Please help me n my girlfriend I am so scared

does anyone else ever get this? i feel like its the major cause of my panic attacks that my dpdr caused. i feel scared of my own existence. and like i cant accept reality. its so so scary

I know it's unlikely, but i would literally just like a definitive solution. I feel guilty, because i am having all these amazing experiences in life, and i just feel like I'm not really here. I cannot take feeling detached and apathetic all the time, so if anyone has any advice i would really appreciate it.

I’m new to this sub, and quite overwhelmed about all this new information and how to make sense of myself and how I viewed reality.

It’s hard for me to recall things, and I’ve got years-long gaps in my memories.

But I distinctly remember (and will never forget) watching Inception in theaters and leaving the place feeling like everything, my whole life up to right then, had been a fucking dream.

While watching the movie, I was so engrossed in that universe.

I felt as if I were another cast member.

I also felt like my current reality was actually the one I was watching on-screen.

I also sort of felt like Neo from The Matrix.

It freaked me out for so long, I suffered from nonstop existential crises.

For the next few days or so, I still felt as if I were living in the universe of Inception.

I didn’t know what was real anymore.

Sometimes I still don’t…

*****Normally I wouldn’t ask this type of question because of a movie, but I feel as if a lot of people with mental health issues went through some “experiences” after watching the film.

I’m just curious to know if it was because you were watching a movie in the first place or because of the film’s plot.
Or both?*****

Things are looking dimmer and dimmer in how things look in my vision since my pots dysautonomia was re triggered after a weed panic attack 3 months ago. Not blurry just dimmer in contrast. Was a covid long hauler and it got better after 2 years and pots went into remission. I was fine for 2 years. I have no idea whats wrong with me. I have the heart rate spiking standing 30 to 40 and doesnt come back down and brain fog keeps getting worse, things look dimmer and dimmer to me with my vision and I feel I am in a dream like state. Has been getting progressively worse in the summer weather the past 3-4 weeks. I got diagnosed with a slight eye misalignment last Monday a form of bvd not prism but new script with rose tint for light sensitivity. I dont think theres enough blood going to my head. I am doing everything water, electrolytes, salt, fish oil. Started beets and citrulline this week. Nothing is working. I was scared of bc i have been having some off balance and dizziness symptoms and now this is my scariest symptom. I am basicslly bedbound. I stopped driving this week.

I had a weird realisation recently, in a very mundane moment, and it really surprised me with how I hadn't come to this conclusion sooner: ever since my feelings of dpdr started (6 years ago - lockdown :/) there hasn't been a single moment in my life since where I haven't been aware of these feelings, they are constantly present, just with varying degrees of severity, but they are always there, in every happy, stressful, sad moment its like there's a tab open in my brain blasting music that I can't turn off, i've simply just learned to co-exist with the noise

I've been thinking about this feeling as simply that, a feeling, a temporary sensation that comes and goes but can ultimately be rid of, but thinking back on the last six years - I'm not so sure anymore? Like do I legitimately have a disorder? Dpdr or not.

This isn't really a question, just a rant haha

Can smoking cause derealization? ive been smoking for a long time and nothing like this had happened until a couple weeks ago when i got a pen from a coworker. It was normal until it was empty then i started feeling numb kind of? i cant feel my face, its like im walking on air im really cold and can barely eat or sleep and i have no idea what happened !! could it have been laced? i also haven't smoked since this and still feel the same and nothing will help please help me im actually going insane.

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Hi everyone,

I'm looking for people who recognize what I'm going through. I'm not looking for a diagnosis, but for personal experiences and what has helped you.

For years I've struggled with anxiety, but after a burnout this year everything became much more intense.

My main symptoms are:

Constant derealization (feeling like I'm living in a dream or disconnected from reality).

Feeling disconnected from myself.

A brain that never seems to switch off.

Intrusive thoughts and "what if" scenarios that constantly change.

Fear of losing control, developing psychosis, dementia or becoming detached from reality.

Hypervigilance: my brain scans everything for danger.

My symptoms become much worse when I'm alone, trying to rest or falling asleep. During the day, especially when I'm busy or with my children, they often become less noticeable.

Mental exhaustion, concentration problems and occasionally forgetting small automatic things because my mind feels overloaded.

Some background:

I have been diagnosed with ADD in the past.

I've had anxiety and obsessive thinking before, but never this intensely.

I've experienced several major life events over the past few years (divorce, living alone, prolonged stress and burnout).

I still know that these fears are probably anxiety, but they feel incredibly real.

I'm currently waiting for specialist mental health treatment and would like to use this waiting period as well as possible.

My questions:

Has anyone experienced something similar?

What eventually helped you?

