# How to cure Depersonalization in three simple steps



## ClassC

How to cure Depersonalization in *three simple steps*.​​
Introduction:

Depersonalization is a state of mind where you feel unreal and emotionally numb. The environment around you seems unfamiliar, strange and almost fake as if it were made of plastic.

People then begin to feel changes in themselves, where they begin to question if anything is real or if anything exists. Eventually, they become so engrossed by these thoughts; they begin to believe them.

What causes these sensations?

A series of events may trigger this feeling of being 'unreal' that would varry from anxiety, panic attacks, mental trauma, etc. (e.g. a person may have witnessed a horrific incident that could cause him/her to feel this way, temporarily.)

How long does this last?

Not for very long. If you have previously experienced visual distortions, chances they have probably subsided by now. All that remains are worrying, intrusive thoughts that seem overwhelming and almost impossible to overcome.

If still experience visual distortions you are most likely still overwhelmed by these events and are overly anxious (constantly on edge). Regardless, both of these disturbances can be overcome very easily.

Why do people continue to feel this way?

Interestingly, this has much less to do with the root cause and more to do with the strange thoughts the person experiences on a frequent basis.

Here is the pattern:

1- Thought arises telling the person that nothing is real, nothing feels real.

2- The person then believes the thought and acknowledges it.

3- Then the person feels boggled and confused, questioning the validity of his thoughts.

​The cycle repeats.​
What do thoughts have to do with feeling unreal?

When you touch something, feel something, or say something, you would experience thoughts in your mind telling you what you are touching does not feel or seem real. When you are talking, the same thought arises telling you that it is not you speaking, that the words coming out of your mouth are automated and you have no control over it.

Some people believe these thoughts, even though they know they are not true.

Only when a person believes these thoughts does he become an observer. Which is something that many people complain about.


How do we cure Depersonalization and reduce the intensity of these thoughts?

There are three simple steps that should be taken when facing these situations. With daily use and practice they will become second nature.

1- Realize that these thoughts are not yours. (Any deceitful thoughts that would cause you mental pain, wasting of time, etc.) e.g. Thoughts of feeling unreal fit in all these categories.​(1- Deceitful = Not true 2- Mental Pain = Stress, Anxiety. 3- Wasteful = Analyzing and evaluating)

2- Don't believe the thoughts. (You might think theres something more, don't believe the thoughts, they are not true. They shouldn't be analyzed or evaluated, they will simply waste your time.)

3- Don't blame yourself for having these thoughts. (Self-blame will cause you to fall back into the viscous cycle, you will begin to feel depressed > worrying thoughts arise > anxiety.

How does this help?

By implementing these 3 simple steps into your daily routine, you will eliminate the feeling of Depersonalization as well as anxiety.

1- You will not be troubled by the thoughts, because they don't belong to you. (Reduces thinking about thoughts)

2- You will not believe deceitful thoughts that only aim to cause you mental pain. (Reduces anxiety)

3- You will not blame yourself for having these thoughts and will learn to deal with them more effectively in a healthy way. (Reduces the likelihood of falling into a depressed state)​​
I hope this helps and benefits you all as much as it has helped me.


----------



## branl

pretty simple..so does that mean you rewire your brain not to think in such a way?

So the more you ignore the thoughts and practice being mindful might this help rewire you brain?


----------



## ClassC

branl said:


> pretty simple..so does that mean you rewire your brain not to think in such a way?
> 
> So the more you ignore the thoughts and practice being mindful might this help rewire you brain?


Yes, I guess you could put it that way. It's not just about ignoring the thoughts, it's about realizing that these thoughts are not true. Therefore you shouldn't believe them (you wont feel anxious), and you won't be thinking about them (since they are not true).

So, the less you think and worry about untrue, irrational thoughts, the less you feel anxious and eventually the feelings of Depersonalization go away naturally.

It rewires your brain in a sense that if you it regularly, it becomes habit and eventually second nature so you wouldn't have to think hard about how to deal with the situation.


----------



## CharlieFreak

One of the best posts I have seen on this site. Let's eliminate the confusion associated with a depersonalized experience. It's a simple and insignificant phase of many peoples' lives. To overcome it is far easier than it seems.


