![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 12 to 36 of 52. Go back in thread:
Posted by Carolyn T on July 20, 1999, at 19:16:48
In reply to CRAIG and everyone please read, posted by Rene' on July 2, 1999, at 21:11:17
To craig,
I relate to what you are saying about feelings of unreality. I know all too well what you are describing. For me when those feelings are present I feel it is as if everyone and everything in the entire world is operating & functioning in the world I used to know and try as hard as I can to become apart of that world that I used to function in, I just can't. It is as if I am looking into a window and everyone else is there by I am isolated & can not become main streamed with them. It is as if nothing is real.
Is that how you feel? I am new to this bulletin board and was browsing and hope you receive this message. Take care and please reply!!!
i posted a message on last months posts about a constant derealization/depersonalization feeling that i have constantly and have had for 1 year and 3 months. i am so tired all the time mentally and physically. for those of you that have never heard the term before, it is a feeling of unreality, like you are living in a waking dream. i would love some support and advice for dealing with this, along with some testimonials for those of you that experience this disorder, or forms of it. thank you very much, rene'
Posted by Theresa on November 17, 1999, at 10:37:58
In reply to Re: CRAIG and everyone please read - Unreality, posted by Carolyn T on July 20, 1999, at 19:16:48
> To craig,
>
> I relate to what you are saying about feelings of unreality. I know all too well what you are describing. For me when those feelings are present I feel it is as if everyone and everything in the entire world is operating & functioning in the world I used to know and try as hard as I can to become apart of that world that I used to function in, I just can't. It is as if I am looking into a window and everyone else is there by I am isolated & can not become main streamed with them. It is as if nothing is real.
> Is that how you feel? I am new to this bulletin board and was browsing and hope you receive this message. Take care and please reply!!!
>
>
>
>
> i posted a message on last months posts about a constant derealization/depersonalization feeling that i have constantly and have had for 1 year and 3 months. i am so tired all the time mentally and physically. for those of you that have never heard the term before, it is a feeling of unreality, like you are living in a waking dream. i would love some support and advice for dealing with this, along with some testimonials for those of you that experience this disorder, or forms of it. thank you very much, rene'
I have been living the same nightmare that some of you have described. Almost 3 years ago, like an idiot, I decided I would try to lose some weight by taking a relatives diet pills- big mistake! It ended 3 days later in an extreme panic attack on the highway- and a week or two later a constant state of derealization.
I have complained of the symptoms to general practitioners, pshychiatrists, pshycologists, counselors, and the like. No one has the answer. I feel as if I view life through a telescope- everything is distant and foggy and feel as if my vision is limited. My sense of hearing also seems to be affected a little. My memory has gotten worse and my sense of time has been lost.
I presently take Prozac (30mg daily) It has decreased my panic attacks to nearly none- but not much seems to help the derealization. I have been in therapy off and on since this occured but it doesn't affect the feelings either. Some of you said that other people notice that you may act weird. No one thinks I act any differently than when I wasn't complaining of this. They often think that I am "better"- unless I bring the subject up. It is very depressing to think about- I have stood in my bathroom at night crying and begging
God to cure me of this problem-( I know I'm really cheering y'all up!) But I refuse to give up hope- even though life doesn't seem real- I am going to live as if it did. I hope y'all can find some relief from your symptoms- I will pray for you.
