Derealization Problems? Ideas?
Question by Bobby: Derealization problems? Ideas?
Hi, I’m 16 and I have been feeling pretty weird for quite some time now, I tried explaining to a pshyciatrist my symptoms but they didn’t quite understand how I’m feeling. It’s like a constant dead/dreaming feeling. It’s almost as if nothing is real. And my memory is blurred, everything I do is blurred actually. And I didn’t feel this way before I started smoking marijuana. I haven’t smoked since a little after Halloween because of this after feeling. Does anyone know what this is or if it will ever go away?
Best answer:
Answer by Robert
I think you wise to discontinue the use of Marijuana. Indeed it does alter brain chemistry and can, in some, create such a lasting imbalance. Just like some individuals can take certain medications with little to no side effects and others will have violent reactions. Are you sure it wasn’t laced? The feeling you describe sounds ALOT like a flash back from LSD or Ketamine. That surreal weird feeling. If this is the case, you may have these eppisodes for many more months but it will eventually dissipate. A psychiatrist may have no experience with the symptoms you are experiencing. A neurologist would be the doctor to see. I wish you well – treat your body with respect…It will reward you for it, and you are worth it.
Answer by Barry
Depersonalization/derealization: Opester, a therapist with more than 20 years of experience, specialising in dissociative disorders, and former contributor here, provided a post which is well worth viewing at: http://au.answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AjGm6SZeDl.EmP3AKExBq3fh5gt.;_ylv=3?qid=20070729124635AAGBzdb&show=7#profile-info-418bccfb9324deeab3120af8e1ccb6ffaa Regard DP/DR as being purely temporary.
Advice from other therapists, and sufferers: When affected, run your hands under cold water for several minutes. Adapt the following to your situation: Look around and find 5 colours; feel 4 different textures; smell 3 different odours, and taste 2 different things. Focus on your hands for several minutes, multiple times daily. Try snapping a rubber band on your wrist, lightly, at first, then increasingly harder; remove afterwards, and pocket.
Give the EFT a good tryout, to see if it helps you. It is free via the searchbar at http://www.mercola.com “EFT” & “EFT therapists” or www.tapping.com (13 free videos). Professional is best. – There is a version for use in public places, (if you want to, you can claim to have a headache, as you employ the acupressure massage/tapping on your temples, but you would then be restricted to subvocalising: [repeating to yourself in your mind] ) “Even though I sometimes suffer from depersonalization/derealization, I deeply and completely accept myself”. Use the PMR, at http://www.drcoxconsulting.com/managing-stress.html
DP/DR often results from anxiety/panic attacks, so if this applies in your case, see http://your-mental-health.weebly.com/1.html
about anxiety, and/or panic, then pages h, & i. Neo-Reichian therapy has been recommended for DP/DR, but I suggest using the above treatments for at least several weeks, as they may well be all that are required. Also view http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depersonalization but TMS (radiation exposure) and naloxone (see www.drugs.com ) should be kept in reserve, due to their relative risks.
RECOMMENDED READING:
Derealization, by Frederic P. Miller, Agnes F. Vandome, and John McBrewster, & Overcoming Depersonalization Disorder: A Mindfulness & Acceptance Guide to Conquering Feelings of Numbness & Unreality by Fugen A. Neziroglu, & Feeling Unreal: Depersonalization Disorder and the Loss of the Self, by Daphne Simeon and Jeffrey Abugel, and Depersonalization: A New Look at a Neglected Syndrome, and The Stranger In The Mirror by Marlene Steinberg and Maxine Schnall, and Depersonalization Disorder Medical Guide by Qontro Medical Guides, and The Haunted Self: Structural Dissociation and the Treatment of Chronic Traumatization (Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology) by Onno van der Hart, Ellert R. S. Nijenhuis, and Kathy Steele, from your bookstore, or www.amazon.com
Google DP/DR chat sites & forums, such as www.anxietyzone.com & http://www.dpselfhelp.com/forum and ask what worked for them, such as: http://www.dpselfhelp.com/forum/index.php?/topic/20892-the-holy-grail-of-curing-dpdr/
I suggest minimising, or avoiding fluorescent lights when reasonably possible; check out: http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&source=hp&biw=1899&bih=888&q=depersonalization+%2B+derealization%3B+fluorescent+lighting&btnG=Google+Search&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=