# you WILL recover



## LogLady (Oct 17, 2011)

Hey guys,

It's been awhile since I've posted because I haven't been to the forum in awhile...and you all know what that means.

Just a year ago I was about ready to off myself after dealing with progressively worsening DP/DR for 3 years. In short, my story is that I essentially OD'd on edible grass without knowing it and had a terrible trip/panic attack that ended with me passing out. When I came to in the morning I had DP/DR. Not only did it not go away but it got substantially worse over time to the point that I gradually withdrew from everything in my life and entered a state of severe depression and melancholy. My DR was so bad I couldn't even read. It's been a slow and difficult process, but I've managed to go from being debilitated and just completely hopeless to being very functional and feeling good about the future. However strange it feels to be reconstructing myself from the ashes of chronic DP/DR, I truly am reclaiming my life. It feels like I lost a lot of myself due to the 3 1/2 year crumbling of my development as a human, but it's ok, and this experience has changed me for the better in so many ways.

Here's what might help:

1.) Deciding to face it and expressing the immense pain with yourself, friends, and family.

2.) If you are super busy and committed to a lot of things, TAKE A BREAK! You need the space and time to fix this.

3.) Taking initiative and trying some general behavioral changes to make yourself feel better. For me this was telling DP/DR to go fuck itself and starting to work out A LOT. Fitness is a huge part of my life now. Dietary changes, basic supplements, and anything you would consider a general plus for personal health could count here, but exercise is really good for your brain and makes you feel strong and great! Truly one of the most therapeutic things I could find.

4.) Volunteering in the community. Anything where you can get some exposure to new people and things and maybe even feel good about doing it too. Could also help you revive your interests and explore what you might be interested in doing in the future (rather than DP/DR as the one and only).

5.) Trying alternative therapy's (if only for the experience and potential placebo) - massage, acupuncture, Reiki, etc.

6.) Seeing a counselor/therapist. Take a load off, share this with someone who is there to listen and help you through it. They may not be able to help reduce your symptoms right away but they can give you the empathy you need and help you explore yourself to find out what may be contributing factors. Chances are you have some unresolved conflicts that could be making things worse.

7.) MEDICATION: Citalopram (Celexa) + Clonazepam (Klonopin) helped me get out of the worst of it. I think that if I hadn't been medicated I would not have been able to escape the psychic trauma that was seemingly endless and 24/7. I was on Citalopram for about 8 months and Clonazepam I just have as a backup for symptom attacks and I rarely ever use it, sometimes I use it to help me go to sleep but I don't really need it anymore. It was much more relevant in the beginning. I successfully tapered off of Citalopram from 40mg and I no longer need to take it. I just kind of played it by ear and decided to start reducing the amount when I felt it was time.

8.) Being conscious of mindfulness and trying to practice it. I'm the kind of person who is always thinking about the next thing I have to do, so it's hard for me to be present. This really feeds my anxiety. Being present is one of the most valuable abilities we have to function and be satisfied at our highest capacity. If you have issues with this too just think about it.

9.) Making an effort to regain your feelings. If you are like me, DP/DR causes a severe disconnect from emotions and passions and leaves a very apathetic state, in my opinion because the experience is so painful that you need some sort of psychic defense; in this case numbness. Being unable to be who you are (or "were") is nothing short of devastating. But try to reconnect with the things that you used to live for. Those things that intrigued you and got you all giddy without effort, and hopefully also made you feel good about yourself and bolstered your self-esteem, which has taken quite the beating at this point. These things could help you start to feel a little bit more alive and maybe even more like yourself again. They also have a better likelihood of maintaining themselves as an outlet because you have an instrinsic connection to them.

10.) Know that this will probably take awhile and it probably won't be as steady and gradual as you'd like it to be. Swings to the extremes are likely, but over time and on a much larger scale it will seem a little bit more so.

There is so much more I could write but I'll leave it at this for now.

Just remember that this is temporary and that you will overcome it. Also know that if you are one of the skeptics, I was right there with you just a year ago.

Much love <3


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## Dave1988 (Aug 30, 2012)

Thansk and congratz!


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## GroupHug (Jul 6, 2012)

Pretty much everyone who recovers and gives advice on what helped them to get over DP has similar things to say. I think it's very clear then that these things will help everyone here (although medication is definitely not for everyone).

Thank you so much for the information, but most of all motivation, and the assuredness that we can overcome this.


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## timzie (Sep 28, 2012)

LogLady said:


> Hey guys,
> 
> It's been awhile since I've posted because I haven't been to the forum in awhile...and you all know what that means.
> 
> ...


Thanks for sharing that it gives some hope in dark days.
I am struggling myself with severe depression and DP, I would already be happy if the depression would go away.
But it helps to read stuff from someone who recovered or is recovering.
Thanks!


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## Give quiche a chance (Oct 5, 2012)

I'd agree with pretty much everything the OP says, but would particularly emphasise the key role that mindfulness plays.

Part of my job is delivering Dialectical Behavioural Therapy, and have subsequently learned a fair bit about mindfulness and the benefits of practicing it in everyday life.

Accepting DP feelings and associated thoughts in a mindful way seems far more achievable and effective than simply 'trying not to think about it' (which is pretty much impossible).

Learning about mindfulness and radical acceptance for my job has put a label to the self developed techniques of my own recovery from 10+ years of chronic DP. Being on the other side of the DP experience, it all seems too obvious!

Anyway, good luck to you all. Please don't wait for DP to clear before you start living. That strategy can result in a very long and miserable wait.


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## riokid (Sep 8, 2012)

Is having a numb and dead mind normal with dp like a real deadness in the mind as if something isnt firing correctly in my mind? Also ive no emotions just sadness, will i be like this forever?


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## Saus (Aug 14, 2012)

riokid said:


> Is having a numb and dead mind normal with dp like a real deadness in the mind as if something isnt firing correctly in my mind? Also ive no emotions just sadness, will i be like this forever?


 This will pass, just give it time and dont fight it.


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