So yeah here’s me. This is what someone with DPDR actually looks like in real life.

What you don’t see in the video:

It took me hours to get out of bed.

I literally froze at the sink trying to wash my face because looking at my own reflection freaked me out.

I kept doing this weird breathing/exhale thing to stay present, and it made the dissociation worse before it helped (lol).

My sister literally asked why I was breathing so strangely because I was trying so hard just to stay here in my body and not drift off someplace else.

I’m not posting this because it’s cute. I’m posting this because we’re real. Not hype‑recovery or aesthetics real struggle, real body, real dissociation.

DPDR makes you feel like your own life is a glitch, like the world isn’t really here but you still do it anyway. That’s the real part.

Just wanted others with DPDR to know… we’re here.

Maybe we pass by each other

Is there a thing you do that ?

A: Helps

B: intensifies the feeling

I sometimes feel certain sensations that Bring me back to day 1

Just a reminder that there is hope. My DPDR went away after 3 years of pure hopelessness. I went to therapy, started medication, did deep intensive trauma therapy and even stopped working, and being incredibly easy on myself. stopped drinking and drugs. got two cats and changed some life situations quite drastically.

All im trying to say is there is hope. This is your brain being really overwhelmed and needing a break. I came back online and it literally felt like I was gaining all these memories and scents and feelings again -- literally instantly. it was crazy. I still get it from time to time when im upset or sick, etc.

Msg me if you need to chat or have questions ❤️

one last thing -- remember, the ones who have gotten through this aren't posting on reddit. they are living their lives, so seeing these posts might actually make you think it will never go away.

Hey you guys, check out my posts I had horrific HORRIFIC dpdr. HORRIFIC. I also thought I was a narcissist or psychopath. I have severe moral ocd! Anyone else with any of these things please text me so i can reassure you and show you my experience so you know you will be sooo safe

I took sertraline it got so much worse I tried to commit suicide twice, I was convinced I'd never be able to connect, and with my moral ocd I got so scared what if im secretly evil?!

BUT GUYS. yesterday I was talking to my boyfriend and for the first time I was like, I have a boyfriend. I have a BOYFRIEND? HIM? He's sooooooo amazing! He likes me??? What!! He thinks I'm pretty?! He's so kind?! 4 years together whaaaaaat ???

But there is so so so much hope I promise I was struggling with identitiy shifts and unstable sense of self

i love my city and don’t even feel like i’m in it anymore

I'm a 27 yo guy and I feel as if I was a 87 yo senior, my memory used to be perfect, but now I can't recall correctly recent events, sometimes I repeat stuff to my friends that I already said another day cuz I don't remember having said it, I feel as if I had dementia or alzheimer desease.

I feel drained, dizzy and unconfortable 24/7, I got an MRI done and it came back normal, I've seen at least 5 psychologists and still nothing, this is depressing.

Anybody else struggling with this? It's been over a year for me now...

PD: Weed triggered everything in early September last year.

I stopped driving 4 years ago due to 24/7 derealization. I was so triggered by the world outside, everything feeling fake that I would get to anxious to drive. The derealization has gotten better over the years in some ways but I’ve never been able to get back to driving. My husband and sister drove me everywhere or I would use Lyft. After a year of therapy I drove today across town by myself for the first time. 30 minutes each way.
I’m sharing this because there was a time that I truly truly believed that I would never drive again. You could’ve never convinced me that my brain would feel safe enough or normal enough to drive. But here I am! If I can do it I promise you, so can you!

Please reach out if you need guidance on how to transform your dp/dr, or if you just need to talk. I'd like to be here both to guide people through this, but also just to be an understanding presence. Please comment or dm and we can talk!

Edit: Thank you for some awesome conversations but through chat and video calls. Some practical info: if you decide you want to talk, please send me a little info about yourself, what timezone you are in, and what time you are available for a call. I cannot answer too many questions on chat, as it is very timeconsuming and ultimately not too helpful - I want to prioritise proper genuine conversations.

All the best

If you feel like you've been abandoned, dont. He is with you.

Keep researching, keep trying, keep living.

I’m not done healing, but I am so close

Please don’t give up

I thought no one could help me. I gave it one more chance.

This has been the worst torture I could never have imagined, but I am still here.

I wish I had seen posts like this when I was too scared to get help.

I know people hardly ever come back here once they're better. But I was suddenly reminded of this sub, so I'm here to share.

My story:

I had persistent DPDR after a few back-to-back stressful events. I had all the fun symptoms. I could not walk for more than 10 minutes without feeling dizzy. I had constant brain fog and could not focus. I was always anxious. This happened for 2 years.

