# I'm rebuilding myself.. entirely



## Pale_knight (Jan 27, 2011)

So, I get these waves of depersonalization/derealization, where sometimes I feel so scared and terrible, and other times I feel like this mode of perceiving is something gift-like and great.

What has been helping me tremendously is rebuilding my whole life philosophy(in the classic sense of the word). By reading bunches of greek, buddhist/taoist, western, even hindu philosophical texts I counterbalance my "circles" of thinking that get me caught in webs of terror and fear. Although this has not eliminated my disorder, it has done a lot more good than it has bad.

This was a last resort for me since I am against medication, and talking about it to people who dont really know about it makes me sound like a psycho. Going to a therapist/psychologist/psychiatrist was something I did not want to do, mainly because I myself am going to school for a phd in psychology, so I wanted to resolve this on my own. This has led me down an amazing rabbit hole, which is bringing me a great new perspective on life.

I am rebuilding myself from the ground up, learning how to properly "function" under these mental circumstances, and although it initially was very depressing, it is now getting better.

If there are any others with similar stories and recommendations, I would greatly appreciate some feedback.


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## heartdream (Feb 6, 2011)

fuzzyviews said:


> So, I get these waves of depersonalization/derealization, where sometimes I feel so scared and terrible, and other times I feel like this mode of perceiving is something gift-like and great.
> 
> What has been helping me tremendously is rebuilding my whole life philosophy(in the classic sense of the word). By reading bunches of greek, buddhist/taoist, western, even hindu philosophical texts I counterbalance my "circles" of thinking that get me caught in webs of terror and fear. Although this has not eliminated my disorder, it has done a lot more good than it has bad.
> 
> ...


I think that is a great coping strategy. I think the best we can do is to make the best of a less than ideal situation by trying to find the good in it, seeing this as a calling to rebuild yourself is great. At the end of the day, I think the most important coping mechanism for this illness is to remind ourselves that we are not alone.


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## Pale_knight (Jan 27, 2011)

heartdream said:


> I think that is a great coping strategy. I think the best we can do is to make the best of a less than ideal situation by trying to find the good in it, seeing this as a calling to rebuild yourself is great. At the end of the day, I think the most important coping mechanism for this illness is to remind ourselves that we are not alone.


Thank you for replying!
Yes, trying to linger on the positive aspect as opposed to staying on the negative makes a world of a difference. 
I was very relieved to find this website and to see how many people suffer from dp/dr. 
Thank you again and I hope you do well.


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## Mythid (Apr 8, 2010)

Optimism in this subject is everything, it has helped me and will help you. Think of it as a life experience, one not many people go through for long periods of time. When you get over it you will come out a better enlightened person out of it. You will also see a greater value of your life when you come out of it that you might have taken for granted.


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## Pale_knight (Jan 27, 2011)

Mythid said:


> Optimism in this subject is everything, it has helped me and will help you. Think of it as a life experience, one not many people go through for long periods of time. When you get over it you will come out a better enlightened person out of it. You will also see a greater value of your life when you come out of it that you might have taken for granted.


How long had you had dp/dr? 
If you don't mind me asking. I have had dp for about half a year now and I am only beginning to develop enough optimism to begin to cope with this. I do know that everyone is different, and whereas some take a while to "recover", others may rehabilitate or at least begin to more quickly. 
Just curious as to how long it took yourself to develop a "graspable" amount of optimism and positivism to be able to effectively combat your disorder. 
During the earlier months, in the midst of my strongest waves of depersonalization, I couldn't even think,let alone reason with myself. Happy to say I've made progress. Not recovery, just progress.


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## Mythid (Apr 8, 2010)

fuzzyviews said:


> How long had you had dp/dr?
> If you don't mind me asking. I have had dp for about half a year now and I am only beginning to develop enough optimism to begin to cope with this. I do know that everyone is different, and whereas some take a while to "recover", others may rehabilitate or at least begin to more quickly.
> Just curious as to how long it took yourself to develop a "graspable" amount of optimism and positivism to be able to effectively combat your disorder.
> During the earlier months, in the midst of my strongest waves of depersonalization, I couldn't even think,let alone reason with myself. Happy to say I've made progress. Not recovery, just progress.


I've had it for 2 years now. I fought it for a whole entire year at first and it got me nowhere. I let my obsessive thoughts go and have been getting better since.


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## Pale_knight (Jan 27, 2011)

Mythid said:


> I've had it for 2 years now. I fought it for a whole entire year at first and it got me nowhere. I let my obsessive thoughts go and have been getting better since.


Yeah, I understand you. That's what I've recently found out and have been working on.
Definitely a tough, but beatable disorder. Thank you for your feedback.


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