My Experience with Depersonalization and Derealization (and how I overcame it)

To anyone watching, you are OK. I promise you are real; you are alive but most likely stressed and going through the motions of life. I recently commented on an Instagram post about this and a girl reached out to me in my DMs and told me she felt SO normal after hearing my experience because nobody else ever articulated the way I did. Everyone has different experiences, but I promise there are people who relate to how you feel and you will be ok.

Anybody suffering remember you are NOT alone and your NOT going crazy it is your minds way of protecting you and you just need to accept it and carry on with your life whether it feels right to do so or not

In summary, give into the fear and be present with it. Witness the depersonalization go away as you become used to the reaction, you will feel nothing to be afraid of and will just get bored and move on. 👌

The blurry vision part is terrible. I pace alot due to the derealization part. It is like forgetting how you feel and what ypu used to like and not like. The physical symptoms are horrible. I have had it twice and now going on my 3rd round of it. Its like you dont want to do anything but you want to do everything all at the same time. The intrusive thoughts, the lack of wanting to eat and not being able to sleep. It is like being in hell. I pray that this veil gets lifted in my brain.

I cannot put into words how much this has helped me. I have spent near 10 years with this. The past 7 getting worse and worse. Uncontrollable thoughts that I struggle to even fathom that catapults my anxiety. To the point where I have cold sweats and think I’m having a heart attack. I tried so many times to get professional help.. and received non. Felt totally abandoned man. The word “Crazy” doesn’t come close to that feeling. I just have to say I am a person of deep empathy and compassion. And I love you all. Even tho we will all be forgotten in time, I appreciate you all individually and as people. This has made me feel hope

Mine was from a marijuana edible . It lasted from august 2021 until about February of 2023. Felt like I was in a 1st POV movie 24/7 and just not like a real person at all. I’m like 95% better. And used to watch these videos everyday desperate for help ! But I’m here to tell you, it WILL leave you . For me, time healed it, nothing else. Just go through life and your regular everyday routine, keep your mind actively busy with hobbies/work, accept that you’re feeling this way , keep calm and I promise you it will subside ❤❤

People with this illness usually feel like they have to 'snap out of it' to be free of it and 'back to normal' but i fully understand the constant feeling makes it very difficult to ignore it. But you absolutely CAN snap out of it slowly and completely. I've done it twice over 20 years, with only a short time (a month each time) spent suffering with DPDR. I can confirm that with the aid of an SSRI and retraining your brain to ignore the loop you are in, you will leave it all behind you and be back to your old self. You must keep busy, a hobby will greatly help breaking out of the cycle. It will be slow, but you absolutely will come back to normal.

Holy shit.... I've been like this for so long. As soon as I heard you talking about this I realized that this is what I have. Just knowing that someone else has this makes me feel like im going to be okay. Thank you so much for this video.

I want everyone to know that it does go away. It does get better and yes unfortunately it comes back if you slip up on keeping your routine. Yes take a day to rest from work, school etc but keep your routine, stay busy and I promise you it gets so much better. The hardest part is taking the initial step but once you make that leap it will help you so much. Mine was gone for about 2-3 years and I’m currently back in it (6-7 months) and it’s because I stopped staying busy. I’ve been isolated essentially the whole time and it’s also fueling it. Have good faith and keep fighting. We’re okay and we can beat it. Do not give up and let it win. Good luck everyone.

my problem isn't even that it's like a movie, its that anyone i talk to doesn't feel real, it feels like im completely alone and it doesn't go away

I’m scared man, I’m so tired of this feeling. I’ve been living with this for 5 years now and I’m giving up. But I’m gonna try what you’ve said in this video. I’m not gonna care about it anymore.

Going through this kinda loop. It will go away, you may feel like you’re stuck and can’t change but you will get back to your self. Just keep your mind off of it and try to stay calm while going through this journey

Hey everyone. The way I would explain depersonalisation/derealization is that when we elicit the stress response (anxious response) is that when anxiety surpasses a specific threshold, mechanisms in our brain make us 'derealized' as a means of defense. My hypothesis is that our brain does this to avoid overstimulation, similarly with physical anxiety symptoms, where we may feel lethargic, meaning we're less likely to 'over do it', playing it safe with the thought of something happening. But, as with physical symptoms of anxiety, we misinterpretate the sensations as something wrong; like the physical symptoms, it's a viscous circle of thoughts feeding anxiety. I hope my explanation of limited knowledge helps anyone that reads this, reassuring them that DPDR is totally ok, nothing catastrophic will happen. To whoever reads this, I sincerely hope you feel better soon and I'm with you every step of the way💙💙💙

I’ve never met or found anyone who has suffered with anxiety similar to me and as young as me. I find peace in your videos and thank you for what you do ❤

Mate. I'm almost 52 and am a practising Child Counsellor. Like most therapists, trauma led me to this career. I've been suffering with this since I was 9, cried myself to sleep for years and told nobody! At 28 I found a great Counsellor and was ok for 5 years, then had another episode. I then embarked on a journey to become a therapist. I've studied many theories and had several therapists and NOBODY mentioned this! I've wanted to kill myself or admit myself into a mental unit many times. I've recently had a bout and am just coming out of the woods, thanks in part to videos like this! Carl Jung and Freud both wrote their best selling books from within a mid life crisis. During my recent fog, I decided to write, because it's so dam hard to describe it when not IN it. Thanks for this brother. You're saving lives 🙏

You have really helped me. I'm stuck in this cycle of wake up disassociating and feeling exhausted from it all day.

In my experience, it feels less like looking through tinted glass and more like playing a fullscreen video game and stepping back from the monitor a little bit. sometimes it gets so bad that I lose focus from the entire world and am so invested within the things in my mind that i have almost walked into traffic and directly in front of cars. I am honestly terrified of what will happen to me later in life if i don't figure out how to deal with it.

I cried through this entire video. I’ve been dealing with panic attacks for 15 years now and after a few years of relative peace I relapsed very badly a couple weeks ago. It has turned my entire life upside down and my symptoms worse than ever, especially the derealization. It’s like my mind is being squeezed in on all sides and my adrenaline is just constantly flowing. Out of nowhere the panic cycle started up again and I’m afraid of everything. Eating, sleeping, driving, thunderstorms, you name it. However, watching your video helped reassure me that the cycle can be broken and I’m really looking forward to getting through this again.

Omg… I thought I was the only one who felt this. I used to ask my partner “am I here” or “am I alseep” he thought I was insane. It was like I was living in a movie I wasn’t meant to be in. I had no idea it even had a name let alone was a symptom of my anxiety. This is honestly a breakthrough.

I cried through this whole video I really thought I was alone! Thank you for posting this and all these tips! My experience was spot in with yours and I cried tears or joy and sadness all at once in this video because of how much I can relate to this! You’ve literally saved my life with this and I’m going to try these techniques and hopefully get better! ❤️😭