# It is NOT Permanent



## Amado728

DP works as a cycle.. that's what depersonalization disorder really is - training your mind to get caught in a cycle of negative, tormenting thoughts. These thoughts cycle in your mind so fast you hardly notice them. This being said, it all begins with a negative thought. This thought being something like "Is it still there or is it gone" which is actually what triggers the DP, you have trained your mind to think this on instinct. This thought leads to "Why am I feeling this way?", which then scares you and leads you to believe there is something terribly wrong with you. Then you think something like "Is it ever going to go away?" which is a horrifying thought, so you become fear driven. This is what DP feeds on.. fear. Negative thoughts = fear, and fear = more DP. But the reality of it is that it DOES and CAN go away. It is NOT PERMANENT. I know this just as well as every other person who has recovered from it. So NEVER believe that it will be with you forever cause it will NOT. Its all about breaking free from this negative habitual cycle.

I understand it is hard to not think about it when your mind is trained this way. But you have to train your mind out of the cycle of DP. You can think of it like this - the more negative thoughts you think, the worse your DP will get, while the more positive thoughts you think, the better your DP will get. Right now, if you have 24/7 DP, that is as bad as it can get, so you can only improve.

*Please pay close attention:*
Negative Thoughts - Any thoughts related to DP/DR or anxiety are the worst of any negative thoughts you can have. Any thought that brings upon fear (extreme violence, the unknown, etc..) is also a negative thought.

Positive Thoughts - Any normal thoughts pertaining to life or happiness, or pretty much anything besides those negative thoughts are positive. Thinking of doing dishes or normal life activities are positive thoughts because you are getting more involved with life and distracting your mind from DP. Occupying your mind (ex: playing a game) makes you not think about negative thoughts and is therefore positive.

Objective: You have to build your ratio to be at least 2:1 or better (positive thoughts vs negative thoughts)
If you're ratio is 1:1, 1:2, 1:3, etc.. then you are making no improvement.

*How to raise your ratio:*
1) Do positive things that you like or love to do and involve yourself with them constantly.
2) KEEP YOUR MIND OCCUPIED - this is the key rule to recovery. Things like playing games, watching movies and talking to people really help keep your mind occupied.

It is not easy to recover, it takes time and it takes dedication, but never lose hope. Know that it can and will go away, its not permanent.

I wish you the best
Thank you


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## York

1st time I had DP, I recovered after 1 year of playing Zelda, and six months in my own place (I was 18). I've always secretly thanked Link for helping me come through it.. It doesn't have to be a spiritual path, you are right in that keeping busy is the one major key. The other is TIME.

Good post

Anyone seen this site? http://www.panicfree.co.nz/ Video is pretty darn good. It's so true it gives me goosebumps. Then I cry. 
I'm ordering the program some day soon. It's the one site all this time that is a 100% accurate in my opinion.


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## MatrixGravity

york said:


> 1st time I had DP, I recovered after 1 year of playing Zelda, and six months in my own place (I was 18). I've always secretly thanked Link for helping me come through it.. It doesn't have to be a spiritual path, you are right in that keeping busy is the one major key. The other is TIME.
> 
> Good post
> 
> Anyone seen this site? http://www.panicfree.co.nz/ Video is pretty darn good. It's so true it gives me goosebumps. Then I cry.
> I'm ordering the program some day soon. It's the one site all this time that is a 100% accurate in my opinion.


How the heck did you get it again


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## Fluke93

Thanks for this amando always good to see positive posts!


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## Fluke93

Thanks for this amando always good to read positive posts!


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## Fluke93

Thanks for this amando always good to see positive posts!


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## York

MatrixGravity said:


> How the heck did you get it again


I didn't deal with the fear of getting it back.. I got dp back after twelve years, you're sort of back to scratch again by then.. It was my birthday, and I knew I had to talk to my sister, which I don't like as all she ever talks about is anxiety and illness.. And I could never forget my first bout of dp, and I felt like it had to do with my family, and my identity, and my hometown, and I tried really hard to never be reminded of where I came from (or dp. Or anxiety!)
So talking to family = bad for me, and so my birthday has always been a very anxious day. I've always thought I was _one_ person before DP, then _another _after recovery, but having to go to my hometown or speaking with people I used to know, would always (and still) creates a huge conflict in me. 
I never wanted to deal with it, the feeling of having been someone else (I never knew about DP, or I might have been less scared), and I never told anyone about the symptoms I'd had. When I got DP again it brought my worst fears to life, and even when I recovered after 4 months I freaked out more and more at the thought it might come back. Especially as I had a new-born baby. One night I looked at a book in our bookshelf with the title "Who are you" on the back, and that set of a massive anxiety attack, and here I am.

Sorry, did you want the short version? lol


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## kr123

york said:


> 1st time I had DP, I recovered after 1 year of playing Zelda, and six months in my own place (I was 18). I've always secretly thanked Link for helping me come through it.. It doesn't have to be a spiritual path, you are right in that keeping busy is the one major key. The other is TIME.
> 
> Good post
> 
> Anyone seen this site? http://www.panicfree.co.nz/ Video is pretty darn good. It's so true it gives me goosebumps. Then I cry.
> I'm ordering the program some day soon. It's the one site all this time that is a 100% accurate in my opinion.


Can you let us know if that program works? -thanks!


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## pinkpaw

Great post, thank you


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## bubniakz

dp is predominantly about emotions, not thoughts... but as a coping style, CBT is good...

there is another CYCLE (vicious shame helix) which is important within DP. The experienced EMOTIONAL ABUSE depersonalized the later patients and alienated them, with pervasive SHAME. As a defense against further humiliation, they avoid social contact through introversion and withdrawal from reality, as well as through detachment from their own self. The resulting altered state of consciousness in DP then becomes a further reason for feeling ashamed, 'shame depersonalizes and in turn you feel ashamed because of your numbness, freezing and estrangement'. Addressing feelings of worthlessness and shame is also thought to be a key issue in the therapy of DP. (Narcissistic Regulation of the Self and Interpersonal Problems in Depersonalized Patients, M. Michal)


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## Letgoandletgod

Thank you so much for sharing. I appreciate it. Please everybody who has recovered or has made progress share with us. It puts wind in our sails.


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## buzzcutseason

bubniakz said:


> dp is predominantly about emotions, not thoughts... but as a coping style, CBT is good...
> 
> there is another CYCLE (vicious shame helix) which is important within DP. The experienced EMOTIONAL ABUSE depersonalized the later patients and alienated them, with pervasive SHAME. As a defense against further humiliation, they avoid social contact through introversion and withdrawal from reality, as well as through detachment from their own self. The resulting altered state of consciousness in DP then becomes a further reason for feeling ashamed, 'shame depersonalizes and in turn you feel ashamed because of your numbness, freezing and estrangement'. Addressing feelings of worthlessness and shame is also thought to be a key issue in the therapy of DP. (Narcissistic Regulation of the Self and Interpersonal Problems in Depersonalized Patients, M. Michal)


Hi. How would I go about reconnecting to myself and getting rid of the shame helix?


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## chelsy010

Great post!!!


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