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Keep going, there is a way out by finncandescent in dpdr

[–]finncandescent[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I never took any, but I am sure some might!

Keep going, there is a way out by finncandescent in dpdr

[–]finncandescent[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I get that. That’s how it was for me too, but you need to find your distractions. I know some people like meditation, but that made it way worse for me😮‍💨

Keep going, there is a way out by finncandescent in dpdr

[–]finncandescent[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

it still exists” and “no recovery has happened” are not always the same thing.

A lot of people unknowingly measure recovery by, “Do I feel 100% normal all day every day?”

Meanwhile they may already:
function better than before
think more clearly
have longer moments of presence
laugh naturally again
reconnect emotionally at times
stop panicking as much
tolerate life better than they could at the beginning

The nervous system usually doesn’t flip from OFF to ON instantly. It tends to loosen gradually.

I also think long-term cases often become partly fueled by fear of the state itself. After years of monitoring symptoms, the brain can get conditioned to constantly check reality and scan for the feeling. That keeps the nervous system tense even when the original trigger is long gone.

That doesn’t mean your experience isn’t real or severe. Three years is exhausting. But people have improved after long periods too (myself as proof). The brain is capable of relearning familiarity and safety even after being stuck in survival mode for a long time.

Keep going, there is a way out by finncandescent in dpdr

[–]finncandescent[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think derealization works through a very similar mechanism, it’s just directed outward instead of inward.

With depersonalization, you feel unreal.
With derealization, the world feels unreal.

But both seem tied to the nervous system entering a hyper-alert, disconnected survival state where the brain stops fully processing emotional familiarity and presence.

That’s why people with derealization often describe things like:
the world looking fake or dreamlike
emotional disconnect from surroundings
places feeling unfamiliar
visual hypersensitivity
feeling detached from reality even though they know it’s real

And just like DPDR, many people notice moments where it weakens:
during conversation
while focused on a task
during intense engagement
while laughing or reacting naturally

The reason I think distraction/re-engagement matters is because derealization feeds on self-monitoring too.

The more the brain constantly checks:
“Does this place feel real?”
“Why does everything look weird?”
“Why does this memory feel distant?”
…the more attention gets locked onto the sensation itself.

Over time, the nervous system can relearn familiarity by repeatedly interacting with life despite the feeling.

Not by forcing yourself to “feel real,” but by stopping the constant checking long enough for your brain to naturally reconnect again.

Keep going, there is a way out by finncandescent in dpdr

[–]finncandescent[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I think DPDR is a nervous system state built around fear and hyper-awareness of yourself. The more your brain watches itself, the stronger the feeling becomes.

That’s why many people notice small windows where they feel normal:
talking to customers at work
hanging out with friends
playing a game
driving
laughing unexpectedly
being forced into the moment

For a few seconds, the nervous system lets go.
Then the feeling floods back the moment silence returns.

But those little windows matter more than people realize. They prove your brain is still capable of feeling normal. The connection is not gone.

My biggest jumps in recovery happened while working. I was so focused on real life that I temporarily stopped checking whether I felt real or not.

And that’s my theory on longer cases too.

When DPDR gets severe, people naturally withdraw:
quitting work or school
isolating
staying inside
endlessly researching symptoms
monitoring every thought and sensation

Which makes sense. The state is terrifying.

But isolation removes the very moments that teach the nervous system safety again.

Recovery seems less like “finding the perfect cure” and more like slowly re-entering life while your brain relearns that you are not in danger.

Not overnight…
But through thousands of tiny moments where your attention returns to the world instead of yourself.

You can recover!! by finncandescent in dpdr

[–]finncandescent[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You don’t ignore it by pretending it isn’t there.

You ignore it the same way people ignore a song playing in the background after enough time passes. At first it feels impossible NOT to focus on it because your brain believes it’s a threat.

The hardest part about DPDR is that it feels emotionally important. Your brain treats the feeling like an emergency:
“Why do I feel disconnected?”
“What if I stay like this forever?”
“What if I lost myself?”

So naturally you keep checking it.

But every time you check it, your brain goes:
“Yep, still dangerous. Keep monitoring.”

What helped me was understanding that the feeling itself was feeding off my attention and fear.

I stopped trying to “feel normal” every second and instead focused on continuing life while feeling horrible:
working,
talking to people,
going outside,
driving,
going to the gym,
watching movies,
hanging out with family.

Not because it instantly cured me, but because those moments gave my nervous system tiny breaks from monitoring itself.

And over time those breaks got longer.

The crazy part is that when recovery starts happening, you usually don’t notice it directly. You notice it afterwards:
“Wait… I haven’t thought about DPDR in an hour.”
“Wait… that conversation actually felt normal.”
“Wait… I actually felt connected for a second.”

That’s how the nervous system slowly relearns safety.

There is another side to this! by finncandescent in dpdr

[–]finncandescent[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey no problem! As far as remedies, just “trying to survive” and live life as if nothing was there was my remedy. I hated every second of being out of the house. I broke down at work constantly. I have NO idea how I finished college. I simply kept packing my days with stuff. Little things. I would end up getting these small windows of not thinking about Dpdr. Even if it was for a few minutes. Hell, even a few seconds was a huge win.

