# To those who have recovered



## Sal (Dec 6, 2012)

Have your emotions come back for you? To be honest, this is probably the WORST part of DP/DR. I literally was in love with this girl, man I thought of her all the time and then I suffered from a panic attack which left me with DP/DR and blunted emotions. Now I question whether or not i love her at all, and what's scary is that I know she loves me and I know deep down I love her as well. I just want my emotions back.

But to any of you who have recovered 100%, did your emotions come back? Do you feel happiness like you used to? Can you feel love and return love?

I don't even give a shit about these visual hallucinations. I just want my emotions back.


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## Victor Ouriques (Jul 15, 2011)

I Get this sometimes with my girlfriend,sometimes I'm with her and she's just a girl to me,but I know it's due to my anxiety,after 40 minutes with her,I start to get normal again,and I feel my love for her.

Just relax,don't focus on this sympton,you know you love her,you care about her.

When your anxiety goes down,you'll start to feel it again,don't force it,just let it be.


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## Tyley (Aug 5, 2012)

Wait wait wait, hold the phone.. Visual hallucinations? I don't think that's a symptom of DP, explain them.


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## chelsy010 (Oct 29, 2012)

I agree with victor, you just have to stay calm and let the werid feelings role. The more you do this the more your feelings with come back. it's takes a while to get use to trying to feel calm but after a while the feelings will slowly come back. as far as visual hallucinations thats not apart of dp/dr. your actually seeing things? if so you need to get that checked out.


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## Babebu (Jan 11, 2013)

I'm 4 month in this shit and two month of understanding that I love her was my pill. Now I try not to think of it because when I do it's like my brain is trying to tell me I'm not, but inside I know I love her more than everything in this world. Just know - you "personed" love her with your "loving receptors" and "depersonalized you" don't give a fuck to everything around. Mother? Love? Girlfriend? Music? Cinema? Dreams? Money? Evolution? Growth? When you're dp'zed, you're in a STATE OF MIND, and more you try to dig deeper into your emotions, more false answers you get. That's what I think. I live with her for about 3 years. And I know that I can't stop loving her just because I have temporary disorder. I know I love her, and she's making my being on this earth worthing something.


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## Sal (Dec 6, 2012)

By visual hallucinations, I meant the distorted vision that we all get. Excuse my bad choice of wording. But anyway, I'm glad to hear they come back. I will try my best to ignore it, thank you!


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## ValleyGirl (Nov 10, 2017)

Yes. My emotions are 100% back. I know how distressed you feel. I have 3 kids and when my dp hit I felt nothing for them. Not one ounce of love. They felt like some stranger's kids running around my house. Thankfully, my love for them has come completely back.


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## AussiePheonix (Dec 5, 2012)

valleygirl<3 said:


> Yes. My emotions are 100% back. I know how distressed you feel. I have 3 kids and when my dp hit I felt nothing for them. Not one ounce of love. They felt like some stranger's kids running around my house. Thankfully, my love for them has come completely back.


Have you recovered Valley Girl?


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## Guest (Jan 27, 2013)

Yes! My emotions are back. I can feel love and I can feel heartbreak, I can feel happiness and I can feel sadness. In fact I am in a pretty sucky situation right now with a friend and before, with DP I would have been like meh, but I feel really sad about it, which in a way is a very welcome feeling, considering I had DP/DR for 6 years.

When DP and DR have gone, you feel like you again. The you underneath. That's a fact. Your personality comes back and you think "Wow, where have *I* been all this time!" It's wonderful and hopefully this reassures you that even after 6 years of DP/DR, I am out of it now, and feeling (literally) better than ever! And I didn't go through therapy to achieve this. It's a slow process as in, it may take a few weeks, but if you stop adding fear to the feeling of DP, stop questioning it and although you cant help but notice it when it happens, when you feel it just carry on with your life, then it will slowly disappear because you are desensitising yourself to this specific state of feeling. Then it happens less. Then it disappears and you are fully immersed and involved in everything again - with your emotions, with your senses and with your mind.

Good luck! Recovery is so possible if you only dedicate yourself to it.


