# Are there any people who recovered form DP/DR by using psychedelics?



## Mr Ratatosk (Mar 30, 2010)

Is it possible to get rid of DP/DR by using acid or mushrooms? If you have experience related to this topic, please share.


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## Guest (Apr 14, 2010)

Mr Ratatosk said:


> Is it possible to get rid of DP/DR by using acid or mushrooms? If you have experience related to this topic, please share.


You might as well just shoot your foot and hope you recover from it.


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## Katezorz (Jan 10, 2010)

Because people can get dp/dr from taking shrooms or acid, it is safe to assume that taking psychedelics will only worsen the disorder. Do not try it.


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## anon (Apr 14, 2010)

My personal experience has shown more benefit from the use of ayahuasca than from anything else I have tried in the 12 years I have been depersonalized. I have tried all the common meds and found more depersonalization from that course of action. I have tried supplements and exercise, therapy, all that stuff, and for me it has not helped much.

I started using ayahuasca a few months back (and was very reluctant due to my DP being brought on by the use of marijuana) I hadn't used any psychoactive chemicals (besides those prescribed to me) for several years before this. It seems that many people would not approve of this course of action, but I felt I had nothing left to live for, so I figured it really was worth the risk. In terms of healing from DP as such, I have found myself during my sessions to feel the strongest emotions of my life. The first reassuring thing was that I realized my brain isn't broken, and that I have the ability to feel them, even if only under the influence of a strong chemical. I then found that in between session I am able to feel. I can cry when watching sad movies, I can feel love for my wife (whereas before it was more of an intellectual love; I knew I loved her, my mother, etc but didn't really feel it) I hadn't cried for years before this. In regards to my detachment from body and surroundings, that remains to be resolved.

In a more general way, I have found a connection with God that is emotive in nature. I had intellectualized plenty about God, but again never felt a presence, and I feel it between sessions as well. I think the most important thing for me to keep in mind is that the psychedelic experiences in themselves are not what is healing me; I think that if I did nothing in between, then there would be no lasting affect. It has helped me by giving me insights into how I need to interact with my family/friends, and that I need to work more with yoga and meditation (things I was for whatever reason opposed to before, but have found quite helpful) Anyway, this is my own experience, and I am sure some would say that it's not worth the risk, but from my experience, it has more potential to work than shooting one's self in the foot. I hope this is helpful to someone, as I had read only one report of another DP'ed individual using ayahuasca and recovering.

Perhaps it would be more helpful for people on this site to avoid telling others what to try and what not to. I read recommendations by many on this site to try benzos, and had a year and a half of worsened depression from their sedation, and four months of hell trying to get off of them... It seems like you were asking for personal experiences rather than answers for what you should or should not do. I would also be very interested in reading about anyone else's experiences.

Take care.


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## Guest (Apr 14, 2010)

For any who are interested, here is a 5 star documentary on Ayahuasca:

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x39tss_ayahuasca-the-snake-and-i-english-1_travel
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x39twp_ayahuasca-the-snake-and-i-english-2_travel
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x39txz_ayahuasca-the-snake-and-i-english-3_travel

I've seen it several times since a year ago. I for some reason didn't consider Ayahuasca with the OP. I was thinking LSD or Mushrooms. Ayahuasca is something I might be willing to try some day.

Welcome to the forum, anon.


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## dragonhat (Oct 5, 2009)

I've been interested in Ayahuasca for a while, I know some girls that went to South America and consumed it with a shaman, had an amazing time.

I've consumed mushrooms since developing DP and I can say that they didn't really help. In fact, most of the trips were hell.


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## anon (Apr 14, 2010)

Thank you for welcoming me, TOF. Nice to meet you. I actually watched these links when you posted them earlier when I was considering taking ayahuasca, and it was helped me make up my mind to go ahead with it

I agree that Ayahuasca is not really like mushrooms or lsd. Perhaps it was just my approach to them when I tried them several years back, but I found them to be "fun" experiences without really any lasting benefit. Again, maybe if I had not been going into those experiences recreationally it would have been different, but I have found ayahuasca to be a very emotionally healing experience, and also one that I could not imagine considering recreational.


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## Guest (Apr 15, 2010)

Anon,

Would you share your experiences with Ayahuasca? First of all where do you take it, who did you get it from? Hearing about your experiences could be beneficial for those who might consider it as a treatment path.