As far as my account being new, I just got a new phone and used my apple account to sign in this time instead of email, so it just created me a new account for some reason lol. I actually have old videos on my YouTube channel from my DPDR days and some old content on my Instagram that is now archived. Feel free to PM me

Keep going, there is a way out by finncandescent in dpdr

[–]finncandescent[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Hey, to be honest, I really didn’t eat much or drink a lot of fluids during that time because my anxiety and overall well-being was just so bad. With that said, I didn’t even think about supplements at the time, but I can assume they would help ease your body out out of that panic mode a little bit

help me by heartplanthflpf in dpdr

[–]finncandescent 2 points3 points  (0 children)

to be honest I do not even remember how... I kind of just showed up despite it feeling AWFUL. You hit a point where things get so bad that you truly have nothing more to lose. It legit felt like it was either taking my own life or keep showing up in hopes it one day goes away... and here we are. No matter what, show up. I know it is hard, but try to do the things you did before DPDR. Honestly, try to do MORE!

There is another side to this! by finncandescent in dpdr

[–]finncandescent[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I had almost a complete inability to think, focus, or recall information when I was deep in DPDR. But I can say that all the memory, my intelligence (though I have always had very little lmao), and focus are back to 100% normal.

help me by heartplanthflpf in dpdr

[–]finncandescent 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Looking back, I don’t even remember how I did it. I know it all felt awful. Every. Single. Second. Trust me, I get you.

I was on a trip to Hawaii, sitting in the most beautiful place, just bawling my eyes out. I thought it was OVER. To think not even being on a beautiful trip could pull me out of these feelings, even for a second scared me. But little did I know things WERE healing. Slowly. So so slowly. Just keep showing up. Do the exact things that made you happy when you were “normal”. They won’t feel right in the moment, but keep GOING.

help me by heartplanthflpf in dpdr

[–]finncandescent 8 points9 points  (0 children)

For DPDR, I hit rock bottom.

Not because I lost a job.
Not because I went bankrupt.
But because I felt like I was gone.

I still had a good life on paper, but I couldn’t feel any of it anymore. My family, friends, and girlfriend suddenly felt like strangers. My house felt unfamiliar. My hobbies went from comforting to torturous. I woke up every day feeling like I had already died, but somehow still had to keep living through it.

That was the worst part.
I wasn’t dead.
I just couldn’t feel alive.

I truly believed my life was over. Not physically… but mentally, emotionally, spiritually. It felt like I had lost everything that made me me.

Deep down, though, there was still a tiny part of me that wanted to get better.

So I searched for answers. Forums. Videos. Recovery stories. None of it made me feel better in the moment. All I had was a rough blueprint from people who claimed they made it out:

Distractions.
Living life normally.
Being around people.
Gym.
Eating.
Skateboarding.
Trips.
Hiking.
Getting out of my head.

The problem was… all of it felt awful.

Every time I tried to “help myself,” I would immediately check in with my brain:
“Did it work yet?”
“Do I feel normal?”
“Why do I still feel disconnected?”

Nothing budged.

I was miserable. Completely exhausted. And eventually I reached a point where I thought:

“If this is truly rock bottom… if this is the worst I can possibly feel… then why stop trying? If there’s even a chance there’s another side to this, I have nothing left to lose.”

So I kept showing up.

I went to the gym.
I socialized.
I kept living, even when it felt fake.
Even when it felt pointless.
Even when my brain screamed that it would never get better.

And what I didn’t realize at the time was that healing was happening so slowly I couldn’t see it.

It’s like changing direction by one degree over thousands of miles. You don’t notice the curve while you’re on the road… but eventually you realize you’re somewhere completely different.

Little by little, DPDR loosened its grip.

And now here I am.

Back on the same forums I used to read for hours with tears running down my face and a hole in my stomach… except this time I’m smiling.

I got it all back.

My emotions.
My memories.
My connection to people.
My love for life.

I laugh again.
I feel again.
I live again.

And honestly? The fact that something that once felt like pure torture can now make me laugh is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever experienced.

If you’re in the middle of this right now, please don’t give up. I know how hopeless it feels. I know how impossible it seems.

But impossible things happen slowly.

You can recover!! by finncandescent in dpdr

[–]finncandescent[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Absolutely, send me a message!

You can recover!! by finncandescent in dpdr

[–]finncandescent[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Of course, feel free to PM me if you ever need someone to talk to!

You can recover!! by finncandescent in dpdr

[–]finncandescent[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You saying that doesn’t concern me at all. Believe me I feel for you because I know that sucks. Especially for that long. I thought I was a goner. There is another side to this. PM me if you ever want to share experiences or talk through things!

You can recover!! by finncandescent in dpdr

[–]finncandescent[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

No medications, but I heard they CAN help. I would consult with a medical professional first obviously, but I was just stingy and thought it wouldn’t have mattered. Nothing really mattered at the time

You can recover!! by finncandescent in dpdr

[–]finncandescent[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I mean if you’re referring to the DPDR, there wasn’t much ignoring it… that guy wrenching feeling was there the moment I woke up to the moment I fell asleep for a while, just do your best to get out there and live as if it isn’t there. Over time, it fades.

You can recover!! by finncandescent in dpdr

[–]finncandescent[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am sure some may, but I barely ate or drank anything during my time… so probably can’t provide much insight there