Posted by Craig on November 18, 1999, at 1:34:16
In reply to Re: CRAIG and everyone please read - Unreality, posted by Theresa on November 17, 1999, at 10:37:58
On the subject of depersonalization and derealization, I was wondering if others have noticed that certain situations seem to make these feelings more intense. For example, if I'm in a store with bright lights, it's worse. I was walking around Target and Best Buy tonight and the bright fluorescent lights made me feel even more removed from the other shoppers. I can see everyone walking around, but I just don't feel part of what they're doing even though I'm doing pretty much the same thing that they are. It is a surreal experience. I also notice that my eyes seem to lock in a kind of stare and I have to tell myself to blink. Nobody notices that anything is wrong with me, so it isn't anything obvious to anyone but me. It is intense to me and if I think about it too much, I fall out of myself even more. Then I start to dissociate. It seems like other people in this thread either don't dissociate or maybe they don't know they're dissociating. Does anyone else feel themselves falling into a trance state? I've always been this way, so there is not a specific incident that I trace this to. I have driven around the city I've always lived in and gotten the feeling that I'm lost while in familiar surroundings. That's hard to describe. I can be very logical and say I couldn't possibly be lost, but the feeling persists. Thinking about all this now isn't helping me any. I'm staring at my keyboard as I type and my hands seem to be far away from me. The keys are moving and I know I have to be the one typing, but my hands seem disconnected from me. It is a very odd feeling. I don't feel "together" but I know that I must be. Well, it's time to stop thinking about all this. I wish I could be more helpful to you all, but I guess I have to figure out myself what to do.---Craig (by the way, there's another Craig who has begun posting to this board. My posts usually center around the same topic as this, so I hope people aren't getting confused.)
Posted by Deanna on April 4, 2000, at 0:24:48
In reply to CRAIG and everyone please read, posted by Rene' on July 2, 1999, at 21:11:17
> i posted a message on last months posts about a constant derealization/depersonalization feeling that i have constantly and have had for 1 year and 3 months. i am so tired all the time mentally and physically. for those of you that have never heard the term before, it is a feeling of unreality, like you are living in a waking dream. i would love some support and advice for dealing with this, along with some testimonials for those of you that experience this disorder, or forms of it. thank you very much, rene'
Rene,
Hi im a 17 yr. old female who has had (what i believe i have) derealization for the past 7 yrs. at first it would only come every great once in a while but, then it started to plague me every day. Now i feel DR every day of my life. Like
right now i feel it. Its so uncomfortable. I always lived on the fantasy of it going away but, I know it never will (at least copmletley).
I have come to live with it and and try to distract my mind by doing things with my friends,
That way I can't think about DR unless it desides to pop in my mind all the sudden. You can help your self stay grounded by keeping all of your 5 senses alert...... that seems to help or go outside and feel the wind up against your skin.
Please contact me for more support at
daizy_luna@hotmail.com
Posted by Doug on April 12, 2000, at 16:47:12
In reply to Re: CRAIG and everyone please read - Unreality, posted by Craig on November 18, 1999, at 1:34:16
People,
I had this exact same problem when I was 16.
I am now 41 years old and its strange to remember
how much trouble I had coping with it. For,
instance, when I would be in a large department
store, I would have trouble focusing my mind
on a particlar item on the shelf (I'm not taking
about visual focus, but mentally isolating a
specific item which I was looking for). What
was so troubling is that the change occured
almost overnight and linked (I think) to the use
of pot (panic reaction). I felt that I had
suddenly developed a barrier in my visual
preception of the world, which took one or
two years to shake off. When it would bother
me, I found that reading would take my mind
off of it. It eventually either went away or
my mind adapted and overcame it. I think that
it was the later, but I'm not sure and I don't
know if I could tell the difference. I think
that the key to overcomming it is to accept it
and deal with it, but don't expect it to go
away. When you truly come to grips with it
then it will gradually cease to be a problem
and you will forget you ever had it (well almost).
Posted by Marie D on August 29, 2000, at 13:45:08
In reply to Re: CRAIG and everyone please read - Unreality, posted by Doug on April 12, 2000, at 16:47:12
> I have suffered from panic attacks for the last couple of years but even worse is the derealization which goes along with them. Like sharon I also have searched for a medical condition with these symptoms and have developed a form of hyprocondia as a result!!! Having read this page I am slightly reassured that I am not going mad. Can anyone identify with the feeling of looking at family members, including my husband and feeling like they all exist in a different world and they are like strangers to me? It is very hard to describe but frightening. At my worst I also have awful ringing in my ears.