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## AussiePheonix (Dec 5, 2012)

L i o n H e ❥ r t said:


> Yes! My emotions are back. I can feel love and I can feel heartbreak, I can feel happiness and I can feel sadness. In fact I am in a pretty sucky situation right now with a friend and before, with DP I would have been like meh, but I feel really sad about it, which in a way is a very welcome feeling, considering I had DP/DR for 6 years.
> 
> When DP and DR have gone, you feel like you again. The you underneath. That's a fact. Your personality comes back and you think "Wow, where have *I* been all this time!" It's wonderful and hopefully this reassures you that even after 6 years of DP/DR, I am out of it now, and feeling (literally) better than ever! And I didn't go through therapy to achieve this. It's a slow process as in, it may take a few weeks, but if you stop adding fear to the feeling of DP, stop questioning it and although you cant help but notice it when it happens, when you feel it just carry on with your life, then it will slowly disappear because you are desensitising yourself to this specific state of feeling. Then it happens less. Then it disappears and you are fully immersed and involved in everything again - with your emotions, with your senses and with your mind.
> 
> Good luck! Recovery is so possible if you only dedicate yourself to it.


Love to hear recover stories. Do you think that you could have done this years earlier if you knew what you know now.. or was it a case of time was required and you wouldn't have been able to recover any earlier?


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## Guest (Jan 27, 2013)

Yep, definitely.. Unfortunately! Lol. I could have saved a lot of time and not felt like I'd wasted those 6 years, but that doesn't matter now. I got there in the end, and I am thankful for what I know now.


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## JJ70 (Nov 1, 2010)

> Have your emotions come back for you? To be honest, this is probably the WORST part of DP/DR. I literally was in love with this girl, man I thought of her all the time and then I suffered from a panic attack which left me with DP/DR and blunted emotions


Yes 100% recovered for many years from chronic DP/DR, fully in touch with my emotions and reality. Recovery really is possible, I and many others are proof.


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## ValleyGirl (Nov 10, 2017)

AussiePheonix said:


> Have you recovered Valley Girl?


 Not completely. I'm like 98% better. I have had dp and fully recovered before as well. Everything went completely back to normal then too.


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## ValleyGirl (Nov 10, 2017)

AussiePheonix said:


> Have you recovered Valley Girl?


 Not completely. I'm like 98% better. I have had dp and fully recovered before as well. Everything went completely back to normal then too.


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## AussiePheonix (Dec 5, 2012)

JJ70 said:


> Yes 100% recovered for many years from chronic DP/DR, fully in touch with my emotions and reality. Recovery really is possible, I and many others are proof.


How did you do it!?


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## WithYourSigh (Nov 25, 2012)

LionHeart, at times I wonder whether there exists some difference between my own DPD and that of others. Those who recovered -- most of whom seem to have suffered from DP for several months to a year -- usually swear by distraction, letting go, and overlooking. While I cannot claim to have functioned during the past nine years as any other person does, as my existence had been dominated by DP-based as well as social anxiety and a seemingly non-functional brain, at first I still socialised to some degree and, later, I graduated from highschool, completed a military service and am currently holding a steady job. My DP seems to have a life of its own. What is it that I am doing wrong? I do not believe I could have acted differently.



L i o n H e ❥ r t said:


> Yes! My emotions are back. I can feel love and I can feel heartbreak, I can feel happiness and I can feel sadness. In fact I am in a pretty sucky situation right now with a friend and before, with DP I would have been like meh, but I feel really sad about it, which in a way is a very welcome feeling, considering I had DP/DR for 6 years.
> 
> When DP and DR have gone, you feel like you again. The you underneath. That's a fact. Your personality comes back and you think "Wow, where have *I* been all this time!" It's wonderful and hopefully this reassures you that even after 6 years of DP/DR, I am out of it now, and feeling (literally) better than ever! And I didn't go through therapy to achieve this. It's a slow process as in, it may take a few weeks, but if you stop adding fear to the feeling of DP, stop questioning it and although you cant help but notice it when it happens, when you feel it just carry on with your life, then it will slowly disappear because you are desensitising yourself to this specific state of feeling. Then it happens less. Then it disappears and you are fully immersed and involved in everything again - with your emotions, with your senses and with your mind.
> 
> Good luck! Recovery is so possible if you only dedicate yourself to it.


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## WithYourSigh (Nov 25, 2012)

I will take the first part of your reply as a joke, although it seems to be the case for some sufferers.

Susto, I am familiar with the perception which you and Fearless hold. I must note that I am well aware of my emotionally- and sometimes physically-abusive childhood and its effect on my personality and self image, and this awareness existed before the DP appeared. My father was a terrifying figure who treated me with mostly verbal and emotional violence, thus teaching me that I am but an unworthy, pathetic creature. I may be wrong, but I cannot for the life of me grasp the idea of anything conscious in reality affecting my brain and curing my DP.

It is only due to Lamictal and an array of alternative-medicine methods that I can phrase this reply.



Susto said:


> maorseven, if your degree of DPD is one that does not magically goes away, you GOTTA resolve your underlying emotional issues to get rid of it completely.