----------



## mipmunk40

easier said than done when you feel really unreal, very hard to ignore it, especially when it is with you 24/7 like mine, just awful feeling a stranger to yourself.....


----------



## ClassC

mipmunk40 said:


> easier said than done when you feel really unreal, very hard to ignore it, especially when it is with you 24/7 like mine, just awful feeling a stranger to yourself.....


I disagree. I previously thought the same, until I took the first step, then it became so effortless that I glided through the whole thing. A perfect analogy would be similar to a child riding his bicycle for his first time without help of training wheels.

I think you see where I'm going with this...

My advice would be to just try this for one week at least, and I guarantee you if conducted properly, can rid you of these thoughts and feelings.


----------



## Jurgen

This is wonderfully simple and effective for anxiety induced DP/DR. Thank you very much for sharing this. I think the problem is that a lot of people don't want to believe it's this simple because they think the way they feel is really complex. But I don't blame anyone. It sucks and I know how it feels.


----------



## DP_P

I agree with this solution. Anybody who disagrees is pretty much validating what you've said. By saying the experience is too difficult to deal with they are obviously siding with their thoughts. If you know that things feel unreal, you have to have sense of what feels real otherwise you wouldn't know the difference. Or it wouldn't be a 'problem'. The irony of dp or Dr is that you only realize how ridiculous it is once you're outside of it and everything has come back into balance. The best way to gain power over anxious thoughts is to let them be, and see them for what they are: thoughts. If you believe thoughts can hurt you than voilà, you're a great candidate for Dr or Dp. I can guarantee that neither has ever hurt you in any way. You have probably only ever experienced suffering. Suffering is in your mind. It's the attachment to these thoughts. Every moment you have the ability to focus on something other than dp or Dr. Don't feed the thoughts. Do nothing about the thoughts. Do something else instead. Also, relax and allow yourself to feel the way you do. No feeling is capable of lasting forever. If you think that you experience Dr or dp 24 hours. It's simply not true or possible. There are moments in your day when you are focused on something other than Dr or Dp, but since you're so used to looking for symptoms and not difference you will probably disagree with me. It's okay, you're just experiencing a pattern of chronicity. Follow the steps outlined above. They are golden. Your mind is tired. It wants to return to it's natural state, but it doesn't need your 'help'. It needs your attention to be spent somewhere useful instead. The person who is truly in control of their mind realizes that the best thing to do in order to deal with negative thoughts is to never entertain them and just observe what they do instead. Eventually you will get distracted by life and there will be a point where you forget to look more and more and then finally it's gone. You're an obsessive thinker if you have Dp or Dr. That's to your advantage though. Find something else to obsess over. Just not this. When it comes to dp and Dr do nothing. When it comes to your life, do something.


----------



## seafoamwinterz

This is the solution. Everyone with DP/DR overreacts to their own damn thoughts.


----------



## Jbagzzz

Hi,

I really need to know something,

I have always had slight anxiety for certain things but no more than anyone else would ya know,

like starting a new school and stuff like that, but nothing major.

but last summer my mom, stepdad, siblings, and I went on vacation to visit my family like we do every summer and my mom and stepdad ended up getting into an arguement which led to their seperation and my mom and siblings and I stayed where we had come to just visit, and my stepdad went back to where we lived and I wasnt too happy about it being a sophomore in highschool and all, and unexpectedly moving 1200 miles away from my friends and home but i was still OK. Anyways, I started school and it wasnt bad but after a couple weeks i started getting a little depressed and missing my old school and friends and stuff and so i stopped going to school, i was sleeping all day, barely eating, crying alot, had thoughts of suicide, i just didnt feel like anything was ever going to get better, and then i moved in with my cousin and her girlfriend and i was feeling alot better, but still not going to school, which at my age was illegal and the courts started getting involved, so i tried to go back but then i just got such bad anxiety and i hid in the bathroom most of the day, and so i stopped going again and then i started going to court and then put a chins on me, threatened to put me into states custody, still didnt go to school, then they threatened to put me in juvi till i was 18 so i worked up the courage to just finish the 4 months of school that was left and i was doing ok, i was just keeping to my self and getting through the days, but like a month before school was over i was having trouble sleeping and my boyfriend offered to give me some trazodone to help me sleep and the first night i took it and i felt fine the next day, then i took it that night and the next day i felt very weird and dizzy and i thought i was just dehydrated, and so i took it again that night and the next day i woke up and felt VERY weird, and i didnt take again since, but the day after that i went to school and i just felt like i was in a dream, like nothing was real, i couldnt even recognize my own voice and i had the worst anxiety i almost passed out in my homeroom, i got dismissed before homeroom was even over, and for a while i felt that same feeling and it freaked me out and its been a few months since then and it hasnt gotten 100% better but its certainly not as bad, but i feel like i cant do anything anymore, i cant go to amusement parks cause i get so worked up, i cant go on rides cause i get too worked up, i cant even go to the mall cause i get too worked up, and ive looked up signs of depersonalization and they all explain what i feel. can anyone help me out? AT ALL? please. i dont think i can go another day living like this, i just want to feel like myself again 

