# Depersonalisation Guide by Ammar Takla https://www.depersonalisationguide.com/



## Maysam (Jun 20, 2019)

Hi Everyone,

I would like to share with your something that have have helped me a lot in recovering from DP. I read the DP Guide https://www.depersonalisationguide.com/ and I am so grateful I came across it actually before it is too late. The author speaks that there is nothing called depersonalisation Disorder and speaks about how to break the cycle of DP. he also provided a step by step plan to recover from DP.

The e-book is not long or boring but really gets to the point. I advise anyone who suffer from DP to download the e-book right away. Please let me know what you think if you read it. would love to have some discussions about it.


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## Chip1021 (Mar 24, 2018)

I haven't downloaded it, as I'm not willing to shell out $15 to read something that is probably not much different from all the posts I see here in the "recovery" section.

But from a glimpse of the website, I would say the contents are probably not worth reading. Just about every word on that site is complete nonsense and demonstrates that the person has no idea what they are talking about.

The most glaring example is where it is stated that DP is not truly a mental illness because it consists of simply thoughts and feelings. A couple of problems with that statement. First of all, thoughts and feelings (and behaviors) are LITERALLY THE ONLY ELEMENTS that are taken into account when considering whether a phenomenon is a mental illness, with the additional subjective consideration of whether it is "abnormal" or interferes with one's basic functioning. The description of every single "mental illness" in the DSM is simply a list of thoughts, feelings, and/or behaviors. In fact, in many definitions, a mental illness is specifically ruled out if the thoughts / feelings / behaviors can be attributed to a known organic source. In other words, if there is something wrong with your body (including the brain) causing the thoughts/feelings/behaviors, then your issue is, by definition, NOT a mental illness.

Secondly, it is my understanding that the phenomenon of depersonalization must also be accompanied by persistent, long-lasting or permanent perceptual abnormalities, and often is accompanied by subjectively experienced neuro-cognitive problems. So it's clearly not simply a matter of "thoughts and feelings". In fact, it appears as if Takla's thesis is that DP/DR is really just a particularly intense form of OCD, which I emphatically reject. However, having read many of the posts on this forum, I do think that what many people here do suffer from is some form of OCD or minor delusions (e.g., not merely describing the experience of DP in solipsistic terms, but actively concerned about the possibility of solispism being true, which intensifies their anxiety). If this is the case for you, then it's entirely possible that this "DP" guide will be helpful (as I've said, I haven't actually read it, but would gladly do so if I had access to a free copy). But for those of us whose primary complaints are perceptual, physical, and cognitive, I doubt this guide will serve as our savior.


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## Maysam (Jun 20, 2019)

I get what you are saying. however, I think you are making DP bigger than it actually is. When i was suffering from DP, I had all kind of thoughts and feelings which was pretty scary. I really thought I was going crazy in some sense. I went to many psychiatrists and paid a lot of money with no help what so ever. Some of them didnt even know what DP is. When i downloaded the DP Guide, i really got to know what DP is and helped me recover. and regarding the 15 EUR, I paid hundreds of Dollars on psychiatrists so 15 EUR didnt matter for me. My main goal was to get rid of DP and I am on my way to recovery now. I decided to do this post as I know that DP is harsh and thought that it would be useful to share the DP Guide.

The choice is yours anyway.


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## John111 (Aug 16, 2019)

I agree with Maysam Actually. I also read the DP Guide and have helped tremendously! he explains the the cycle of DP in great details and how DP actually starts. he also speaks about hpw thoughts and feelings are the cause of experiences. So Trauma is an experience which creates thoughts and feelings which are scary. When we obsess about those thoughts we develop DP. So what need to be done is break the obsessive cycle of DP to recover. he also give a detailed plan for recovery. So for me it was the best thing I read so far and I also think that 15 eur is not much pay.


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## Phantasm (Jul 16, 2017)

Chip1021 said:


> I haven't downloaded it, as I'm not willing to shell out $15 to read something that is probably not much different from all the posts I see here in the "recovery" section.
> 
> But from a glimpse of the website, I would say the contents are probably not worth reading. Just about every word on that site is complete nonsense and demonstrates that the person has no idea what they are talking about.
> 
> ...


