View Full Version : Is it possible to be normal again after having DP for so long?
Hi all
is it possible to feel normal again after being depersonalised for so long?? and will this go away? i feel like its gonna last forever.
Cheeky - you are doing exactly what I used to do, I used to spend all day every day looking for answers/reassurance.
It's so hard to do but just STOP getting entrenched in these forums and try and accept that your brain needs a rest from all this.
I can 100% answer YES to all your questions about 'do other people get this' ' do people get better' etc etc - but why are you asking? for reassurance? what if someone says no, that will just make you feel worse, yet a very small percentage of sufferers are on this forum and everyone is different.
Instead of separating everything out just put it all into the anxiety hat and go do something else. Hoover, clean, cook, read/watch tv if you can (there was a time when I couldn't read and I hated it as it is my favourite thing to do) go for a little walk.
PM me if you want, if you're feeling bad I am happy to get on the phone too....
Hi there, I agree Pippage. I have done the same and spent all day, every day, looking for re-assurance. Also, I have read that its all this focussing inward (ie Cheeky looking for answers/re-assuarance) that brings on the DP. Its the very fact that our brains need a rest from all this focussing on how we are feeling and trying to find a way out of it, that brings on the DP. I agree entirely as well in as much that it all wants to go into the anxiety hat or umbrella. I have had DP for 2.5 years now. And I am just getting less scared of it. Today I drove 15 miles to a shopping Centre and looked around with my friend for a couple of hours. The DP was there for the first hour but I just kept on chatting and looking at things in the shops and it got less. So really Cheeky you need to try and keep occupied as Piggage says, because the more we try and "Run away from" and "push away" the DP, the longer it will stay. Did you ever go and read up about it at anxietynomore.co.uk? Its there to put your mind at rest a bit.
Shirley
Hey BasilCat (love that name!)
Yes I have had it for 3 years now, and am just about coming to terms with it. I still do silly things like try and think myself better by thinking about what other people do and what makes them happy but it's getting easier.
One thing I have noticed recently is how tense I am -I have caught myself properly clenching my arms and legs or sitting in a really poised, tense posture at work. Am working on stopping that.
Yes the anxietynomore site is excellent, I have his book also and I highlighted paragraphs that I felt particularly apply to me and refer to them when I'm feeling bad.
Also, one thing I read is to look at nature - trees bend with the wind, water flows over obstacles - there is no resistance really anywhere. That made loads of sense to me.
I know what we say probably won't make much difference Cheeky as you will probably need to learn to accept for yourself, but who knows maybe it will help you to accept sooner than we did! This is 100% reassurance that no amount of answers will make it go away, there will always be a new symptom or something, just accept and let time pass. Clare Weekes' book 'self help for your nerves' (or something like that) is also good.
Is it normal to feel light and floaty and hollow all day constantly??
No, it's not normal, but it is normal for depersonalisation! Reread the above!
Hy Pippage, BasilCat is actually the name of my Cat but I generally use it at forums. Like you I am only just recently coming to terms with this. Its the 4th time I have had it in 30 years!! Talking of being tense, the people at the Psychology services ran a day long anxiety workshop back in the summer and one thing they showed us was the Laura Mitchell relaxation method which basically involves altering your posture so you are not holding your self tense in any place. They refer to it as doing a quick body check and thats quite good really. All my tension is in my shoulders and back. It will help if you can sit more relaxed at work. I have got the anxiety no more book too and even a booklet about DP. It is really good. The point you made about nature and there being no resistance is a good one. As you said to Cheeky, no amount of answers will make it go away but if she has more info about it and loses some of the fear, that may help for starters. It is all about accepting and letting time pass isnt it. Facing, Accepting, Floating and letting time pass. Both Paul David (at anxietynomore) and Claire Weekes say that, dont they. I have got two Claire Weekes books and they are both brilliant.
Shirley
hi are youse on any meds at all?
i know its just so scary and intenses at the mo im not getting to terms with accepting it at all :(
I am not on any meds at all and have never been. I have gone without from the outset 2.5 years ago. I know how you feel about it being so intense and scary Cheeky. I have had DP varying from very mild to severe and everything in between so I know what it feels like. And I know its not easy accepting it too. But as you start feeling less frightened of it, you will start accepting it. Accepting is the opposite to fighting it. Look at it like a bully. The more a bully scares you and winds you up and irritates you, the more the bully will run after you. DP is like that. The more you let it scare you, the worse it gets or the longer it stays. So try and accept by getting on with your day and not getting het up and scared etc. Did you say you were housebound with it Cheeky? Sorry, I cant remember. If so, do any friends call on you? Can you have a laugh and a natter with someone during the day.
Shirley
When it's really intense you are scared of accepting it in case that level of intensity is what you have to accept forever - but that won't be the case - the more you accept at that level, over time the level will reduce. Just accept it for the time being :)
BasilCat - be interested to hear more about a relaxed posture, as that is something I have really noticed recently how tense I am all the time! :)
Hi Pippage, I hope you are doing ok today. Re the Laura Mitchell relaxation method - altering your posture. Its like this:
http://openlibrary.org/b/OL2272663M This is a link to one of her books.
It involves, for example, if you walk around all hunched up with your arms tightly by your sides and your hands clenched up, change it so you feel better. ie Try and walk standing straight up and loosen your arms, unclench your hands and let everything go. Or, if you sit on the edge of a chair like you are going to get up and dash off somewhere at the drop of a hat, sit back in the chair, legs apart (not very lady like I know) and put your feet firmly on the ground. Rest your hands on your lap or the arms of the chair and have your elbows sticking out a bit instead of tightly at your sides. Loosen your fingers and keep them spaced out and separate. Let your head rest against the back of the chair. If, like me, your shoulders are the problem and are up round your ears, let them drop down and let all the tension out of them. So if you are in town for example, you can do a "Quick body check". And relax any areas that are tight and tense. Thats basically the Laura Mitchell technique. I remind myself to drop my shoulders and unclench my fists frequently.
Shirley
Excellent thanks!
It's really noticeable when I do yoga as I get out of breath quickly and notice how shallow my breathing is!
Glad that was ok Pippage. I think I would be the same as you in a Yoga session! I am really out of condition, regardless of the anxiety.
Shirley
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions Inc. All rights reserved.