All About Depersonalization and Derealization Disorders 

For me, life has been dreamlike. i feel as if I've lost years of my life. I feel like nothing is real and I'm not connected. Disconnected. It's so nice to hear you speak of derealization, it feels so good to have someone understand what I've been going through.

This is very helpful, thank you. The cruel irony is that for me, these symptoms are more traumatic than any trauma I ever experienced, especially when it's 24/7 for days, weeks or months. Also, these awful symptoms can also come with feelings of deep despair and hopelessness, feeling hopelessly broken, etc, and that all adds to the melange of horror of the whole thing.

Sometimes it feels so much easier to dissociate than to feel the trauma happening again.

Oh how I wish I’d seen this video 8 years ago. I spent over a year with severe symptoms of both. Many doctors, neurologist, and even therapists had no answers for me and I came dangerously close to giving up on life altogether. Thankfully it started to fade and while I still always felt in chaos, it was livable. When things started to get worse again, several years later, I refused to give up this time. I researched tirelessly and finally started finding answers. Then I found a wonderful trauma therapist who confirmed what I thought and gave me even more answers to questions that had loomed over me for a lifetime. Thank you so much for what you do! This is another wonderful video and I pray it finds its way to someone in turmoil and gives them some much needed answers and relief.

The "Why don't more professionals know," chapter infuriated me. I have a huge suspicion that I have DID, DDNOS, or OSDD. Something. I keep bringing it up to my psychiatrist, psychologist, and therapist and NONE of them have any idea what to do for me. I've felt between a rock and a hard place for two years. At this point it feels like malpractice and the fact that it's not a requirement to graduate with a degree in the mental health field without learning about trauma and how it can affect the brain and mental health (I'm not exactly sure how it works don't come for me) is incredibly maddening. To the point where I break down from stress knowing that SOMETHING more than just depression and anxiety is happening to me and have all my doctors with their thumbs up their 🍑es. Especially when I've been BEGGING them for help for TWO years.

I experience this a lot but not when I am driving as I love this activity and it symbolises freedom for me. Depersonalisation and derealisation comes when I feel trapped.

Something what is the most distressing is not the personalization and derealization, but coming down from them and realizing things are real. It is so scary!

Yes! I've met 4 different therapists over 18 years, all of whom said "you've got DID, but right now there's no treatment. And I'm not allowed to diagnose you officially. So I'll put some nonsense in your file and we'll stay under the radar and together try to figure out some ways to help you." Last year, when someone actually said "I want to do an assessment for dissociation and see if that fits" and then concluded, "hey it's DID! Who'da thunk!" - I was just amazed it was actually finally official and on paper! There's still very limited treatment options, but here's hoping that the NHS and CTAD clinic can get a partnership going sometime in the next 10 years!

We have experienced dp/dr to some degree our entire life. Have many memories of being in one place but seeing our body in a complete different location. We have never felt connected to this body. One of the main reason we never wanted to see a MH professional was the belief we would be labelled "crazy" and locked away. It took several session and a lot of work by the therapist to convince us that "craz" was a verb not a medical diagnosis. Thanks for the very good explanation of these disorders! ~Jessi

You explained this very well! I’m quite young and going through this and I’m not quite sure how to feel anymore

Thank you for these videos. I find them very easy to understand, very informative and very helpful. I would like to add with depersonalisation that the 'floating above' aspect is not always the case. I understand that dissociation stems from the freeze aspect of fight/ flight/ freeze. The situation is you can't fight & you can't physically flee (eg your a child) so the only option left is to flee mentally (& your body remains relatively motionless). You can mentally flee outwards so there's the 'floating outside the body' experience or you can flee inwardly, which is my experience. It's hard for me to explain but is more like you're in a cave or far away inside with your body & what's going on visible at the entrance.

Wonderful explanations. When under severe stress, I was reading a book and my hands were not my own. I even asked my husband if they had changed. This was right before a memory surfaced.