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## JJ70 (Nov 1, 2010)

@maroseven



> My father was a terrifying figure who treated me with mostly verbal and emotional violence, thus teaching me that I am but an unworthy, pathetic creature. I may be wrong, but I cannot for the life of me grasp the idea of anything conscious in reality affecting my brain and curing my DP.


DP/DR is triggered by many things, I have not read or heard about any high success rates of recovery as a result of traditional therapy looking back at past issues (although there are probably some), even though this is a proven method for many other conditions.

Personally; my recovery started in earnest when I stopped focusing on what was causing it and switched my focus to getting rid of it. I have found this to be the most common factor in those that have recovered (not the only factor, just the most common one).

To give you some hope, my DP/DR was at the Chronic end of the scale, I have been fully recovered for many years...but sorry I didn't just wake up one day feeling ok.



> LionHeart, at times I wonder whether there exists some difference between my own DPD and that of others.


Although I think you are likely to be right with this statement and recovery can be longer or harder for others (as well as the degree of the condition...I was at the worst end of the scale)....you can get better.

JJ


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## AussiePheonix (Dec 5, 2012)

maorseven said:


> It is only due to Lamictal and an array of alternative-medicine methods that I can phrase this reply.


Hello mate,
I've started lamictal, just was curious to know how it has worked for you and your DP?

Cheers


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## WithYourSigh (Nov 25, 2012)

Susto said:


> that's too bad to hear, cause you already know you have been abused, so you are half way to recover, but the belief that you have a "brain illness" is holding you back.
> 
> been there, and changed my mind about it
> 
> to have an ideia how strong impact feeling unloved has on a sensitive child, just look at your personal experience with DP


I do not regard my DP as a brain disorder, but I simply acknowledge its physiological aspects. I am aware that I am merely experiencing a deeply altered state of consciouness activated by my brain in response to certain stimuli; yet, I do not know what is required in order for my brain to deactivate this state.

While my abusive experiences undoubtedly had a great impact on my personality, I do not understand the event that triggered my DP and, therefore, would draw such conclusions.



JJ70 said:


> @maroseven
> 
> DP/DR is triggered by many things, I have not read or heard about any high success rates of recovery as a result of traditional therapy looking back at past issues (although there are probably some), even though this is a proven method for many other conditions.
> 
> ...


JJ, how long did you experience DP? Having been DP'd for years and discovering this only a few months ago, as I had been constantly told that I am merely suffering from depression, it was years ago that I stopped searching for the roots of my seemingly-unique condition and accepted it as my fate. Most of my complaints were virtually ignored and dismissed by the great minds of psychology and psychiatry, and so I had to accept that I would never be understood and listened to, but rather all alone. As the years went by, I could only accept this anti-self as my new self.



AussiePheonix said:


> Hello mate,
> I've started lamictal, just was curious to know how it has worked for you and your DP?
> 
> Cheers


I am currently taking 75 mg daily and still in the process of increasing the dosage, but it is clear that there is an effect. It is quite hard to describe the change. While my symptoms are still there, their intensity has decreased and a degree of normalcy is experienced alongside them. As I did before, I experience fluctuations in symptoms daily as a result of the various methods that I use. Also, I experience daily free-floating anxiety that, in case it subsides at a certain stage, I am left with something I can actually work with. Having adapted to this improvement, it seems that I am allowing myself to strive for normalcy, yet I am faced with my symptoms time and again.

The sound of music, my everlasting love, is now experienced as a more familiar, long-forgotten one. I no longer wake in the morning only to experience breathlessness and weakness, as if my body is on the verge of shutting down. I am capable of some communication with others. My cognitive skills are improving. I am once again enjoying the piano, my long-forgotten love that had become my utmost torture. Reality is not as distant as it used to be. I do not experience myself as a non-functional brain occupying a distant body as I used to.


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## AussiePheonix (Dec 5, 2012)

Thanks for the reply. I've reached 150mgs. Ill keep you posted on how I go.


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## AussiePheonix (Dec 5, 2012)

Thanks for the reply. I've reached 150mgs. Ill keep you posted on how I go.


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## JJ70 (Nov 1, 2010)

> I do not regard my DP as a brain disorder, but I simply acknowledge its physiological aspects. I am aware that I am merely experiencing a deeply altered state of consciouness activated by my brain in response to certain stimuli; yet, I do not know what is required in order for my brain to deactivate this state.


@ Maorseven, funny enough I came up with a theory on my DP/DR similar (not the same) to what you have stated here. This was actually the very first step (of many steps) in my recovery.

Hang in there you can get better.