BTW, the trazodone were 100 mg and before that i was prescribed paxil but i never finished it, if that would help at all.

some one please help me out here.


----------



## Kt1992

This is probably one of the most helpful post I've seen on here. I made an account instantly so I could reply. After I read this I basically snapped out of a cycle of anxious thoughts and started feeling better. My vision had been fixed for awhile but just a blurry dual. I realized this was a result of me constantly in a obbessive cycle of deep DP thinking just making me more anxious. I was basically zoned out and only thinking about what's wrong with me rather than living in the moment and noticing whats going on around me. Basically I was in a cycle of deep stressful and anxious thought 24/7 which was making me extremely fatigue. Another thing I did was equate every surreal moment to a result of my DP and that just made it more vicious, and had me thinking I was going crazy. I looked up programs and did tons of research and looked up cures. My problem was as soon as a cure didn't work it just made me more anxious and stressed out. Also I let the amount of time people had DP discourage me. I'd see like "10 years" and be like " Damn, I can't bear with this for 10 years." In my opinion I think people saying their amount of time with DP only discourages people a lot. If its a short period of time than a person may think " why is mine not gone yet?" If its a long period of time a person might think "I might have this shit for that long?" So I won't even announce how long I had mine for. I was afraid to awake and rather stay asleep because I was scared to face DP. My main mistake was over analyzing. I wake up over analyzing my room to see if everything is back to normal. I would analyze so hard then have a lying thought telling me something is not right. This then scared me into thinking the thought was true and made me even more anxious. I was bound to my bed and was confused that the feeling of boredom was the feeling of DP. This had me depressed. I started over analyzing my emotions, like why don't I feel a sense if accomplishment when it was just my anxiety in the way of my feelings. I could go on for so much more but I don't want to make this post too long. Anyways thank you, because lliterally after reading this post today I began to feel good like "damn it all makes sense now". I had thoughts of "when is this going to go away" rather then the thought of "what's the worst that can happen anyways honestly." It may feel like you can't or don't want to do things but honestly there's nothing holding you back but thoughts. This is when I just had the realization of "this is foolish how can I let thoughts hold me back from living life." Edit: The analogy I used is to someone who thinks they're allergic to something. For example if someone feels they ate something they believe they are allergic to they might start panicking and believe they are feeling the results of an allergic reaction. Like "oh my god my throat is closing up, what do I do?, when in reality it's just they're thoughts convincing them things are there that really aren't. Basically DP is a placebo within itself. The whole time I believed I was experiencing DP it was just depression, anxiety and boredom.


----------



## Kt1992

I can honestly say I think I'm cured from my DP. I'll wait a couple days. But I got my vibes back plus my vision.


----------



## Kt1992

Yea I feel you but being back to my normal self is good enough for me for now. Plus I felt a panic attack coming on last night while going to a party and that's when I told myself "your not going to have a panic attack, those are lying thoughts telling you that your going to have one", and i felt my anxiety instantly shrinking, which just gave me even more confidence.Every time a dumb ass thought comes around now I just dismiss it as false.


----------



## DP_P

mipmunk40 said:


> easier said than done when you feel really unreal, very hard to ignore it, especially when it is with you 24/7 like mine, just awful feeling a stranger to yourself.....


