# This will help - My expeience of DP and getting over it



## Welshlad (Jul 11, 2005)

PLEASE take some time to read this, I feel the need to help you guys because of the support I got from this forum in the early days. This is long, but it WILL be of help.

Just over 2 years ago I stumbled across this very website, just as all of you have done. At the time I was on the brink of TOTAL collapse. After smoking WAYYY to much pot one night I developed dpd. It was over the space of a month where my anxiety went through the roof and I got the Fear of this wierd symptom I was getting, but I couldn't understand or really explain!! I was on the brink of Agorophobia and visibly shook 24/7 for about 3 weeks non-stop. I hardly slept and was in the lowest state of mind I ever hope to be in.

Of course I thought I was going mad, but in reality I was undergoing a reinforcment mechanism in my brain - fear of DR leading to a fear of the fear of DR. I'm sure you're all familiar with this. You see over evolutionary history our brains have been entrained to fear the strange and unknown - A DEFENCE mechanism if u like and DP is about as strange as you can get.

Below is a reply I wrote to an email I recieved recently from an anxious member of this forum, (who shall remain nameless).

"sorry for the late reply, hardly ever use this address these days. Please take the time to read this. I feel a real need to help you because I know that u feel like shit at the moment.

I must re-iterate to you first and most importantly that it IS DEFINATELY possible to overcome dp. This doesn't mean that you will ever be totally free from it, but eventually you will not really notice the small effects that are left (mainly a little dr from time to time). The way to get out of the fear loop (which is what dp is) is to accept that it is happening. Worring about all the effects is not going to help you. This seems a stupid thing to say because at first all you think about 24/7 is that horrible feeling and you wil have already noticed that thinking about it brings up more fear and anxiety, making things worse.

The "LACK OF REALITY" is simply a symptom of the dp. It will go in time and believe me it is all down to anxiety. Even though you say you are not afraid, you are. Accept it, it's fucked up and nobody should have to go through it but it's real.

You associate the dp with the fear, and fear with dp- this is the cycle that you have to break to get out of this. Go about your normal life, socialise and do all your regular stuff. DO NOT sit back and dwell on the dp!!!!!

I have a few tips that may help reduce your anxiety and will be REALLY useful in helping you break the cycle.

1) QUIT caffeine - this reduces baseline anxiety alot.
2) EXERCISE - whenever you start feeling anxious do some exercise. this will take your mind off it, but also releases endorphines which will make you feel better.
3) Try to avoid too much alcohol at this stage- the temptation is there to drink because you feel bad, but HANGOVERS are hellish when you have dp!

YOU CAN BEAT THIS MOTHERFUCKER. It's been a long hard road for me at a hard moment in my life. I cannot say I am 100% cured, probably never will be, but I'm well over 95% from where I was 2 years ago. The acceptance that dp will do you no harm is the first step.

Good luck and stay strong,

Rhydian."

I hope this helps you all. It's been a while since I posted here. But I'd be more than happy to answer any questions and be of support to anyone from this forum. This place is so crucial to helping all of us. Thanks to Revelation and the team that run this place - you're all hero's in my mind.


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## Coming?Back2Life (Oct 20, 2006)

A truley inspiring post Rhydian thank you for those much needed words for all of us.

It is true i have been this way for 6 years now, i started smoking the weed with some friends back in high school and we hammered it for 2 years straight ( i was smoking 1/2 - 1 ounce of solid a week along with my friends ). I developed the anxiety and the self monitoring over the next few months, some serious traumas involving being attacked by chavs etc and eventually bang i had the panic attack, a viral infection and now the dp/dr.

I was trapped in my bedroom for 2 years solid telling my parents over and over and over again that i had schizophrenia like my uncle or that i was insane, i seen the doctor many times and had a second opinion and they both agreed i was a sound character and i was suffering from severe chronic fatigue and that was why my brain fog etc was so bad, i never really accepted this and went on for another 3 years believing i was insane etc and i could not function normally at all, i went through various part time jobs which i left because of what i called my "insanity" took over and i couldn`t cope with the panic attacks and the derealization/dp.

I have now found this website, along with spending ?2k on cognitive therapy based on anxiety which did help but not a great deal! so don`t spend that amount of money people  unless u want 2 of course  and along with the linden method and various other websites about anxiety i have began to realise that i can function normally sometimes if not all of the time which one day will hopefully happen. But overall this site has saved me so much from my own thoughts and it has been an absolute godsend to me!

Rant over.


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## jimmyb (May 9, 2007)

Wow it seems that so many people with this as a chronic disorder are even recovering.

3 months ago when it all started I couldn't drive, I was having panic attacks, insomnia, anxiety, depression, I was checking every symptom up on the net and comparing them with serious illnesses.

Now I am calmer, clearer on things, back at work, the DP is lifting as is the depression - WOOP! Panic attacks are gone and I'm sleeping like a log - finally lol.


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## Coming?Back2Life (Oct 20, 2006)

congrats jimmyb keep going


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## laserdog (May 1, 2005)

once ya stop CONSTANTLY analysing how ya feel its easy to beat by just living ya life normally! you just snap out of it! i've done it before......... just a shame its come back and i'm in the analysing stage again


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## meghan28 (Jan 3, 2008)

Exercising everyday, eating right, and distracting yourself is one of the best cures for this. I can already feel myself getting better since I haven't thought about it and have been saying f-it! It's not healthy worrying yourself! Thinking about DP/DR will make your anxiety worse, and you won't feel good at all! Just try and leave it behind you! I'm trying to just live my life with it, and I know I have to accept it because I don't want to live worrying about this whole thing. Just treat yourself right and get your mind as far away from it as possible. I know it may be hard, but getting away from these forums also does help. We can all get through this!


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## Sabrina55 (Dec 23, 2007)

how long did you have dp and how long did it take to get out of it...i think i have derlization..


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## BasilCat (Mar 11, 2008)

Hi, I am BasilCat and have been in a state of unreality, on and off for almost 2 years. I have experienced it before Rhydian so I know what you are saying is right. However this is the longest episode I have ever had of DP. Also, for the first time, It has affected my driving and whilst I am doing my best to get over it, you can appreciate why I am "worrying" about going too far with the car. Only a year ago I could barely drive a quarter of a mile. But now I can go 10 miles and even managed 20 miles today, plus a trip through a city centre that I have not done since the anxiety set in in July 2006!! I didnt feel 100% but I did it. So that was good. But I just get so fed up of it, especially when no-one here understands the way I am feeling.

But Rhydian, Thanks for the post. I will remember what you said and keep on trying to lead as normal a life as possible.

Many thanks
Basil


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