# What do people mean by 95%-98% cured?



## Doneanddusted (May 17, 2010)

Many people who are near recovery or have been near recovery on this forum seem to describe it as being "95%" recovered or so. How does that work? What parts of derealization remain when you are so near full recovery, and how would you tell the difference?


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## guitarman (Dec 11, 2008)

Root4 said:


> Many people who are near recovery or have been near recovery on this forum seem to describe it as being "95%" recovered or so. How does that work? What parts of derealization remain when you so near full recovery, and how would you tell the difference?


I think they probably mean they feel really good, almost normal. I have had this condition for over 30 years and there has been times in my life where I've felt almost normal. Its always been an up and down thing. I believe this is all in our heads and is going to fluctuate with how much stress is in our lives. I don't believe there is any cure for this other than to realize what it is and to adjust our way of thinking and deal with our stress better.


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## Guest (May 17, 2010)

Root4 said:


> Many people who are near recovery or have been near recovery on this forum seem to describe it as being "95%" recovered or so. How does that work? What parts of derealization remain when you are so near full recovery, and how would you tell the difference?


Recovery from dp seems to come gradually. You dont just wake up one morning, out of bad dp, and have it gone. I think we all base it off of our worst feelings of dp. Again, I think for most if us, the beginning is the worst. So from there you judge how you feel. I know a common problem at the end of recovery is that people feel almost normal but still have brain fog. Ive had dp and recovered before and I remember that for a period I almost felt recovered but there was still something off that I couldnt put my finger on. Then I woke up one day and it was gone. 
I think that we all instinctively know that we are not feeling normal, even when we have had dp so long that we cant remember normal. Its like my signature says, "when you get there, you just know, you are home".


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## Doneanddusted (May 17, 2010)

I've always been confused about the brain fog thing. Is that the vision problems? There's been a couple points since I've had it where I've felt almost completely normal ie can enjoy music, can feel a bit of emotion etc but the whole 'vision' aspect is still there, which is really annoying. Like I look at something and I can't seem to focus my mind on anything else in my peripheral vision, you know what I mean, the 'dream goggles' effect







. But I don't think my cognitive ability has decreased, I still do very well at school and can read, write and hold conversations fine.


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## Guest (May 17, 2010)

Root4 said:


> I've always been confused about the brain fog thing. Is that the vision problems? There's been a couple points since I've had it where I've felt almost completely normal ie can enjoy music, can feel a bit of emotion etc but the whole 'vision' aspect is still there, which is really annoying. Like I look at something and I can't seem to focus my mind on anything else in my peripheral vision, you know what I mean, the 'dream goggles' effect
> 
> 
> 
> ...


No, the brain fog is cognative. Its hard to concentrate, you have memory problems, your thought process is slowed. For me, it feels like when you take allergy medication.


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## nix (Feb 27, 2010)

I wasn't so far over 90% "cured", but I was closer to reality at some times 60-70% for sure. It fluctuate a lot. I'm not anymore for last 2 months at 0% like I was at the begining (it was true hell). 
At worst I am at 20-30% and at best I am at 70% closer to reality in last month. Even when I'm at worst, I don't feel that awful fear like I used to at the begining.


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## Guest (May 17, 2010)

> Even when I'm at worst, I don't feel that awful fear like I used to at the begining.


Yeah, I think that is the case after a while. You adjust to it to a certain extent and it isn't ever AS bad as it was in the beginning. I think it is because at the beginning we were just in reality and the shift into dp was more profound. We also were more scared and didn't know how to handle the sensations. That changes after time goes on and even if you dp sensations get as bad as they were at the beginning, you don't feel as terrified by them.


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## Doneanddusted (May 17, 2010)

I only had brain fog for a few days then, and it was caused by worry which intruded on my thoughts and concentration. I can't quite grasp what it must feel like to be 'almost' normal. For me the biggest part of DR/DP is the vision problems, the emotional aspect isn't as bad most of the time. But the dream vision is very very annoying, and sometimes I feel like I would not be DRed if only it weren't for that.


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## EverDream (Dec 15, 2006)

I think they mean they aren't sure if it's complete recovery because they forgot what it's like to feel normal.


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## Guest013 (Apr 26, 2010)

Okay, I am probably the person you read who posts the 90%, 95%, 96%, etc... I am basing it on how close I am to normal. I would say I am about 99% right now (I am doing amazing, that's why I haven't been on here in a few days. The brain fog is gone, the vision is better, and there is no more paranoia. The only reason I don't give my self a 100% is because I can still fall back into it if I am alone. I space out, then my vision can tunnel, and the brain fog returns, but usually I talk myself out of it and go do something else and it will all go away. I feel that people who have DP/DR always have a possibility of falling back into DP/DR. The difference between the recovered individuals and the people who have chronic DP/DR are how they deal with it.

Below is a little scale I made, let me know if you guys agree with it or else create your own scale

Rating Scale:

100-95%: Means you are completely normal 95-100% of the time. You have small times when you get DP (usually by yourself). The DP is usually very mild (80-95% range) and you can talk yourself out of DP.
85-95%: Majority of DP/DR symptoms are gone, brain fog and occasionally losing train of thought are your only remaining symptoms.
65-85%: Feeling better, paranoia and panic attacks are gone. Suffering from a degree of brain fog and vision problems (peripheral vision is basically missing). You occassionally lose your train of the thought.
50-65%: Brain Fog, Vision problems, and paranoia (but the paranoia is only about the DP, not about someone trying to kill you or something random). Often space out for minutes at a time.
35-50%: Extreme brain fog, vision problems, and paranoia about multiple things. Memory problems and you space out often. You feel very robotic and can travel across town and not remember any of the trip.
20%-35%: You basically sit on the couch all day. You remember barely any of the day. Hours go by and it seems like minutes. You have poor memory, no emotion, and no desire to do anything. You have major brain fog and vision problems. Paranoia is very strong... ranging from someone killing you, friends betraying you, to the DP never going away. You can still converse normal with people, but you barely listen to the conversation.
5%-15%: Extreme paranoia attack. People realize something is wrong. Full blown symptoms of all symptoms listed above. You might break down and cry.
0-5%: Full blown panic attack, you feel like you are going to die.


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## Justinian585 (Dec 4, 2012)

Guest013 said:


> Rating Scale:
> 
> 100-95%: Means you are completely normal 95-100% of the time. You have small times when you get DP (usually by yourself). The DP is usually very mild (80-95% range) and you can talk yourself out of DP.
> 85-95%: Majority of DP/DR symptoms are gone, brain fog and occasionally losing train of thought are your only remaining symptoms.
> ...


I love this scale. Funny how much it can flucctuate too. Yesterday I felt 95%, today I woke up at 95%, dipped to 5% and now I'm at like 50%...


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## ph10 (Nov 24, 2012)

I can definitely relate to that scale - starting to get frustrated though. I haven't been worse than about a 45% in a week, but I haven't been better than 85% at all. It hasn't really improved a bit, and about 95% of the day I spend at 50%. Does that sound like it's getting better, because it hasn't been extreme? Or is it a bad sign that it's constant? I think I spend much more time thinking about DP and subsequent existential thoughts than I do actual symptoms.


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