Chip, I think maybe you contradicted yourself?

1) thoughts and feelings (and behaviors) are LITERALLY THE ONLY ELEMENTS that are taken into account when considering whether a phenomenon is a mental illness

2) So it's clearly not simply a matter of "thoughts and feelings

Which is it?

I'm not taking the piss, it's just that we can be our own worst enemy.


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## Chip1021 (Mar 24, 2018)

Phantasm said:


> Chip, I think maybe you contradicted yourself?
> 
> 1) thoughts and feelings (and behaviors) are LITERALLY THE ONLY ELEMENTS that are taken into account when considering whether a phenomenon is a mental illness
> 2) So it's clearly not simply a matter of "thoughts and feelings
> ...


There's no contradiction there at all. I was commenting on the writer's claim that DP is not a mental illness because it only consists of thoughts and feelings, because that is the only thing that defines a problem as a mental illness (also behaviors, as I mentioned). Then, I went on to explain that DP, as I understand it, must also be accompanied by perceptual changes. One sentence analyzes what is meant by a "mental illness", and the other attempts to describe the experience of DPDR. They are completely different points being made.

But like I said, it does seem like many (most) people here are really suffering from some form of existential OCD, considering that the thoughts and questioning reality take more prominence over perceptual, cognitive, and general functioning issues, in which case a super-charged OCD manual may be exactly what they need.


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## Phantasm (Jul 16, 2017)

Existential OCD, that's a good way of putting it!


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## Chip1021 (Mar 24, 2018)

Phantasm said:


> Existential OCD, that's a good way of putting it!


Which is why I'm highly skeptical that what I'm experiencing is, in fact, DPDR. I may have it, but probably as a secondary condition to an organic issue. I still frequent and try to comment on this forum though because it basically represents the community the most closely approximates how I've been feeling most of my life.


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## Phantasm (Jul 16, 2017)

Most people here think they are extraordinary. It can be organic, or at least triggered by something organic, like a virus or auto-immune disorder, but that's rare.

It's usually part of a wider issue - nothing exists in isolation, although people will tell you that. So for many people, if you treat the anxiety/depression/OCD it will have a positive effect on the depersonalization.


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## Chip1021 (Mar 24, 2018)

In my case, it's always been obvious that the anxiety/depression (I don't have OCD tendencies) is a consequence of how I feel physically. The only reason I've questioned myself on this issue I see every doctor/teacher/coach/therapist/internet person seems to be so damn confident that is definitely psychological. Everybody else can't be wrong, can they?


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## Phantasm (Jul 16, 2017)

If there's one thing I'm certain of, it's that everything you've ever been told is wrong.


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## eddy1886 (Oct 11, 2012)

Honestly if a person has gone through the hell of DP and has truly figured out a proper solution share it with the rest of us for "FREE"

Harris Harrington eat your heart out...FFS........

Ive helped and advised many people on this site over alot of years and never asked anyone for a cent...."Go figure"

F****** book plug....Trying to make a fast dollar off peoples struggles.....


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## eddy1886 (Oct 11, 2012)

John111 said:


> I agree with Maysam Actually. I also read the DP Guide and have helped tremendously! he explains the the cycle of DP in great details and how DP actually starts. he also speaks about hpw thoughts and feelings are the cause of experiences. So Trauma is an experience which creates thoughts and feelings which are scary. When we obsess about those thoughts we develop DP. So what need to be done is break the obsessive cycle of DP to recover. he also give a detailed plan for recovery. So for me it was the best thing I read so far and I also think that 15 eur is not much pay.


I would like you to explain exactly to all the people on here suffering with chronic and debilitating DP for many many years how to break their obsessive thinking processes....If it was that simple for you maybe you need to share the entire process with the rest of us for "FREE"

Books DO NOT correct chemical imbalances......


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## eddy1886 (Oct 11, 2012)

Maysam said:


> Hi Everyone,
> 
> I would like to share with your something that have have helped me a lot in recovering from DP. I read the DP Guide https://www.depersonalisationguide.com/ and I am so grateful I came across it actually before it is too late. The author speaks that there is nothing called depersonalisation Disorder and speaks about how to break the cycle of DP. he also provided a step by step plan to recover from DP.
> 
> The e-book is not long or boring but really gets to the point. I advise anyone who suffer from DP to download the e-book right away. Please let me know what you think if you read it. would love to have some discussions about it.