This is a very well-made and informative video about dpdr! I’ve been experiencing a mild 24/7 dpdr for years. The cause is probably due to multiple recurring small-ish traumas in my life, but I’ve also half-way convinced myself that I have some sort of brain tumor that’s going to kill me in two years. I actually went on a medication for a period of time that “grounded” me and, after that, I decided that I prefer feeling like nothing is real. My life is pretty boring and stressful due to my mental health issues and home life, so it’s kind of a blessing that I’m able to escape it in a way. I bet that I’ll want this gone once I find myself in a happier place though

Thanks so much for your videos! I find them super helpful and I'm really excited to learn more from you every time I see a new video up! :D

Great in-depth explanation. Thank you Dr. Mike!

You done it again mr! Thanks and well done awesome job. we purchased the haunted self book and got the body remembers, dao to fully healing, one on complex ptsd, a couple of vagus nerve books and more. so finding these really helpful. we just got bit carried away commenting on everyones posts as for first time ever we know we are not alone in all of this crazy shenannigans and its a great feeling especially after this intense self awareness, development, healing weekend where we were doing an online retreat living by the lunar energies and embracing the powerful strong energies of new beginning with the moon in her home of cancer, self care, at 0 degrees (most powerful degree for new beginnings) summer soltice and a solar eclipse. also a double dark moon as the next new moon is also in cancer. lots of yoga, meditations, worksheets, rituals and more and we really felt a shift of acceptance finallly in the body and mind of the DID and we can really see the positives of the DID, autism, EDS fibro processing language disorder etc its incredible. do you do much on or know much about alternative solutions to help? we know meditation retraumatises etc, from first hand experience and mind knowledge and used this now to navigate through but highly don't recomenc still meditation which is what its generally know as but active meditations or mindfulness are safer. shaking medicine the oldest and newest form of healing and polarity therapy have been fab too. oops sorry we going on again! thanks so much xx

!!! AAAAA!! this is so beyond helpful. Thank you so much! 🖤 I guess until now I havent given much thought about HOW many of my symptoms really can be explained by the derealization component.

I personally know this Doctor knows what he is talking about. It's very good to know somebody out there has spent time and effort to understand what happens to us.

This has been so helpful, I finally understand what’s been happening to me my entire life. I go in and out of DP/DR, the episodes can last a day to months. I’ve had them for as long as I can remember and I’ve come to learn some triggers but often it just comes on out of nowhere. I experience DR more than DP but I’ve had a mix of both for ages. Being in the episodes is very distressing, there’s a constant sense of foreboding and confusion and just wanting to break out of it. I’ve spoken to therapists about what I experience to the best of my abilities but they never say anything, they just seem puzzled by what I’m trying to describe. It’s taken me years to put words to what I experience. For instance: Trying to tell someone that you don’t feel like your parents are your actual parents, just doesn’t even begin to explain what I’m actually feeling. It’s so hard to describe. Or that I feel like I’m suddenly tiny and the room has grown bigger. Just typing the words feels wrong and makes me anxious. It’s the weirdest thing.

This is so spot on! Thank you for making these videos. My bachelor of Science was in psychology, but I rarely heard about depersonalization and derealization. I felt them so strongly as a child of abuse in the home in many ways constantly and being medicated so young. Also being gay American in the 1990's and in the Catholic Church, I just couldn't face it. I'd even try to drive home at a 16 year old and couldn't find my house. I was terrified b/c it didn't feel real. I'd also not be able to look in the mirror as a teen and young adult b/c I thought someone else was in the mirror. I couldn't pick myself out in pics at times. I hid it well and as I came out in 2004 and went to college it got a bit better. Even with dissociative or drugs like LSD etc I understood reality somehow better due to constant reality testing. Thank You! The way you explain this seems novel and impressive.

