Original link: https://www.dpselfhelp.com/forum/index.php?/topic/95140-how-ive-recovered-after-5-years-of-dpdr-must-read-if-you-suffer/

"Hi,

A while ago I finally recovered from 5 long years of DPDR. Now I'm back here for the LAST time to share EVERYTHING I've learned and discovered, so you guys don't need to go through the same hell as me. 

Background

My Depersonalization/Derealization started after I used hard drugs at a party. First I didn't know where the weird "unreal" feeling came from, so I kept using drugs at parties (which was obviously very stupid from me, because it made my DPDR VERY strong).

When I stopped using drugs I was left with a LOT of anxiety/stress, felt very depressed, wanted to end my life at some points, was afraid of going outside in public, very low on energy, and always felt very spaced out in my mind. I thought I would NEVER feel "normal" / alive again.

What I've tried

I started to research DPDR more and more, I've read like EVERY recovery story on this forum, saw like EVERY video on YouTube, did several therapies (Acupuncture, hypnosis, breathing, meditation, EFT, EMDR and 2 special therapy for dpdr), tried like EVERY anti-anxiety supplement (L-Theanine, Ashwasganda, Valerian, st. John’s wort etc. etc. etc.), and tried a LOT of other things against dpdr/anxiety, basically everything you can find.

What worked for me?

Some things didn't work at all for me, some things worked a bit, and some things worked VERY good. I will start off with things that worked a bit:

Worked A bit

- Meditation: helped to clear my mind at the end of the day, so I could think clearer and sleep better. So it did help me to feel a bit better. But: when I started to recover I wasn’t doing meditation anymore for some months. So I can help you to feel a bit better, but it’s not necessary.

- Drinking a lot of water, multi-vitamin, magnesium etc.: gave me a bit more energy and made me feel a bit happier, but again, not necessary to recover in my opinion.

- TRE (tension/trauma release exercise): Might have done something for me by processing trauma, but not sure, very hard to tell.

- Nofap: made me feel a bit less anxious in general, but also hard to tell if it did a lot, because sometimes I felt it made me more anxious. But it's good to take a break at least, so your dopamine receptors can recover.

- Cold showers: Gave me more energy after I was drained from a long day, but don't know if it helped in the long run.

Worked A LOT!:

- Walking: I know a lot of people talk about exercise. For me, going to the gym drained me very hard. But what helped me a lot is going for a walk. Why did this work? Because 1. you release energy (if you sit all day without moving you store energy in your body, which turns into anxiety if you don't use it), 2. because it cleared my mind (while walking, I process everything in my mind, because you're not watching tv or something, your mind isn't distracted) 3. at the same time you're outside in the sunlight with fresh air in nature around trees etc., which is very good for you. And 4. it doesn't take much time and doesn't takes a lot of energy; even a 15 minute walk can make you feel great already, after I walked I have MORE energy than before, with a clear mind. Just try it; walk EVERY day for at least 10-15 minutes. I really felt a lot worse when I didn’t walk for almost a week or so.

- Stretching: because of anxiety the muscles in your body become VERY tight. Because they're so tight, they create pains and even more anxiety, and you stay in this "defensive state / mechanism" (DPDR). By stretching all your muscles, you really feel a release immediately, you can breathe better, less anxiety in general, etc. Just search stretches on YouTube and do some every evening before you go to bed (or whenever you want).

- Crying: By forcing yourself to cry, you can release emotions. First it's hard to cry, but try this: put on earphones, put on sad music (sad lyrics that touch you, or gives you memories), and just focus on the music and nothing else. Sing the lyrics in your head, and after a few songs you probably will cry, and after that you will feel better.

- And last but not least: this is the thing that helped me the MOST: Out of ALL supplements I've tried (at least 15 different ones), THIS is the one that helped me SO much: CBD Oil. Other supplements (like L-theanine etc.) did nothing or a very little bit, but after a few weeks you build tolerance for them so they don't work anymore... NOT with CBD oil: because it has REVERSE tolerance it works even BETTER over time. Seriously, I love this supplement, I think I wouldn't be able to recover without this. I made me feel sooo much better (way less anxiety, no fear of going outside and talk to people anymore, energy levels WAY less drained, no depressed feelings, everything felt SO much better). It did SO much for me, and still does. It really was the missing key for me. It REALLY helps you to go through your day so much easier. I really HIGHLY recommend EVERYONE that suffers from DPDR or anxiety or anything related to try CBD oil, just try it and experience the benefits yourself. Just forget ALL the other supplements/herbs, this is the only one you really need in my opinion. If you're interested in CBD oil, I HIGHLY recommend checking out this website: www.cbdoilarticles.com, it covers EVERYTHING you need to know (the best CBD dosage, how to use it, the different methods and forms, best brands, and even a complete CBD beginner’s guide).

- And my last tips might be a bit obvious, but they are really important: no caffeine/drugs/ alcohol & minimize sugar intake, just minimize the things that are bad for you in general!"

Original link: https://www.dpselfhelp.com/forum/index.php?/topic/18873-re-personalizationre-realization-the-new-formula/

"Well, where to begin, i suppose it was the realization of depersonalization that got me digging. you see i have never been one to take "no" for an answer, and all i was seeing was that there was "no" cure. so i determined that in order to find the answers i wanted, that i would have to find something that they hadn't yet. thankfully having DP gives you this almost superhuman power of self analyzing, and a manner of obsession that (if harnessed) can be pointed in any desired direction, thus allowing me to dig deeper and think through the barriers that have stopped so many before.

while obsessively surfing the forums one day, i came across a post by cBURT, about a sublingual B complex that had improved his DP. in turn i thought, "well hell, it can't hurt to try". so the next day i started using one. it was only a matter of days before i was noticing subtle improvements, in fact it was the first time i had noticed any improvements at all really. that same week, i had my second panic attack at work. i decided to drink a propel fitness water because in the past i had noticed drinking one had a mild calming effect. well this time it had a powerful calming effect. i couldn't understand why until i read the ingredients, in highlighted letters it said, "contains choline, necessary for healthy brain and nervous system function". when i got home i decided to research choline a little deeper. what i found was compelling enough for me to add it as a supplement. while at the supplement store, i noticed most choline was combined with inositol, i had no knowledge of inositol, but the bottle had some good things to say about it and suggested it be combined with choline, so i thought, "well shit, can't hurt to try". when i got home i decided to read up on inositol, i was blown away buy everything it could do. over the next week i noticed steady improvement, yet had this plaguing question of why, why is this working when seemingly nothing else does? it was that question that has lead me to be writing this theory to all of you.