>
> People,
> I had this exact same problem when I was 16.
> I am now 41 years old and its strange to remember
> how much trouble I had coping with it. For,
> instance, when I would be in a large department
> store, I would have trouble focusing my mind
> on a particlar item on the shelf (I'm not taking
> about visual focus, but mentally isolating a
> specific item which I was looking for). What
> was so troubling is that the change occured
> almost overnight and linked (I think) to the use
> of pot (panic reaction). I felt that I had
> suddenly developed a barrier in my visual
> preception of the world, which took one or
> two years to shake off. When it would bother
> me, I found that reading would take my mind
> off of it. It eventually either went away or
> my mind adapted and overcame it. I think that
> it was the later, but I'm not sure and I don't
> know if I could tell the difference. I think
> that the key to overcomming it is to accept it
> and deal with it, but don't expect it to go
> away. When you truly come to grips with it
> then it will gradually cease to be a problem
> and you will forget you ever had it (well almost).
Posted by Craig on August 30, 2000, at 2:13:20
In reply to Re: CRAIG and everyone please read - Unreality, posted by Marie D on August 29, 2000, at 13:45:08
You've probably already read the archives on this subject, so I don't know what else to add. Besides these, there have been a couple of even older threads on depersonalization/derealization/dissociation. Can I help you with anything else?
Posted by Marie D on August 31, 2000, at 5:49:14
In reply to Re: CRAIG and everyone please read - Unreality » Marie D, posted by Craig on August 30, 2000, at 2:13:20
> Thankyou for your very quick reply Craig.
Yes, I have read the archives and they were helpful.
Just knowing that there are other people out there experiencing the same thing, is an enormous help in itself.
In one month I may experience about 10 days of this feeling. Is it usual to "float" in and out of it like this for no apparant reason? I will check this page periodically to see if anyone comes up with any ideas to alleviate the symptoms.Thankyou so much
Posted by Nina Anderson on January 28, 2001, at 21:34:09
In reply to Re: CRAIG and everyone please read - Unreality, posted by Marie D on August 31, 2000, at 5:49:14
hi everyone. I am 19 and have had this feeling for 3 years I am so excited to know that I am not alone. I always thought I was for no one ever understood what I was going through. I relate to all of you and pray to God every day that this will go away. I will now also pray for you all. If anyone has an answer please let me know. I will check back here alot to see if anyone has got an answer. Thank You so much
> > Thankyou for your very quick reply Craig.
>
> Yes, I have read the archives and they were helpful.
> Just knowing that there are other people out there experiencing the same thing, is an enormous help in itself.
> In one month I may experience about 10 days of this feeling. Is it usual to "float" in and out of it like this for no apparant reason? I will check this page periodically to see if anyone comes up with any ideas to alleviate the symptoms.
>
> Thankyou so much
Posted by Lila on February 5, 2001, at 15:51:48
In reply to Re: CRAIG and everyone please read - Unreality, posted by Nina Anderson on January 28, 2001, at 21:34:09
> hi everyone. I am 19 and have had this feeling for 3 years I am so excited to know that I am not alone. I always thought I was for no one ever understood what I was going through. I relate to all of you and pray to God every day that this will go away. I will now also pray for you all. If anyone has an answer please let me know. I will check back here alot to see if anyone has got an answer. Thank You so much
> > > Thankyou for your very quick reply Craig.
> >
> > Yes, I have read the archives and they were helpful.
> > Just knowing that there are other people out there experiencing the same thing, is an enormous help in itself.
> > In one month I may experience about 10 days of this feeling. Is it usual to "float" in and out of it like this for no apparant reason? I will check this page periodically to see if anyone comes up with any ideas to alleviate the symptoms.