I appreciate this video, it was very helpful 👌 and I am really looking forward to you breaking down the different types of dissociative disorders! My therapist and I suspect we are an OSDD-1b system but honestly she doesn't have the training to be sure ❤

Thank you for all your videos ❤️ tremendous help when working thru it alone

omg I can't tell you how much this video helped. I've had these symptoms for so long and I've had a really hard time pin pointing them. Thank you edit: 6 minutes in and my mind is still blown

First of all... THANK YOU!! I’m crying a little and so grateful for stumbling across this gem of a video. I developed PTSD symptoms after a recent work injury. Sudden onset Panic attacks! Yikes!! I sought out a therapist here in the US who prescribed EMDR. After my first EMDR session, I deeply dissociated for 36 hours. Omg, it was wild. Now I’m afraid of EMDR. I think it “stole my soul.” Sounds commonality or psychotic right??? No one here understands what you said in your video. Not to the degree with which you speak about it. You are a breath of fresh air. Now, how do I get real help for myself??? I can see patterns of this in my childhood. Why did EMDR do this to me? I’m a total sponge right now. I want to learn more. I KNOW I can help myself but I don’t want to do this alone.

Oh yes! My therapist and I have been discussing the polyvagal theory in our sessions and relating it to my dissociation. Thanks for explaining all of this - really helpful.

Thank you so much for your brilliant work in understanding trauma at a depth that few people or even therapists do.

Yay! First one here! You are amazing Dr. Mike 💖 So happy multiplicity&me connected our communities! 💖

impressed by your level of knowledge on this subject

Thanks Dr. Mike. As prior person said. It seems like it’s been all my life …..

Each and every mental health professional should have at least the knowledge you provide in your videos about dissociation. I´m still overwhelmed by all the damage and even more trauma on top because of all the wrong diagnoses and treatment - this really has to stop, there has to be more knowledge and training concerning trauma related issues! I too I started very early to "train" myself to always look at certain points or objects in the same order when noticing that I feel disorientated to ground myself and come back to the therapy room. Environment consistency really does help a lot! Thank you for this amazing video - once again!

Thank you so much for this. When I first started realising I dissociated, it was terrifying and isolating. Now I have accepted it more, but it is still a very debilitating experience, and can be distressing to deal with. I can say for a fact that you are the ONLY medical professional bar one that even knows what Dissociation, never mind DPDR, is, its refresing to hear your knowledge. Until very recently, I had no hope I would ever understand any of this, or ever recover to a point of normality. After watching your videos and working with the CTAD clinic, I have hope again. So THANK YOU. On a side note I can also second the request for a video on Dissociative Seizures/NEADs. These can be debilitating to deal with and difficult to diagnose though I have come to realise mine are part of my DPDR too.

This is so thorough thank you so much for this. I have had dp disorder since 2017. If I get very nervous I enter intro derealization as well. I am not sure what triggered this. I had experienced it in fleeting moments throughout my life but it never lasted for than a short time. But then it became a disorder. I am still not sure what could have triggered it since I do not believe I have experienced a traumatic event.

Very well explained & very informative! My son is 14 and has been suffering with derealization steadily now for last year. I am calling the behavioral health line right now to discuss and get him a therapist that is familiar with this type of dissociative condition. I wish we lived in the UK to be fortunate enough to have you as his therapist! You are incredibly knowledgeable and really bring a sense of calm to all this strange helplessness going on. Feeling a bit more hopeful, Thank you!

It's so great that people like him are pursuing this condition. I've dealt with it for 28 years now. Next to no medical professionals I've reached out to going back to the beginning have had any idea what I was telling them. It's a lonely disorder caused by sad childhood experiences. All we can do is battle on

“Absence of self” - well said

Meditation and chakra healing. This brought me out of having it for over 11 years. These two things will bring down your anxieties/fears and help you find the answers that are within you.

I am curious if ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) can help with this. It seems like any time I've gone through a period of feeling like everything and everyone in my environment is strange and foreign, the thing that helps with it is rather than fighting those feelings, lean into them, explore them, even make art and stories out of them, and then eventually they pass. But trying to deny it and act like everything's normal I think is what's making everything worse.