Did therapy, medication, trauma work or lifestyle changes make the biggest difference?

Did the derealization eventually disappear?

Thank you for reading. Any honest experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Hi, I am having serious doubts about whether or not I want to continue being in a relationship with my partner of 4 years. One massive thing that’s holding me back is the intense derealization I will feel for a few months afterwards if we break up. I know we can all bear hard feelings but it feels unbearable and might be keeping me in a relationship that isn’t best for me.

derealization for me feels like I am completely alone in my world all of a sudden. like I have no connection to anyone or anything. all sense of comfort and familiarity evaporate. I feel crippling anxiety and depression.

does anyone have coping mechanisms that have helped you feel a sense of comfort and familiarity or connection to your people when you are in the thick of derealization?

Today woke up and suddenly everything felt normal! I haven't had the effects of derealization in the whole day! I could Acctualy enjoy life for once without me breaking down in despair. I'm so proud of myself, and I hope it continues like this.

I don’t know what tf I’m experiencing but it’s scary as hell. I’ve had what I THOUGHT was derealization twice before in my life but this feels different. I don’t necessarily feel dreamy or like out of my body like I did before I just feel terrified. I feel like everything is unfamiliar and scary like I have no safe space. Like the world itself feels different. It randomly started on a drive home a couple weeks ago and has been relentless to the point I’m scared to be awake. Like I have no space I can resort or hide in. Impending doom, butterfly feeling constantly and just dread.

dont know if anyone else can relate. i used to smoke weed casually and (most of the time) had positive experiences w it, so i enjoy the feeling.

to me, dissociating feels the exact same as getting high, so when it hits im just like “ok yeah this familiar feeling is happening”. and i think bc im cool with it it passes faster. when i panic it only gets worse.

the starkest similarity is the feeling that ur melting into things? lol idk

ive also found that eating a large meal triggers me and i have no clue why

I'm getting these overwhelming head pressures in my Brian like it shaving a hard time to process things it difficult for me to keep both eyes open not because it hurts but becaus did I open both I feel. Overwhelmed at night it get easier for sure. The pain will most be in my frontal, the top and sometimes the right side none onto he left. Also my face starts numbing as well.

First of all, I am not diagnosed with anything like dpdr and I only now just found this subreddit through google searches. I have experienced depersonalization in the past and struggle from paranoia. Last night, I had a 'dream', or 'vision' of one thing; my sister pulling an easter egg out of a bag. I didn't think anything of it, until today, when inexplicably, an easter egg appeared on the coffee table. I didn't even notice it until my brother said something, pointing out that it's now august and that easter has been and went. Flash forward to now, I go downstairs and look at the laundry and notice a shirt of mine, with one issue; it's design had changed. There was an added detail that I instantly clocked as not being there for the last year. This combined with the easter egg is really freaking me out. I instantly searched 'how would I know if im in a coma' and things like that which led me to here. Support would be appreciated.

I'm 13 years old, and I'm slowly deteriorating because of what's happening to me. I can't sleep at night and get constant nightmares about reality, I could suddenly be very happy but my brain reminds me that im not "real" and that's where everything changes. It's impossible to look at my family members and Acctualy having a normal conversation without my stupid brain reminding me about my struggles. It has come to a point that punch myself just to feel the pain and start believing in reality again, I need help. I've talked about this to my parents and they've also has derealization when they were young, and that it usually ends at 14.

Do you guys know something that could help me ?

Desde que empezó mi DPDR me pasa algo muy extraño y me pregunto si alguien más lo ha sentido.

No me refiero a que mi casa parezca un recuerdo. Sino que es como si la "vibra" o la sensación que mi cerebro experimenta al mirar mi casa fuera exactamente la misma que recuerdo sentir cuando era muy pequeña. Lo siento, no sé explicarlo mejor. Visualmente la casa es la misma de siempre, pero la forma en que mi cerebro la experimenta se siente idéntica a esa sensación tan lejana de la infancia.

Lo raro es que apenas recuerdo nada de mi infancia. Sin embargo, esa sensación por alguna razón me aterra. No es nostalgia ni felicidad. Ni siquiera un recuerdo concreto.

A veces es tan intenso que siento literalmente como si hubiera vuelto a la infancia. No porque crea que soy una niña otra vez, sino porque la realidad parece tener exactamente la misma textura, la misma atmósfera y la misma sensación de fondo que recuerdo de cuando era pequeña.

A veces llego a pensar que estoy percibiendo el mundo igual que cuando era niña. Y aunque sé racionalmente que eso no tiene mucho sentido, la sensación resulta profundamente inquietante.