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## anon (Apr 14, 2010)

ThoughtOnFire:

I'd be happy to explain a bit:

The constituent parts of ayahuasca are legal in most countries. (although in many places once the parts are combined it is not legal) I do not want to promote illegal activity, so it is important that if one is to try to purchase the plants, that they are fully aware of the law in their country. Another consideration is that part of the mixture is an MAOI, which is contraindicated with ssri's, certain foods and probably certain other medications as well.

Ayahuasca is traditionally made with the Banistereopsis Caapi vine mixed with Chacruna (psychotria viridis) or less traditionally with Chaliponga or Jurema (Mimosa Hostilis). The Caapi vine can be substituted with Syrian Rue to make an ayahuasca analog.

For more general information on Ayahuasca, this link is quite informative:
http://www.a1b2c3.com/drugs/aya_01.htm

There are several online shops which carry the plant materials, and even several sellers on ebay, believe it or not...

Location: I have used it at home with my wife always present. There have been some really frightening moments and having her there to reassure me has been wonderful. She also suffers from depression and OCD, so I am able to be present for her when she drinks as well. (Personally I think at least at this point it is important for one of us to be level-headed at all times) I would love to be able to go to Peru and work with a Shaman, like Dragonhat's friends. I think it would be helpful to be with an experienced guide, but money is too tight at this point.

Here is a little more about my own experiences.

The first time I tried a very small amount to get a sense of it, and I felt a loving presence for a few hours, followed by a feeling I had not had in so long: sadness. I have been feeling depression for so long, but a genuine sadness was something so foreign to me. It felt wonderful to cry and really feel the sadness. After this feeling of sadness I felt cleansed (to use a cliched word) and able to feel genuine gratitude. Experiences since then have been very emotional; one of the most important parts of it has been the ability to relive past trauma or observe and analyze my relationships, the neglect I have had toward my loved ones, and to grieve over it. It feels as though I am able to stand back and see how my behavior hurts myself and others, yet it is not overly painful to experience things, as I feel at a safe distance and with a loving presence. In this respect, it is not the drug itself doing the healing, but allowing one to analyze and then make changes in day-to-day life. As I mentioned, there are some lasting benefits, such as feeling emotions and a yes-to-life attitude that I have never felt before.

I have also met spirits in these states. Some hominid forms, some more insect-like. Some of them seem indifferent, and some seem to want to help. Most of the help from the entities has come in the form of encouragement. I know there is no way to be certain, but I do not believe it has all been hallucinations. I was very skeptical going in, but that's all changed.

The most powerful experience I have had was quite frightening when I was going through it; actually sheer terror. I believed I was dying and realized that there is so much I have taken for granted in my life. I didn't think I was afraid of death. In my general malaise I thought it didn't matter to me one way or the other. What went through my head as I thought I wouldn't make it is that I am too quick to get angry, and I allow depersonalization to continue by not being an active member of my life. These are petty, pointless things which I don't need to cling to. I didn't/don't want to leave life with that kind of baggage behind. I found myself begging to God to save me, even though I did not have a personal attachment to God before that. Then, as I realized that I was not dying and it only felt as if I was, I had so much appreciation for the consciousness I do have. I realized that I should be thanking God every day for the fact that I am alive. It was almost an experience of a rebirth, although I'm not sure that is really the term for it.

I could certainly ramble on about it, but will cut it here. I want to mention that I had never been a spiritual person before this. I had been interested in very impersonal philosophy, art and music, and realized that only partaking in that has most likely been contributing to feelings of depersonalization. The Ayahuasca experiences do not feel like psychedelic experiences I have had in the past, as they have changed my entire world-view. (To a world-view I am much happier with!)

If anyone wants to read more personal experiences there is a great forum with a wonderful community here:
http://forums.ayahuasca.com/phpbb/

There are many people on the ayahuasca forum who have recovered, or at least felt some freedom from depression, OCD, anxiety. I have not met anyone on there so far who has been using it to heal from depersonalization specifically, but I, like many of us, have some of these other things which contribute to the DP, and know in my particular case that Ayahuasca has been immensely helpful.