Can you explain what emotional amnesia is and how it's different than regular amnesia? I've heard it mentioned in other people's videos, but they don't really explain it much. Also, this video was really helpful ❤️

thank you for uploading

Thank you. Very helpful.

DP is v common for us past (mainly due to altered ID states) most days we just stare at our body & think it isn’t ours & need to give it a thump sometimes to check it’s there!. The examples you give are v real for us. DR less so albeit remember some very scary DR events.

The period this lasted, many months, was absolutely necessary for the brain to use different centres of consciousness to take over while my normal awareness had to switch off from unacceptable circumstances. The other me, different brain cells, stepped in to run the show as best it could, even though it had no experience of doing day to day survival tasks. SOMEBODY had to take care of me while I was AWOL, as there was nobody else. It could not be rushed, that would have been the worst thing. The part that opted out and created amnesia, had to take all the time it needed and only very gradually visit now and then and go back to sleep, or wherever it went. The new department of the brain didn't suffer with me, it was a caretaker who I had not previously known lived in my head. 2 years later it's so good to know I was not totally alone, the brain provided a stand in carer. When the nightmares still come, I have to learn to not care about things that used to be important. You can learn to not care about many things so as to rest the normal part of the brain that has always seemed to be me. Thank you doctor for learning what I now know.

I find it very hard to understand that this disorder has been neglected in psychiatry for so long. Psychiatrist seem to get the diagnosis wrong and the patient ends up on toxic medication and stuck in the psychiatric system for decades. Not just this its also the cost of treatment is beyond somebody's means ...such as a person who is unable to hold down a job and is in recept of some kind of income support. The provision for dissociation and trauma in the UK is absolutely appealing. Not just this Also psychiatrist are arragant and ignorant and seem to think they know better when in actual fact they have a tendancy to know absolutely nothing about trauma and dissociation. Why not make treatment for such conditions accessable for every one. It should not be a lottery. It's somebody's quality of life that needs to be addressed just like with physical illness. Please make treatment available for all that are suffering not just the minority. Great video Shame the average psychiatrist is not able to understand what you are saying. They seem to do a very good job of diagnosing pychosis.

Also I was so afraid to admit the seeming false nature of "reality" as being misinterpreted as psychotic and not being believed later when sharing the abuse. I would use DXM and ended up driving my car into a telephone pole at 130mph breaking all of my body but my arms crawling out of fire and being attacked as "evil" or "dangerous" by police affiliates and others due mostly I think to a wealthy family being afraid of what I'd say. 5 years plus later I feel mostly comfortable and just struggle mostly with PTSD or CPTSD more specifically. Deep breaths and for me it got a lot better. Thanks again.

Thank you for this :)

Could you explain the terms hyper/hypoarousal when you talked about Polyvagal Theory? What would be typical examples of them? This has been such an interesting video. The quality is getting better with each video on this channel!

Trigger warning As the host in our system. I have always been anxious. I did not exactly no why due to amnesia. I remember and has always remembered déréalisation from very early childhood. I feared faces coming out of the wall in my room, doors begining to move just slightly, light flashes or turning on/of. I remember seing the air as clear colorless flames. Or lightbulbs pop.curtains moving. I know Mr Hyde used these tricks to scare me. It were signs that he was there. But that led to déréalisation where even today it causes anxiety when small movements or I believe something to be moving a tiny bit. I have only just been able to see how much this still dominates in my life. Depersonalization was part of it too. My face would change in the mirror and his face would turn up right behind me The .real memories and DP/DR are hard to separate. Thanks for your splendid videos.

Hi, Dr Mike Lloyd, I have experienced both most of my life, so much so that it is now part of my personality, or sense of self. The thing that I have found interesting is that I use to experience constant panic attacks for almost a couple of decades, but now I don't experience them. The only way I know that I am experiencing a panic attack is that I withdraw, want to sit still, feel very tired and my muscles feel sore, electrical body sensations, etc. I have dissociated from feelings, thoughts and body sensations so much so, that I no longer experience panic attacks while having panic attacks. Is that even possible? I haven't heard of this before, so maybe I am wrong, but this is the only explanation I can come up with.

