# Stoped Obsessing About Dr/Dp.



## enngirl5 (Aug 10, 2004)

I just wanted to come here and post an update about my recovery from my derealization/depersonalization symptoms. I used to be a regular on this site but stopped about 5 years ago. Nothing against the site, but I had a death in the family and my focus was all of a sudden shifted on to something else. But as my dp/dr symptoms started to fade, I always felt like I should come back here and share advice on my 'recovery'. Because I know as the years have gone on, new members have joined this site and are feeling the same way I did 10 years ago when I was in the thick of anxiety, convinced I was going to go crazy any minute. I'm not sure where I should begin with all this. But if no one takes anything away from this post I want you all to visit this site.

http://www.anxietynomore.co.uk/

That site probably helped me more than 10 years of therapy in dealing with anxiety. I believe the guy that does the site takes a lot of his advice from Claire Weeks philosophy. I enjoy Claire Weeks books (Hope and Help for your Nerves) but if you're really worried about 'going crazy' her book might jar you somewhat because it was written a long time ago and talks about some old school dated treatments. But the main point that Claire Weeks and that website try to get across to you is the idea of 'floating' through your anxiety symptoms. Let me be clear from my experience. DP/DR is purely anxiety based. These are SYMPTOMS of anxiety and nothing else. And what I have realized after 10 years is that the obsession about dr/dp is what keeps it going. I'm pretty sure that almost everyone on this board has obsessive tendencies. We are obsessing about the dr/dp. You must attempt to move your energy and focus on to something else. You need to realize that obsessing or thinking about the dp/dr symptoms are not going to make you feel better and will not keep you from going crazy. You're not going to go crazy. By obsessing about these symptoms and whether or not you're going crazy, the only thing that's going to happen is that you'll feel anxious 24/7, nothing more, nothing less.

My biggest question when dealing with all this is what if it gets worse. I always felt like I was somehow keeping myself from going crazy or going over the edge. I felt like I was on the edge of the cliff and one tap would push me over. This will not happen. By ruminating and trying to 'figure it out' you're just going to stay in the same state that you're in, derealization symptoms and high anxiety. That's all that's going to happen. You have to let the worry go. Let the dr/dp be there and go about your business. Say you're on facebook just surfing. All of a sudden you feel derealization come on, then you get anxious. You want to stop everything and start googling your symptoms to make sure you're normal. You're instinct is to start obsessing. Do not do that. Just let the feelings be there and go about whatever you were doing. You will not go crazy. You don't have to try to prevent yourself from going crazy by tying to think your way out of it. Let the anxiety and dp/dr be there and go on about your day. If you start to feel this way in the grocery store, do not race out of the store. Stay there and continue shopping (while feeling like crap). By not running away, you will realize eventually that you can co-exist with the anxiety. Nothing bad will happen. When you finally realize this the anxiety and dp/dr will start to subside.

I truly believe that the reason some of us have dp/dr so badly and chronicly is because this is the symptom we have decided to obsess about. Another person with anxiety might obsess about their heart pounding, another might obsess about something else. Whatever symptom we fear the most, is the one we're going to latch on to. In our case it's dp/dr and we are obsessed with figuring it out. There's nothing to figure out! It's a symptom of anxiety there to help protect us when we get too scared.

I could go on and on forever, but I have to go about my life.







All of you on this board have a really special place in my heart because I know how you're feeling. The symptoms of dp/dr are so weird and so foreign to anything you have ever experienced that you feel like how could I not be going crazy? I get it. I've been there. No matter how nuts you feel, you are still 'in touch with reality'. You just _feel_ like you're losing your minds. You have got to learn to not fear your anxiety. If you feel anxious, you need to try to just sit there and let it be. Feel yourself float through it. Feel it ebb and flow. You won't stay in a heightened anxiety state unless you feed it with 'what ifs'. Just say 'WHATEVER!' and continue with what you're doing. Unfortunately, I probably won't be back on this board if you have any questions. It's not useful for me to spend time thinking about anxiety and it's not useful for you. Asking a million questions just feeds the obsession/anxiety and really gets you nowhere. But do visit that site I suggested (or read Claire Weeks book) to get a basic understanding of the idea of floating through anxiety and just letting it be.

PS- I know everyone here is interested in meds. I've been on 20 mg of Celexa for 10 years. Don't know if it still does anything for me, but I take it because I'm still working through my anxiety (besides dp/dr) and I don't feel like going through withdrawal right now. Kind of wish I had never started SSRI's but whatever. If my anxiety is totally out of control and I have to do something, like fly on a plane or do a presentation I take half a .25 mg tablet of Xanax. I take this maybe once every few months. But I recently flew 4 hours and took nothing because I knew the anxiety wouldn't do anything to me. Except make me feel anxious, lol!

So anyhoo, take care everyone


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## Guest (May 1, 2011)

Life is hard.


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## real50tyson (Feb 20, 2012)

Wow...your right i have had this for 3 weeks and ihavent gone crazy yet...and i do think wow how could i not be crazy...and when i do get distracted and i start questioning if i am real i start Googling the symptoms and i do keep trying to figure it out...if whether or not i am crazy or not that's why I'm anxious 24/7.


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## kate_edwin (Aug 9, 2009)

Not everyone's dp is purely anxiety based. Many people here have it from drugs or trauma which does make a difference

What this woman refers to as "floating through anxiety" sure sounds Is probably the same principles as mindfulness

That's great that youvehad improvement and that you're getting on wtb your life


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