# People who are recovering please reply to this!



## Fluke93

Hi guys, i cant get it out of my head. I keep obssesing over it. I feel so unreal. I want to get back to my normal self but dont know if im strong enough. I feel empty inside, i never enjoy anything anymore, the only thing thats helping is valium. I feel like im loosing touch with reality, i feel like ive lost myself. I hate it so bad. Its been a month and 1 week and i don't want to break down again. But i just have no hope of me getting better. Please someone tell me that this will go, or at least ease off.







. Its so uncomfortable i cant deal with it.

Anyone got anything positive to tell me? What helps them, and what has helped them ease this off a little, or better yet BEAT IT. I dont want anything phylosifle stuff cause it just freaks me out. But my dp is up the roof, its making me unstable, and i fear i could get sectioned. I need people who are regaining reality to reply. i need something positive. I dont want to be like this forever







. God how i took for granted when i was myself. You know the funny thing? 3 months ago i was sitting on weed forums, listening to pink floyd, now im a wreck whos lost my personality and is generally scared. I want to man up, but this has sucked the life out me. Things that comforted me just don't cause the feeling of out of it is so intense. I just want it to die down. Sometimes i wonder if im that guy from six sense who is dead but just doesn't realize it. Like im trying to connect to my family but cant, and its making me a depressed spirit. I dont know what im going to do









Life seems unreal, i fear ive changed my perception on life forever. Maybe one day ill wake up and its just a dream. My brain feels fried. Any one give me anything positive? Anyone overcame this?
I can learn to live with it, but learning to live with it but having it forever i cant. I can learn to live with it for months. But if i know i will wake up normal one day, it will make it better. Someone please reply. I feel like im lost in a hole, a big dark hole, this is the lowest point of my life.


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## codeblue213

Hey, I've had DP for over 15 years. I've gotten alot better in the last 10 years. I thought at one point it could never go away. Lately I do admit I have minor spells, but I can deal with them with my meds and experience with this illness. I'm not saying you'll have it as long and I hope you don't. Just don't give up hope because I never thought I'd make it this far.


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## snow storm

I had many of the symptoms that you describe. It was very intense for 2-3 months and then gradually got better, Im not 100% still though. You got it from weed? I felt very depressed as well, especially in the morning.
For me it helped having someome to talk to, maybe see your doctor or maybe a therapist? My familiy didn't understand what I went through, I don't know if yours will. It also helped me to take long walks. You should engage in some activity where you can use your body then you can forget a bit about what's going on in your head.


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## Melissa_Z

I feel exactly the same way. Always looking for hope everyday. : ( It's so hard.


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## drew-uk

i know its hard but you will only be happy if you let it happen, i know DP/DR comes in many different shapes and sizes. There is so much hope on this web site and from years of living with my f(r)iend DP its only as bad as you let it get. Because this affects the way you perceive the world around you and doesn't actually affect the world then there is no difference between sitting in your house panicking or sitting on a beach in spain panicking, i know its not a simple as this in reality but the idea still stands.

The worst thing you can do is to obsess over this disorder as you not giving your self a chance to "forget about it" I know at its worse this "disorder" is crippling mentally but i always find my self thinking "what if i give in to this, What will happen" so i just scream in my head but stay cool on the outside.

All the advice you need is on this site, keep friends and family close and stick to the golden rule, Distraction, Distraction, Distraction!

Best of luck


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## razer777

Mine is just slowly going away on its own now that I've gotten used to it. Sometimes it seems like my recovery process takes a few steps backward but I have days here and there where I experience almost no DP/DR symptoms and those are becoming more frequent. The recovery is slow and you probably won't notice it right away. Just remember that DP/DR is harmless and that its the obsession over your symptoms that impair you.


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## TheStarter

razer777 said:


> Mine is just slowly going away on its own now that I've gotten used to it. Sometimes it seems like my recovery process takes a few steps backward but I have days here and there where I experience almost no DP/DR symptoms and those are becoming more frequent. The recovery is slow and you probably won't notice it right away. Just remember that DP/DR is harmless and that its the obsession over your symptoms that impair you.


Yep you're right.