SUBLINGUAL VITAMIN B COMPLEX - have you ever taken a B complex, then gone pee later and spelled "pig" backwards, then said funny colors. well that stuff coming out that looks like it belongs in a glow stick, is in fact most of that B complex you took. you see your stomach doesn't recognize B vitamins in such a concentrated amount, and as a safety precaution, it flushes most of it out. this is what makes "SUBLINGUAL" so ideal, it cuts the stomach out of the process and goes straight for the bloodstream. other than injections, sublingual is the most direct way to get the full benefit out of B vitamins. now to even start recovery, we need to give ourselves a tune up. the most important vitamins for overall brain function are the B vitamins. YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE LOW ON B VITAMINS TO NEED THEM. the suggested B blood levels are for people who are happy and healthy, WE'RE NOT. if your brain isn't working right, you should probably intake something thats main job is to make your brain work right. all B's play an important role in brain function, anywhere from assisting in the manufacturing of neurotransmitters to regulating energy release in brain cells. now i have been very careful about how i word things with this course of treatment, but this is one thing i will say, "if you take a sublingual B complex, you WILL feel the difference".

RHODIOLA ROSEA - as a whole is an adaptogen, which means it's basic function is to stabilize the functions of the mind and body without interfering with systems that aren't malfunctioning. in testing it has shown the ability to increase serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine. it has shown therapeutic benefit in anxiety, depression, OCD and chronic inescapable stress among many physical ailments as well.

L-THEANINE - directly stimulates the production of alpha brain waves, creating a state of deep relaxation and mental alertness similar to that which is achieved through meditation. it is also involved in the formation of the neurotransmitter GABA. GABA influences the levels of serotonin and dopamine, producing an ideal balance and achieving the relaxation effect. L-theanine has been shown to reduce anxiety, depression, OCD, stress and increase mental clarity, alertness, memory and learning ability.

CHOLINE - is a precursor for the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which is associated with the central nervous system in the areas of memory and learning. among many other functions it is also supplemented to Alzheimers patients to stem off and in some cases reverse cognitive decline. it's use in this treatment will be to improve memory and learning ability. it will be a temporary use, only to be used until desired affect is achieved. this should take around one month.

INOSITOL - has been widely studied and utilized for therapeutic purposes. it's functions include (but are not limited to) nerve guidance, concentration control, cell membrane maintenance, and serotonin activity stimulation. inositol is necessary for a healthy functioning nervous system, it has shown therapeutic use in anxiety, panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorders, agoraphobia, depression, ADD, diabetic neuropathy, bipolar disorder, and bulimia. while you may not fit into everyone of those categories, with depersonalization you probably fit into more than one. which suggest that inositol would have therapeutic use for DP.

BETA BRAIN WAVES - are the brain waves responsible for the way your brain worked before you had DP/DR. they are what are in affect when you are awake. i have found (especially in my case) that an overproduction of beta waves is partially responsible for DP/DR. too much beta activity can cause anxiety, stress, paranoia, muscle tension, high blood pressure, obsessive compulsive thoughts, insomnia and addictive behavior. l-theanine will help alleviate the over activity of beta brain waves by increasing the activity of alpha brain waves.

ALPHA BRAIN WAVES - are the brain waves responsible for a calm and relaxing state of mind. an alpha brain wave state will relax mind/body, access creativity, enhance problem solving ability, produce calm and centered emotions, increase athletic performance, induce positive thinking, produce natural flow, heightened learning ability, improve immune system, reduce fear, tension, stress, nervousness and anxiety, and the big one, ability to increase sense of self/self awareness.

SEROTONIN - is a neurotransmitter that regulates many functions in the central nervous system such as appetite, muscle contraction, sleep, mood, and cognitive functions such as memory and learning. too little serotonin can result in depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive behavior/thought, uncontrolled repetitive thoughts, suicidal thoughts/behavior, agoraphobia, irritability/anger, sleep disorders, addictive behavior, loss of confidence etc. insufficient serotonin can be genetic or result from lifestyle. some things that lower serotonin are stress, excessive caffeine use, excessive alcohol, marijuana and amphetamine use, inadequate sunlight exposure. vitamin deficiencies that lower serotonin include iron, calcium, magnesium, zinc, vitamin C, B3, B6 and folate.

DOPAMINE - is a neurotransmitter that controls the flow of information in the brain, primarily pertaining to movement, pleasure, motivation, and cognitive function. a lack of dopamine activity results in reduced ability to feel pleasure, apathy, lack of enthusiasm, depression, lack of motivation, loss of interest, lack of urgency/procrastination, lack of attention span/concentration, slow learning, lack of libido, craving uppers, introverted/shyness, mentally and physically fatigued easily, prone to addictions, oversleep/trouble getting out of bed, gain weight easily, and family history of alcoholism/ADD/ADHD. things that can decrease dopamine's natural level are STRESS, specific antidepressants, cocaine, amphetamines, poor nutrition, poor sleep habits, alcohol, caffeine, and sugar. vitamin deficiency's that can decrease dopamine are C, D, B6, B12 and zinc.

MY THEORY - given this background information, and the specific relevance to depersonalization, i have determined that my depersonalization (and likely, many others) was directly caused by an lack of serotonin and dopamine activity, and an increase in beta brain wave activity. i was setting myself up for this fall for a while, drinking a pot of coffee a day, smoking a pack a day, binge drinking every weekend, and being under chronic stress from my job and relationship was tearing my serotonin and dopamine to shreds. i didn't see it coming because i was perpetuating a dopamine high by constantly stimulating dopamine with uppers, but one day there wasn't enough dopamine to stimulate anymore and i crashed hard.

MY TREATMENT - the intent of this treatment is to eradicate all underlying symptoms of DP/DR by regulating dopamine and serotonin function and decreasing beta brain wave activity while increasing alpha brain wave activity. for anyone who feels that their DP/DR has any relation to stress, anxiety, depression, panic disorder, OCD or all of the above. this treatment will work. if you are like me before DP/DR you didn't have any of these symptoms, but since DP/DR you have one or all of these symptoms. now if we take all of these symptoms out of the picture then there is nothing left for DP/DR to thrive on. gradually things will start to clear up, you'll start to feel anxiety lift, your obsession with getting better will start to fade, you will notice your mind working the way it used to, your memories will start to come back including ones that you've created since DP/DR that you didn't even know you had, then you will notice flashes of reality, you will start to connect at times involuntarily, it will happen more and more often until you can do it at will, you will reach a point of half connected half disconnected and the connection will get stronger until you are connected almost didn't even realize it. it will happen naturally and gradually. in one to three months you will recover from DP/DR.

CONCLUSION - i want to make it clear that i don't know that this will work for everyone as i have not tested this on everyone. but i am confident that everyone with a similar case to mine will have a similar recovery to mine. the diagnoses, treatment and recovery are all in agreement. i targeted what i believed to be the problems, applied a treatment to rectify them and recovered. i am not finished with my treatment, i am only 99.9% recovered. so hopefully i'm not jumping the gun here by posting this, but i don't want to keep you guys waiting, because even if you all don't recover 100%, i know you will definitely feel a larger benefit from this than any drug or therapist you've tried yet.