Give it to the rest of us for "FREE"..........


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## eddy1886 (Oct 11, 2012)

Luckily for me dealing with DP for so many years has made me a "Realist"

Not an optimist and not a pessimist....A "Realist"

Its the one good thing DP has done for me...Helped me to see people, places and things in this crazy world for what they really are.....


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## Psyborg (Dec 23, 2018)

eddy1886 said:


> Luckily for me dealing with DP for so many years has made me a "Realist"
> 
> Not an optimist and not a pessimist....A "Realist"
> 
> Its the one good thing DP has done for me...Helped me to see people, places and things in this crazy world for what they really are.....


I also think that a person who has been though DP and knows how horrible it is would not try to make money out ot it and would rather give the advices free to people who suffer from this shit . I could understand if someone is poor and has no chance of a normal job or whatever and wants some money for his book or advices so he can also pay his bills and get food/water (and printing books does also cost money dont forget) ...I am ok with that

but people who dont have money problems and want to sell you their book just to make extra money even though he/she knows how bad dp is ......then I have to tell such a person to just fuck off . I would even doubt he/she has been through dp anyway and might be a fraud . if it was me and I would have "the cure" for dp and had no money problems I would rather INVEST money instead of asking for money to give people my cure


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## Phantasm (Jul 16, 2017)

eddy1886 said:


> Luckily for me dealing with DP for so many years has made me a "Realist"
> 
> Not an optimist and not a pessimist....A "Realist"
> 
> Its the one good thing DP has done for me...Helped me to see people, places and things in this crazy world for what they really are.....


Pompous cynicism.


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## Phantasm (Jul 16, 2017)

eddy1886 said:


> I would like you to explain exactly to all the people on here suffering with chronic and debilitating DP for many many years how to break their obsessive thinking processes....If it was that simple for you maybe you need to share the entire process with the rest of us for "FREE"
> 
> Books DO NOT correct chemical imbalances......


Eddy, this is so toxic, and to a new member who just had an opinion, and you speak to him like that?

Nobody owes you anything,


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## eddy1886 (Oct 11, 2012)

Phantasm said:


> Eddy, this is so toxic, and to a new member who just had an opinion, and you speak to him like that?
> 
> Nobody owes you anything,


I apologise


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## Chip1021 (Mar 24, 2018)

Phantasm said:


> If there's one thing I'm certain of, it's that everything you've ever been told is wrong.


I think this is an example of an analytically untrue statement, lol.

So...are you admitting that what you just told me is wrong?


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## Chip1021 (Mar 24, 2018)

Psyborg said:


> I also think that a person who has been though DP and knows how horrible it is would not try to make money out ot it and would rather give the advices free to people who suffer from this shit . I could understand if someone is poor and has no chance of a normal job or whatever and wants some money for his book or advices so he can also pay his bills and get food/water (and printing books does also cost money dont forget) ...I am ok with that


Well, it's a downloadable e-book, I believe, so it wouldn't cost money to print. At least, not to the seller.

I agree that it's shitty to make a buck off the suffering of others, but that's the shitty way the world works, and is not exclusive to this author.

But the thing is, I can buy "The Great Gatsby" and read it, but if all that matters to me is a summary and the basic ideas, I could just read the Wikipedia article for free.

I doubt this pamphlet is a great literary work though. I would suggest that the OP (or someone else) provide a summary of its contents on here.


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## Maysam (Jun 20, 2019)

The author is charging 10 eur for the book now. I cannot share it for free since it is not fair to share something that is not mine. I checked a lot of guides out there and they are all charging a lot of money line 40 and more. The DP Guide explained that he is not making money on the DP Guide but the 10 EUR he is charging is to cover the cost of creating the guide. So I think you can pay the 10 eur your self instead of asking me to share something that is not mine.


