# real stories would be great



## kate_edwin (Aug 9, 2009)

there tends to be a bunch of "you too can be cured!", infomercial type scams on these kind of threads, it'd be great if only real people with real success posted.....


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## hd83 (Jan 10, 2006)

There are real people with real stories on here who have recovered. Just because they encourage others that they can recover too doesn't make it an infomercial.


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## kate_edwin (Aug 9, 2009)

no, i know not all of them are like that, but there's so many that are, it makes it hard to know which are real sometimes


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## York (Feb 26, 2008)

I've had the same thought, but thing is, when you recover it's usually not_ one_ thing you've done to recover, and it's been very gradual.

And when you want to tell everyone about it, it's like uhm.. I ate healthy, I socialized, had some therapy... 
It all sounds the same.

What I'd love to know is what peoples personal lives are like, because I think the key to mental problems lies in your daily life, and it's the changes you do in that area that most probably cures you. 
There is no _cure_ for DP, but we all have stressors in our life, what's yours and how do you deal with them? That's what I'd like to know.

Like, how many of you have experienced emotional abuse? And how has it affected you? It's supposedly the number one reason people get DP.


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## hd83 (Jan 10, 2006)

People recover from DP in a variety of ways. Some go to therapy, some just get out and go on with their lives and it gradually goes away, some take medication. For everyone it's different. If you read the recovery stories on here, people mention a variety of ways that they feel better. I mainly have derealization, not depersonalization, but I still have a good job, go out with friends, and have a normal life. My DR was triggered by marijuana, as a number of people on here have mentioned. But no matter how it started, people do recover.


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## York (Feb 26, 2008)

I just want to point out, not to be an a s s, but DR, though annoying, is a VERY different experience to DP, even if it's the same triggers and on the same path so to speak. I've had both, and the difference is like influenza compared to psychosis.

Getting out of DP can be a very long and scary journey, in the beginning, I couldn't even go from the living room to the bathroom without breaking down with panic. It took me four months to go outside and get the mail, and even then I panicked coming back inside. It has destroyed me completely, I just don't know what happened that fatal evening it came on. I do know it's been baby steps from that point, and I think it's very important to take it easy and listen to your mind and body. At the same time push yourself a _little_ so you don't get stuck in a black hole with more fears piling on on top of what you already have.


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## hd83 (Jan 10, 2006)

York,

From reading some of your other posts, if I remember correctly, didn't you recover from your DP for about 10 years? What brought it back? I have experienced depersonalization when I took St. John's Wart and it made me a million times worse. If that's what depersonalization is truly like, I really hope you do recover. For the short time I experienced it, about 6 months, it sucked ass big time. I was scared of every little thing and had the strangest thoughts and paranoid about stupid stuff (not to say that you are, just my experience). It was awful. Good luck with your recovery, I really hope you do get better. Keep fighting and you'll get there! 

Heather


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## York (Feb 26, 2008)

I think emotional stress brought in on every time... Seems like I can cope with "normal" stress, but not when I feel like a bad person/mom/girlfriend/co-worker...etc, like I've done a lot for the last two years. The relationship I'm in hasn't been easy, and I found out right before the dp hit again, my 6 yr old son might have ADD. And my stepdad had a stroke a month before I gave birth, and I'm shit scared of death on a good day, so kinda felt like the ground disappeared from under my feet. I thought the baby might die during birth and I'm still scared for my kids all the time. It's just too much.

I guess my childhood traumas has come to the surface, fears about existence, fears about not being good enough, a realization of how fragile life is...

This time, I'm sure I'm dp'd for good.


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## kate_edwin (Aug 9, 2009)

actually, Dr Simeon said in her book that DR and DP are much more similar then they had thought before, I get both all the time though. i think it depends onthe severity and the lenght and if you see it coming is all really....


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## kate_edwin (Aug 9, 2009)

you know what though, i wish there were people who would post stories, not, this drug is working, this magical elixur can fix you in no time, like real people, who stuggled with it and are now living their life, and atleast have had relief of symptoms, and are working or , whatever, i need to see that people can actually get better and move on, i dont know anyone who has this in person, let alone someone who's gotten through it...


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## hd83 (Jan 10, 2006)

York,

I don't think you're DP'ed for good. If you recovered before, you can do it again. Since yours seems to be stress and trauma related, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy could be really helpful for you. I would definitely give it a try. But make sure you find a therapist who at least knows something about depersonalization. I think you can definitely recover again.

Kate,
I have read stories on here of people who have recovered and gone on to live a normal life. I believe one of the stories is one from a while ago, from Dr. Beattie (I think that's his screen name), and I've read others too. And some people do take medication that works for them and have gone on to have normal lives. I know one person spoke of lamictal and zoloft, one took effexor, one took naltrexone, etc. And they've definitely improved and are living more fulfilled lives. Sometimes you've just got to get through some of those "just exercise, get out and you'll feel better" posts to find the real recovery stories. They're on here, usually I just happen to stumble across them.