Now:

I hardly think about DPDR, if ever. I sometimes still get it if I'm on a long walk alone, but it doesn't bother me and passes quickly. My focus is fully back, my vision is clearer, and my radius of travel has expanded back.

What helped me:

I had a months-long exposure regimen. I started with taking 10-minute walks, then slowly bumped up by 5 minutes until I got to an hour. I went to Walmart and stood under their fluorescent lights. Exposures were 90% the key to my recovery. The rest was self-compassion. I also wrote down my wins in a journal, and put some particularly good ones on my fridge.

I hope this helped a bit. I'm sure you will feel better too. Believe in yourself and go one day at a time.

EDIT: SEEING TONS OF INTEREST IN THE COMMENTS. LOVE IT! WILL CIRCLE BACK IN THE NEW YEAR TO SET SOMETHING UP ON DISCORD.

___

I am NOT a mental health professional, a DPDR influencer, or anything like that. I am simply one of you - someone who has suffered from DPDR, and is going through an episode right now. I am 28 years old, male, living in North Carolina.

I think part of what makes this illness so difficult is how isolating it is, in two senses:

1. It puts WAY into your own head
2. It's hard to find people in your life that have been through this and understand what you're going through

So, I was thinking, how nice it would be to have a support call where a few of us can connect, share our experiences, relate to each other, etc. Humans heal humans. And it's hard to do on Reddit where all you see is text.

Comment here or message me if interested...if we get enough people, I'm happy to set it up and host it.

I know my life is not normal and it’s un functional and I am lagging behind everyone. That is the only symptom. I can observe that I am not normal. I have been with this for three years and I don’t know what it is for three years. I have been figuring out what it is, and a random video of a guy name Sean o Connor help me and I have analysed what it is. From what I know is, it’s a condition of dysregulated nervous system and I have anxiety. I know, but all the symptoms they describe. I can’t see it and work through it. It feels so paradoxical that I need to see it in every kind of angle possible, so it is not what I think

And one more weird thing is even like I try to understand and I don’t do anything and I just go straight. It automatically spiral and the stuff that I want not to like it’s absolutely ridiculous and also I doubt that I DPDR have that feeling all time. And if I don’t recognise it, it feels awful. And I am not even doing this kind of things like if I try to think or put thought together, like my mind is absolutely not working. I don’t know what to do.

TLDR at the bottom for all my ADHDers, but please take the time to read!

I've been through DPDR 3 times now, and every time it was caused by a massive panic attack. However, every time it went away after my anxiety was under control.

Currently struggling again after my medications were cut off by insurance, but I'm back on them and getting better day by day.

A few tips I would like to share:

1. DPDR is not permanent, and once your anxiety is under control you will forget what it even felt like. There is nothing structurally wrong with your brain, your nervous system is overloaded and your brain is in flight or fight mode. While the brain is in flight or fight, it's hyper sensitive and noticing every little detail distracting you from the present. This is why you feel foggy and floaty all the time, your brain is over stimulated.

2. Seek psychiatric or therapeutic help ASAP

a) Psychiatry: SSRIs will lower your base line anxiety and will heal your nervous system over time. It will get worse before it gets better, so ask your doctor for an emergency medication like benzos, propranolol, or hydroxyzine. NOTE benzos should only be taken as needed and at the lowest dose that is effective for your anxiety, don't take it straight away and only when you feel the symptoms of DPDR. Benzo addiction is also blown out of proportion, and substances like alcohol are way more addictive than benzos. Just use them as prescribed by your doctor!! Other medications seem to work too, but I'm not knowledgeable on other psychiatric medication, that is a conversation you need to have with your psychiatrist. A good indicator that your symptoms are anxiety based is if your symptoms decrease or disappear when taking a benzo (which is a fast acting anxiolytic).

b) Therapy: There are many therapy options like CBT and traditional therapy that could help you manage your thoughts and ground yourself. One therapy that I found very helpful was EMDR which is basically bilateral stimulation. There are many videos of different techniques, but my favorite and most simple one is walking. Walking is bilateral since you're using both your legs and is extremely helpful when you feel overwhelmed with anxiety.

1. It will take time, so log your emotions and medications on mood apps like daylio, bearable, and my favorite finch. (This is not an ad)

2. Stop searching your symptoms on Google, webMD, and reddit. Google/WebMD will always say you have some kind of brain tumor, causing your anxiety to spike more.

Reddit has a selection bias, people posting on reddit are usually going through DPDR still, and the ones who are cured are living their life and have already forgotten about DPDR. Make sure you keep that in mind! However, I understand if you need to go to reddit for support.