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## sirreal (Mar 20, 2010)

I've been curious about the use of MDMA (Ecstasy) in DP/DR treatment. Originally this chemical was used in psychiatric therapy. It's supposed to help you feel very in-touch with your body. Of course like so many other drugs it has a high potential for abuse so we will likely never be able to study the potential positive affects of this drug. When I first described my DP/DR symptoms to my doctor he actually mentioned trying MDMA. I still am not sure if he was joking or serious. I take an SSRI and I am certain you can't take MDMA with that.

Part of me thinks that some psychedelics could be useful in treating various psychiatric illnesses. However part of me thinks that it could just make things worse. I think a big part of it is the setting in which it is used. I doubt it is going to be useful if you use these drugs in the typical way that many people do. But under the proper circumstances maybe there is benefit. I don't think that I could do it because of my anxiety.


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## flat (Jun 18, 2006)

I got dp from a panic attack from personal issues. I was not smoking pot at the time. However I actually snapped out of my dp/dr using pot, but it only lasted like 5 seconds. I think it relaxed me enuff to let go of my dp before the high kicked in.


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## girlie (Apr 1, 2010)

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## Mr Ratatosk (Mar 30, 2010)

aurora borealis said:


> About mushrooms, I'll leave the subject for more experienced - but about LSD and MDMA together, i.e. "candyflipping", I have something to tell indeed. I have experimented acid alone and with MDMA a few times in my past, mushrooms twice. I have been DP'ed 24/7 for 20 years, and have experienced only two fleeting moments, when the invisible membrane around me melted away completely. The first time I was alone in nature, not drugged, and gained the non-DP'ed state by self-suggestion telling myself I was still a small child and everything else since that has been just a grey dream, not real. Since that magical real moment self-suggestion didn't work anymore, as my psyche noticed I was cheating myself and deep inside I feel not safe without DP, so that was it.
> 
> Another time I had taken MDMA and LSD in nature with friends, and happened to experience that magical real moment again. Because of those two non-DP'ed moments I know I have the power to get rid of DP every time, if I just could feel myself safe enough. Unfortunately my chronic depression changed into bipolar disorder and thus I do not want to experiment any psychedelics anymore, as they might induce mania.
> 
> ...


I totally agree that we could snap out of it if we felt safe enough. But it's really hard to control this process of safety consciously...


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## dragonhat (Oct 5, 2009)

sirreal said:


> I've been curious about the use of MDMA (Ecstasy) in DP/DR treatment. Originally this chemical was used in psychiatric therapy. It's supposed to help you feel very in-touch with your body. Of course like so many other drugs it has a high potential for abuse so we will likely never be able to study the potential positive affects of this drug. When I first described my DP/DR symptoms to my doctor he actually mentioned trying MDMA. I still am not sure if he was joking or serious. I take an SSRI and I am certain you can't take MDMA with that.


Actually, there are several countries (including the US) where MDMA has been approved for clinical trials.
And I've known several people who have taken MDMA on SSRIs without problems. I wouldn't recommend it, but everyone I know who has tried it had no issues.


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## Foolishgoiter (Mar 24, 2009)

I have tried both mushrooms ( 3 or 4 times now ) and acid once since i started experiencing DP. Which for me has been a 24/7 365 thing for the last 4 years. While on mushrooms i had a few problem a few moments of bad trips, and some of those thoughts have lingered and stayed making the DP experience much worse. Acid..well..acid didnt really change anything at all. I had a few flashbacks but that is about it. I have considered taking ayahuasca or DMT many times. I have always used drowning as a metaphor for DP. Weed just makes me unaware that im drowning, the negative to this is that sometimes i sink further down, sometimes i float further up. Mushrooms was like swimming on my back looking at the surface not giving a shit. Sure i may have swam further toward the bottom, but at the time it was awesome. Acid, was like trying to swim to the bottom and push up. Hoping that i could finally reach the surface. I just ended up in the same place i started. So from my personal opinion psychadelics didnt help but didnt really have much of a negative effect either.


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## girlie (Apr 1, 2010)

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## girlie (Apr 1, 2010)

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## Guest (Apr 27, 2010)

http://www.dpselfhelp.com/forum/index.php?/topic/21065-psychedelic-trips-aid-anxiety-treatments-in-study/


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## David Kozin (Jan 11, 2005)

I am very familiar with this study, the conference, and the groups involved. I can say that Depersonalization Disorder and other disorders are becoming increasingly considered as risks, and responsible researchers are looking at these problems. I am writing a post about the effect this web site and the research has on the entire Clinical and Research Communities as a whole.

- David Kozin


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