# How to recover from "DP/DR"!



## yoloking

I am nearly 100% recovered and would like to share my story and offer my thoughts/experience/insight to hopefully help others.

First, my story with DP/DR. Let me tell you a little bit about myself. I am a 19 year old student from the UK.

My DP/DR was triggered by a panic attack from being too drunk/high in a crowded train car on New Years eve. It was the most intense experience I have had: the world seemed to slow down to a complete stop; I felt like I had fallen into some kind of void of consciousness. Anyways, everything was fine until a few days later when I began to feel "high" again (it is important to mention that I was also going through a very stressful period in my life). I tried to resist the feeling but doing so only made it worse. Almost immediately, the classic symptoms appeared: panic attacks, emotional numbness, 2D vision, floaters, visual snow, after-images, tormenting existential thoughts. Unfortunately, like a lot of people I thought that I had either triggered schizophrenia or somehow fucked up my brain with drugs. The first month was absolute hell. Most of my time was spent sleeping, crying or mindlessly surfing the internet. I did not have the nerve to tell my parents or seek help or treatment. I constantly had mild panic attacks in class and could not concentrate on anything. It got so bad that for a while, I contemplated dropping out of uni...

About three months later, I am calmly writing this. I haven't had a panic attack in about two weeks (despite the stress of essay deadlines), and nearly all of my symptoms are gone (still have floaters and slight emotional numbness and strange thoughts)! I also still have some unresolved relationship issues I need to deal with, but I am certain that a full recovery is around the corner and just wanted to share my experience before I move on with the rest of my life. In short, you will recover. Let me explain why:

My thoughts on "DP/DR":

If I am like anyone else going through this, the big question for people seems to be: "what the fuck is the cause of depersonalization/derealization?" While there are many different theories, from childhood abuse, chemical imbalances to spiritual enlightenment; I have come to the unscientific conclusion that DP/DR is:

*...merely a symptom of accumulated trauma/anxiety*

- I believe that for at least 98-99% of people, DP/DR is simply a temporary defense mechanism to deal with accumulated trauma. This trauma may be anything from childhood abuse, "unprocessed" trauma, PTSD or even accumulated stress and anxiety. The panic attack or drug use is simply a trigger for the defense mechanism to engage. Once the root cause, whether it be trauma and/or anxiety is dealt with, there is no need for the defense mechanism (experienced as DP/DR).

Do not let symptoms/feeling/fog of DP/DR generate more fear and anxiety, as they can quickly (probably have already) developed into a cycle. DP/DR is "protecting" you from the perceived dangers. If you perceive a symptom such as 2D vision or anxiety as a danger, this will fuel the cycle. You need to break the cycle by "letting go", also known as "not giving a fuck/learning to ignore the symptoms/thoughts".

original trauma(s) -----> trigger -----> DP/DR -----> fearing DP/DR -----> DP/DR continues ----> fear continues

In short, you most eliminate both the original trauma and the DP/DR cycle. This is MUCH easier said than done, however this will probably cure 98-99% of people! This can be done either alone or by seeing a therapist/psychologist/counselor. Also, I am not against taking drugs for anxiety, if a doctor recommends it.

Sadly, there seems to be a very very very small percentage of people who seem to have DP/DR as a "disorder". I am not sure why but I suspect that most of these people also have other severe issues as well (chronic OCD, depression, anxiety) which complicate DP/DR. I honestly hope that they to will recover, but I recommend you leave this forum as they are not exactly encouraging...

"congrats, you got the short term version..."

"I have felt like this for last 25 years..."

"DP/DR will never go away, deal with it..."

I also wanted to add that it is highly unlikely that drugs, particularly recreational use of soft drugs (marijuana) altered your brain structure or create a permanent chemical imbalance. Likewise the fear of developing schizophrenia is equally irrational (if you were developing schizophrenia you would not be able to realize it, the fact you think you are developing schizophrenia proves you aren't).

http://www.dpselfhelp.com/forum/index.php?/topic/48515-the-ultimate-guide-to-schizophrenia/

Recovery Checklist:

1. stop fearing DP/DR

2. socialize as much as possible, make new friends

3. quit researching symptoms or DP/DR

4. sleep at least 8-9 hours

5. eat a healthy balanced nutritious diet

6. go to the gym and/or run regularly

7. develop a positive attitude towards life

8. CBT therapy for anxiety (if needed)

9. have sex/intimacy/human contact

10. temporarily minimize the stress in your life

11. taking multivitamin/fish oil

12. take up old and new hobbies/interests

13. learn how to properly process traumatic events (don't let it accumulate)

14. quit "reality or recovery checking", it is a very slow process

15. reflect on your life, what you are doing, what you want to do

16. learn to live everyday like it was your last

17. improve your relationships with your family

18. leave this site forever

19. distraction is key

20. do things that force you to be "in the moment"

21. take long reflective walks

22. interact with your surroundings

23. write down and share your thoughts and feelings with others

I did not include this to the checklist, because this probably won't help most people, but did help me:

I started to wear a mechanical watch again (Junkers 6060-5). This actually helped me realize that reality still existed in intense DP/DR moments as the watch would help "ground" me in reality and helped with distorted time perception of DP/DR... This also renewed interest in watches!