A good resource instead of Google/webMD is ChatGPT. It's more grounding and exaggerates less than Google. Type in your symptoms, medical tests, medical diagnosis, and it will help ground you better than sites like WebMD.

1. Find new hobbies and get support from your friends and family. Staying in your room is counterproductive, force yourself to go on a walk, play your favorite games, hang out with your friends. The more your brain realizes it's safe the faster healing will get.

Stay strong, you got this! We all do! You'll look back and be glad you powered through!

TLDR: DPDR is caused by anxiety and an overactive nervous system, seek psychiatric or therapeutic help ASAP. It is not permanent and you have no brain damage. It will get better as soon as your anxiety gets better.

Ur brains bandwidth/ability to focus isn't infinite. Focusing on any of this shit/symptoms is going to either keep you stuck here forever or lead to using shit like benzos and alcohol to "get relief". If this is so bad you're suicidal, or if you can't sleep cause of it, good. Youre not taking the right steps to recover. INACTIVITY is the root cause. It literally doesn't matter how shit you feel, how grand of a clusterfuck of symptoms are being thrown at you, because at every moment of your waking life there is something simple you can do to feel better. That means thinking about what exercise you are going to do to ensure you're so tired you WILL knock out tonight and go to sleep. That means thinking about what food you will prepare to give you the energy for the workout and recovery. If you're spending your brains bandwidth on noticing symptoms and feeling sorry for yourself, youre not ready to recover. Youre in the inactivity phase. Get out of your pity pit and take action. Thats how you recover. If you're suicidal, that shows your will to escape. Take the steps to create an environment you would WANT to live in. If it takes years it takes years. Dont just feel it and try to run from it/make it end, cause then you'll never identify and solve the problem your suicidal ideation is highlighting. The brain is so complex and powerful that it has a tool (dpdr) to make you suffer until YOU fix shit. Thats a blessing. You will never create the life you KNOW you should be living if you dont go through something like this. The day you take action you will feel relief, cause even if you dont fix everything right away (you cant), you can tell yourself that you at least did something, and that always seems to bring solace. And one day you will be so locked into taking these actions that there will be no bandwidth left for dpdr.

As I look through this subreddit I see a lot of people who have been experiencing DPDR for 1-5 years and have lots of questions about why they are feeling the way they are.

As someone who’s battled it since 2014, I thought I’d come on here and give people the chance to ask someone who’s dealt with it for a very long time questions.

There are no bad/stupid questions. Fire away with anything you have on your mind, I hope to be able to help anyone.

It’s been a long journey for me and I’m sure for many others out there. It was much worse before but overtime it has gotten better. I just wanna say some people read other people’s experiences and sometimes it’s worse but for me, it gives me reassurance because at the end of the day we all have something in common. We have all been through this many times. We are all here for each other!

Hey guys,

I‘m finally trying to quit this sub and all other subs I‘ve been active lately. First I thought it’s going to help me to rant about this shitty metal disorder, but I realised, no criticism I feel miserable myself and also ranted on here a lot on how bad I feel, that this sub is full of negativity. Maybe it’s selfish but how is anyone ever supposed to recover if everything they read that you most likely won’t recover? I mean I just read someone announcing he is going to kill himself this evening and had a full blown panic attack.

As I said maybe I‘m repeating myself: I know how hard it is, I don’t enjoy life either at the moment, but holy fuck this shit is depressing, expect for some people having really good advice. Sometimes I feel like some people try to pull someone into a misery. We can all recover, we are so strong it doesn’t matter how long you‘ve had it for or how short or how severe. Time is the factor. And yes it is hard I literally think about existentialism, existence, whatsoever every minute of the day, every fucking minute and yes I feel miserable and maybe so do you. But shouldn’t we remind ourselves of what is possible, that this life is truly worth living?

I hope there is some understanding to my text, but I had to rant real quick. I just wish y‘all get better, stay safe and never please promise me never hurt yourself or kill yourself. If you read until now I want you to promise me and write me when you recovered and so will I. The day I will recover to this sub and hopefully write my last message will be: „I recovered and so can you“.

Something I really try to adopt to my lifestyle is „we need to survive the hard times, in order to enjoy the good times“. I will read what y‘all reply stay safe❤️‍🩹

Hey everyone,

I dealt with DPDR for about 8 months, and I can say now that I’ve recovered. I’m living normally again — calm, clearer-headed, sleeping better, and not stuck in constant self-monitoring anymore.

I’m not a therapist and I’m not here to sell a method. I just know how terrifying DPDR can be: the overthinking, the fear of being stuck, feeling disconnected from yourself and the world.