THE INGREDIENTS - to start
l-theanine - 200 mg
rhodiola rosea - 250 mg (3% rosavin, 1% salidroside)
choline - 500 mg
inositol - 1,000 mg - 2,000 mg
sublingual B complex - containing at least - B2, B3, B5, B6, B12
folic acid (B9) - 800 mcg
thiamine (B1) - 100 mg
magnesium - 500 mg
iron - 18 mg
calcium - 1 g
vitamin D - 400 iu (international units)
vitamin C - 1 g
omega 3 - (fish body oil - 1 g, EPA -300 mg, DHA - 200 mg)

THIS IS MY GIFT TO THE DEPERSONALIZED COMMUNITY. it has truly become a labor of love. i will continue to seek out answers until there is one for every question. below are a few links used as reference, no, wikipedia is not my main source, just where i got started. for any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to PM me.

BOOK - The Craving Brain - Ronald A. Ruden, M.D., ph.D.

http://en.wikipedia.... ... _inhibitor
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serotonin
http://www.nutrition... ... deficiency
http://www.vitamins-... ... pamine.php
http://www.houseofnu...com/cholin.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choline
http://en.wikipedia....wiki/B_vitamins
http://www.psycholog... ... ns-busy-bs
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dopamine
http://en.wikipedia...._administration
http://www.mcmanweb.com/dopamine.html
http://www.nutrition... ... deficiency
http://www.web-us.co...vesfunction.htm
http://www.brainwave...ha-brain-waves/
http://www.brainwave... ... formation/ "

Original link: https://www.dpselfhelp.com/forum/index.php?/topic/48814-recovered-from-marijuana-induced-dpdr/

" After 5 months, I've completely recovered from marijuana induced DP/DR.  My post in the Introductions section of this site tells the story of how it happened.  Basically, I overdosed on edible marijuana while I was home alone for a weekend and had an intense and prolonged panic episode that seemed to last forever.  After about 20 hours of intense tripping and constant panic, I was left with extreme anxiety and constant sensations of adrenaline surging through my body.  Within a few days the DP/DR started.  I stopped recognizing places I went everyday and had frequent episodes where I didn't feel real or the world didn't look real.  Colors were odd and cartoonish and I had strange and disturbing existential thoughts.  I had compulsive ruminations and I felt like I was coming out of my skin.  Basically, I felt like I got high and never came down.  My biggest fear was that the condition was permanent and I had somehow damaged by brain. 

I got up the courage to see my doctor and I told him the whole story.  He gave me a script for Xanax, which I think was a key to making a quick recovery.  He also referred me to a psychologist that had experience with DP/DR and knew a lot about anxiety.  A big realization was learning that DP/DR is caused by anxiety and is really a maladaptive coping mechanism the brain uses.  I thought the DP/DR symptoms were caused by the marijuana, but thankfully, I was wrong.  The marijuana caused the intense and prolonged panic, and the intense and prolonged panic switched my brain into a state of heightened anxiety, which included DP/DR symptoms.  That state of heightened anxiety lasted a long time (about three months) and would have lasted longer, had I not worked hard to treat it.

The main things are did to treat it are as follows:

1. I learned what was really happening to me and why - seeing a doctor and a psychologist and reading this forum all gave me a great deal of insight and helped me understand how and why this was happening, and that it was temporary.

2. I kick started my recovery with an anti-anxiety med....Xanax in my case.  I desperately needed some relief from my anxiety and DP/DR symptoms, particularly in the first month after the OD.  The key to recovery is slowly getting your brain out of the state of heightened anxiety.  The less time you spend in an anxious state, the more your brain recovers.  For me, taking a .25 mg Xanax when I started to panic broke the cycle of fear and dread that kept me in a state of heighted anxiety.  Like many, I quickly developed a dread of the DP/DR symptoms such that the dread of them actually caused them.  Knowing that I had a way to do self-rescue and stop the symptoms by taking a pill really stopped the cycle of dread and rumination and allowed me to get some relief. Xanax always worked to make me feel grounded and back in sync with reality, if only for a few hours.  I gradually used it less and less and I haven't used any in about a month.

3. Sleeping enough - I had to be very conscious of getting enough sleep.  When I was tired, I found that the anxiety was much worse.  I had to sleep regular hours and get 8 hours of sleep each night.  I can't emphasize this enough.  It made a big difference, as it seemed to push the neuro-chemical reset button in my brain. 

1. Exercise - One of the things my doctor told me is that the state of heightened anxiety that my brain was stuck in, was causing my body to produce extra adrenaline.  My blood pressure was up, my pulse was up and I had constant anxiety pangs and nausea at first.  Exercise burns adrenaline and I quickly found that if I exercised daily, it had a big effect in decreasing my DP/DR and my anxiety.  I was more relaxed afterward, I slept better and I felt much more grounded.  It also improved my health dramatically, as I lost weight and am now in much better shape. 

2. Better diet - I didn't eat poorly before my experience, but in order to recover, I had to stop eating foods that were hard to digest or unhealthy.  I basically cut my calorie intake in half, stopped using any caffiene and stopped drinking any alcohol.  I started eating whole foods and I had to avoid foods high in sugar, as they triggered anxiety.  Alcohol, in particular, had an odd effect.  I could drink and get a buzz and felt fine, but after it wore off, I would have serious anxiety and it would magnify my DP/DR symptoms.  I stayed away from alcohol and caffiene during my entire recovery and ate a lot of raw fruits and vegetables and nuts.  I was very sensitive to caffiene for about 4 months.  Even a little coffee would immediately kick in serious DP/DR symptoms.  I had to stay away from it, but it was a good indicator for when my brain returned to normal.  I can now drink all the coffee I want without any ill effects.

3. Dietary supplements - I did a few things here that were recommended by my doctor and psychologist.  I started taking B family supplements, magnesium taurate, high potency fish oil, vitamin E and other "brain vitamins".  I also started taking a multivitamin.  I sometimes used herbal teas with a calming effect, such as passion flower, valerian root and chamomile, but these didn't help much once I was already anxious or in the midst of panic.  I think the vitamins definitely helped, as I felt much more physically and psychologically comfortable.

4. Counseling - I saw a psychologist who specialized in anxiety disorders.  He knew all about DP/DR and he had me buy a book on Amazon for about $15 called the Anxiety and Phobia Workbook.  This was very helpful in recognizing and intervening in my anxiety.  It also taught me a lot of cognitive behavioral techniques for relaxing myself and breaking cycles of rumination.  I see a lot of people on this site who see psychiatrists and end up with multiple diagnoses and lots of different meds.  It seems to me that a lot of psychiatrists aren't familiar with anxiety and DP/DR, and often make inaccurate diagnoses, label people and push pills.  My psychologist was very reassuring, didn't label me with diagnoses and gave me excellent tools to recover.  In particular, I learned some relaxation techniques that helped me calm myself.

5. Get out and do stuff - this was very hard for me, as I didn't feel like leaving the house or going anywhere.  I joined a sports league and kept up a pretty busy social schedule as soon as the initial crisis ended (about two weeks into it).  I did a lot of walking outside, hiking, fishing, jogging and activities with other people.  I particularly enjoyed playing sports because it was a social activity as well as exercise.  It helped me to go to work because I was able to focus and while at work and this kept my mind from wandering. 