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## Maysam (Jun 20, 2019)

Just to give you an idea, he explained the cycle of DP and how to break it. exactly where to break it. I applied his stategy and it was not easy at all. I had to push my self but I saw a lot of results. I also contacted Ammar the author and he was chatting with me for an hour following up on questions I had. I paid hundreds of Dollars for Phsychiatrists and I think that was a rip off. people didnt understand what DP was while I was going crazy. So for everyone here, please read the DP Guide before commenting that it is good or bad. I found it very good and wanted to share it with you guys out of my heart. DP is a motherfucker and it sticks with you. the only thing you can do it break the cycle.


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## John111 (Aug 16, 2019)

I am reading the comments and it is strange actually. I agree with Maysam. The DP manual is charging 40 USD for the guide!!!!!!! that what you call making money. but 10 EUR wtf it is like a pack of cigarets. we just sit here complaining that we want everything for free and we doubt the author because we dont want to believe that ther emight be cure for DP. This is exactly what DP is, just being stuck in the cycle that you are sick and just blaming others. Has anyone here talking about the guide actually read it?


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## eddy1886 (Oct 11, 2012)

John111 said:


> I am reading the comments and it is strange actually. I agree with Maysam. The DP manual is charging 40 USD for the guide!!!!!!! that what you call making money. but 10 EUR wtf it is like a pack of cigarets. we just sit here complaining that we want everything for free and we doubt the author because we dont want to believe that ther emight be cure for DP. This is exactly what DP is, just being stuck in the cycle that you are sick and just blaming others. Has anyone here talking about the guide actually read it?


Are you suggesting I have chosen to be stuck in a DP "CYCLE" for nearly 30 years?????????

I work a job, I gave up drugs, alcohol and smoking 15 years ago, I walk nearly 5 miles a day, I eat better, I have lots of hobbies.................And yet I still have DP......No!!! Im not stuck in a cycle.....And yes I have done everything in my power to improve myself....Guess what I still have DP....

Please DO NOT try to play down how serious this condition is and that people are KEEPING themselves in its "CYCLE"

And I apologized??????????????? ..........


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## PerfectFifth (May 2, 2016)

Stuff's really, really high-effort. The main title of the page is misspelled, https://i.imgur.com/LwU5vtr.png. "DEPERSONALISAITON GUIDE". Really? Didn't even bother to make sure that his book's title in *HUGE *text is correctly spelled. That's promising. There's also random, inconsistent capitalization, which is always a red flag. But there are worse problems, much worse.

This is how he defines DPDR in a nutshell:



> Are you suffering from Depersonalisation/Derealisation Disorder? Are you having an out of body experience? Are you having existential thoughts or maybe other kind of obsessive thoughts?
> 
> Depersonalisation is just a form of OCD, nothing more nothing less. It is just obsessing over the thoughts of Depersonalisation what makes it scary for most people.


The Wikipedia derealization definition states:



> Derealization (sometimes abbreviated as DR) is an alteration in the perception or experience of the external world so that it seems unreal. Other symptoms include feeling as though one's environment is lacking in spontaneity, emotional coloring, and depth.[1] It is a dissociative symptom of many conditions.


And the Wikipedia depersonalization basic definition is as follows:



> Depersonalization can consist of a detachment within the self, regarding one's mind or body, or being a detached observer of oneself.[1] Subjects feel they have changed and that the world has become vague, dreamlike, less real, lacking in significance or being outside


Neither of these are "just OCD". Basically, he pulled it out of thin air that DPDR is "just OCD". It's based on his personal experience. What actually happened is that he managed to get rid of his obsessive thoughts, or OCD symptoms, that he somehow decided were DPDR. Nowhere is DP or DR defined as "just OCD". Heavy emphasis is put on the perceptual anomalies of these conditions. To this guy, it's apparently all OCD.

Another quote from the summary of his book:



> Try explaining the thoughts and feelings of Depersonalisation to anyone around you and they won't understand you. They don't understand why are you obsessing over those thoughts or why you have them in the first place. It is the same when you meet someone who suffer from Obsessive compulsive thoughts over cleaning for example. They also don't understand why they are obsessing over cleaning or how they started obsessing in the first place.


He conflates DPDR with OCD, when in reality the symptoms are substantially different, as is clear from all definitions of them on the Internet. DPDR is *not *OCD! He's just muddying the waters with this load of absolute nonsense. He's contorting definitions on a whim.

