# Do People Recover?



## PhoenixDown (Mar 3, 2011)

I'm just curious if people actually recover from DP, or if those recovery posts are just people who never really had it in the first place. How bad were the cases where people recovered? Severe dp, recovered?


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## Guest (Aug 22, 2011)

I think that a lot too man, a lot of people on here just have depression and mistake it for dp


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## Zephar (Mar 1, 2011)

Yes, they definitely do. When it first started for me things looked frozen in time, very, very overwhelmingly so, as well as looking overwhelmingly as if I was in a dream/cartoon, people looked like faceless dolls, the walls looked like cardboard, I couldn't tell if my memories were my own or if I was just making them up, I was thrown into constant panic, etc etc etc, so I definitely wasn't mistaking anything. At this point though my associations are pretty much back to normal, there is a slight sense of DR but it's nowhere near where it was. As hard as it is to believe you could ever get out of it while you're in it, or even hard to believe that anyone could ever get out of it, your associations change, things start to feel comfortable and "normal" again. Though don't expect to end up in the same reality as before, it's going to be a bit different then it was before you got it, as you've lived more time, experienced more things, likely changed your mind on certain things or learned new things, etc. But it will be just as comfortable as before you got it.


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## York (Feb 26, 2008)

*


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## RamonX (Feb 10, 2011)

I would even go as far as saying that most people with DP recover to a large degree. They tend to stay vulnerable though. I have been involved for many years in an organization for DP/DR in Holland with it's own forum attached and Ihave seen many people with serious and debilitating DP slowly crawl out of it, even after years of DP.


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## Pablo (Sep 1, 2005)

I expect almost everyone recovers, my guess would be 99% and i'm not just saying that to give people hope or make anyone feel better.


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## Relaxation (Aug 23, 2010)

i think the majority of people who do recover had it very mildly ive never had a break from it!


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## ValleyGirl (Nov 10, 2017)

Relaxation said:


> i think the majority of people who do recover had it very mildly ive never had a break from it!


Not true AT ALL. I personally know of people who had dp that was so severe they were not able to get out of bed and they completely recovered from it. My sister was one of them. She had it for 3 years. I have had dp once before and it was very severe and recovered. I did get it again 2 weeks later because I did not change the abusive situation I was in that caused it. I have had it for almost 2 years now (only like 2 weeks shy at this point) and am over 90% recovered. I do expect to completely recover in the next few months. I had, as many people on this forum who remember me can attest to, one of the most severe cases they had seen. I was not able to get out of bed for almost a year.


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## Tommygunz (Sep 7, 2009)

i've recovered from DP/DR like three times now. each time easier than the last. i had it hella bad each time too. full visual and auditory distortion. family an internal monologue felt very strange and unfamiliar. high anxiety with obsessive thoughts. the whole line up of symptoms really. no matter how bad it gets you can recover. it's just about understanding how to do it. knowing what to do and knowing how to do it are two very different things. takes time, practice and patience. keep your head up. don't let negative thoughts like doubting the possibilty of recovery slow ya down.

@sarah, wattup. haven't talked in a while. glad to hear your making good progress.


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## Soul Seeker (Jun 6, 2011)

why do you keep getting DP?


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## Tommygunz (Sep 7, 2009)

Soul Seeker said:


> why do you keep getting DP?


lol, glad you asked. really it's my own stupidity. doing dumb things like partying too hard. getting myself into stressful situations that wear me down, and basically kicking my own ass to a point of resuming the DP state. i think i have a genetic predisopistion for dissociation. my grandma has battled spells of DP/DR her whole adult life so it kinda makes sense. really if i were to make a few different life choices i probably wouldn't have to deal with DP/DR again. on the bright side though in my most recent recovery i have found some new strengths and am pretty confident that the chance of another relapse is quite low.


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## Soul Seeker (Jun 6, 2011)

Tommygunz said:


> lol, glad you asked. really it's my own stupidity. doing dumb things like partying too hard. getting myself into stressful situations that wear me down, and basically kicking my own ass to a point of resuming the DP state. i think i have a genetic predisopistion for dissociation. my grandma has battled spells of DP/DR her whole adult life so it kinda makes sense. really if i were to make a few different life choices i probably wouldn't have to deal with DP/DR again. on the bright side though in my most recent recovery i have found some new strengths and am pretty confident that the chance of another relapse is quite low.


Thanks. Sounds like you won't be getting DP ever again.


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## cris24333 (Oct 30, 2010)

ive had it for 16 months and 8 months ago it started going away and its almost gone now. mine was really bad too


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## Dyna (May 13, 2010)

Always great to hear recovery stories, but please tell us what you guys did to recover?


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## Chris P Bacon (May 31, 2011)

Its nice to hear people who've clearly had severe debilitating dp/dr have come through it. I've never been as bad as having to stay at home all day because I couldn't face it. I've just tried to be strong and get on with my life by attending College and work aswell as socialising.

Nothing worse than a hangover with DP/DR though, drinking is abit of a relief for me but I feel really lousy for a couple of days afterwards.


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## ValleyGirl (Nov 10, 2017)

Tommygunz said:


> i've recovered from DP/DR like three times now. each time easier than the last. i had it hella bad each time too. full visual and auditory distortion. family an internal monologue felt very strange and unfamiliar. high anxiety with obsessive thoughts. the whole line up of symptoms really. no matter how bad it gets you can recover. it's just about understanding how to do it. knowing what to do and knowing how to do it are two very different things. takes time, practice and patience. keep your head up. don't let negative thoughts like doubting the possibilty of recovery slow ya down.
> 
> @sarah, wattup. haven't talked in a while. glad to hear your making good progress.


Hey Tommy. Glad to hear you are doing well too. I'm so thankful to be where I am at in recovery.


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## Snivlem (Sep 3, 2011)

Wow, I just found out about this condition a couple days ago. I've felt like I've been going crazy for almost 10 years and could not figure out why. I also haven't been able to muster up enough motivation to try to change it, even though it's been crippling my ability to think and participate in life. I haven't been diagnosed with any condition yet, but when I read the symptoms of derealization it was like getting smacked in the head.

While I was recently trying to correct this issue by going to the doctor, I would look online and relate somewhat to the symptoms of depression, low testosterone (which it so happens I actually have), Frontal lobe disorders, thyroid disorder, and brain tumors. We've ruled out the existence of most of these, and I've ruled out the possibility of low testosterone or depression being the underlying cause; I've been taking testosterone boosters and Buproprion for months now, and there hasn't been the profound change I was hoping for. But the symptoms stated in the multiple sites I've found on DP and DR have the same almost indescribable description of how I feel. It's very good to know that there is some hope to getting out of this mess. As it stands I feel like my brain is a super-tightened muscle that will not relax and let me think for even one moment, as I have suffered with this mind state constantly since I developed it, 24/7.

As much as I cannot imagine getting my thoughts and personality put back together, it's very heartening to hear that so many people have been able to overcome this nightmare. Especially considering my doctor told me that after ruling out the other possibilities there's a 9 out of 10 chance that I won't recover. I have a therapy appointment near the end of the month, and I'm really hoping that this is actually what is going on, because the stories on hear give me a positive outlook on the situation.


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