# Sunlight causing derealization! Has ANYONE recovered from this?



## Ahungerf

Looking for help from anyone fully recovered or at least recovered from this symptom. Sunlight causes a dreamlike sensation and the bright sky just seems like a fake backdrop. I can't stop noticing it and it fuels the whole anxiety cycle.

How did you recover from this?


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## eddy1886

The opposite is true for me....Dark grey overcast skies make me more spacey and lost .....The sun make smy DP literally vanish....

This might be because I also experience S A D in winter.....The darker short days make me feel so awful and gloomy...I hate it...Spring and summer are like a new lease of life for me each year....The end of autumn and into deep winter are horrendous for my mood and motivation levels...

I think it all depends on what part of the world you live in...

How often have you heard people from dry hot climates say they would love constant rain but yet ask a person from the British Isles what they think about constant rain......


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## zouzoux

Yea but Eddy it's really not about loving or hating rain. I can relate to ahungerf since it's my main symptom too. It's just that a clear blue sky doesn't feel right. It can also happen at night with some light.

Here are some example that I find triggering for my DR:



http://imgur.com/u0VjHZT




http://imgur.com/yRMwwgS


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## Ahungerf

Also at night if the sky is bright or the twilight sunset. My eyes will pick it up between the trees or behind buildings ... It just seems off... only if the sky is really dark does it seem like I can connect to it.


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## eddy1886

When we are DPed and very anxious our senses are heightened...Its the fight or flight scenario....

Things look and appear strange or distant or spacey, loud noises become more deafening, touching things feels odd to hold and touch, food can taste weird and we can smell stuff more intensely.........

Our vision becomes heightened along with all our other senses...Its your body and mind alerting you to danger (That isnt really there)

Of course as DP sufferers with obsessive behaviours we will focus on the things that seem strange or different to us...

Sounds kinda stupidly simple but if the sky and sun seem like they look odd to you dont look at them as intently and as often and DISTRACT your attention with something more pleasant to you...Stay in the shade even as often as you can maybe...

The less attention you give it the less troublesome it will become....Eventually it will fade away as a symptom...


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## zouzoux

Yea heightened vision could be a nice explanation. I no longer have anxiety but somehow it's still here. However while I was on a combo of Antipsychotic and SSRI I felt almost cured and stopped them . it returned a few months later so this time I went back only on SSRI but it didn't help really. So maybe reading the antipsychotic could be interesting


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## eddy1886

zouzoux said:


> Yea heightened vision could be a nice explanation. I no longer have anxiety but somehow it's still here. However while I was on a combo of Antipsychotic and SSRI I felt almost cured and stopped them . it returned a few months later so this time I went back only on SSRI but it didn't help really. So maybe reading the antipsychotic could be interesting


For some including myself SSRIs do nothing unless they are taken in conjunction with an Antipsychotic....

The Antipsychotic takes that overwhelming power out of the DP symptoms which allows the SSRI to go to work on the anxiety levels and mood...Thats just been my experience over the years anyway....


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## Artmuzz

When I had derealization bad in 2015 when it was daylight (especially bright sunny days) it made everything look dream like and the only time I felt a lot normal was at night time. My thoery is that with Depersonalization and Derealization the mind is very tired (through constant stress and anxiety) so the mind is having a hard time computing everything in daylight hence the reason everything looks dream like and unreal whereas at night there isn’t much for the eyes and brain to work on. However, now I’m kind of finding night time an uncomfortable experience with my anxiety and panic disorder.


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## Ahungerf

Artmuzz thank you for your comment. So this symptom eventually did go away as you just paid less attention to it? Eventually you looked outside or at the sky and u felt connected again? Did u notice it reducing or did you have to forget about it for it to go away?

And Eddy thank you as well and I'd like to ask you the exact same question. Thanks guys!!!


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## Artmuzz

Ahungerf said:


> Artmuzz thank you for your comment. So this symptom eventually did go away as you just paid less attention to it? Eventually you looked outside or at the sky and u felt connected again? Did u notice it reducing or did you have to forget about it for it to go away?
> And Eddy thank you as well and I'd like to ask you the exact same question. Thanks guys!!!


Yeah, the symptom did eventually go away but since I've been suffering a lot of stress lately my anxiety and derealization symptoms are coming back but the best way to combat it is to distract yourself, deep breathing and grounding techniques are good and a good diet and exercise. It's easier said than done but through experience and time this can get better as long as you avoid stressful situations which will cause anxiety, panic attacks and DPDR.