Really? So, it's easier living with Dp/Dr?


----------



## DP_P

Kt1992 said:


> I can honestly say I think I'm cured from my DP. I'll wait a couple days. But I got my vibes back plus my vision.


I wouldn't wait to see if it comes back again. That's not adhering to the steps outlined here. It also is a behavior that supports planning on to experience Dr again. If it arises, sometimes it leaves in waves, just continue this process. This process doesn't just apply to Dr, it applies to all of life and the tendency to attach to emotions, sensations, or perceived problems that wouldn't have a life span or any real reality without your conscious participation in the first place.


----------



## Kt1992

DP_P said:


> I wouldn't wait to see if it comes back again. That's not adhering to the steps outlined here. It also is a behavior that supports planning on to experience Dr again. If it arises, sometimes it leaves in waves, just continue this process. This process doesn't just apply to Dr, it applies to all of life and the tendency to attach to emotions, sensations, or perceived problems that wouldn't have a life span or any real reality without your conscious participation in the first place.


 You have a great point. I just always here about people relapsing, which is why I said that. Are you still in DP though? Just wondering.


----------



## chelsy010

Very good post..


----------



## SheWontFollow

Confusing boredom with the feeling of DP... that makes so much sense. I never knew how to put that into the right words.


----------



## seramun

I am definitely going to try this method. Just reading through this gave me some relief. Thank you very much for posting this


----------



## dana1

Depersonalization disorder is a real disorder that does not involve only thoughts which are more ocd related. Depersonalization also involves feelings and sensations that are not necessarily connected to thoughts. I've read quite a few books about the subject because i've had it for 20 years non stop and nothing has made it better. For many people with dpd there is no simple cure or effective treatment. It has to do with organic brain structure and how it operates in a defective way. Maybe there is more than one type of depersonalization disorder. this disorder has liturally ruined my life. hope your treatment works well for you.


----------



## Conor

DP_P said:


> I agree with this solution. Anybody who disagrees is pretty much validating what you've said. By saying the experience is too difficult to deal with they are obviously siding with their thoughts. If you know that things feel unreal, you have to have sense of what feels real otherwise you wouldn't know the difference. Or it wouldn't be a 'problem'. The irony of dp or Dr is that you only realize how ridiculous it is once you're outside of it and everything has come back into balance. The best way to gain power over anxious thoughts is to let them be, and see them for what they are: thoughts. If you believe thoughts can hurt you than voilà, you're a great candidate for Dr or Dp. I can guarantee that neither has ever hurt you in any way. You have probably only ever experienced suffering. Suffering is in your mind. It's the attachment to these thoughts. Every moment you have the ability to focus on something other than dp or Dr. Don't feed the thoughts. Do nothing about the thoughts. Do something else instead. Also, relax and allow yourself to feel the way you do. No feeling is capable of lasting forever. If you think that you experience Dr or dp 24 hours. It's simply not true or possible. There are moments in your day when you are focused on something other than Dr or Dp, but since you're so used to looking for symptoms and not difference you will probably disagree with me. It's okay, you're just experiencing a pattern of chronicity. Follow the steps outlined above. They are golden. Your mind is tired. It wants to return to it's natural state, but it doesn't need your 'help'. It needs your attention to be spent somewhere useful instead. The person who is truly in control of their mind realizes that the best thing to do in order to deal with negative thoughts is to never entertain them and just observe what they do instead. Eventually you will get distracted by life and there will be a point where you forget to look more and more and then finally it's gone. You're an obsessive thinker if you have Dp or Dr. That's to your advantage though. Find something else to obsess over. Just not this. When it comes to dp and Dr do nothing. When it comes to your life, do something.


This is an amazingly helpful and supportive choice of words, thank you. When I start entering the cycle of bad thoughts again I read this, and it helps me sit back and realise nothing is as bad as it seems, I must just embrace the strange physical sensations as they'll eventually go, its all in my mind and I need to stop being so over-anxious and such a compulsive thinker. Cheers to you 

Oh, and quite obviously thank you to the original thread post, that is also extremely valued and it will help me overcome this greatly.