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## York (Feb 26, 2008)

I was "recovered" from the age of 18 to the age of 29... I never thought I'd get it back, I never even knew what it was!
I had a little bit of dr from time to time (just thought of it as anxiety), and I'd always fear that feeling of "losing myself" that I could sometimes feel very close to late at night lying in bed.

First time I recovered, it was very gradual. I moved away from my mothers house, and I slowly got better, but can't really recall exactly when I felt fine again.

Second time, 2008, hyperventilated from stress and coffee ( :roll: ) and there it was. This time it wasn't quite as bad as the first time. I started socializing after a month and recovered slowly over the next two months. Found out I was pregnant and didn't think about dp from then on (except for the last weeks of pregnancy when I feared for it's return).

Third time (you'll laugh), was anxious about getting it back a lot. Had a book in my bookshelf titled _"Who are you?"_, and one night watching tv I looked at it and felt myself freak out over it (because of my fear of dp of course), had a massive panic-attack, puked and shivered and thought I'd lost it.. Haven't recovered since. 
And it's getting harder to live with.. As I'm losing hope and can't remember my old self/life etc.
:|


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## hd83 (Jan 10, 2006)

If you recovered gradually before 2 times, I'm pretty sure it'll happen that way again. I've heard that if you have panic disorder and think about having a panic attack, then you'll probably have one just because you're hyping yourself up about it. Maybe you could try to focus on other things in your life and recovery and it'll just gradually fade away. Do you take any anti-anxiety medications now? That could help as well. You'll recover again. It may just take a little longer but you'll get there.


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## Zee Deveel (Aug 3, 2009)

york said:


> What I'd love to know is what peoples personal lives are like, because I think the key to mental problems lies in your daily life, and it's the changes you do in that area that most probably cures you.
> There is no _cure_ for DP, but we all have stressors in our life, what's yours and how do you deal with them? That's what I'd like to know.


I completely agree.

My theory is that people who suffer from DP have a predisposition to worry, self-doubt and excessive mind chatter.

I believe for me (and probably many others), the answer lies within changing my fundamental beliefs and outlook on the world. My negativity and inability to deal with emotional problems in a healthy way has caused this condition. I need to spend more time in the present, 'think' less and 'do' more, I need to be more confident, more assertive and most importantly much more optimistic.


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## York (Feb 26, 2008)

I agree on everything you said. I've read somewhere that a lot of people with dp has experienced some form of emotional abuse (as opposed to people with DID, who often have traumas connected to sexual abuse), and the logical consequence of this, in my mind, would be that it creates a conflict in yourself between who _you_ feel you are as a person, and who your abusers tell you you are (in different ways). I've lived through this myself, and it makes you question your experiences constantly, it makes you doubt your own feelings about yourself and your reality. You think you are good, but someone tells you your bad. You strive to be even better, more perfect, but you always fail, the approval never comes.
This cycle of doubt and confusion continues into adulthood. You analyze every aspect of your mind, as it seems to not match up with what people think about you. You get a compliment, you can't believe it as you always was useless in your abusers eyes.
You get criticism, you can't take it, you work so hard to be perfect, how can this be? Emotional abuse makes you introspect and self conscious. Your sense of self worth depends on factors outside of yourself, the solid core, the knowledge of who you are for better or worse, and the confidence to just be you, is always lacking.


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## SonofEagles (Jan 12, 2008)

Real story;
recovered from DP through a slow and meaningful process. DP started from extreme stress (some inherited anxiety too). Going to doctors made me realize only one thing: If I had to get out of this I would have to do it myself. So, thankfully I found this site (big hugs all around to all the great people here). Acceptance was the first step. Then, as somebody said in here - I just relaxed into this feeling (as much of an oxymoron as that sounds). Let it wash through me for as long as it needed. I changed my diet, healthy food, vitamins, reduced stress in my life. I also went to a homeopath. The remedy helped me overcome the DP fear. It was amazing. Also, someone here recommended Magnesium Taurate. Good stuff, worked for me. So, day by day guys, I gave myself time to recover, if i felt bad i just let myself feel bad, never forced anything on my already tired mind and wouldn't you know, things started going back to normal. I am back to being my old self. The funny thing is I have the weired DP thoughts come back now and then and I see them, laugh and say 'how silly' and just brush them off. I even think sometimes that DP is coming back but I have learned to 'walk' right into the feeling, face it without fear....and it disappears. It is only a feeling after all guys 
I feel obligated to write back and let everyone know that there is hope. All those who wrote here gave me hope. THANK YOU !


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## York (Feb 26, 2008)

SonofEagles said:


> I am back to being my old self.


Thank you for posting this. I'm so happy for you, and it's good to hear it's possible to recover.


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## hd83 (Jan 10, 2006)

Glad to hear you're back to normal!!


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