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## eddy1886

Ahungerf said:


> Artmuzz thank you for your comment. So this symptom eventually did go away as you just paid less attention to it? Eventually you looked outside or at the sky and u felt connected again? Did u notice it reducing or did you have to forget about it for it to go away?
> 
> And Eddy thank you as well and I'd like to ask you the exact same question. Thanks guys!!!


It eases with time yes....But you have to learn to reduce stress in all areas of your life and take better care of yourself...Its about managing the anxiety and tension levels in your life....Stress leads to Anxiety / Anxiety leads to DP.....Then DP leads to more Stress and more Anxiety....Its a vicious circle.....

If you are able for it, its important to focus on positive hobbies and interests that engage your mind....This is exercising your mind in a positive way (DPers know it as DISTRACTION)

I also must again emphasize that alcohol and drugs are a no no when it comes to dealing with any DP symptoms.......That is simply throwing fuel onto a fire thats already burning out of control....They have to be abandoned completely....


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## Artmuzz

If it’s any help for you Ahungerf, I remember watching a video about a guy who suffers DPDR and he was saying that wearing sunglasses reduced his derealization. I tried that myself but didn’t notice any difference. I think at the end of the day it’s reducing stress which is hard in this day and age and having a positive frame of mind which will sort this out for you. Also time is a great healer.


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## eddy1886

Im actually of the opinion now that in the modern world the word STRESS needs to used instead of the words MATERIALISM, GREED & AMBITION...Cos thats what tends to be at the heart of most peoples stress.........

We have all set our personal bars way too high because thats what society has told us we need to do to be not only a success in life but also to be accepted and allowed to fit in........

My heart goes out to younger people in the modern world...The demands are way too high on them....

The pharmaceutical companies are loving it though....God I despise Capitalism....Its a disease in society......


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## eddy1886

If you live in the Northern Hemisphere its actually important to expose yourself to as much sunlight as possible without getting sunburnt of course.... (Sunlight is the most natural source of vitamin D3 which is the feel good vitamin)

This is why winter depression or S A D is so common the further North past the equator you are...I myself experience S A D every year as soon as October arrives and the days start to shorten and darken....I despise Irish winters with a passion and lose all my motivation...Then as soon as Spring starts to arrive its like im being reinvigourated....The difference in me is literally night and day LOL...

You should see what happens to people in the British Isles when the sun starts to shine brightly in Spring and Summer ....The transformation in everybodys mood is actually astonishing...


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## Ahungerf

I appreciate the reply’s guys, I guess the tough part to get is why my anxiety can feel really low or completely gone yet once I step outside that sun if it’s bright is still causing a dreamlike environment and the sky looks shimmery and fake... hard not to feel trapped in this when you feel normal or close to normal when the lights aren’t messing with me... did a bright night sky like on a full moon create the same detached feeling? It’s like everything in front of me seems real like my house or trees but the sky behind it all seems like a fake backdrop... did anyone else have this???


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## Ahungerf

I appreciate the reply’s guys, I guess the tough part to get is why my anxiety can feel really low or completely gone yet once I step outside that sun if it’s bright is still causing a dreamlike environment and the sky looks shimmery and fake... hard not to feel trapped in this when you feel normal or close to normal when in doors but then my eye catches the brightness out the window or I open the front door and boom!! Bright ass dream world... Also did a bright night sky like during on a full moon create the same detached feeling? It’s like everything in front of me seems real like my house or trees but the sky behind it all seems like a fake backdrop... did anyone else have this???


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## Chip1021

I'm extremely light-sensitive. I'm mostly awake at nights, and as the sun begins to shine through the windows in the mornings my symptoms become much worse. Happens too when I go outside, but there are a lot of things about being outside that makes my symptoms worse, so I can't pinpoint that specifically to the sunlight.


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## DerealizedDutchie

I see things as they should be inside my home. Well, maybe the depth is a bit fucked. But as soon as i walk out of the door everything looks extremely fake. The trees freak me out the most. The cloudy days are the worst tbh, with the bright white light and no sun at all. At night i do feel a litte bit more at peace when i'm outside.

Afaik i had this since i was very young, not the DR particularly, but the fact that nights were more soothing and calming than days. I always played my best soccer matches in the late evening with no anxiety at all. When i played in the morning or at midday with the bright white light i freaked out a lot and did hyperventilate during matches.

It all seems so connected in a way, but i'm too tired to figure it all out lol.

To give you some hope: there was a time in my life where all of this did not bother me anymore and all the symptoms dissipated. In the end it's all about having something to focus on and live for which is more important to you than your symptoms.


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