This book is written by Joe Perkins, who has had chronic dpdr. I found this book to be super educational, validating, and supportive. It doesn’t claim to “cure” you like I’ve found some online scams to. It focuses on having a decent life, even if it doesn’t fully go away (the book really acknowledges the hell it is though. No forced positively). It’s backed by tons of research, input from specialized professionals, and also lived experience. I’ve never found anything like it and I really appreciate it, so I wanted to share in case anyone else was interested. I personally loved it. Amazon link
My psychologist has me reading the DBT workbook and Trauma and Recovery.
I am seriously considering trying it after downloading the app Headspace. I'll provide a link for everyone to check out to their page where it explains how meditation can help with anxiety and GAD. https://www.headspace.com/meditation/anxiety
Actually yes, they have have a whole section existential thoughts and another section in hyper awareness
What helped me with the unable to comprehend reality was I noticed me blocking any existential thoughts, allowing them to flow helped me with that, but it’s def the last to go
No problem...
Abstaining from drugs and alcohol (my symptoms are anxiety induced by way of drug withdrawal), lots of sleep, daily clonazepam 1mg, daily Zoloft 150mg. Bi-weekly CBT (my therapist is excellent and provides lots of homework). I used to meditate daily; I don't make a ritual of it anymore but I have been taking on less at work and in my personal life to keep the stress levels down. I picked up this book also, going to give it a whirl.
this is the one i bought: https://www.amazon.com/Essential-Calculus-Practice-Workbook-Solutions/dp/1941691242
also out of boredom i also completed an SAT practice book from when i was in highschool just for the fun of it, and it was actually pretty helpful bc it tests u on different subjects like english, writing, science, and math! literally use any SAT book i used the 2018 one because thats the one i had when i was in highschool lol
Every since day since being off benzodiazepines has been a massive struggle. Medication is not the answer, recent studies back that. Do CBT (cognitive behaviour therapy) with a psychologist or buy the book https://www.amazon.com.au/Overcoming-Depersonalisation-Feelings-Unreality-behavioural/dp/1845295544 if you can't access a psychologist.
Jarrow Formulas Inositol - 8 oz Powder - Liver Support - Useful for Nerve Functioning & Fat Metabolism - 378 Servings https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0013OUKPC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_32A2V1E9BQ1G6VJE9R42 this good enough ?
Yes, I agree with you
Even behavioral therapy experts advise to fill the time by doing favorite activities and hobbies, for example, I like to engage in challenging social work, your subconscious mind will get used to these things and find a way out of thoughts of alienation from reality,
As an ambitious person, you will become more realistic...
Simply put, you must find mechanisms to relieve hidden anxiety.
if you likejournaling this tool may help you.
good luck.
Avicii used to have derealization and he committed suicide in 2018 when he was only 28. I’m currently reading a book about him where they talk about it.
https://www.headspace.com/meditation/meditation-for-beginners
If you scroll down there’s a little one minute video explaining what meditation is all about. You can look up guided meditation and begin that way if that’s how you prefer, but for me personally I began by closing my eyes, focusing on slowing my breathing, and slowly learning exactly how to let my thoughts pass. Meditation in my opinion is by far the best way to overcome this, but it does take time.
Hello, MemeBOT10,
I also feel this void, as if nothing really matters anymore. It's a bit like living in a limbo and everything is blurred and I don't feel alive. (I don't believe in ghosts and stuff xD)
The last time I felt really alive was when I was driving in winter and my car suddenly slid over the icy asphalt. It felt like a "near death experience" and yet I just laughed and couldn't take it seriously. I just didn't care about it.
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Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
Thanks! It absolutely does, and finding the one that is best for you is really important.
At first I used the Headspace app as a Guided Meditation which helped me build a routine. After a while it gets redundant. Now I just set a timer and sit silently for 10 to 20 minutes everyday. I close my eyes and take a step back from my thoughts, just watching them go by and not engaging with them. Eventually my mind becomes silent and I just experience presentness.
If you are actively dissociating, I recommend an open-eyed Focused Attention Meditation. Essentially, focus on an object in front of you and take in all of it’s attributes. This can be very grounding.
Doing a Mindfulness Meditation while dissociating is very… interesting haha I wouldn’t recommend it to someone who doesn’t feel like they have a deep understand or hold on their DP/DR. However, if you’ve been dissociating for a while and are very familiar with the strange sensations and can tolerate them, it could be quite insightful. I have gone into very deep states of mediation while being dissociative, it was incredibly peaceful but also bizarre. I think there is a lot to say about the spiritual element to DP/DR, and I might make another post going into it further.
if i remember correctly, this article suggests that dpdpr could be on the schizophrenic spectrum.
personally, i feel close to the edge. maybe i've just been working too hard recently, but i've been getting distracted by tiny moments of intense mental imagery, and i guess random (but not direct or 'real') sounds and voices -- noise -- running around in my head.