> >
> > Thankyou so muchI had major problems with this, and Depakote took it away pretty much completely. Depakote is an anticonvulsant that is used for epilepsy, mood stabilization, and migraines. Try it out with a psychiatrist or a neurologist. It worked amazingly well for me, and it was so great and such a relief to have it go away. It is awful! Try out a low dosage and see what happens...maybe it will work for someone else.
Posted by Craig on February 6, 2001, at 0:58:54
In reply to Re: CRAIG and everyone please read - Unreality, posted by Lila on February 5, 2001, at 15:51:48
Sorry to say, but I took Depakote for 6 months and all it did was make me gain a lot of weight.
***********************************
> I had major problems with this, and Depakote took it away pretty much completely. Depakote is an anticonvulsant that is used for epilepsy, mood stabilization, and migraines. Try it out with a psychiatrist or a neurologist. It worked amazingly well for me, and it was so great and such a relief to have it go away. It is awful! Try out a low dosage and see what happens...maybe it will work for someone else.
Posted by Jammie on March 30, 2001, at 11:04:18
In reply to Re: CRAIG and everyone please read - Unreality, posted by Craig on February 6, 2001, at 0:58:54
> Sorry to say, but I took Depakote for 6 months and all it did was make me gain a lot of weight.
>
> ***********************************
> > I had major problems with this, and Depakote took it away pretty much completely. Depakote is an anticonvulsant that is used for epilepsy, mood stabilization, and migraines. Try it out with a psychiatrist or a neurologist. It worked amazingly well for me, and it was so great and such a relief to have it go away. It is awful! Try out a low dosage and see what happens...maybe it will work for someone else.
Hi sufferers! I have some good news. I spent my life with such things as dis-association, unreality, and panic and anxiety attacks. I also spent my life with up to 16 amalgam (mercury) fillings in my mouth. As I was getting older I was having fillings replaced with fresh new silver. And coincidently started having constant fear and anxiety. It took a year and a half, trying mental meds etc. before The Lord led me to the answer! I Had Mercury poisoning! I had all my amalgams removed asap. With each Appt the symptoms get worse for a few days before they get better. It has been a few weeks and I am still going through Chelation to get the mercury out of the brain. I am doing so great! At my new Biological dentist I have read dozens of testimonials--all very similar--sounds too simple don't it.
Mercury Poisoning is why the Hatters went Madd in the 1800's. Look it up! Get the Mercury out of the mouth. It is classified as Hazardous waste!
Please consider it. Good Luck and God Bless!
Posted by furryz on July 24, 2003, at 10:26:40
In reply to Re: CRAIG and everyone please read, posted by Cass on July 3, 1999, at 17:42:09
i'm glad to know that so mny people share this feeling. I am 17 and have been having these feelings for a few months now as well as severe anxiety/panic attacks and depression. My psychiatrist said that the depersonalization/derealization was a symptom of my panic disorder. Even though it occures nearly 24 hours a day, it still is connected to my panic attacks wich i only get about once a day. I have been taking lexapro (antidepressant) for panic disorder for about 3 weeks now and so far i have oonly gotten worse. according to my psychiatrist that is normal and i will probably feel much better in about 3 more weeks. If any of you are experiencing panic attacks as well, the symptoms of depersonalization/derealization are almost certainly connected. Either way i would suggest to ask a psychiatrist about SSRI's (selective seretonin reuptake inhibitors) as they seem to have a good track record with this type of thing. I hope that this helps.