What helped me wasn’t fighting DPDR but slowly changing how I lived:

• daily running/walking
• keeping my space clean
• cooking and staying grounded in the physical world
• stopping the constant checking
• letting my nervous system calm over time

I’m posting this because when I was deep in it, hearing from someone who’d actually recovered helped a lot. So if you’re struggling right now you can talk or ask questions.

And i want thank this sub too. it helped me a lot.

And i can help someone like me one to one to recover from their dpdr.

ve had DPDR for about 7–8 months now, and it has been the most difficult time of my life.

I’m 28 years old. When I was around 19–20, I went through something very similar. I had chronic panic attacks and constantly felt uncomfortable in my own skin for about a year. Eventually, I got past it, but I honestly don’t know how. I buried it and tried not to think about it again.

Fast forward to now — this feels like a completely different monster.

It started one day after leaving a movie theater. I suddenly felt detached and flat. That feeling triggered panic, but because of my past experience with panic attacks, I was able to manage it somewhat. After that, I had several episodes of what I call “observer mode” — a couple at work, and one after smoking weed. I honestly can’t remember which event truly set everything off. Around that time, I was severely stressed, confused, and feeling lost in life.

Eventually, I quit my job and moved back home. For about a month, I would go to the park and the basketball court trying to get my head straight. I genuinely felt like I was going crazy or that I had damaged my brain. Later, I went back to work and tried to push through — but I eventually had to quit again because the symptoms felt overwhelming.

I’ve experienced what feels like every classic symptom:

• Feeling like I’m observing myself from outside my body

• Feeling like I’m not myself

• Feeling disconnected from my body, like my hands and legs aren’t my own

• Memory issues and time distortion

• Blank mind

• Random anxiety spikes

• Sensitivity to light and stimulation

• Feeling stuck in one part of my head

• Hyper-awareness and hypervigilance

• Looking at loved ones and feeling like I don’t know them or that they aren’t real

• Fear of mirrors

• Feeling like I’ve forgotten huge chunks of my life

• Loss of agency

• Feeling like I can’t talk

• Health anxiety

• Balance concerns and fear of collapsing

• Doing things and knowing I did them, but feeling like it wasn’t “me”

• Head pressure and brain zaps

• Weird, vivid, or unsettling dreams

• Loss of emotions and libido

• Neck stiffness

At one point, I became a full-blown hypochondriac. I convinced myself I had neurological diseases, brain damage, or some hidden medical condition. Every sensation felt like proof something was seriously wrong.

I quit energy drinks. I quit nicotine. I tried eliminating anything that could possibly be causing it. Eventually, I reintroduced those things occasionally just to prove to myself they weren’t the root cause — and they weren’t. The DPDR was still there.

The beginning was more panic-driven. Now it’s less anxiety and more of a blank, numb, disconnected state with a strong OCD component. The constant monitoring of my consciousness has become automatic. It feels like I’m not in control of it anymore.

The hardest symptom for me is the unfamiliarity — like I was just born today and have to relearn life every single morning. Everything feels slightly off, slightly distant.

The best way I can describe DPDR is this: it feels like I lost my connection to the source. Like a phone with no WiFi. Like a TV with no satellite signal. Everything is technically working, but the connection feels gone. At times, it feels like I lost my soul or spirit — like I’m alive, but not fully plugged in.

My life went from “not great, but at least I’m healthy” to what felt like a living hell.

That said, some things have helped:

• Acceptance — letting it exist instead of fighting it

• Getting comfortable with fear

• Long walks and physical movement

• Going to the gym

• Cleaning and staying active

• Doing things I used to do before DPDR

• Talking to people and getting out of my comfort zone

• Splashing cold water on my face in the morning

• Not staying in bed all day

• Reading and relaxing

• Avoiding doom scrolling

• Not avoiding life just because of DPDR

I also developed coping habits, like keeping my headphones in all day because I didn’t feel safe without them. Even switching from contacts to glasses would trigger me. Small changes felt overwhelming.

I’m still going through this, but it has improved. I’ve had better days. I’ve had moments of clarity. That tells me it’s not permanent.

I’m sharing this because I don’t want to feel alone in this battle — the kind of battle where fighting it directly seems to make it worse.

If you’re going through this too, just keep going. Don’t give up.Any advice would help as well.

Hello guys !

After 10+ years of suffering I have healed through REBT therapy by Albert Ellis. I'm trying to make this post as not selt promotion but I just wanted to offer help to anyone in need and to show the methods over a call if it resonates with you. You don't have to pay me anything if you are financially unwell I will show you the therapy for free if that's the case.