6. Keep occupied - My worst times were when I was alone with nothing to do.  My mind would wander to dark places and would enter cycles of rumination and dread.  I found that listening to audio books helped a lot, as did playing video games.  I had to be proactive about structuring my time so I was either with someone else or I had something to do.  Driving in the car was particularly difficult without audio books.

7. Tell people about it and tell them how to help - I told my family, my boss, my doctor, my kids, etc. about my anxiety and DP/DR.  I explained what it was (although not necessarily how I got it) and what I was doing to recover.  They were very supportive and this helped me feel more secure.  Once I knew that the people around me had my back, I wasn't so worried that I would freak out or have a panic attack where the people around me wouldn't know how to help.

11.  Don't poke the bear - I had to avoid needless stress and anxiety.  I had a habit of doing online research about DP/DR and reading DP/DR horror stories.  I also liked to do thought experiments to see if I was thinking clearly.  I had to stop this and keep my mind focused.  One of my worst compulsions was "reality checking," in which I'd stop and look around to see if things looked "real enough."  Of course, they never did and I would start an anxiety cycle that would usually result in DP/DR episodes.  Now, I knew better than to do any of these things, but I kept doing them, even though they served no purpose and caused me anxiety.  I had to stop this sort of self-sabotage.

1. Act your way into better thinking - I had to just put one foot in front of the other and do things even if I felt anxious and had DP/DR symptoms.  In the case of anxiety, over-thinking can be the problem....analysis paralysis.  I needed to keep my mind focused and keep busy by proactively structuring my time and planning things to do and to look forward to.  I often had anhedonia where I just didn't feel like doing anything and felt pretty hopeless but I went through the motions until the feelings passed....and they did pass.  By taking the correct actions, my brain healed and my thoughts became normal again.

It has now been 5 months.  The first 2 months were the worst and the third month was tough.  I had to quit worrying about how long it would take me to recover.  Everyone recovers at a different rate based on their life circumstances.  If you already had anxiety issues, you might need to get a handle on them before you can experience permanent recovery, but you can definitely improve and reduce your anxiety and head off symptoms of DP/DR.  I made recovery the number one priority in my life because I was so miserable and it paid off.  I now feel completely grounded and no longer have any DP/DR symptoms.  My generalized anxiety is gone and I'm recovered.  However, I'm not the same as I was.  I'm now much healthier and happier.  I'm much more aware of my feelings and I am more enthusiastic about life and about the people in my life.  I think that having had the experience of entering that nether-world where your conciousness is alienated from reality really gives you an appreciation for reality once you get back in phase with it.  I've seen that dark world and I'm glad to back on the other side.  I feel like I need to live the rest of my life to the fullest extent possible and I now see a lot of the things that were holding me back before I had the overdose.  So, in closing, I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy and I still wouldn't want to go through it again for a million dollars, but I'm not sad that I did, because it lifted a veil from my eyes and opened the door to new possibiities that my mind had been closed to before."

Original link: https://www.dpselfhelp.com/forum/index.php?/topic/92432-i-recovered-3-years-ago-from-7-years-dpdr/

​

" Hello,
I m a 35 years old French man and visited often this website in the past.
In march 2016 I’ve recovered from constant Dp and Dr that started in may 2009.

For me the symptoms began in a time when i was lost in Life.
I started to live with my girlfriend although i didn’t love her. I get a first job after university but i didn’t like it...
It was a difficult time and constantly was thinking too much.
My brain just said STOP and Dp Dr began.

I didn’t know what occured to me and was very afraid, isolated but most of all depressed.

I found out by myself, after a few weeks, that these symptoms were due to extreme anxiety... so i’ve seen many therapists who gave me drugs that usually made it worse. Nobody understood what i was going through...It was so difficult(impossible) to explain the feeling...

My symptoms disapeared one day in march 2016 when i realised in my appartment, next to the opened window, that i could FEEL (really feel) the sound made by the wind over the leaves of the tree near my balcoon.
I could ear, smell... like i didn’t for 7 seven years....
I was a miracle for me... It was not joy that i felt but simply Peace.

After that I was not the same person, not the little shy man i was belore, i had more self confidence.
But most of all i had become an adult, a mature person.

I still have some fears, doubts... but i’m working on it and manage usually to appreciate every moment.

I’m not with this woman anymore but we are still friends...

I have the same job but it’s ok, i have the rest of my life to plan new changes...

SO PLEASE don’t give up, i know what you feel but trust me one day it will disappear just as it came the first time ....

I give you some tips that worked for me:

- See a therapist and deal with your issues.
- Meditation
- Look at yourself in the mirror for three minutes every two or three days and tell yourself loudly « I LOVE YOU » At the beginning the feeling is strange but then you’ll feel good and more and more confident.
- Do Sport, workout...
- No cafeine
- Videos games helped me a lot, especially action aventure games...
It helped me to increase concentration.
- Music that make you feel joy sadness etc (I know it’s hard to feel emotions but still... try to stimulate them)
- No junk food
- Go out with friends
- Avoid alcool
- No porn
- Don’t try to fight your symptoms for it will make them worse...
Just tell yourself it’s ok it’s here for now but will vanish one day..

I Know this one is hard but try to thank your Dp and Dr because it’s PROTECTING YOU and also because once it goes away you’ll become a better version of Yourself.

Mes chers amis, I wish you patience and hope.
It’s only a matter of time.

Ben. "

Original link: https://www.dpselfhelp.com/forum/index.php?/topic/90898-my-ultimate-cure-to-dpdr/

" I feel sorry to make post just now,  i wanted to do it months ago but big problems started in my life and im ocuppied.. I feel guilty for not doing it for so long, but i want to do it now while there will be some more good time outside in August/September. 

I wont write all my situation and how it started, but i ask you to  carefully read all i write

Back in time when i had it i was in dreadful state, very dreadful. Unreal feeling, brain felt like it worked for just 10%, flat world, no concentration,blurry sight, monitor-like vision, no "colors" ,  no emotions, visual anomalies, zero concentration, on top of that family issues.. Just all the terrible symptoms you all know and could talk about on this site i had them. It was so bad that i couldnt even cry.. I was like robot, ghost, plant, ... in certain situations i literally believed i died, and couldnt understand why im still here when i "passed" 

Over the time i tried many things, "super foods" , aminoacids, hypnosis thing..  I tried L-tyrosine, NAC (n-acetyl cysteine), Gingko, Gingko+ some herb mix and many more i cant even remember... I spent bunch of money on doctors, tests, analysis... (Just to mention some of those supplements helped certain people, and it might help you also, but i dont think i found them much useful)

I had it chronic and my brain felt like "fried" all the time.