Posted by natas4u on July 25, 2003, at 16:33:43
In reply to Re: CRAIG and everyone please read » Cass, posted by furryz on July 24, 2003, at 10:26:40
It is great to find people that share the same feeling. I was begening to think it was my imagination. My derealization is permanent, although if I panic or I concentrate I can make it disapear for a split second. I always thought that I had the special hability to sea the world in a more intense way. Recently I realised that those split seconds of intensity are what normal people sense all the time, not me being a magic elve with mental powers. No body notices this in my conduct unless I tell them. It's just on all the time and I really can't imagine life with out it, although I am determined to beat it now that I now it. I guess that is why I cope pretty good. I also have a story of violence in my child hood and actually I think it is quite simple to relate to panic atacks that are at the same time induced by traumatick experiences, although I am no expert. I am quite sure derealization is a way of the body to cope with panic atacks, it makes the exterior imput have less impact in your system, reducing whatever makes you be afraid. Problem is it's a general shut down, for what other type of feelings will also be lighter. I guess the more permanent , in time and intensity, the panic feeling is in the unconsciouss the more your body has to make use of the numbing effect of the exterior world (and the interior). Have it as an example: You are in a jungle and all of a suden you encounter a lion. You know he is hungry and you look deliciouss. First you will panic, but if that is the only thing you do it will eat you for supper, because instead if climbing to a tree you will freeze in horror. What you need is control of your emotions in order to escape, for what they have to be less intense. Be lucid enough to climb a tree (this is the awarness that keeps people from noticing us all the time), but not feel enough to be in panic again (derealization). I know my unconciouss has a lion waiting for me when I stop being numb (that fstidious capability of the mind to be scared of things that are no longer there) I've seen it when I get panick attacks. Believe it or not I'm provocking them to convince the part of me that thinks I am still going to get beat that there is no longer nothing to be afraid of. It is this state of permanent alert that lays beneath the aparent calm that has me so tired and might even get me confused with lack of stamina or a little depressive. I am not sure about this but anti-depressives ussualy act upon the quantity of Serotonine in your brain, they make you have more. For what I have read serotonine makes you more active and I am quite sure that is what people like me don't need. So I can relate to being less capable of realizating my self when taking anti-depressives. I think there is way to little studies of this type of disorder and I think it is a mistake., as i think fear and conscience of death is very widly extended in trauma victims. Sorry for extending my self, but I have really thought a lot about this and I really felt very lonely. Needed to know the existence of people like you. Today is a happy day
Posted by furryz on July 25, 2003, at 19:55:04
In reply to Re: CRAIG and everyone please read » furryz, posted by natas4u on July 25, 2003, at 16:33:43
although more seratonin does make you more active, it is not in the way that you would think. My mind always races which is part of my problem, so the last thing i need is to make me more mentally energetic. The first two weeks on SSRIs you do feel more anxious and most symptoms will become worse, but then you should return to normal after between 3 and 6 weeks. Usually after 6 weeks you feel much better. Still, the feelings will probably never completely dissapate. All the drug does is help you to deal with your problems
Posted by natas4u on July 26, 2003, at 4:09:07
In reply to Re: CRAIG and everyone please read, posted by furryz on July 25, 2003, at 19:55:04
First of all sorry for my alias. It might offend some people but it's a name I got from a skate boarding hero from my youth.
Secondly I would like to speak about something I forgot to mention. For what I have heard we interact with our selves and our surrounding through emotions. That is objects provide us with emotions for what when emocionaly numbed reality seems like a dream.
I raeally did not want to extend my self in Serotonine and SSRI because of people undergoing treatment with these drugs. My girl friend described to me the derealization state, before she even new it is my way of life. She was induced into it from taking SSRI, when she stopped taking it, it disapeared.
My mind also races all the time. It is working under huge stress constantly so i think that is only obvious.
My memory has been getting worst and I can not sustain concentration unless the matter is extremely interesting or convinient. For one side things don't seem to be important enough to memorize and for the other I don't seem to have time.
Have you tried stopping your mind? It's really hard for me, but when I do it it's like I've sudenly gone dumb. Mind stops speaking. After about ten minutes reality is more powerfull, although not as powefull as that split second I can see it out of will power.
Another thing i do to stop my miind from racing is not doing things all the time and quickly. I force my self to go slow and try not to get envolved in to many things. Although when I stop my rithm I do get panic atacks. I guess the beast is catching up. For that what I do is stop complettly and let it reach me. It's scary but you eventually realize that nothing is going to hapen. Then you can rest.