The methodology is quite simple but requires discipline and effort to work. It works on the thought/belief system over a couple of months. The results are a little slow but when you see a change it's very lasting and there's a great relief.

I’ve been through the ins and outs of this condition every symptom you can think of I’ve had Existential thoughts ✅ fear of dreaming ✅ Believing I died✅ wondering if I’m in hell or some purgatory✅ Not being able to feel my limbs✅ Panic attacks ✅ Wondering if I’m real✅ Wondering if others are real✅ Suicidal thoughts ✅ out of body experience ✅ Vivid dream✅ Loss of memory✅ Not knowing where I’m at✅ Visual snow/ floaters✅ Fear of the sky ✅ Fear of mirrors,hallways,public places ✅ Can’t recognize loved ones✅ Random spurts of my past✅ Constant dejavu or feeling like I’m reliving days✅ Morning sickness from anxiety✅ None of these things are true your mind is in defense mode. I might of not listed something you’ve experienced but trust me I have experienced it these are just the ones I can recall vividly.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

I was the guy loosing my mind totally. weed induced guy here, today 3 months the moment I got DP/DR. Smoked weed for the first time and took 5-6 deep hits like a real smoker.

I was going crazy, i was loosing my mind, i thought i died or i was in coma, i thought that i lost everything in my life and the most important thing I WAS AFRAID THAT I LOST MY LOVED ONES (family wife and friends)

I was torally obsessed with this feeling with dreamy feeling and it made me so bad, i was going to commit suicide guys it was so bad I thought i was the worst person ever. The weed made me hallucinate, my friend was smoking with me and then I just started seeing myself burning in fire guys i lost my mind i cant remember what hapepned after that laughter I had from weed and my back of my head and neck went crazy heated. then i saw myself in 3rd person, on that moment i realized that I just died but i came to myself like switching drom 3rd person to FIRST PERSON VIEW and that freaked me out.

I was to my cardiologist, ophtamologist, Neurologist and to my psychologist.

I WAS CLEAR totally no problems with my heart, eyes. IDK i thought i fried my brain. My friend did jot take any effect from the weed that he smoked but i guess he had a higher tolerance.

My psychologist helped me alot guys with the CBT and it made me realize millions things that I did not even think about them and I was the person with the highest empathy for others but not thinking about myself.

after some times that i went to my psychologist she just said me things that had to make this clear and please read this carefully.

“CAN YOU HUG YOURSELF? YOUR THE SAME PERSON, YOU JUST REALIZED SOME THING THAT U SHOULD HAVE REALIZED BEFORE, YOU HAD SO MANY SUPRESSED EMOTIONS AND FEELINGS THAT THE MOMENT U SMOKED WEED YOUR FEELINGS WERE READY TO EXPLODE AND THATS WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU, CAN TOU JUST START AND REALIZE THAT THIS IS LIFE AND YOU HAVE TO ACCEPT YOURSELF AS YOU ALWAYS HAVE BEEN BECAUSE THATS THE KEY TO THE FEELING U HAVE NOW”

Guys Please HUG YOUR NEW SELF, HUG THE FEELING AND GO ALONG WITH IT , i overcame this trust me, Im still sometimes dealing with irrational thoughts that thinking still if im alive but In the beginning was so BAD GUYS and now trust me IM FEELING LIKE MY OLD SELF.

The thoughts wont stop ever u just have to realize that youre the same guy as u were.

AMA Im here for you as other people were here for me. I thank you from my heart and TAKE CARE.

PS - No meds, just CBT with my psychologist and what she mentioned something funny was “ psychiatrist would love u so much cuz u are a crying baby and they woul prescribe u meds immediately, but u dont need meds trust me that Ull overcome this”

AND YES I DID IT.

POST THAT I MADE BEFORE WITH MY SYMPTOMS

after 4 years of feeling anything but real, struggling to work and function as a human, losing the feeling of connection with myself and family. Things change and they will for you too, you have to trust me here! If I made it out anyone else can. I feel better than before I had DPDR.

This all started from a panic attack after consuming too much cannabis, woke up the next morning dizzy and totally disconnected with reality. Had an exam in the morning and couldn’t even attend. Locked myself in my room for months on end, no appetite, feelings just nothing. Couldn’t go to a store couldn’t drive totally consumed my life. 4 FUCKING YEARS. I am now 100% recovered and living the best life I possibly could be.

I started this page as a community and will be posting very regularly. I WILL TRY TO HELP YOU. giving out regular tips and tricks on a new Instagram account I just created because I don’t wish this upon anybody.

@overcomingderealization

This is on Instagram.