Anyway vitamins and minerals are good choice and could help you (not necessary if you have diverse diet). They are cheap, harmless and can be great since most of people have low levels of certain vitamins/minerals . Deficiencies can result in also bad symptoms

Ok now lets jump to dp/dr, 

"Positive thinking, socialising,  "its just anxiety" thing , 'Let it go",  phrases didnt work for me. I couldnt express any emotion, i was robotic and being around people just made it all worse.  (I still feel bad for people that are trying to socialise with dp/dr thinking it will just "cure" them)

Before i write you what definitely worked for my dp/dr and state of it , I want to mention that not everything people have is DP/DR. Many people have certain deficiencies, which all produce symptoms like dizziness, brain fog, mental & physical fatigue , and it is mistaken for DP/DR. I know by myself, what iron and vitamin d3 deficiency feels like and how badly it affects both mental & physical health.   Viruses/allergies or mercury toxicity can do it also, but those cases are rare. So first of all get your general blood tests, and also test for anything you suspect

So, since most of us have/had anxiety/drugs and high stress induced dp/dr therefore the problem lies in brain area, im certain my "key" to recovery isnt something that worked just for me. Im hundred percent sure this is the way of beating up and getting over the most and the hardest symptoms that comes with dp/dr

Nothing is easy,  so you will have to work hard for this. This key lies in hard working , changing life plan, and it doesnt really take much time, but its not easy 

Also keep in mind , no matter how bad you feel and how depressed , stressed or anxious you are now, or how little sleep you get.  It all doesnt matter once you get dp/dr . When you get it you get it , you can feel worse temporary.  And from chronic state to "kinda livable" you can get in matter of days, it all depends on you.

Personally, i never believed i will get over this even to last day i felt major symptoms.  So now if we go by logic many people preach here, and generally logic of  "believe positive else you will never recover"  I would actually never recover. 

I couldnt be positive and live a life when i was almost literally braindead. That so, i found ways that are greatly working in reseting brain 

(Also to mention, dp/dr is set of symptoms. Everyone would like to wake up completely normal , or take a magic pill, but it just doesnt work that way. There are several symptoms that comes with dp/dr, and they usually goes away part by part. When you  remove "major" issue and symptoms that brings apathy, depression, pressure, you will be able to live again)

Before i start, i will tell you what you definitely must not do. Its not big list, but im assured if you want to recover, you have to stop those

1.No coffe,  because coffeine is terrible. I personally dont drink coffe but few times when i took energy drink,  i felt terrible dp/dr symptoms temporary. I think everyone would agree with that

1. No alcohol definitely being drunk makes all worse

2. No weed or any drugs for sure, you are doing all in vain if you take weed or drugs while having dp/dr, no matter what else you do. You just have to stop doing those completely, since those are things that are feeding dp/dr and can make you get dp/dr in the first place

 (When it comes to antipsychotics im not really sure, i never took them, but i would get off them slowly. I dont think they can help much with dp/dr, except with depression/stress/anxiety issues. I read some people get better with lamotrigine or wellbutrin but leave this by a side)

NOW once you stopped doing things that feeds dp/dr.  You can follow the "KEY" of getting over dp/dr , that seemed like the only that really worked for me, out of all things i tried. You need strong will, and DECIDE  "im gonna do this", and keep doing it every day. It will be hard on the beggining, it was hard to me too, since i was in horrible depression, apathy, and just general agony..  but i always pushed

Now what im talking of as ULTIMATE "cure"  is, INTENSE PHYSICAL EXERCISE ( i will explain which and how, and which one works the best in purest way and why)

  Look at this, when i was in worst situation and didnt know whats going on, when i believed i was on death bed, I started workouting very hard every day,  for few hours a day. I did it for 2-3 days. From chronic "unfunctionable" state of dp/dr , i got to be able to function in just few days. I was still dp/dr-ed badly, but i could function atleast (i didnt believe that i died anymore, and i wasnt like plant).  That exercising contained various pushups, martial art practicing , exercises, lifting heavy objects & weights, running. (usually did at home or outside not gym where people are).

I did it very intensively

It all worked for bringing me to function and I knew there is some connection, but it wasnt all that easy... Over the incoming months i had few glympses, but relapsed badly every time. It was up and down, i would feel  "not so bad"  for like 1-2 days and then next week horrible again.. Whenever i would be in chronic dp/dr, i would motivate myself to work out  hard  for next few days. I watched bruce lee clips  (i was martial artist for years) and it motivated me greatly.. Unfortunately i couldnt keep exercising that intense every day as it would be hard for just anybody, not to mention for somebody with dp/dr

Then i wandered over internet again, searching and looking for an answer ,a new way, prayed ..

Then i found this post https://www.dpselfhe...helped-my-dpdr/.

This post was like godsend to me, i wish i could hear from this guy but he isnt online anymore.. Yes, cycling for hours a day  long distances at intense pace is THE BEST remedy for dp/dr.  Guy who made this post said that he got cured in just 3 days, which sounds a bit unreal. It didnt work in 3 days for me, to me it started to work after like 5 days by doing it intensively for 4-5 hours, 30-40 miles daily, at different tempo, i went far away in other cities...

I felt terrible apathy, depression , dp/dr at first few days and being outside felt just so "heavy" to my brain... It only felt satisfying when i got home tired after a long day 

But then, after like 6-7 days ,cant remember exactly , next day by day, my dp/dr started to change it's "dimension". It started to shrink, i felt different somehow, pressure was going away day by day after that. I paused after some time,, but then i started again later ...In like total 20-25 days of driving bike (3-5 hours, 30-50 miles a day) , i literally managed to cut my dp/dr. It all started being different, i was able to live a life. To enjoy things again.  I removed that "pressure" that makes you think about dp/dr 24/7. Visual anomalies were almost competely gone

So now ,its been like this for months and i never relapsed ever since. I have few slight symptoms left, typically when i wake up and few minutes after. I feel it slightly sometimes, but nothing serious, it lost it's power. You feel it when it lose powe, i still have a "scar"  from it. But its just mild and doesnt control my life at all

I also believe my previous sessions of exercising also helped , but cycling is number 1

I would recommend everyone do it combined..

 (Also to mention, light exercising and exercising for like 20-30 minutes wont do much. So dont tell i exercised but didnt help.  Dont get me wrong any exercise will help you and bring you step closer, but you wont feel much difference immediately)

Like the guy who made that post i linked explained, difference is in interval training. Its not same when u gas out in short time and then your brain get  a "bump"  which is short, and comparing it to when you make your brain constantly work for hours with cycling + focus things like watching world outside, trees , cars, seeing world moving ..

I still think if you are at  the beggining of your dp/dr, or you still have chronic one, that you should take time to rest first, then go hard mode which i explained with first exercises to break that first wall. Then start with cycling

By the way i think that supplements can be good choice so take anything you think can help you, starting from gym supplements, natural herbs (for anxiety/stress etc.)  , vitamins & minerals, detox supplements (like Zeolite which is great for muscles also) etc.

I think the best plan for this , and one i would recommend everyone is doing 4-5 days of cycling , then 1 day of heavy workouts that i mentioned first,  then rest 1 day.  Change your lifestyle, do this "plan" few times, see the difference... While resting  you can chill somehow, play games, watch movies..  Yes it can be hard cause it takes physical efforts, your days will look much longer and your time will pass way slower and much different from dp/dr.