I know what you mean, DP sucks, DR sucks even more in my opinion, just keep having hope, you should ignore it and slowly build back to the life what you had before you had DP and DR i know it can be VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY demotivating to read posts that people had this for so long (5+ years) but remember, every person is different, some people recover from it after 6 months and some recover from it after 3 years, just keep this in mind: Your brain is protecting you from something that your subconcious thought was life threathening (like a panic attack while being high).

Im getting a specialized scheduele on the 16th of december that has cured 11 out of 16 people according to my psychiatrist, its fairly new he said and they are still experimenting with it, its based on: Diets, Understang what you have, Why you have it, and the most important of all (for dr he said) is Exercises, like swimming or cardio training.

Our brains got hit pretty hard, and we need to give it time to recover, we need to take our meds, so the damage can't get worse (Meds wont cure it either, thats something you will have to do yourself, meds prevent it from getting worse).

Distraction, keep yourself distracted and ask your parents for support, mine has been very supportive and make time for me, my parents took me to rollercoaster parks, took me out for diner at expensive and nice restaurants, i've been Racing with those Go-Karts which i love, and i must say it really helps, im able to laugh again (not the automatised laugh) Im going out more again with friends, but dont overtire yourself, when your tired, dont spend too much energy as extreme tiredness can make dp and dr worse.


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## Fluke93

Thanks for your support guys. I honestly appreciate it.


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## el_kapitano

Actualy, meds did nothing for me. I don't believe that they prevent from something worse, because DP/DR is already the worst thing that can happen. It can't turn into anythihg else. It is only a cycle of suffering with worse and less worse moments.

I agree with Razer777... he said something that I could also say. My DP/DR was awful for first 8 months and finaly I read some stories and come to conclusion that I must change something with my approach to this debilitating bastard.

Actualy, I started do nothing. It actualy helped a little. My fear was almost completely gone, DR is still there, but at some moments it's really much much less strong than before. I simply let it be, so there are even days that I almost forgot about my DR. Still, the world around me is somehow different, but less scary than before and more familiar to old normal world. 
You just must stop to feed that beast with fear. 
You must try to calm down, to relax. Sometimes, sleep helps me... well, sometimes it does not. Sometimes I just lay in my bed and stop thinking about anything and I'm relaxing then like a vegetable and it helps. 
Also, to me it helps to be on my window and starring at the sun.... not directly ofcourse and sometimes I close my eyes, but it helps me to feel more calm.

Process of recovery is very slow, especialy if you obsess over it too much and especialy if DP//DR hits you hard like it hit me. 
You simply must let brain to relax. Also, distraction is very good. 
Also, people sometimes can't udnerstand the term "ignoring" or "distraction", so they force themselves to ignore this condition and that also makes you to feel more frustrated. You simply must let it be no matter how awful it is. Just let it be no matter how awful it is and live with it until it goes away. 
I think that stress hormones keep DP/DR active and the less you make yourself feared and worried, the symptoms will be less strong. 
Just don't lose hope. I am slightly better and a few months ago I thought that I would never be the same again and only thing that actualy makes me feel better back then is that when I kill myself that DP/DR will go away finaly. I couldn't recognize world around me... still have that symptoms many times now, but I learned a few tricks how to deal with that bastard.


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## Dawn

razer777 said:


> Mine is just slowly going away on its own now that I've gotten used to it. Sometimes it seems like my recovery process takes a few steps backward but I have days here and there where I experience almost no DP/DR symptoms and those are becoming more frequent. The recovery is slow and you probably won't notice it right away. Just remember that DP/DR is harmless and that its the obsession over your symptoms that impair you.


exactly this!

constant obsessing over it WILL make it worse :/! try to stay positive!