Thank you for this. Very informative as usual. Also, would you be able to do a video on Dissociative seizures sometime? We have been having rather a lot of them recently, and it's quite frightening.

I'm constantly detached from my environment and myself. And I constantly see myself in third person. Though sometimes it gets worse and harder to manage, I'm always able to manage it. I'm really not sure if its its something I should worry about and I did talk to my therapist about it. She said it could be because my creative or unique way of thinking. I'm changing therapist soon and I'm not sure if it's normal dissociation or something I should be concerned about.

Very helpful video. Thank you. Would you please explain the difference between DP in a multiple and dysphoria experienced by alters of the opposite sex in a multiple's system?

Thank you so much.

Hi Dr. Lloyd, Can you do a video on functional neurological disorder? I would be particularly interested in how someone with serious FND can do trauma therapy without having dangerous physical consequences.

Please can I ask whether the SCID-d diagnosis terms are going to be updated in line with the DSM 5? I am in the UK and was given the SCID-d assessment a couple of months ago. My diagnosis was:- "Dissociative Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (DDNOS), which covers cases that are similar to Dissociative Identity Disorder but that do not meet full criteria for this disorder. Examples include cases in which ‘there are not two or more distinct personality states’, or ‘amnesia for important personal information does not occur’". But I have since seen your video that uses the term OSDD Many thanks for your help

I feel like I might have DID or OSDD but I'm not sure if I'm accidentally tricking my brain into thinking I have something that I don't and artificially creating a problem that wasn't there to begin with. How do I go about asking for help? Who do I ask? How do I ask it? How do I not come off as crazy to my GP and make them never trust me again? Pls help me.

Hi Dr. Lloyd, I sincerely thank you for this video, this one along with your other ones has helped me understand myself in ways usual therapy sessions never could. Can you please advise if a period of depersonalization can amplify OSDD allowing more action orientated alters to take over and temporarily become the dominant personality ?

Hello, would you be willing to cover the topic of sexual abuse/trauma? For example, how the affects of it present in DID, and how best to respectfully treat said clients? From things I have heard and experienced, therapists can mess up pretty badly on this topic. I have heard of therapists not wanting to tackle it at all, or not taking it seriously if the perpetrator was female (especially of the victim is also female). Also, it can be difficult with child alters who hold trauma because they don't even know what was done to them, because they have no real concept of what sex is. These are just some ideas I had. Now that I have gotten that out of the way, I just want to deeply thank you for the work you are doing. As an American young adult dealing with DID and poverty at the same time, I wish places like CTAD were all over the world. Thank you so much.

I feel like it since early childhood. Could have to do with my disability. I discovered the name for my feelings not long ago.

When I was 12 I went to the dr,the ER,and nobody could figure out what was wrong with me. I had horrible pain on my right side,all they tested for was appendix issues. And only with a urine sample. They refused an ultrasound because my pediatrician said and I quote " she is fine,there is nothing wrong with her shes looking for attention get her a therapist and quit bothering me over her fake illness" I was outside his office and heard every word...at that moment I knew we were going to die. Thank God my mom believed me,and got me to a dr the next morning,he admitted me immediately and a specialist was called in to do a major surgical procedure that took many hours and nearly cost me my life. You see my ovary had a cyst that grew and twisted and damaged my uterus. The specialist got the cyst out and it ruptured. 5 more mins he said it would have blown inside and id be dead. I knew well before then I had DID but when it was happening it didn't happen to me it happened to an alter who could handle it. Still doesn't feel real to me except the 13" scar as a reminder.

I asked you recently, in another one of your videos concerning dissociation, regarding my occasional vasovagal syncope. Out of curiousity, would you consider loss of consciousness, in that manner, to be a form of dissociation? I appreciate your response, as I am trying to better understand this annoying affliction I've had for many years.