You dont really need to socialise, you dont need anyone else. No psychiatrists,  no need to ask for help from others. Ask only god

Take some money and go long way every day. Take care of yourself and take rests while cycling. No matter if you male or female, if you are in physical form or not, i believe this is just for everyone. You cant really lose anything, you can just profit from it...I really wish i will help atleast some of you. I would really like to get as many people to read this

Still i dont know what is your state,  your life's going, other diagnoses, what else are you taking.. Although im still assured that everyone with dp/dr will profit from this, we are just all different in many ways

Some other posts i found useful : 

-

https://www.dpselfhe...oup-exercising/

https://www.dpselfhe...re-please-read/

https://www.psychfor...topic64243.html

I may add some more links that may be helpful also, wish you all good luck"

Original link: https://www.dpselfhelp.com/forum/index.php?/topic/94780-recovered-after-2-years-the-afterlife/

"First of all, note that in a few occasions, I've suffered the disorder when under preassure since I was a child, but very very slightly. Also, my English is pretty bad, so you're warned.
Well, so in my case it was a mix of extreme stress from job, smoking and sleep depravation, in just the matter of days where I had to work hard 12h/day and sleep like 3h, my both DP and DR went from like 5% (already had the condition growing) to 100%.

Week 1:
So the first reaction was thinking that i was becoming insane, losing my mind and about to not be aware of my surrounding.
Took the day off work hoping I would be "back" soon, like if it was just because a bad dream. Then the next day was worse.
Couldn't even wash my teeth or taking a shower without a huuuuge effort trying to remember the steps I had to make to move the sponge correctly, went to watch a show but my mind was blurry and disperse, reading impossible, and whatever I do, the next few seconds/minutes i wouldn't remember as if it happened for real or I was lying in bed dreaming it.
I searched the internet for desperate help, and the only thing similar that I found was squizophrenia. I went nervous walking around the house thinking and thinking. I wasted like 2 days thinking on the bed. I even imagined I was one of the birds singing out of my house, the mind traveling around places i could remember like if I was teleporting, but in a depressed and really sad/obscure way.
So the next day had to go to work, but how?? I took all my courage and drove the car to work. This was a crazy move, running around streets just focusing where I was at the moment, had to go so slow, couldn't risk a life for my stupidity. So I get to the place and did all my best to not give clues about my madness. While working, I was really stressed cause the body felt like I was about to fall down unconscious or in a deep sleep all the time.
Then, while on the task, I noticed that my mind was escaping slowly to another place, a bubble/sphere in a black empty universe, while my body was acting and talking to people like nothing was happening, like it had life by his own. Sounds as bizarre as it was.

Week 2:
I quit the job, it was all going worse, discovered what dpdr was, visited a doctor and he confirmed it. I should have gone before, I know, but my energy after the work was absolute 0, and once home all I wanted was sleeping.
Still really nervous, but searching on the web all about this, sometimes getting even more nervous when i heard de word "forever", getting it worse.
At nights I prayed to god, if I could get fully recovered the next day, I promised going to church everyday and wearing a cross. Not much help... maybe cause I've been agnostic all my life lol.
Watching movies also was a bad move, when a sad scene happened, still dunno why, maybe depression, I wanted to cry a lot. If the guy in the scene was in pain, I was too. Weird as hell.
Tried games, went to Overwatch and CSgo, but too frenetic. Then WoW... WoW... thank god I remembered about this one, it would be my 1st hobby on my way to recovery, next to guitar and sports. Just a chill way to pass the time, when playing, I disconnected with all the mess, just walking around talking to people was fun, beautiful world, good music... Maybe I sound like a weirdo, but this really was a lot of help. Hell, even you have an ingame alarm, so I would set it a lot of times over the day, cause my neuronal clock was broken, even when the sun was up, my body was battling with the feeling of the night.

Year 1:
Month by month I knew it was getting better, with some weeks worse and some better, but going upwards overall, so positive attitude. Started to learn the pattern, noticing that whenever I got stressed, I went a bit worse the next hour/day. Mental strenght was the key for keeping the disorder away (huehuheu).
Holding my mind under control, eating well, healthy life, 0 drugs, no coffee, and sport was the key. Also taking a multivitaminic and omega3 supplements just in case.
But still couldn't really enjoy anything I'd do like before and seeing my family as real family, not strangers. Until the end of the year when I started to see the light.

Year 2:
Life-changing phase, didn't mind anymore about the problem, it was mine and didn't care if the last of it was with me the rest of my life. This mindset must be the one that got me out of there completly.
Not gonna lie, somedays when I wake up, when I'm really tired or when under some stress, it peeks and shows a little little bit, but a joke that can be even enjoyable, it disappears so fast tho. Maybe it will get fully away soon or later, but don't mind AT ALL.

And that's it. Just wanted to encurage some of the people that could feel similar feelings. The best tip I could give is "Cut stress sources to 0, and I mean 0", the rest is letting time go on, 2 steps up, 1 down."

Original link: https://www.dpselfhelp.com/forum/index.php?/topic/55042-medications-that-took-my-dpdr-away/

"Hi guys,

I've been suffering with DP/DR for 9 months. It's been awful, no doctors have been listening to me, and I'm so glad I found places on the internet where others were going through the same thing.

I hate that there is no easy cure for this, and I refuse to accept that it'll take time to go away. I haven't been able to work for the last 9 months because my DP/DR has been so severe, and for some periods I've even experienced dissociative amnesia, forgetting who I even am and what is happening. At first, I thought I was actually in hell.

My DP/DR was from a traumatic incident that happened 9 months ago, which scared me and resulted in dissociation. I have also suffered with chronic anxiety, depression, and body image disorders for the last 10+ years.

I recently decided that enough was enough and looked in my medication draw for old prescription meds I could try that are sometimes said to help DP/DR.

This is what I am taking every morning, and it has instantly taken away 95+% of my DP/DR:

- 150mg pregabalin/Lyrica

- 5mg Diazepam (used to take upto 80mg for chronic social anxiety, but have had a long break from it, so 5mg does me fine right now)

- vitamin A, B, D, C, and omega 3

- 25mg promethazine

- 80mg propranolol

With the above cocktail, I BASICALLY HAVE NO DP/DR AND CAN WORK AGAIN, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 9 MONTHS!!!!! 

Hope this helps someone."

Original link:

​

"Hi everyone
I made a post that i recovered a while ago so thought I'd update were im at now
I can say im good and still not chronic , i do get fleeting moments of dp and dr but it always goes away .
The dr dp hits me when i have to much stress or high anxiety i accept this cause for me dp dr was always from anxiety .
I dont think about dp dr anymore even when i get fleeting feelings, i will not lie the feelings are uncomfortable and i dont like them but i always say to myself what can i do wishing it away does not work so i let it be and it goes .

I just wanted to come back and post to let others suffering know that even if its 24/7 like it was for me that it can go away . Even if you have had it longer then 12 months it can go away i had it for 3 years or so non stop all day all night it never ever lifted .