----------



## nayashi

I'm sorry, but I can't agree with the step #1. Whether you want to believe it or not, the thoughts in your head ARE your thoughts. Who else's could they be? But, a thought is just a thought. It's okay to have thoughts. This is how more serious mental illnesses arise...a person who hears voices doesn't want to believe the thoughts in their head are theirs, so they actually develop into hallucinations. It's still their thoughts, just now they've gotten more debilitating. Accept the fact that you have thoughts that are less than pleasant. Everyone does. Sometimes my thoughts are really disturbing, but if I don't accept that I'm the one thinking them (even unintentionally), the thoughts will become even more aggressive.

I spent many years suppressing my thoughts of suicide, but all that did was turn those thoughts into voices in my head and very disturbing intrusive images. When you can't accept your thoughts as your own, you can't accept yourself. Suppressing your thoughts may aid in temporary relief, but in the long run, it could be even more damaging to your psyche.


----------



## missjess

Sorry but this is absolute horse shit
This may be good advice for the rumination cycle but it is most certainly not the cure to dp...dp is a protective mechanism and will not leave unless fear is addressed


----------



## Newky

I can understand the potential benefits of this post, but I do have to highlight: 'these thoughts are not yours' and 'don't believe the thoughts' - this is essentially dissociation by definition. They are your thoughts, if not then who's are they? The point is to realise that they are meaningless and unimportant thoughts, not to dissociate from them. I'm not sure that more dissociation can help reduce dissociation.... My two cents.


----------



## seafoamneon

Jurgen said:


> I think the problem is that a lot of people don't want to believe it's this simple because they think the way they feel is really complex. But I don't blame anyone. It sucks and I know how it feels.


Im going to live by this post now lol.

I've had dp for 10 years and keep trying to convince myself I need 10 years of trauma processing or some shit lol


----------



## Punjabisgotswag

can hynotherapy or watching hynosis videos cure or recover lil bit from DP/DR?


----------



## 59Ballons

This is very true. For me it's either feeling scared to be alive (weird unnatural thoughts) and then I feel scared about that, OR, I feel strange because I remember past anxiety and I know that I am not feeling okay.

I always feel 100% better when I am distracted, meaning that my brain is not MANUALLY doing something to make me feel bad. If I stop obsessing about my thoughts or thinking about my feelings, I literally simply just feel better.

Thank you for this. Have a great day.


----------



## 59Ballons

This is very true. For me it's either feeling scared to be alive (weird unnatural thoughts) and then I feel scared about that, OR, I feel strange because I remember past anxiety and I know that I am not feeling okay.

I always feel 100% better when I am distracted, meaning that my brain is not MANUALLY doing something to make me feel bad. If I stop obsessing about my thoughts or thinking about my feelings, I literally simply just feel better.

Thank you for this. Have a great day.


----------



## 59Ballons

Newky said:


> I can understand the potential benefits of this post, but I do have to highlight: 'these thoughts are not yours' and 'don't believe the thoughts' - this is essentially dissociation by definition. They are your thoughts, if not then who's are they? The point is to realise that they are meaningless and unimportant thoughts, not to dissociate from them. I'm not sure that more dissociation can help reduce dissociation.... My two cents.


I think what he/she means is that the thoughts aren't LITERALLY yours (they obviously aren't some mad scientist's or some brain in a vat) but they aren't what you REALLY think. A person without DP would think "life is fake", and then not obsess over it or laugh it off. But a person WITH DP would think "life is fake", then feel fake, then believe the thought, then obsess over it, then think more weird thoughts, and continue.


----------



## Walker

wow this post is very interesting, about not blaming yourself for thoughts that aren't yours

I like that, makes me feel more calm


----------



## Matthewray956

I literally just made an account to comment on this post. I've been searching for an answer to help me in my depersonalization and I finally found it in here! Thank you so much for this!

I've had dp/dr for sometime now. Until recently it was very tolerable (In fact even enjoyable sometimes) until these past two weeks. I wanted to post my input on why I believe what OP is saying is valid using my own experience as an example. I'll start with the day I first had DP/DR.