Love this video. its very informative and you are doing an amazing job helping people understand these disorders. is it possible to have DP/DR and OSDD-1b? or are DP/DR symptoms a part of OSDD-1b?

Question: can depersonalization be a symptom of gender dysphoria? The way you describe it here sounds a lot like what I've previously attributed to that. Medical transition is what made my body MY body rather than just the thing my brain walks around in. I have experienced more significant dissociation than that in ways that are tied to my OCD, which is why I'm watching this channel, but I am curious to know if what I experienced for my entire life before medical transition could be considered a kind of low-grade depersonalization. Thanks!

I have DPDR lack of sleep makes it worse regulating the nervous system doesn't fix it but alleviates it DPDR causes significant panic attacks for me esp if I have a more severe dip into it in public. Ive lost a job from it - also you'll be dissociated 24/7 with this disorder but there are more severe levels into it if that makes sense. it makes you feel unstable and your brain foggy/fuzzy. disconnect from thoughts like there's a haze covering it

I’ve just been prescribed Lamictal for dpdr. I just wonder how it will help me. I’m a tad frustrated. Drs where I am haven’t a clue about dpdr.

I'm not sure whether the floating above the body description is accurate in Depersonalization. Dissociation yes. People with depersonalization have intact reality testing, they know what's going on, and that's the distressing part, but its the felt-sense that they are detached, in a bubble ,robotic, in a movie etc. I have never come across a client with depersonalization that has delusions ( Nihilistic/Capgras delusions etc). There is a massive difference between these types of delusions and existential angst, which is common in depersonalization. When I assessed for Depersonalization, and along with the Cambridge D measure, I always kept in my mind about the 'intact reality testing', that guided me about the narrative from the patient. I suffer from depersonalization intermittently. I can remember when it started, I was 9 years old (I am 62 now), it was a sunny day and my mate and I was on our bikes. We were miles from home and in the traffic I lost him, bang, I depersonalized ( did not know what it was then of course), it was terrifying and stayed with me for weeks afterwards, then on and off over the years. If dissociation is supposed to protect us, then why is depersonalization so terrifying. Also dissociation is activated by the parasympathetic system ( except flashbacks) but depersonalization isn't. Unless it is the associated panic that is activating the threat response. I belief it could be a half state into dissociation that has not quite come to fuision. Perhaps a split between our cognition and emotions. Dissociation tends to be non-consciously adaptive (and is a major barrier to PTSD work- i.e., avoidance). Depersonalization is definitely not adaptive, not unless you are a masochist. But my other theory is that it is a navigational /orientation problem when we are unfamiliar /sense strangeness with our environment, that activates in some people the threat system and off we go. I get some type of Diss fugue and deja vu when I'm dog tired, not knowing what was a dream/reality, but that's another story. I did my MSc dissertation on Depersonalization. I am a recently retired (NHS) high intensity CBT Therapist , and the clinical lead tended to orientate people with Depersonalization to me. I have also treated Panic Disorder , Social Anxiety and Agoraphobia with Depersonalization (funny enough, no GAD/PTSD patients). Also treated a small number of people with actual psychiatry diagnosed Depersonalization Disorder. The people with common primary symptoms recovered, but the others did not. I remember referring one person to Kings College Depersonalization Unit. I believe that the characteristics for dissociation v depersonalization are not connected. I think the psychology/phenomenology and neurology is different, But the DSM is the boss.

So what is the etiology of Dp/Dr? Is psychic fragmentation also characterstic of DP/DR?

I've had many periods in my life that I totally don't remember, months and years. Often people tell me that stuff happened or people who say they ve known me for a while but I have no clue who they are. I keep feeling like the other "me" takes over and when she does I blank out whatever happens or is said. It's messing up with my head, my old psychiatrist kinda laughed it off and didn't tell me what to do,or what to do. I'm feeling lost and confused and don't feel like anyone take me seriously. Where can I get help without paying hundreds of dollars..? And what's going on with me...:(

Confronting truth and reality is hard. I feel like there is a serious dread of something that was really bad that happened ….