Lastly, you have to stop over thinking everything, particularly existential thoughts. This was really hard for me to do, but I came up with an answer: just live your life, there is nothing you can do about your existence. Live life, many of these questions do not have answers. Let the thoughts happen but don't give them value. Again I realize, this is easier said than done.

Remember not to be hard on yourself. Do not blame yourself for getting DP/DR, it was not your fault. Even if it was drug-induced, there was no way to predict that drugs would trigger DP/DR! As you recover, you may find some of the "recovery steps" very difficult. Just remember that this is totally normal!

In addition, stop worrying about how long it will take to recover! Everyone's DP/DR is different and everyone's circumstances are also different. It took me 3 months to get where I am here today and I am probably 90-95% recovered. It just depends on the person. Think about it like this: it's like when you were a child and you keep asking your parents "are we there yet? are we there yet?" Did this make the journey any shorter? No, if anything it made it feel longer! DP/DR is the same way, you have to try to stop constantly monitoring how you are feeling and thinking about how long you have had or will have DP/DR.

Also, wearing sunglasses helped me deal with the visual symptoms (particularly light sensitivity and after-images).

Things to avoid:

-nicotine/smoking/tobacco

-excessive sugar/caffeine/salt

-spending excessive time alone/prolonged isolation (this is very important)

-drugs (yes, even the sticky icky...) as you WILL relapse even once recovered

-alcohol (only after you recover, while it may provide some relief, DP/DR is a joke in comparison to alcoholism)

helpful links: (the only "research" you should be doing!)

http://www.dpselfhelp.com/forum/index.php?/topic/20892-the-holy-grail-of-curing-dpdr/

http://panicend.com/de.html































DP/DR did not change me, if anything it made me realize how beautiful life is and the importance of helping others, even if they cannot do anything for you. You realize that it is relationships, not materialism that make you happy. Sorry if this sounds preachy or cliched but it's true! Also, once you recover you will be mentally stronger than ever! Once you conquer fear, you can conquer anything!

This basically concludes my post, I hope this helped. I try to answer questions for a while, but eventually must leave this site and so will you 

UPDATE: I am on holiday and will probably not respond to any questions for the next 2 weeks or so! So if you do have any questions, just post them below and I will try to answer them when I can. See you in 2 weeks or so! Stop analyzing and start living!

REMEMBER THAT:

*Time will heal! DP/DR are just symptoms of anxiety/trauma. Recovery is slow, non-linear journey. It may get worse before things get better. Just remember you will recover, and this won't change who you are. Almost anything can be overcome if you put your mind to it!*

*"We have nothing to fear but fear itself" - FDR*


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## Guest

Excellent post and I would say that's the way to do it, this is what I did and yes it worked for me.


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## AylaStar

This is so great! I too have come to the same conclusions. I must add that even people who have it as a "disorder" for years can and do recover. For me, I've had it forever, BUT I also didn't know what it was. Optimism is so important and our thought processes are so vulnerable that we have to really believe recovery is possible. It is! It might take some longer than others, but it is possible.

I hope that you continue to come visit us from time to time and check in. For me I'd like to recover enough that coming here wouldn't trigger me into relapsing so that I can help other people. Yes, it wouldn't be the most positive thing, but to think of all the people that need help, it almost gives me an extra purpose to recover completely.

Thank you for sharing your experience. 
<3


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## Jordanmcr

Very good post! One of the best i've read on here.


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## trey

i love this post, thanks for sharing!


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## chelsy010

Thanks for taking the time to write and share this!!


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## Nashville Guy

I hope I can get to that point with it but right now I just can't access that side of things no matter how hard I try and when you actually feel yourself leave your body sometimes like when you try to sleep it sends you back to square one


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## yoloking

I cannot stress this enough: you will get better but it will take time. Do not expect instant results. This is probably one of the hardest things you will experience in your life, you will recover!