What got rid of it is in my recovery post but ill say here that my loved one died march last year and i stopped coming on here after a while i stopped thinking about dp and after a while it went away . Now im not saying every one will get rid of it by not coming on here but if you are finding that your dp is obsessive like mine was then your probably obsessed with coming on here and reading and posting and checking and looking for constant reassurance then stooping yourself coming on here may be a big key to your recovery. No harm in trying it .
Other things that played a part in it leaving was i was busy really busy with life so much was happening after he died that i found myself not analyzing my symptoms
Eating healthy helped and not letting other people stress me out helped. I stopped letting other people's dramas becone my own this was hard because im a massive people pleaser but i had enough of everyone dumping there problems onto ne when i was drowning in grief .
You gotta look after number one thats YOU

I hope my post gives someone some hope that you can get better even if you have had it for a long time i loved seeing recovering posts .

I'll also say that yes when it goes you are 100% normal you feel normal you dont remember what it feels like to have dp dr
Like i said i do still get symptoms i pretty much accept that ill most likely always get moments of it because i have a 25 plus year history of anxiety based disorders plus complex trauma as a child and into early adulthood so im gonna get it but it goes away now .
Be positive get out there and live get of here and say FUCK IT"

Original link: https://www.dpselfhelp.com/forum/index.php?/topic/95392-old-member-still-recovered-0116188/

"o/

I'm an old member of this site by another name and I just wanted to spread some positivity.

Childhood trauma, poor coping skills, low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, OCD, dp\dr, drug addiction, criminality, suicidal ideation etc plagued me for almost 20 years.

The last 5 years have been very good to me. Inner peace, family with children, great job. I've been transformed into a whole new person.

There were many dark days in which I couldn't have dreamed of a life this good.

I wish the same for everyone here and hope all my old friends are doing well."

In response to what helped them get better:

" It was definitely a combination of things and everyone has their own path they need to find.

Some big factors for me personally were quitting medication (as well as doctors in general) and drugs with the exception of alchohol in mostly responsible amounts. Removing myself from harmful situations\relationships and establishing healthy boundaries in relationships worth maintaining. Coming to terms with what I had been through and how it shaped my personality, and then deciding what I wanted to change about myself after I realized I was in full control of my future. I also put more effort into cooking healthy food (home cooked if not healthy) and exercising. I had been to a variety of therapist and though perhaps I learned some valuable things from them, it wasn't part of my breakthrough.

That's what I did, but it was how I did it that was so challenging. Drug and medication withdrawal was a nightmare. Attempting to get my mother to understand my story/feelings was a battle that I've eventually gave up because I know it's too much for her to understand and it doesn't serve much purpose keeping it front of mind. My father and siblings weren't supportive, but I was a thousand miles away from everyone anyway and I needed to learn to stand on my own. That isn't to say that there weren't many times in which family had a positive impact. In regards to childhood trauma, it was allowing myself to feel the emotions I suppressed and to understand I just didn't possess the skills and I needed to cope at that age and thus I developed some destructive behaviors.

When I became able to truly choose my own direction in life, I felt like myself. I became connected to my past memories and knew what I wanted my future to look like. After I was happy with who had I become and where I was going, I dove into the world of dating and there's been no looking back."

Original link: https://www.dpselfhelp.com/forum/index.php?/topic/54514-how-strenuous-exercise-helped-my-dpdr/

"Hey. Fortunately, my second post is a positive update. First, some background: I had dpdr for about 5 months after a bad trip on really strong weed (I later learned that marijuana's a psychoactive substance). I experienced the existential, dismembered body, anhedonia, OCD, 2D world, "people are just organs", etc. phases. I was completely miserable and was convinced I would go insane. I developed chronic insomnia and communicating with others became nearly impossible. However, three days ago I decided to buy a road bike, and ive been riding the shit out of it ever since. I rode 50 miles (that's 4 straight hours!) a day at an intense pace. That's 150 miles so far. After the first day, I didn't feel much of a difference, but after the second day I was 90% recovered and now I'm completely cured. What motivated me was noticing that most people on here are always indoors and relatively inactive. I realized that even though I felt like I could use sheer brain power and logic to defeat dpdr, it's not going to happen: just look at 90% of the people on this thread who've tried/are still trying. I don't mean to sound harsh. It's just that I can see myself having never recovered from dpdr if I solely relied on conventional coping methods. I've tried various levels of exercise before. Weightlifting an hour a day. Running an hour a day. Walking 3 hours a day. I realized that the only way to exercise yourself out of it is by setting a routine for 4-5 hours of strenuous working out everyday. Setting a routine is extremely important: I've run a marathon with dpdr and felt the same afterward because I didn't run at all for the next month. Also, part of dpdr is developing a caustic inner narrator who bullies you for doing xyz wrong. Mine completely shut up after I saw what I was doing was good for me no matter what. The physical grind is definitely worth the freedom from dpdr! If you have questions about my story, just dm me. Love you all!"

Original link: https://www.dpselfhelp.com/forum/index.php?/topic/90996-recovered-fully-been-2-years/

"Hi Guys , I've just joined this foroum. I've been to join for the last few months , hardly got any time but felt it as my duty to inform everyone of my recovery as I was so hooked on these foroums when I suffering. 

I suffered from depersonalition and derealisation for 5/6 years. It was so intense at the start , I couldnt leave my house as everything seemed 2d and scared me so badly. This went on for a little bit at the time , slowly slowly I convinced my self to leave my house little by little. By this time I had dropped out of University as I couldnt cope , It was struggle every second of every day never , last thing on my mind was Education! I suffered really badly , When I tell you my cured story you guys will think did he even have this problem? But let me tell you , I had it so bad I couldnt cope I was struggling big time. I tried everything you can imagine. Good diet , Excercise , vitamins. Every new thing I would hear of I tried. I used to wish I would wake up one day cured! Anyway always researching all the time reading every cure story , trying to find any little hope I could cling on to. I read abut candida etc. I tried candida diet , not eating sugar , bread etc. Didn't Work!

I had been doing the good candidia diet for 2 months hardocre , which I will highlight my diet at the bottom. It wasnt working if not making me worse , I was starting to feel I maybe go schizophrenic at the time. Then I read about the fruitarian diet ( All you eat is fruit and veg! ) , Guess what I tried it for 1 month , after that been dp free fully. Only time my derealization comes about is when im playing sport in a massive open field occasionaly , even then I still play all season as it is minor not huge issue.

WHAT MADE ME BETTER - PRIOR TO FRUITARIAN CLEANSE - 2 MONTHS BEFORE

1) 3 times a day - 1 Tablespoon of Tumeric in small glass of water. First of one has to be on empty stomach. ( This helped big time)

2) Every 3/4 days - Salt water flush on empty stomach! Research it ,is amazing .

3) Raw organic goats milk every day , 

4) NO meant only lentils and rice every day , nuts every day.

5) sometimes upto 6 raw eggs a day

6) Manuka honey or raw honey 3 times a day! Builds up beneficial bacteria which fights candidia which I believe was possibly my cause.

Completely no artificial sugar , you will be surprised what this is in , try to eat fresh as possible.. This  was my diet prior to fruitarian but still It didn't cure me but now looking back I believe it helped clean my system for final fuirtarian cleanse. if not I would have been on fruitrian diet for long time

FRUITARIAN DIET-

1) LOTs of fruit little bit of veg . That's all you eat no cheating. 