If there is a drug that can help I think it has to be one that awakens your senses by relaxing.
A way I think is pretty good to identify what the derealization feeling is is with movies. Any body seen The Blair Witch Project? Campare it to any other movie. I think it is quite scary because it has been filmed in Super 8 and domestic cameras. The sense I get when I get a glance of the intesity of reality is like going from a regular Hollywood movie to The Blair Witch Project.
This is how I figured out derealization.
Posted by Burnout on October 22, 2003, at 23:15:08
In reply to Re: CRAIG and everyone please read, posted by Cass on July 3, 1999, at 17:42:09
All my life it seems I have had a terrible time with what I call 'Anxiety'. As a young teenager my nickname was 'burnout'. Everybody in school called me this. I guess because it was like I 'wasn't there' and even as an adult, a few times friends have commented that sometimes it's like I'm 'not there'. My head is always full of thoughts, silly little things that change all the time but the thinking goes on and on. Often when I go out somewhere, well, earlier I went to the supermarket. As I was walking, all the time I felt like a robot, extremely self-conscious and awkward, and fearful. Constantly thinking about how uptight and uncomfortable I feel but also knowing that its my thinking that is causing this but I can't stop it. I am this way often, always ill at ease and uncomfortable and afraid, of nothing! Often lights seem like they are too bright. Sometimes I feel like I'm losing my mind. I have done a terrible job I think, of describing this and like someone else wrote 'looking for something that fit my symptoms'. The closest thing I have found is maybe derealization/depersonalization - I often feel like a robot. Although I am of above average intelligence and a creative, (though very abstract) thinker, I have always had the biggest blind spot for the obvious. I'm not sure I really know what DR/DP is and the other thing that comes to mind is "obsessive thinking". I didn't think that sounded like me but then in some recent looking around the net I have learned that the term "obsessive thinking" really means 'thinking too much'. I thought it meant thinking about the same thing over and over. Valium seems to be the only thing that helps - it relieves anxiety, at least most of it, for awhile. I have tried xanax - slow acting and just makes me tired without anxiety relief, - ativan - doesn't seem to do anything, - klonopin - helps only a little takes a long time to work at all, and really isn't much help. Over the years I have tried many antidepressants with no help. And I don't think I'm depressed. But I've tried, over the many years, tofranil, anafranil (i haven't seen a psychiatrist in a long time but anafranil seemed to help a little), luvox, wellbutrin, paxil, zoloft, several other SSRI's. I don't know what my problem is and I think my inability to accurately paint a picture of my 'symptoms' prevented an accurate diagnosis. I am also a recovering alcoholic (just over 2 years - truly a miracle) I drank for more that 20 years. ButI was self medicating. Alcohol helped me cope better thank any pill but I just can't drink. I don't know what to do. Any thoughts, links/resources, suggestions or if what I've said rings a few bells I would appreciate your thoughts.
Thanks & peace
Posted by Burnout on October 22, 2003, at 23:32:27
In reply to Re: CRAIG and everyone please read - Unreality, posted by Craig on November 18, 1999, at 1:34:16
After my first post I finished reading all the other replies, and this one, posted by Theresa (in 1999) sounds EXACTLY like me. Here's what she wrote:
On the subject of depersonalization and derealization, I was wondering if others have noticed that certain situations seem to make these feelings more intense. For example, if I'm in a store with bright lights, it's worse. I was walking around Target and Best Buy tonight and the bright fluorescent lights made me feel even more removed from the other shoppers. I can see everyone walking around, but I just don't feel part of what they're doing even though I'm doing pretty much the same thing that they are. It is a surreal experience. I also notice that my eyes seem to lock in a kind of stare and I have to tell myself to blink. Nobody notices that anything is wrong with me, so it isn't anything obvious to anyone but me. It is intense to me and if I think about it too much, I fall out of myself even more. Then I start to dissociate. It seems like other people in this thread either don't dissociate or maybe they don't know they're dissociating. Does anyone else feel themselves falling into a trance state? I've always been this way, so there is not a specific incident that I trace this to. I have driven around the city I've always lived in and gotten the feeling that I'm lost while in familiar surroundings. That's hard to describe. I can be very logical and say I couldn't possibly be lost, but the feeling persists. Thinking about all this now isn't helping me any. I'm staring at my keyboard as I type and my hands seem to be far away from me. The keys are moving and I know I have to be the one typing, but my hands seem disconnected from me. It is a very odd feeling. I don't feel "together" but I know that I must be. Well, it's time to stop thinking about all this. I wish I could be more helpful to you all, but I guess I have to figure out myself what to do.---Craig (by the way, there's another Craig who has begun posting to this board. My posts usually center around the same topic as this, so I hope people aren't getting confused.)