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people say that schizophrenia is different because schizophrenics hold delusional beliefs, but i don't think that DPDR is that different. particularly if you're DPDR'd long enough and you forget what normality is like, acting on those beliefs generated by DPDR seems...rational.
Mine was induced by cannabis as well. It not cannabis that causes it though, it’s just the trigger. It literally could have been anything. All you are experiencing is anxiety. Check this book out. Hope and Help for Your Nerves: End Anxiety Now https://www.amazon.com/dp/0593201906/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_F7NGRQCB3XF76F2NQ0DP
I just bought some off Amazon. Here’s the one I got 18,000mg 10x Concentrated Ultra High Strength Extract - Made with Organic Lions Mane - 30% Polysaccharides - Highly Concentrated and Bioavailable - 120 Veggie Capsules https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NRLJ7TM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_GQ0CKWQB3R7JM49EHGZP
Dialectical Behavior Therapy can help with anxiety.
It is super common for people to feel like their mind is separate from their bodies. Sam Harris talks about it in Waking Up.
I believe this link should work, its called "Life on Autopilot A guide to living with depersonalization disorder" by Joe Perkins. Im about half way through the book right now and it has definitely reconfirmed that I have this disorder and has given me some resources to look into. And its just nice reading his descriptions of how it feels, I have been able to show my girlfriend excerpts and its given me a jumping off point to explain things to her better.
it’s been since November and it’s so so frustrating!
they’re from Amazon!!
Round Retro Sunglasses Men Women Vintage Small Circle Sun Glasses https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GZLZCGP/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_TJHS31NKNRHS4CMX70S1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08FVM59H9/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
here's a link to the two pairs I have, not sure if you're in the UK or not but you should be able to find some like this if not
Fair enough! You can either brew it yourself, or you can purchase capsules of it. I personally take the capsules because I dislike the taste of the stuff and can’t stand to drink cups and cups of it. Generally making it on your own is the most financially efficient way to do it, and you also will get stronger effects from brewing it on your own. I just can’t stand it so I take capsules. Here are the capsules that I take:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000ELVHI4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_uDilFbNDXGK3Q
And here is the powdered root that you can use to make the drink on your own if you choose to do so. There are plenty of instructional videos out there if you choose to want to make it on your own.
Wakacon KAVA WAKA Powder - Fijian Noble Premium Quality Kava Root (16oz) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A80163M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_mGilFb4A3XRNJ
It’s a bit pricey but that bag can last quite a while depending on how much you use. If you have any more questions, let me know. I hope it brings you as much relief as it’s brought for me!
It sounds like DiD to me, though it's possible there might be something in addition to that. If your therapist isn't a good fit for you then you should move on from them and find someone that specializes in trauma who has extensive experience dealing with it. I think in the end the labels aren't that important as your focus should be on dealing with the trauma itself. I'd recommend this book as it has a case of a person with DiD that ends up healing and becoming successful:
https://www.amazon.com/Body-Keeps-Score-Healing-Trauma/dp/0143127748
Not an e-book, but really great book written by doctors in currently reading: Overcoming Depersonalisation and Feelings of Unreality: A self-help guide using cognitive behavioural techniques (Overcoming Books) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1845295544/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_h.ORCbFD90YBG
Not all of them do but some that are raised in abusive households might have support outside of it which could make a difference as to whether they dissociate or not. Even if they don't dissociate many people end up developing personality disorders from dealing with chronic abuse. I don't know if it's so much that the human brain is unique but rather the fact that we are bombarded by stressful situations constantly because of the society we live in. Animals in the wild quickly return to baseline from the fight/flight/freeze response after it's over but humans deal with war, abuse, neglect, work, expectations, traffic, etc on a consistent basis and we become trapped in situations we can't escape from.
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In Van Der Kolk's book "The Body Keeps the Score" he mentions a particular experiment where they put dogs inside of cages and would shock them repeatedly. Some of them became aggressive and tried to fight back while others became completely helpless, lifeless, and gave up. Even when they opened the cages for the dogs that were immobilized, they still refused to attempt to escape and became stuck in a sort of learned helplessness. My point is that becoming stuck in the fight/flight/freeze response isn't exclusive to humans.
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This particular books has lots of information if you're interested but I've only previewed parts of it from google because it is too expensive to buy: https://www.amazon.com/Neurobiology-Treatment-Traumatic-Dissociation-Embodied/dp/0826106315
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Also apologies if you're actually a doctor. I just expected more elaborate questions.
ignoring is not what he is saying. I suggest reading this https://www.amazon.ca/At-Last-Life-Paul-David-ebook/dp/B007MEMDOS/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1542517242&sr=8-1
he talks about trauma DPDR in there too
Be careful! Can help on some peoples but can cause panic attacks! It's not for everybody. (I have to try too)
Read the reviews: amazon link
I highly recommend reading the book Mindfulness in Plain English (which is free online). Reading that book and meditating for about 20 minutes per day really helped me become more aware of my own thought processes and anxiety, which in turn allowed me to better control them.