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## Nickel

Great post, I had constant DP for 5 months (I used to get it once in a while with panick attacks.) I want to add that I also believe it has something to do with toxicity at least in some people. Check your stomach out for leaky gut and take some probiotics. I was also diagnosed with Lyme Disease and mold toxicity so get that checked out as well, especially if you have other symptoms.

For me it is definitely anxiety related and living in the moment helps along with meditation every day, trying not to overthink things is really important, eating well and doing things that you enjoy. Improve your self confidence- I love the book "Lovingkindness".

My DP is much better now after detoxing and following the other advice. I still struggle with it but it's definitely not as debilitatiing and I'm looking forward to a full recovery.


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## Emillie

Agree with everything, except for the fish oil xD

Good job on working your way towards recovery


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## NoFluxes

emillie said:


> Agree with everything, except for the fish oil xD
> 
> Good job on working your way towards recovery


Why wouldn't you take in fish oil? It is good for you in so many ways, hell I'd even tell you it's good for your brain.


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## Guest

[deleted]


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## Tymmo222

I've been lurking on this forum for like 6 months now but it is only today that I decide to create an account to actually post something..

How can I socialize if I've been isolating myself in my room for 7 months? I mean in the last 7 months I've only been outside my house a total of like 2 hours... I always feel panic rushing through my body when I step out the door, but inside the house I'm always very calm, I've only had 1 panic attack while being really high (but I had been smoking weed for like 1 year and 10 months without problem) that triggered all that bullshit and a couple anxiety attacks (less intense) after I tried smoking weed after the initial panic attack...


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## yoloking

You have to take very small steps at first! Too often we expect either instant results or too much of ourselves. Try this: leave you house for 5min, the next day 10min, the next 15min. You will need to start socializing with people. You need to face your fears and problems (one at time of course!) Do not get discouraged! It takes time, but eventually you will realize that there is nothing to fear but fear! Good luck with recovery!


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## Tymmo222

I could get out and stay there for a long time it's jut interacting with people that is really hard, I mean I've spent like an hour outside one time because I tried to go to my friend's house but I stopped midway because I was so focused on my symptoms I couldn't see clearly and I got back on my porch and stayed there for a good 25 minutes trying to figure out an excuse to tell my mom, why I came back so quickly, but she knows my struggle and didn't ask anything... even having a discussion with my mom is still hard for me after 7 months of suffering, I stare at the floor question existence and stuff like that


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## Jodie

you have to do it.. it's still uncomfortable for me after 6 months and i have been out and socialising pretty much the whole time. i still look at people funny and question existence during conversations like my mind is elsewhere... but you really need to be out of the house else i can't imagine how your anxiety will ever subside... it will only get worse as you are avoiding it.... best thing i can say is it will get worse, but then it will get better.. and no matter how it makes you feel it cannot kill you and you will learn and adapt to each new day.


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## nav

Cheers for the post! From the UK too!

Basically, I have been considering this childhood trauma thing too but I don't think I've suffered from any childhood trauma.

Like always had a loving family etc.

Do you think it's possible to develop dp/dr without any trauma


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## yoloking

I think it's possible, however you may not realize that you did experience trauma. Either way, take a good look at your life, your past, your relationships and you might or might not find something. If you don't have any past trauma, then just work on breaking the "cycle" of DP/DR and you should be on your way to recovery. Best of luck!


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## Jodie

(this is in my experience only) but no matter what you realise, it will not change what is happening, so do you really have to dig into your past? the only thing you need to do is move forward... the stable thing we all know even when we are in the worst of DP and DR is that things are still moving forward, whether we are moving with it or not.. life is still here.. and aslong as it is still here, we need to move forward with it. do not dwell on trauma... you are the maker of your future and the keeper of your past, the future can be different, don't waste another minute on DP, even when the feeling overwhelms you... it gets alot better, so much better so move forward through these feelings, make strong choices with your life, chose to live and see the light.


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## adm07

This post is perfect. I hardly log in/ post but just needed a little positive post and this totally helped! I agree with everything. A bad weed trip triggered my DR but it was because I had accumulated lots of anxiety over obsessive thoughts. Therapy has helped me with my anxiety tremendously, which in turn cleared up my DR a TON. I have had days that feel totally normal the past few weeks (Been DR for a few months) so it DOES get so much better


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## Gazzy001

Brilliant post, thanks for the advice.


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## Gazzy001

Could i possibly pm you? If your still around that is haha


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## Guest

Nice checklist, I plan on saving it so I can consult it regularly. Thanks for the help!


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## nolulolu

Hi man thanks for the encouraging post. Brw did the floaters go away? Are you fully recovered?


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