If DPDR is "just OCD" then what is DPDR? It's OCD and not DPDR. The label, DPDR, serves no purpose and can be removed from existence. A can't be both A and B simultaneously. Actual DPDR symptoms will now have no label. They might as well be considered to have no label already because about 90% of people seem to think obsessive thoughts are sufficient to constitute DPDR alone. All this guy is doing is propagating the very same misinformation and confusion by claiming DPDR is "just OCD". The utter failure in logic in claiming that it's just OCD is blatantly obvious because that'd mean that DPDR doesn't exist.

*I guess we can shut this site down and head to the OCD forums as this was all a mistake, a mere confusion. We all have OCD. We accidentally "reinvented the wheel" that already existed precisely as OCD. DPDR doesn't exist. Case closed. *


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## PerfectFifth (May 2, 2016)

eddy1886 said:


> Are you suggesting I have chosen to be stuck in a DP "CYCLE" for nearly 30 years?????????
> 
> I work a job, I gave up drugs, alcohol and smoking 15 years ago, I walk nearly 5 miles a day, I eat better, I have lots of hobbies.................And yet I still have DP......No!!! Im not stuck in a cycle.....And yes I have done everything in my power to improve myself....Guess what I still have DP....
> 
> ...


Right. Everyone just decides DPDR is what they think it is and throw around arbitrary terms like "DPDR cycle" and expect it to apply to everyone. I have no such thing as a "DP cycle", either, as my emotional states or thoughts have zero effect on it.

That DPDR is "just OCD" is a new one, though, and perhaps the most ludicrous of these arbitrary claims that I've seen so far.


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## Chip1021 (Mar 24, 2018)

John111 said:


> I am reading the comments and it is strange actually. I agree with Maysam. The DP manual is charging 40 USD for the guide!!!!!!! that what you call making money. but 10 EUR wtf it is like a pack of cigarets. we just sit here complaining that we want everything for free and we doubt the author because we dont want to believe that ther emight be cure for DP. This is exactly what DP is, just being stuck in the cycle that you are sick and just blaming others. Has anyone here talking about the guide actually read it?


As I said, I'd be perfectly willing to read it, I just don't want to pay $15 to do so. But if the guide's website is at all representative of the contents of the guide, I feel that I probably don't need to read it to know that it's not going to be helpful for me. I've made it known that it could be helpful for others on here though, as I feel like many on here just have OCD.

I've been somewhat actively trying to get people on here to more accurately and narrowly define what DPDR is, not to be a pedantic douchebag, but to make it more helpful for people. It seems as though everytime there is a "new symptom: is this DP?" Every reply is "yes, that's totally DP". If everything is, indeed, DP, then nothing is DP, and the term becomes meaningless, and this site is just going for popularity points instead of actually helping people identify their problem.

All the formal literature I've read on DP states that the sufferer is accutely aware that their feelings of unreality and such are just feelings; the sufferer speaks in metaphor in an attempt to describe feelings that are very difficult to put words to. They do not have delusions that they have died, that they don't exist or the external world exists. Yet I see so many posts on here with people who, quite frankly, are deluded (or semi-deluded) about reality, solipsism, etc.

I don't think lumping sufferers of every known and unknown condition into this site in the name of inclusivity and "being supportive" is a good thing. There is value in exclusivity, and people with different problems would be better helped by guiding them to forums or support groups that more accurately represent the problems that they are having.

I realize this post has gone way beyond the initial topic of this post (basically a book plug), but I think it's a good catalyst for a conversation that I think really needs to happen if this site is to retain any credibility at all. And I don't say this because "I have DP and others on here don't". I'm doing this for myself as much as for others: like them, I'm still unsure whether DP accurately describes what I'm dealing with. I'm on these forums because the 35 years of my confusing existence, this description (at least what I read on Wikipedia and in the scientific literature) comes closest to my lived experience. It's very frustrating hearing from everyone your whole life "this is your problem and I know how to treat it, and if it doesn't work, then you must not want it badly enough". How can everyone be so damn sure of themselves, let alone "know" what everyone else's problem is?


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