I also read the classic Zen book Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. The philosophy contained in that book really resonated with me and helped me to not care about the obsessive, existential thoughts that kept appearing in my mind. And of course, if you stop caring, they go away.
In diagnosing DID, one of the 5 major symptom complexes to consider is derealization. You can read about how that all folds into a possible dissociative disorder diagnosis at: http://www.strangerinthemirror.com/dissociative.html
You may also want to read the book for which that web site is named: https://www.amazon.com/Stranger-Mirror-Marlene-M-D-Steinberg/dp/0060954876
I'm in the 11th grade (in my country we have a different system for school years, but I have just 1 year and half of high school ahead) and I've born with that shit too. I have had all the symptoms, in different ages ( rumination at 7 ,
anxiety at 10, panic attacks at 12 and 15, the impression that my life is fake, since I can remember)
School never was a good place to me (but I always liked to study) but I learned how to handle it. Things got rly bad at 8th grade. It's kind silly remembering that now, but I fell in love with a guy and lost what I had left of my identity to the image I made of him. Anyway, I get over it in the 10th grade, when I move to another school, just to have the worse year of my life. I almost killed myself a lot of times and couldn't make any friends (I still don't have any in that school).
But, after all, this year is being great. I feel new and with a lot of possibilites in hands, I start a new course and i'm making some new friends. I'm happy that I could pass through the last year to live what i'm living now.
Anyway, I can't say much to you, because we are in the same boat, but I want you to know that in some point everything just start to slowly get better, and you have to hold on until that point. When I was at your age I though that I would never get better or be happy again, but here I'm. ( Sorry for my bad english, I hope you can understand what I wrote)
PS: When I discovery what was DPD that book helped a lot: http://www.amazon.com/Feeling-Unreal-Depersonalization-Disorder-Loss/dp/0195385217 (I found it in PDF, but I can't find the link right now)
Dude, you got to get out of whatever cycle you are in right now. You don't want this to turn into a full-week alcohol addiction. If you still use so much alcohol despite the consequences, then it's clear you can't do it alone. Get help, professional or not.
If you haven't already tried it, then I suggest getting some Ashwagandha from NOW Foods (2.5% withanolides) or Jarrow Formulas (KSM-66). I've had success with the NOW foods one, but I've heard the Jarrow Formulas one is better.
> The main take home is that depersonalization may be specifically linked to alexithymia
That source suggests no such thing. All it's saying is that there are overlaps in symptoms between different psychological disorders.
Second article pretty much is the same thing.
Third article again is pretty much the same thing, showing how certain symptoms may overlap. The sources you are citing ONE, are very brief abstracts. Not only are they very brief and unspecific, the type of dissociation it seems that is related to shizotypy is non pathological dissociation, which is a type of dissociation every human being experiences. The non pathological end involves simple daydreaming and zoning out. Pathological dissociation, meaning in the context of a dissociative disorder, is involuntary and is used as a defense mechanism. If you want a good read on the context of all dissociative disorders, I suggest you buy this book.
I am also not able to find anything backing up what you said about Depersonalization being a symptom of Cotard's Delusion.
>Nobody thinks that stress by itself causes cotards syndrome, schizotypy, or autism, yet those are all situations where DP can be central
Again, no research has stated that Depersonalization is a symptom specific to those disorders. The sources you cited didn't support that, they only showed how people with certain disorders may be more likely to experience dissociation, but that dissociation is not a defining feature of any of those disorders.
Here's a good free read on dissociation:
Yeah most stores will have it, as does Amazon. This is the one I personally bought:
Like some comments above say, pay attention to the type of magnesium. Someone mentioned to not get Magnesium Citrate.
One of the symptoms of DPDR, as outlined in the book Overcoming Depersonalization Disorder, is the constant obsession with existential and philosophical questions. "How do I exist", "How am I speaking these words?", "What time am I living in?" etc etc are very common. Nobody knows why suddenly we are bothered with such questions. I used to find them very troubling and the cause of more panic and anxiety.
I just let the questions hang in these days. I don't have to answer them. I see them as just questions that keep churning in my mind. But I agree they can be very distressing. I hope you are able to just see these questions as nothing more than strange thoughts. You don't have to answer them or struggle with them. May be that will bring their intensity down?
I take this brand every day - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XPQNE8G?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00
On average I take 4-6 of these throughout the day, preferably after a meal. Personally, I wouldn't bother taking more of the fish oil with low EPA/DHA levels. I would just toss it and get a really good quality brand and start taking that one multiple times a day.
Eknath Easwaran's translation and commentary of the Gita is by far the best that I have read. It has an introduction to explain the historical development, the cultural context, overarching themes, and has annotations explaining the allegory of each chapter. Some have described it as "the Roadmap to Consciousness", certainly a good place to start.
No problem! I was happy to find the book since it was so specific to what we're going through. It's called "Overcoming Depersonalization Disorder: A Mindfulness and Acceptance Guide to Conquering Feelings of Numbness and Unreality."
Sorry I didn't catch you sooner, but hopefully you can get a hold of the book soon.