This is a very good description of ME! Much clearer than what I wrote earlier myself.
Posted by KimberlyDi on October 23, 2003, at 8:27:04
In reply to Maybe this will help explain a bit better, posted by Burnout on October 22, 2003, at 23:32:27
I can't relate to the extreme that you and the other poster are affected by this. I do get lost in myself. It's always a problem when driving. I'm also overwhelmed by ping-ponging thoughts. When I'm bored, I trace the ping-ponging thoughts back to the origin. I've never realized this before... I've never liked Target, and now I believe it is because of all that glaring white. And I would rather go to several smaller stores than do 1-stop shopping at a Walmart Supercenter. All those people swarming around, as removed from me as a colony of ants.
Anyways, I wrote for one reason. To share the difference Strattera made on some of these symptoms. I could keep to one line of thought without being lost in it. People became interesting to me. I started up conversations and started making friends. I smiled at everyone and they smiled back.
My son has ADHD and I was surprised to realize I had ADD symptoms also.
Good luck in your search.
KDi in Texas
Posted by natas4u on October 23, 2003, at 12:41:32
In reply to Does any of this sound familiar to you? , posted by Burnout on October 22, 2003, at 23:15:08
Hi Burnout and others.
It is funny reading all the people because it seems that we have some symptoms in common and others we dont (excuse my english grammar if wrong, Im spanish in an Italian cyber cafe...).
Per example lights do not seem to affect me at all, as matter of fact I love bright lights. And an other odd thing are gas stations. I love them, the clean and bright ones. I think it is the only place that is not static, you are just passing by.
Any way, I see that some people relate to this because of incidentes in their lifes that brought them to numbing or brain dazing and also people that are just like that. It does not really matter, bodies share similar responses no matter how thay have been triggered.
I can realate to you liking alcohol. I have never had a problem with it, but I know I could if I dont watch it. As a matter of fact certain people that are extremly curious do have a tendency to discover the much needed new situations that will give them a little dopamine through drugs and alcohol. For some people this is innate and for some aquired (like some people with PTSS).
You know what you have in common with Michael Shumacker (formula race driver)? He is pretty much fearless. I think people like you are the ones that discovered America, travelled to the north pole, worked in submarines. Or even before in the stone age, the ones that searched for new caves, etc. A type of persone that was indispensable for older society, and some present undeveloped societies, in order for it to progress, the explorer, the one that can think she or his way out of situation because of being able to dissociate (natural response to factors that are no longer common in western society).
I might be wrong, but maybe what you need are not medical druggs or alcohol, maybe it is just a little more action???
I am a tension addict for what I was told. Actually I get extremely depressed when I do not have anything to do. As soon as I become active, it goes away. I can be active by thinking non stop of lots of different things, by going really fast on a vehicle (stoped doing that thought), etc. Apparently a long tame a go I was taken away the capability of returning to the normal relaxed state of the brain (many years of not relaxing).
Does some body relate to this? Not being able to stop because it makes you depressed (or something similar to depression). This is tha key element for me, I know if I learn to relax with out dozing or getting depressed I will be cured. Maybe for other people too, even if thay have not gone through trauma.
