# This is why you feel unlike yourself



## weedDPeedMe (Dec 12, 2009)

Have you ever noticed (of course you have) that if you say a word enough times, it becomes meaningless?

Well, this is what depersonalization is like. Many people who suffer from DP/DR or DPAFU (depersonalization and feelings of unreality) attribute their feelings because they think about how life and everything is meaningless- and they never felt this way before so everything feels like its pointless, and before that point they had never known this, so now they feel different. This cognitive shift is due to a psychological phenomenon known as dilution. What happens is is that a thought about reality starts, and gets repeated subconsciously or consciously until it loses meaning. This was never the case before, this "rut" was never there before so what has happened is that you are now aware of this rut, and no longer feel like your self because your thoughts and EMOTIONS have all become sucked into this rut. Before your thoughts did not do this, so you felt free and spontaneous- but now that you have this rut, you feel like its taken over- then the thoughts of what it must be like for other people start and all the Philosophical questions start. Anyways what has happened is the same thing as if you have repeated a word a thousand times over- it has lost meaning and just become a sound. For everyone the process of changing this is different, but CBT has been shown to be very effective in stopping this rut from developing and slowly through months/ years/ sessions, this rut becomes filled again. Another reason DP/DR or DPAFU happen is because a traumatic event (bad drug experience, major life turning event, divorce) has caused a cognitive shift to take place. Where you once experienced reality becomes a terrifying place and so you experience your perceptions, but no longer accept/ incapable of accepting them as reality because psychologically you are traumatized. So reality seemingly only exists in your head. The wonders, hopes, fears, often times manifest themselves as philosophical angst and create even a greater sense of detachment/derealization. The reason why Tommygunz (THANK YOU SO MUCH) his herbal remedy help so many (me too) overcome this is because it allows us to face the once traumatic reality of reality and accept it as such. With enough time and patience, our hopes, wonders, happiness, disappointments, come back just as they were before. I know this because this journey has happened to me many times, and each time I know reality is there waiting for me, but its up to me to face it.

Comment on my post, let me know what I can improve on and what you liked about my post.


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## ZachT (Sep 8, 2008)

Great Post.
You still on the supplements?? How are they working for ya?


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## guest123 (Dec 2, 2009)

Mmmm there is a little truth in this in but it is more about the excess fear being projected onto yourself and your surroundings (for lack for a visible threat) and thus the loss of the 'safe' feeling one associates with reality. I don't believe that you get this because you think about reality and existence. Plenty of people think about this all the time without becoming depersonalised. I think attributing this thing to some kind of philosophical mechanism is dangerous and may have the opposite effect to that desired. It is the fear that causes these kind of existensial thoughts (because there is nowhere obvious for the excess fear to go) rather than the other way around.
I would say that what you are describing is more to do with the obsessive thinking but not everyone has this with their DP.


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## weedDPeedMe (Dec 12, 2009)

I agree with that, I tend to be on the Obsessive side of things...


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