Could you please talk more about pain and body memories? Is there any medication that helps? My doctor gave me pain meds but they don't help at all. I kinda assumed it is because my body is feeling past pain and the medication is working in the present but I don't actually know. All I know is that I feel pain and everyone thinks it's in my head, which is technically true of all pain but it's also stored in my body. I get a lot of depersonalisation, about feeling like I'm dying and it's kinda terrifying.

Often times, I wish I still dealt with derealization than constantly feeling the emotions that accompany the trauma.

It's been very hard finding a therapist that knows about DP/DR. I seem to be the first person my current therapist has ever met with this disorder. I'm going to have to find someone who knows more about it because I'm getting very tired of having to educate her about what it's like to live with this disorder.

Can there be an "organic" reason for DP/DR? Mine started at 2013, when i was 14 years old. I remember very well what i was doing at the point it began. I was simply taking a walk outside, without feeling any stress or something like that. I did not had any stressful event days or weeks before it. Like it just happened because it had to happen. Weird. Since then it gradually increased in intensity, without an obvious trigger. This lack of reason is what made me think if DP/DR can start and progress on its own, without severe stress or trauma. I am not an anxious person by nature, and i was often called a calm person for being hard to arouse both positive and negative emotions. About trauma, i have no memories of any. Currently, i am not scared or feeling bad because of DP/DR because i believe i managed to adapt myself to it. And yes, i know the internet is not a good place to discuss individual cases but i am just curious.

is acupuncture good for Depersonalisation?

Can depersonalization distort memories? Regarding my last comment on here about a shirt appearing on my bed when I turned around, I don’t remember putting it there, I only remember getting my trousers out of my closet. Is there any explanation? Please help. Im doubting everything right now. I seriously need help😭

Not to make light of a serious topic but last week I was sitting propped up on my bed reading on my iPad when I glanced down and saw a forearm and a hand laying there. I jumped because it looked like a serial killer had left a body part on my bed but then I realised that of course it was MY arm and hand. My psychologist suggested that maybe a young part was in attendance and when they saw the arm and hand of an old lady (I am 72), they knew it wasn't theirs and they got a big scare.😱

As for doctors of medicine, for them not specifically treating this condition or to fully get rid of it, shows they have not fully study the brain, and it makes no senses when it comes to this condition lasting for such a long period of time especially when it's supposed to be attached to emotional trauma

I’m not sure I have dp/dr but I had a bad drug experience and it’s been months where everything feels off and my visions feels “off”. (Where I’m seeing something but I’m not really seeing or processing it) Do you think it’s just anxiety and not the dp/dr form? Im just ready to recover.

anyone else have awful thoughts like you have a life threatening illness or disease that’s wrong with you and keep overthinking and your heart starts beating really fast and you feel helpless and your body feels weak and you just keep thinking about it all day :(

*cries in american healthcare* thank you for these types of videos

Listening to this is frightening to me

Happened to me for 4 yrs, then 4 yrs to recover. was a nightmare.

I have a question about this... 99% of the time I experience (in odd places, i.e. including the safety of my own home) DP and DR. But I do see that its experience, not a disorder, especially since it doesn't usually bother me unless I think about it too much or I know something else did it. (Autoimmune disease triggered.) What I'd like to know is about what happens with me and my reflection. That is the one time thaf happens to me 95% of the time when I look at a reflective surface and see myself. Basically: I cannot look at me. Extreme I can't look at all... minor I look anywhere except that I can't look myself in the eye. I honestly don't feel like thats me (I have been shocked that thats what I look like, its completelydifferent from what I thought in my head) or I just don't want to believe that it is. Is that depersonalization? It has lasted for years.

am I the only one that seems to like forgot things often like I forget what happend during the day or like simple things like how to spell words and I just completely forget it and I forget what happened all my week it’s just so scary :(

Its ironic but its actual Tumblr where I learned grounding techniques that really helped for things like anxiety & DP/DR I've heard a lot of people recommend "The body keeps the score" but Ive also heard its fairly triggering. Is Trauma and the Body similar or is it mostly only self help and guidance?