Contrary to what I think, my friends also say I am pretty much above avarage in intelect and creativity, but not mathematical though, can not concentrate.Well sorry all to be so long. Im just putting everything my mind comes up so together we might find explanations. Continuos brain storming lots of you are already used too, he, he.
Happy to hear from other people, very happy.
Posted by KimberlyDi on October 23, 2003, at 13:54:13
In reply to Re: Does any of this sound familiar to you? , posted by natas4u on October 23, 2003, at 12:41:32
Spanish in an Italian Cyber Cafe? How exotic compared to my life!
Posted by melbob on October 23, 2003, at 14:32:58
In reply to Does any of this sound familiar to you? , posted by Burnout on October 22, 2003, at 23:15:08
hi...i used to feel that way a lot as a child. that was way back when the only thing they gave children was valium, so i had valium; not for long, i don't think. the only way i know i was on it was that i found an old bottle of it a few years ago, with my name on it, dated 1972 (so i was 7 yrs old then). also, my mother is/was an alcoholic (she has passed recently). i, too, am an alcoholic, sober for 3-1/2 yrs (truly a miracle, like you!) i still have those feelings a little bit every now and then (the feeling of "not being here"). recently, i was put on effexor for depression (divorce, child custody junk). the effexor made the feeling much worse, although it seemed to help the depression as long as i took a sedative along with it. after reading the posts here about effexor, i decided to stop taking it. the side effects got worse, but finally went away (with the help of benadryl and very small doses of klonopin). i don't know if any of this will help you, but congrats on your sobriety for sure! thank you for letting me share.
melbob
Posted by Jasmine Neroli on October 23, 2003, at 23:57:07
In reply to Maybe this will help explain a bit better, posted by Burnout on October 22, 2003, at 23:32:27
Hi: Thanks for digging up that old post..it describes the feelings of derealization I have always had since a child, EXACTLY!!!
I do that same thing, esepecially in big stores with a ceiling full of fluorescent lights or long hallways with low ceilings and artifical light. I feel so "out of the scene" that sometimes I have to actually hold on to something to "bring myself back" to reality. I feel on the verge of fainting at that point. I too have to keep blinking and refocus over and over to feel "part of" the scene.
It's scary!
I get it when I'm driving sometimes too and literally have to "give my head a shake" to carry on!
It's all part of Generalized Anxiety Disorder it seems, along with the excessive "thinking" and worrying over and over, planning out strategies for possible terrible situations etc., etc. Although, I'm wondering if the lighting is causing some kind of unusual brain electrical activity???
I have been treated with Celexa (worked quite well, but eventually too many side-effects) with Ativan, as needed, at first. Remeron...terrible stuff for me, Clonazepam..loved it, but my Pdoc doesn't. And now BuSpar, which may have just started working lately, but is also giving me annoying side-effects.
None of the above have stopped the in-store de-realization at all!!
Good luck in finding your answers.
Posted by natas4u on October 24, 2003, at 9:41:00
In reply to Re: Does any of this sound familiar to you? » natas4u, posted by KimberlyDi on October 23, 2003, at 13:54:13
What is it like? Couple, house, child, dog and car? Any body can travel, its all a matter of wanting it.
Posted by matrad6781 on January 22, 2004, at 20:47:42
In reply to Depersonalization/Derealization, posted by Craig on July 3, 1999, at 2:39:38
I have a long history of Depersonalization/derealization (DP/DR) There are many good sites available about this disease. The world experts are Daphne Simeon, MD at Mt Sinai in NYC and Mauricio Sierra, MD and colleagues at Institute of Psychiatry, King's College, London. You can do a search for their works at NLM online (Entrez Pubmed). The descriptions of their patients' symptoms and histories are startingly similar to the point of being stereotypical. Read this stuff and it will let you know if DP is your problem.
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