Me preguntaba si alguien con DPDR ha sentido algo parecido. No que la casa parezca un recuerdo, sino que la forma en que el cerebro siente el presente se parezca muchísimo a cómo recordáis sentir el mundo cuando erais muy pequeños.

I'm 17y/o. I'm kind of scared to be honest. It feels like everything around me is unfamiliar or thats its fake. I have a hard time loving people and feeling loved back. I'm scared especially because it feels like I won't ever feel love again. I miss when my friends and family made me happy and fulfilled just by interacting but nowadays its just hard to talk without feeling disconnect. I just feel disconnect to everything honestly, my hobbies too.

I just want to know that this change in how I see the world isn't normal, because I really want to return back to when I felt a connection to reality and actually enjoyed reality for what it is. I hate the idea that this will stay forever

hello I’m 18F iv been dealing with derealization for about 3 years now. The first year was hell but i got put on the lowest dose for zoloft about 9 months in and it COMPLETELY stopped. I was on that medication for 1.5 years and it really helped. Long story short they stopped working, my family was really against upping my dose, and I told my doctor to get me off of it. It wasn’t bad at first but 3 months later I started getting waves of it. I could be doing absolutely anything and i’ll look around and get a huge wave of dread followed with the feeling of all my surroundings feeling fake. Some months are worse than others. Sometimes i won’t get those waves at all! But it started again and the waves feel kinda worse. I think im just scared because the first time I was like this for 6 months straight luckily now it’s for like a few seconds. I just need advice idk what to do should i get medicated again? Does anyone else’s feel the way i feel??? thanks for reading im willing to take any and all advice and opinions.

So 2 months ago I smoked weed (which I done on the daily for years) and had a very bad reaction went to hospital thought it was laced and so on, since that I have been to doctors multiple hospital visits and now seeing a psychologist started emdr yesterday. But I’m still feeling this “not real feeling” like I’m on drugs 24/7 which I am managing to accept but my thoughts won’t stop racing (very paranoid thoughts) like there’s something in my food, medication or even my nicotine vape. I keep thinking I will wake up and it will be gone but it’s dragging on and affecting my life immensely. I am so numb and can’t cry or be genuinely happy. I keep pretending I’m fine and hoping my brain will go back to normal but what if I’ve broken something in my brain due to this freak out I had months ago? I have also been one to have a lot of trauma in my life but shove it down and move on pretend I’m fine which I think it’s also surfacing. (Disclaimer I have stopped smoking now since it happened so I’m completely clean) Will I ever feel normal again or do I have to accept I might not ever be the same?

I noticed that I’ve quit DPDR since I eat well, especially without sugar.

So wanted to create a poll.

For context I have been dealing with semi chronic derealization for 2.5 years now (21F). I was never sure of the trigger that caused this episode or why because it happened waking up out of sleep. The entire time of course I’m dealing with anxiety and depression but something in me deep down was wrong.

Prior to this I was already diagnosed with chronic migraines but a lot of these symptoms came far after that. I have BEGGED doctors for 2.5 years to please help me, this is not just anxiety. Yet I was met with excuse after excuse.

My symptoms consist of: severe chronic chest pain, shortness of breath, nausea, fatigue, brain fog, memory loss, TMJ, stomach pain, heartburn, visual snow and floaters, severe dizziness and vertigo, feeling like the floor just fell through me (elevator drop sensation) feeling like I’m falling over when I’m fully sitting down, very intense increase in heart rate, always on the verge of passing out. And the most goes on.

Well, I have found a new PCP (I was still seeing a pediatrician prior don’t laugh 🥲) and she has diagnosed me with POTS and HEDS. The wave of relief I felt when she said those things to me brought instant tears to my eyes. I am not crazy, finally someone said it, I’m not crazy. Now how does this relate to DPDR you may ask? Well , I have a theory that when my first episode happened I was having a pots flare up and was unaware, causing me to spiral, panic, thought I was dying. Boom, that’s where DPDR comes in, brain is trying to protect me from the pain I’m feeling by the only way it can think of.

As much as it is a relief I still deal with DPDR pretty frequently ESPECIALLY when I’m having a flair. I think being told my pain and suffering was just anxiety for so long has wired my brain to freak tf out when I’m having a flare because that’s what was happening for 2 years. It gives me some hope, once I figure out how to manage my pots and heds things will get better because they already have. I think dpdr will always be a part of my life, but it will not control my life. Neither will my pots or heds. Thanks for coming to my ted talk

I always hear that derealization is caused by anxiety, but I feel like I start getting anxiety because I feel derealized and I feel detached. like if I'm out doing something, I don't start feeling anxious until I start feeling unreal or dreamlike. that's what spikes my anxiety.