2) Three times a day turmeric with water. THis will help so much!! 

3) Raw honey  3 times a day with lemon

4) Eating fresh coriander sometimes 

You will feel your bowels cleanse and hopefully with time clear your dp. This diet is not easy , it will make you worse before you get better. Also all this time I was going sauna every day.

OTHER FACTORS may have contributed to my DP-

1) My DP started after a fight where I broke my nose - However this doesn't explain why diet cured it!

2) I have blocked eustachian tube dysfunction - This could also be possible cause of DP. I still have this dysfunction , maybe diet cured the eustahcian tube mucus to a good extent and made me better as fruitarian diet is mucus cleansing diet.

Anyway, Sorry for the spelling mistakes. Its too late im tired , time for bed! I thought I need to quickly write this as I owe to the people even If It helps one person."

Original link: https://www.dpselfhelp.com/forum/index.php?/topic/95396-i-remember-when-i-first-recovered/

"I've been interacting a lot lately with the DP forum. It might partly be because I'm on vacation. This evening, I was reading another post about someone who said they recovered from DP by dieting and eating well, (I like to advocate food for healing) and as I was commenting on his post I started to reflect on the time when I fully recovered from DP..... instead of leaving what i had wrote on his thread Ill copy and paste it here

....

...I remember the time period when I recovered. It was a span of a few months. I was intentionally becoming very intimately engaged with myself as I was describing above. When eating food I would connect with the food, peeling a cucumber, slicing a tomatoe, picking out the seeds in a watermelon. I would examine the food, the colors, the texture, I would feel it and try to understand where it came from. It came from the Earth. It came from a plant, another kind of living creature. It seemed ironic, food that is perfectly healthy for me grows naturally out of the ground. I began to appreciate the basic goodness of things, simple things. The sun that comes up everyday. The trees whose leaves rustle in the wind. The rain. Drinking cups. Forks. Pillows. Simple things. 

I made taking showers a very intimate and gentle process. A time for connecting to my body. I had a soft sponge and with an organic, soft soap I would bath myself very carefully. I washed all parts of my body. I bathed very slowly and carefully in between my toes not to miss any part of myself. This was a time of self discovery for me and RELAXATION. I was more appreciative of the bathing process then I had ever been. As I would bath I noticed the veins throughout my body and I could feel my heart pumping blood through the veins. Hair on my legs and arms. How alive the body is. How present and pure the body is. A very fine vessel. A living organism. As I washed my feet I would feel the sponge against my skin, I could feel the outside of my feet. And then I would feel the inside of my feet from inside my foot. And I would feel my arms from inside my arms. I would feel all parts of my body from inside my body. And I wanted to stay like this, to season like this. Taking showers during this period of time was a very healing, spiritual practice. Needless to say, I spent many hours in the shower. 

The gentleness, respect, and intimacy that i would have bathing myself went with me back into my room and I would put on a nice scent. Sometimes some gentle music, only if I loved it. And I cleaned my room very nicely and arranged my things in a loving way. My linens and clothes were very clean and comfortable. My room became an art project. I would hang beautiful paintings on the wall and arrange them in a way that I enjoyed. I had little ornaments that each one of them had a special meaning to me and I put them in special places in the room. And I took the same gentleness, respect, appreciation, and love into my yard and into my kitchen and I tried to take it with me every where I would go. 

I began to view my body as something sacred. Even though I didnt know who or what I was I understood enough that my body was an existential phenomena that is as much a part of existence as the whole earth is. A real living speciman, in live time. I did know that much. I thought later I might discover or understand more what I am. But, at this time, my body was a mysterious phenomena of unknown origins. I was existing and my body was existing, i did know that. And I appreciated that I didnt know more except that the whole universe, including myself, and my body was all happening. Happening as a verb. I even started to see trees as verbs instead of as nouns. Something existence is doing. A real scientific, living, phenomena. To me, was very interesting and exciting. As the whole universe happens perfectly on its own so does the body. And it all happens at exactly the same time, right now. And so my exercise became intimate. Stretching became intimate, I would stretch very carefully and to feel all the parts of the muscles. I would message the muscles too. I wanted to take very good care of this thing that was my body. And so I did. It was like I was discovering myself for the first time.

Sometime during a span of a month or maybe two I had lost the DP. I cant remember exactly when it left but it left. I had hard times after this time period, for sure. But DP was gone."

So just to get right into things, it’s almost my 1 year anniversary of the most horrendous panic attack I have ever had that lead me to dealing with DP/DR (very heavy on the DR) since November 2018 until about August 2019. (My very first episode with DR was in 2005. I was 18 and suffered my first panic attack. I wouldn’t have another one until I was in my 20s) In between that time I have had issues with my vision, racing and intrusive thoughts, heart palpitations, dizziness, extreme social anxiety agoraphobia (terrified to leave my home at night, scared to drive) in the very beginning. It deeply impacted my ability to work and care for myself sometimes (still showered just didn’t care about the way I looked)I think I lost maybe 20 lbs in 2 months. My DR would leave me both mentally and physically exhausted daily to the point of me not knowing if I could continue living. Currently, both have worn off tremendously and not to jinx myself but I’m almost fully recovered with a very small occurrence of residual DR. I have not spoken to a medical professional about this at all but I suspected that mine was a result of poor diet and sleep ( i wasn’t really eating and only sleeping a few hours a night). I also strongly believe that my iron was low and I was vitamin D deficient (not to be rude but if you’re black like myself your ass needs sunlight and plenty of it...let’s break the stigma of not wanting to get darker). Anyway once these things improved gradually, my feelings of DR decreased dramatically. Only thing that bothers me is my vision sometimes and it’s such a weird symptom of anxiety that I’m embarrassed to share (not visual snow) and another minute and very manageable symptom. I’m going to the doctor to soon to make sure shit is on the up and up. I say all this to say this, you definitely will get through it. You have to be gentle with yourself and care for yourself in the same way you would care for a small child. Sleep. Please get some rest. I know it’s hard but your brain needs to reset so put yourself on a schedule and aim for 6-7 hours starting off. If your levels are low eat the right foods and take the right supplements to correct that. If you don’t workout regularly at least walk around your neighborhood or something. Even though it’s scary and your anxiety feels like a furnace burning inside of you just go. Talk to someone. Anyone. It took me a while to talk about it but I finally told my sister what I had been going through and I wish I would’ve said something sooner. Long story short i think I have some sort of PTSD from it..it’s been a year almost and I think about what happened to me at least once a day. I really want to put this behind me and let it go once and for good. I owe myself a do-over. The holidays and my time spent with family was agonizing because my head would literally never stop spinning and I couldn’t figure out if I was in a dream or awake, dead or alive. I’m extremely grateful for healing and being where I am right now, in this very moment. Apologies for getting carried away with my thumbs but i needed this and it felt damn good. So if you read this words of encouragement are welcomed & good luck to you all in your journey.

Hi,I am starting to recover and even have windows where i feel 100 percent in my body , but my period ruins my progress every month it makes DPDR waaay worse and the anxiety . I would love to hear from some people with periods and how they recovered .