It was 2004, I was in Jr high and was in football. Now the way my school was designed we had to walk quite a distance from class to the football locker rooms. I dreaded the walk so bad, so I had an idea to help me deal with the walk. "Why not pretend that I am in my head and my body is the one doing the walking for me?" It made sense since I only viewed life from my eyes so there was no reason to associate my moving body with myself. Oddly enough it worked. I felt detached from my body and walked over to the football lockers with ease. It was from then on I made a practice of this state of mind and eventually was stuck in it. I, like most people, kept silent about it and went through my life with it. As time went on I started having the usual problem teens go through (Grades, Girlfriends, driving etc) and forgot about this state of mind and was eventually free from DP. Now this confirms that DP/DR is a result of my conscious thought of separating myself from the physical and always analyzing the realness of everything, since keeping my occupied mind didn't allow such thoughts to happen, it relieved the symptoms. It was now 2010 and I had just finished high school when I had a relapse (very minor and tolerable compared to my previous episode). I was at a gig (I'm a musician) and started realizing that the reason I felt this way was because I was so fixated on the thought of whether this felt real or not (An OCD if you will) somehow I convinced myself that what I was experiencing was real and to just accept that it is real, my symptoms almost immediately subsided. Fast forward to two weeks ago. I was smoking marijuana when I had a very bad trip. I woke up the following morning numb almost like I couldn't remember what happiness felt like or any emotion for that matter, the world seemed so unreal to me, more so than ever before, I had no concept of time (Didn't know what 30 minutes felt like). I started to have extreme anxiety thinking I went crazy or developed clinical depression. It was hell. The more I started reading other peoples de realization stories of how they felt, the worse my symptoms got. Two weeks into this nightmare I am playing at my usual gig when I had just read a very disheartening DP/DR story and started feeling the same way they describe. I freaked out! I thought I had really done it this time! I ran into my car and pulled out my phone looking for any resource that can help me and by some coincidence I found this post, Immediately upon reading it everything just clicked! It all made sense. This was all the result of me focusing to much on whether anything felt real, I was always occupied with the thought that I never actually had time to experience anything since I was always questioning my experience and not actually just experiencing. I immediately started telling myself that these were not my thoughts. Every time the question of whether or not something was real came up I immediately dismissed them by reminding myself that these thoughts are not mine and are just a learned behavior I developed. I felt a weight lifted off my shoulder. My symptoms immediately reduced. This was further validated because my thoughts started coming back stronger and stronger like they were OCD thoughts but I kept reminding myself that they were not real nor mine and they started losing their power, I started to pay no mind about such things and noticed significant progress within the hour. I am confident just as a learned the habits that caused my DP/DR my new habits of not giving serious attention to these thoughts will get me out of it. Thank you again! Hope this helps!


----------



## Andre

Nice post, but the problem is: Who am I, in fact? There's a confusing aspect of the "true me". We should be able to distinguish the true self from the fake (DPed), to tell the "true me" those thoughts don't belong to it. But the problem is here: we have trouble in being our true self.


----------



## stevejackson

Great post - I would only add to the "What Causes..." list:

1. Certain medications

2. Withdrawals/detoxing/titrating off certain medications or substances

I'm currently one five-month titration from Oxycontin, and when the w/d's start, so do the DPs...


----------



## stevejackson

ClassC said:


> How to cure Depersonalization in *three simple steps*.​​
> Introduction:
> 
> Depersonalization is a state of mind where you feel unreal and emotionally numb. The environment around you seems unfamiliar, strange and almost fake as if it were made of plastic.
> 
> People then begin to feel changes in themselves, where they begin to question if anything is real or if anything exists. Eventually, they become so engrossed by these thoughts; they begin to believe them.
> 
> What causes these sensations?
> 
> A series of events may trigger this feeling of being 'unreal' that would varry from anxiety, panic attacks, mental trauma, etc. (e.g. a person may have witnessed a horrific incident that could cause him/her to feel this way, temporarily.)
> 
> How long does this last?
> 
> Not for very long. If you have previously experienced visual distortions, chances they have probably subsided by now. All that remains are worrying, intrusive thoughts that seem overwhelming and almost impossible to overcome.
> 
> If still experience visual distortions you are most likely still overwhelmed by these events and are overly anxious (constantly on edge). Regardless, both of these disturbances can be overcome very easily.
> 
> Why do people continue to feel this way?
> 
> Interestingly, this has much less to do with the root cause and more to do with the strange thoughts the person experiences on a frequent basis.
> 
> Here is the pattern:
> 
> 1- Thought arises telling the person that nothing is real, nothing feels real.
> 
> 2- The person then believes the thought and acknowledges it.
> 
> 3- Then the person feels boggled and confused, questioning the validity of his thoughts.
> 
> ​The cycle repeats.​
> What do thoughts have to do with feeling unreal?
> 
> When you touch something, feel something, or say something, you would experience thoughts in your mind telling you what you are touching does not feel or seem real. When you are talking, the same thought arises telling you that it is not you speaking, that the words coming out of your mouth are automated and you have no control over it.
> 
> Some people believe these thoughts, even though they know they are not true.
> 
> Only when a person believes these thoughts does he become an observer. Which is something that many people complain about.
> 
> 
> How do we cure Depersonalization and reduce the intensity of these thoughts?
> 
> There are three simple steps that should be taken when facing these situations. With daily use and practice they will become second nature.
> 
> 1- Realize that these thoughts are not yours. (Any deceitful thoughts that would cause you mental pain, wasting of time, etc.) e.g. Thoughts of feeling unreal fit in all these categories.​(1- Deceitful = Not true 2- Mental Pain = Stress, Anxiety. 3- Wasteful = Analyzing and evaluating)
> 
> 2- Don't believe the thoughts. (You might think theres something more, don't believe the thoughts, they are not true. They shouldn't be analyzed or evaluated, they will simply waste your time.)
> 
> 3- Don't blame yourself for having these thoughts. (Self-blame will cause you to fall back into the viscous cycle, you will begin to feel depressed > worrying thoughts arise > anxiety.
> 
> How does this help?
> 
> By implementing these 3 simple steps into your daily routine, you will eliminate the feeling of Depersonalization as well as anxiety.
> 
> 1- You will not be troubled by the thoughts, because they don't belong to you. (Reduces thinking about thoughts)
> 
> 2- You will not believe deceitful thoughts that only aim to cause you mental pain. (Reduces anxiety)
> 
> 3- You will not blame yourself for having these thoughts and will learn to deal with them more effectively in a healthy way. (Reduces the likelihood of falling into a depressed state)​​
> I hope this helps and benefits you all as much as it has helped me.


This is a great post. I think it should be more widely available on the site. It's a huge help for me, anyway...


----------



## eter

I do not recognize myself in the thinking pattern. And yes, I am a little fysically exhausted at moment, but when I came to "these thoughts are not yours" I could not continue reading. I got very anxious. I now doubt that I know how I think. My fault. I should have kept more distance initially. I feel different.


----------



## Guest

u lost me at cure and three steps. No two people are alike.


----------



## necroshadow

First off, thank you for this post. My episode has only been here for a week but this has helped me immensely in the short term. It's not gone but I know it will be a step in the right direction.

Secondly, I read through all of the post and saw some valid points. Not everyone's DP is the same, but I think that curing it with these steps requires that a person has an idea of what their true self is. It's not that by thinking that your thoughts aren't real that you dissociate yourself from who you currently are, it's that by thinking your thoughts aren't real that you dissociate your current self from who you truly are.

But if the longer that your DP has lasted that harder this may be. It's easy to forget who you are. Even if it hasn't been a while, it's easy to not know who you are to begin with.

So if you have an idea of what your true self is you can follow these steps because when you make steps towards recovery you know that you're doing the right thing. If you don't have that idea of self then you may not even know if you're taking a step in the right direction.

All criticisms welcome, this was my view prima facie to the contradictions that have risen in this thread..


----------



## necroshadow

I apologize for the double post, but I believe that it is allowed under the rules.

Since reading this, I have to say that I've honestly gotten a LOT better. Atleast 60% with a conservative estimate.

The hardest part is re-programming your thoughts and finding some sort of positive tether to your world. Once you do that you are on track for recovery.

I think that (as I said before), the method in this thread works best for people who have a very good idea/memory of self and can differentiate between the contextual nuances of what 'self' even means.