JJ


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## JJ70 (Nov 1, 2010)

> JJ, how long did you experience DP? Having been DP'd for years and discovering this only a few months ago, as I had been constantly told that I am merely suffering from depression, it was years ago that I stopped searching for the roots of my seemingly-unique condition and accepted it as my fate. Most of my complaints were virtually ignored and dismissed by the great minds of psychology and psychiatry, and so I had to accept that I would never be understood and listened to, but rather all alone. As the years went by, I could only accept this anti-self as my new self.


@Maorseven; I had chronic DP/DR for around a year and a half, when I started to push my self to recover this took around 2 months. I have supported a huge amount of people over the years and recovery time varies, but two months is not uncommon in 40% ish of cases.

Everything you have described about your experiences with the medical community I went through too...you are not alone.

JJ


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## flipwilson (Aug 19, 2006)

My chronic dp started in 2006 triggered by a joint. By 2010 I gradually started coming out of it. I always had moments over those 4 years of being able to connect to certain things like my artwork but connection to the body as a whole wasn't there ie. very blunted orgasm and more subtle emotional reactions. In 2011 I met a girl and whether forunately or unfortunatley her presence coincided with what was a 90%recovery all the way through to the end of 2012.

Subtle emotions, like the way a beautiful plate of food or the texture of a painting used to make me feel were back. My orgasm felt almost exactly like it used to with waves euphoria through my body which i hadn't really felt in those first 4 years. My thought process was natural and flowing and I was concerned about the now, my goals and my girl. I even said to a buddy of mine how loved my life just a month ago. To say that with how negative I've been my whole life was huge. Then out of the blue, with no warning, no signs, my girl dumped me. WIthout getting into details, the way she pulled the rug out from under me and the things she said and the reasons she gave were beyond heartbreaking. I wasn't Dp at first and had your usual breakup depression and had my cries and experienced some anger and not for a minute did I think Id end up back in this state. But a week after the initial breakup I went to
sleep and woke up with trembling anxiety and I was once again far away.

It is clear in my experience that we can come out of this state. It is clear that we can go back. Its hopeful and heartbreaking at the same time. I want to say for sure that your personality is still there, you are still there, the brain is just protecting you because your nervous systems resiliency to stress is not where it should be.

just a question: During the last 6 years I've had chronic migraines. Do you think that is a symptom of trauma in my life or a sign of the brain trying to right itself?


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## JJ70 (Nov 1, 2010)

Sorry for your relapse, you can get better again.

I'm not surprised that falling in love helped trigger your initial recovery; like I said I've been fully recovered for a long time (I did have a very minor relapse, years ago now... scared the shit out of me!). I used focusing on my emotional self and the world around me to recover, I found love and sex very powerful tools to achieve this (didn't work on their own for me).



> just a question: During the last 6 years I've had chronic migraines. Do you think that is a symptom of trauma in my life or a sign of the brain trying to right itself?


iIve known hundreds of people who have recovered and I've not come across migraines as being a sign of this. People with DP/DR seem to have loads of additional symptoms, there are so many my advice is usually to stop worrying about them and concentrate on recovery.

However I'm not a doctor, and if you are getting constant migraines it is probably worth seeking some medical advice.

Good luck.

JJ


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## WithYourSigh (Nov 25, 2012)

JJ70 said:


> @ Maorseven, funny enough I came up with a theory on my DP/DR similar (not the same) to what you have stated here. This was actually the very first step (of many steps) in my recovery.
> 
> Hang in there you can get better.
> 
> JJ


Please do elaborate on your own theory and your recovery process. Recovery is my only wish.


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## JJ70 (Nov 1, 2010)

> Please do elaborate on your own theory and your recovery process. Recovery is my only wish.


I'd love to, but far far too long for a thread. I also don't want to go spreading about none medical corroborated theories on this forum; there's far too many...take the guy insisting all DP/DR is caused by fluoride as just one example.

My theory was very similar to yours in many ways which led me to try and solve the second part of your statement, quoted below:



> I do not know what is required in order for my brain to deactivate this state.


My theory itself is not important (and as I say was similar to yours), what was important is that it led me to try and do the above instead of worrying about what was my current mental state or what caused it (although it can be useful in some cases to know the cause in order to stop it coming back).

In, short to do the above I focused heavily on my emotional self and my physical connectivity with the world around me, I recorded the degree of connection and worked at it everyday and lived a lifestyle that was healthy for recovery i.e. diet, exercise and socializing.

Also of note: Do! Don't spend too much time thinking - I took action.

The recovery took approx 2 months, I have seen similar recovery periods in others, although from my experience there is definitely some relationship between how bad your condition is and how long you have had it that can be reflected in the length of time it takes to recover.....although not always.


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