surreal/dream like/unreal/detached

[lostdaydreaming]

its the hardest symptom i struggle with. i get it some days with out a panic attack.

[jill]

Hi hun

I do know how scary this is for you but like most symptoms of panic, anxiety, the more you fear it, the worse it gets.

This sounds to me like DP/DR, this, like panic, is another protective mode that we have, IT IS there to protect us, but if we don't understand it, it is very scary. YOU ARE NOT alone with this, there are lots of threads on this under the common symptoms page,

Here is whats said about dp/dr, hope this help..

Depersonalization, Derealization, Feeling of unreality

What you feel:

Now for the Brain – the limbic system in the brain instigates this whole response and is responsible too for our emotions and behaviour One of the body symptoms that people hate most is the one when you feel all foggy, surreal, woozy or spacey. You may either feel that you are not real or that the earth is not real and you’re a time warp away. These are often the hardest symptoms to understand and its very common to deduce that you must be going mad which makes you panic even more. This is completely untrue and you are very safe. You feel like you are not a part of what is going on, or that you feel like you are in a dream state or ‘out of touch with things’. Also, things around you may seem like they are shimmering, foggy, hazy or too bright.
What causes this:

As we learned in Understanding, the body and mind are tightly integrated. What affects one affects the other. This symptom is another example of how an over stimulated nervous system can cause us to experience odd and impaired feelings, emotions and perceptions. Much like how a psychoactive or recreational drug can alter one’s mental state, an over active nervous system can affect certain body chemistries thereby producing mind altering effects. The feeling of unreality or disassociation is one type of altered mental state that high levels of stress biology can produce. It is not completely understood what goes here but it is generally thought that the limbic system in the brain decides there is too much going on and goes into a self protection mode and shuts out excess stimuli. As the adrenaline levels decrease and you calm down it clears. This can be several hours days or weeks.


TAKE CARE

LOVE JILL XXXX

[jill]

Hi hun,

Here are the links

Depersonalization
D/Personalisation
derealisation/depersonlisation
Hi new member mom w/ panic and dp/dr
Disassociation
when will this feeling leave?
FEELING SPACED!
?Derealisation
My mind and depersonalisation
Derealization
Surreal, Unreal, Spaced-Out, Derealization etc
Weird Feelings in Mind
Feel Weird and Confused
Is this Depersonlization or something worse?
Anyone got any positive feedback on DP/DR?
PMT, tiredness, and feeling of unreality
Derealization
Terrifying Depersonalization/Derealization


I have not had this in a long time, but I am sure, there are people on this great site, who can reassure you hun, it does go in time.

TAKE CARE

LOVE JILL XXX