For instance, I have to reconcile being able to think philosophically about the nature of reality and the possibility of its in-existence with the idea that I cannot question my own reality in the context of DP. In other words, I have to be able to think critically about whether or not reality is real, but not question my belief of whether or not reality is real. Thinking critically about something and having a shaky belief are two different things. I can believe in a god even if I question its existence (as many people do), I can believe in the existence of the sun and investigate other paths to its perceived existence. I hope you get the idea.

If you want a better description of how I did that, I'll be glad to PM you but it is a fair bit of thinking.

Another thing was understanding that 'these are not my thoughts' had to have a good understanding of what 'my' meant, because all thoughts procured in my brain are still my thoughts. However, they are not the thoughts of me in a more recovered form. To elaborate, I'm not dissociating between me under DP and me before, I'm differentiating between the way I perceive the world with DP and the way I perceived it before; I still maintain that I am the same person. If the way I perceived it before is correct, then the perception I experience now can be classified as 'different' or 'erroneous'. So I am then able to justify thinking that 'these are not my thoughts', because 'these are not my thoughts' more closely means 'these are not my thoughts when I am perceiving the world the right way, knowing that the world is just as real as it was before.' I still maintain that reality is constant, just the way it is being interpreted has changed. Annihilating all thoughts that would disagree has helped immensely (note how I was careful not to use the word 'ignoring', 'policing', or 'avoiding'. I am consistent about tackling these thoughts head-on, and using this same argument about reality each time. I also imagine Samuel L. Jackson or Andy Wahlberg making a sassy, aggressive response to the intrusive thought.)

I'm on a healthy road to recovery so let me know if you need any more advice. I was a mess last week.


----------



## Nadosa

Why dont you guys understand that ignoring is as bad as fighting it? You have to accept it!


----------



## HopingCat36

PFT!!!!! If it was this easy!!!! ????


----------



## reactor

Nadosa said:


> Why dont you guys understand that ignoring is as bad as fighting it? You have to accept it!


Well i do accept it 98% of the time. In moments of weakness i post on these forums. Looking back though, it hasnt gone away for even a second.


----------



## Nadosa

True Acceptance means dropping all your weapons, stop worrying and go with the flow.

I remember a post on here where someone said, after 10 years of DP she learned what true acceptance was and before, she did never really accept it, still dwelled much on it. But then it went away. Most people who recover, whether with meds or not, eventually live with what is, accept what is, and dont fight what is. I think for most it was acceptance what made the change in the end.

Have a lovely day you guys! Ride it out!


----------



## Leah87

I DID WITH MYSELF, SOMETHING SIMILAR TO THIS.

When the Evil Negative Though came to my mind, i changed the feeling and the form of the Though, in something happy, productive and positive, and VIolá!!, after 9 months of DPDR, I am 99.9% out!, and yes, our minds are like machines and our bodies, you can make huge amazing changes in your life, by believing you worth and that you are capable of great thing, don´t surrender to this life test, don´t let anything break up your spirit!, YOU ALL HAVE G.D´S SPARKLE!!!


----------



## JackR97

Thank you so much! I followed these steps for 2 days and the negative thoughts never came back! I also stopped caring about the problem and after having it for 9 days I feel like it is almost completely eradicated!


----------



## mayumi_

This totally works! I wish someone would've told me it sooner.


----------



## leminaseri

dana1 said:


> Depersonalization disorder is a real disorder that does not involve only thoughts which are more ocd related. Depersonalization also involves feelings and sensations that are not necessarily connected to thoughts. I've read quite a few books about the subject because i've had it for 20 years non stop and nothing has made it better. For many people with dpd there is no simple cure or effective treatment. It has to do with organic brain structure and how it operates in a defective way. Maybe there is more than one type of depersonalization disorder. this disorder has liturally ruined my life. hope your treatment works well for you.


ahe probably died already but i will still respond to that. 

youre such a liar  every word you did write in your post spreads such big pumps of a lie 
lets assume nothing has made it better for you.. if you was 20 years later on a "how to recover" post, and bitching around because you didnt get any better, then youre 100 percently someone (probably a woman) who just did sit at home and waited for the magic cure. and if you was trying to ignore this 20 years long, you would not react to this post, because basically you forgot about that. this is the key point that people doesnt understand. it is like an ex girlfriend. you need to get over her. you need to forget this


----------