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## artigas92

​I've currently had it now 2 and a half years severely, and I am beginning to slowly feel progression towards reality. I didn't know what I had for so long. I kept it to myself because of so much tragic situations that had been occurring in my life. I had no one to talk to. As time went on on I opened up and began to express my feelings of the disorder we are going through to my family and friends. I've done a lot of research on the topic by now. Many people disagree with medications but in some cases like this, if it's severe they can be necessary. But you cannot just rely on them to make u normal. You must also help yourself, through strategic mental exercises, and relaxation. I got it from marijuana as well, as I think you had mentioned. I, personally, have been progressing with the following techniques:

_
DP/DR Personal Recovering Strategy
_


Thoughts to keep in mind: (You are a human-being, with your personality, no stress, relax, no anxiety, and no depression*cheer up*.)

Wake up, feel your energy. Do not slouch around. This contributes towards depression. (In order to get rid of this you must remove anxiety and depression.)

If you have emotional feelings such as sadness, wanting to cry, let it out. You may not realize you need to but the sadness may be there. (This also contributes towards depression if not delt with.)

Exercise outdoors, get a sweat every day that u can. This will allow brain relaxation.

Do not stress yourself about your future. Let life keep flowing. Once this fades away you will feel forget about it and move on like nothing affected you. Your brain hasn't been damaged.

Keep yourself occupied. Lose yourself in an interest.

Know your role in life and what you live for. Family, parents, friends, religion(God if believed in)...

Okay, basically remove stress, depression, and anxiety from your life. The symptoms from the condition are a protection. Research DP/DR as well, as much as possible. You must face it with hope just as if you were fighting cancer. As I mentioned before about the medications and people disagreeing with them, they can be necessary under severe situations, as you described yourself. See a doctor. It's proven SSRI's such as Zoloft and certain other anti-depressants can greatly aid towards your recovery. Prozac is unproven to help at all so don't accept that medication. Also little helps like 0.5mg Klonopin tablets won't harm you if taken under correct use for anxiety. All though this will help, I strongly believe you must rely mainly on your mental strength to get through this. My doctor and I, I'm seeing now are trying to help myself, and also discover new ways into beating this. Since I have an interest in one day becoming involved in the psychology field, he and I are doing safe testing. In my case, I am also taking Vyvanse, an ADHD medication. Although this has been prescribed to me, for my attention deficit disorder I was tested positively for, it may possibly be helping with the DP/DR disorder, and be an affective alternative as well. But that's between my study case and my doctor as lab rat lol. You will most probably not be prescribed ADHD meds for saying you have DP/DR, since it's not a proven cure, or help. Or even study...

Damn that was long but hang in there bud that's my story and strategy for ya. I hope I have helped in someway. Be strong you'll pull through it, just have hope.

Good luck brother


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## Fluke93

artigas92 said:


> ​I've currently had it now 2 and a half years severely, and I am beginning to slowly feel progression towards reality. I didn't know what I had for so long. I kept it to myself because of so much tragic situations that had been occurring in my life. I had no one to talk to. As time went on on I opened up and began to express my feelings of the disorder we are going through to my family and friends. I've done a lot of research on the topic by now. Many people disagree with medications but in some cases like this, if it's severe they can be necessary. But you cannot just rely on them to make u normal. You must also help yourself, through strategic mental exercises, and relaxation. I got it from marijuana as well, as I think you had mentioned. I, personally, have been progressing with the following techniques:
> 
> _
> DP/DR Personal Recovering Strategy
> _
> 
> 
> Thoughts to keep in mind: (You are a human-being, with your personality, no stress, relax, no anxiety, and no depression*cheer up*.)
> 
> Wake up, feel your energy. Do not slouch around. This contributes towards depression. (In order to get rid of this you must remove anxiety and depression.)
> 
> If you have emotional feelings such as sadness, wanting to cry, let it out. You may not realize you need to but the sadness may be there. (This also contributes towards depression if not delt with.)
> 
> Cheers bud, yep im slowly ignoring it, and accepting it, and have seen improvment in the first two days. I also have a 2mg valium which helps when i have anxiety and cures my dp for the time. Im also taking citalopram for depression. Will these drugs make it worse in the long run? Anyways thanks for the support im just going to try to act normal and do everyday things. Sometimes it goes, and sometimes the world around me looks weird, like im in a dream. Anyways good luck to everyone beating this too. Im going to leave the forums and the internet, and just treat this as an anxiety symptom.
> 
> Exercise outdoors, get a sweat every day that u can. This will allow brain relaxation.
> 
> Do not stress yourself about your future. Let life keep flowing. Once this fades away you will feel forget about it and move on like nothing affected you. Your brain hasn't been damaged.
> 
> Keep yourself occupied. Lose yourself in an interest.
> 
> Know your role in life and what you live for. Family, parents, friends, religion(God if believed in)...
> 
> Okay, basically remove stress, depression, and anxiety from your life. The symptoms from the condition are a protection. Research DP/DR as well, as much as possible. You must face it with hope just as if you were fighting cancer. As I mentioned before about the medications and people disagreeing with them, they can be necessary under severe situations, as you described yourself. See a doctor. It's proven SSRI's such as Zoloft and certain other anti-depressants can greatly aid towards your recovery. Prozac is unproven to help at all so don't accept that medication. Also little helps like 0.5mg Klonopin tablets won't harm you if taken under correct use for anxiety. All though this will help, I strongly believe you must rely mainly on your mental strength to get through this. My doctor and I, I'm seeing now are trying to help myself, and also discover new ways into beating this. Since I have an interest in one day becoming involved in the psychology field, he and I are doing safe testing. In my case, I am also taking Vyvanse, an ADHD medication. Although this has been prescribed to me, for my attention deficit disorder I was tested positively for, it may possibly be helping with the DP/DR disorder, and be an affective alternative as well. But that's between my study case and my doctor as lab rat lol. You will most probably not be prescribed ADHD meds for saying you have DP/DR, since it's not a proven cure, or help. Or even study...
> 
> Damn that was long but hang in there bud that's my story and strategy for ya. I hope I have helped in someway. Be strong you'll pull through it, just have hope.
> 
> Good luck brother


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## HatingDP

Damn man, I feel exactly like you. For 1,5 months ago I was the happy, awesome guy partying every weekend.

How are things going? Got help with doc?


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## Onibla

What everyone else said ^^^^^^^^^^^
Distraction is the key, less introspective thoughts, more being aware of what is happening. If the world feels/looks like a movie to you, take interest in the movie. Don't just sit around hoping it'll all go away if you worry enough. Actively taking an interest is hugely beneficial. If you feel so disconnected you can't be interested in anything - fake it. Just document in your mind what is happening in a movie, force yourself to consider the impact of certain characters on the plot etc. After a while real interest will take over and it'll get easier.


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## Fluke93

HatingDP said:


> Damn man, I feel exactly like you. For 1,5 months ago I was the happy, awesome guy partying every weekend.
> 
> How are things going? Got help with doc?


Thanks for asking







. I have been given citalopram 20mg which helps with anxiety, went to seea pych, and then went to cbt. She basically said you have to accept that you're not going to die, and you're not going mad. And said i basically have to face my fears. The dp has got a lot better, and i notice it slowly wheres off once my anxiety settles down. I feel a lot better, im going to quit cigs, and just have a healthy lifestyle.

Thanks to everyone who helped me here, but i think its best if i leave, cause it just makes me worse, WHEN i recover I KNOW i will, be it 1 month, or 2 years, i will come back and i will post on how i did it. For the mean time im not going to surf the net anymore. And sorry for my constant posts on feeling sorry for myself too. I truly did think i was going schizophrenic at one stage!

Thanks once again peeps. Good luck to everyone.







xx.


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## BusyBee

Yep yep yep ive had all those feelings! I scored pretty high (not as high as some i may add) on a DP test so I know i was pretty bad. I can remember getting to a point after about 6 months where I thought, 'ok, i can just about live with this'

But now im at the point where i think, 'stuff being ill i cant wait to hurry up and get better i want to get my dancing shoes on again!'

Thats a good sign, i guess. Its been 9 months now. and I keep forgetting to take my pills. I was embarrassed to tell the Doc who said, 'Thats great. You must be feeling better'

Hang in there







Some people take a year or so to get over a flu bug.


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## Amado728

http://www.dpselfhelp.com/forum/index.php?/topic/24970-it-is-not-permanent/

Please read my post. Here is the link. I have recovered from DP multiple times. It is not permanent.


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