I had a traumatic single event which triggered dpdr but it didn't go away after that and I am stuck in this state. It has faded a lot over the months but hasn't fully gone away still. Why does it stay like this even when there is no present trauma?

Hi, I have a question! I used to see things in my rooms become smaller and faster whenever I tried to fall asleep at night. Anything I touched felt like woods, even my blanket. I can also see myself in 3rd person view. I'm perfectly normal before I go to bed, but I keep experiencing it for the next couple of months whenever it's midnight. Then it stops. This happened more than 5 years ago. But I've recently experienced it again last night when I had a bad fever. I was wondering if this has anything related to Depersonalization and Derealization Disorders? Some of the symptoms match but I'm not really sure.

ive felt like i'm somewhere else ... idk where for sure. i'm here, but my brain or whatever is somewhere else.

Do DP and DR automatically go hand in hand? I have always had a very pronounced sense of depersonalisation, like 24/7. However, I don't experience derealisation, ever.

Hello sir...i have Derealization since 5 years......took medicines for 1n half years....stopped them a month back....it helped me a bit with my anxiety, nervousness and fear but not completely.....I always have this small amount of fear and nervousness.......it just holds me back from doing anything new.......is it ok to take meds for lifetime? Because they are not curing my derealization.....

good video, do you offer online treatment?

How can i get to work with you ? I am in Norwich, and i working with a mentel health team. Though the NHS. I dont know if your privert and maybe i can't afford your help. But this my hell marry for the right help. Before my 3 babies are raised with me unwell and my family is torn apart. I saw you on multiplicity and me video. And yeah i am just hoping their is a solution where i can get the right help so i am not going on a rollla coaster of wrong help for years. Or scard i may do before finding someone who can help. And truma could affect my children's whole up bringing. I feel i should leave getting any help, Out of fear of this rolla coaster of people seeing me as a medical lab rat. I just want reall help. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

I have it since 16 and I am now 24. When i am calm I dont even remember i have it but its always there. It can decrease but the numbness and disconnection never truly went away. I honestly don't know why. I didn't have any major trauma...

Can physical trauma to the brain and or neurological disorders/diseases, result in patient experiencing depersonalization and derealization, for example: traumatic brain injury, brain tumour, intracranial hypertension?

Can one fully recover from these bullshit disorder?

My system and I are pretty well coordinated so DP/DR isn't too much of an issue for us. However there was one instance (mostly DR) where it just utterly crippled me. It was kind of inception-like since this all happened in the headspace. To be lost i your own mind is terrifyingly unique eperience, one I'm hesitant to repeat. Even with the tools and understanding to know what is a going on it is still a frightful prospect. Thank the stars for my alters constantly switching with me. It was the only thing that kept me grounded through the whole ordeal.

Comment on Denial video...can DID be treated with Family Systems Therapy?

I never had trauma growing up. When i was 15 i had the most painful and anxiety provoking period in my life. The person i loved the most didnt love me back. Then i developed dpdr and its 24/7, I feel like if i can reprocess the trauma i can heal what causes triggers the dp and get out of this state. Am I thinking of it the right way? It’s been almost 2 years

Do people with autism experience dr/dp? since it is on the dissociation spectrum and they recently found evidence that many people who are Transgender also have autism and some form of dissociative disorder often the diagnosis is DID........................... does that mean dr/dp is part of autism or is being a multiple part of being transgender? or might these unproportionate numbers of humans with both in the lgbtq community misdiagnosis by specialist?

I thought the skyscrapers were swaying and going to fall down and the people in the grocery store I seen their heads changing.

Will i be like this for the rest of my life ?????🥺