating. Obviously I am not dead I am somehow breathing but it's not normal AT ALL! You guys! DP has ruined everything.


idk work on taking deep breaths, i think ur anxiety is so up there its making it hard for u to breath, like ur panicing, go for a run, thatll make u breath haha


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