FAQ

Find answers to some of the more frequently asked questions on the Forums.

Forums guidelines

Our guidelines keep the Forums a safe place for people to share and learn information.

Derealisation

Mishka
Community Member

Hi everyone,

                     I have had panic disorder for about a year now which has quickly gotten worse as I didn`t know how to deal with it. 3 months ago I signed up to Mind spot. I highly recommend it, it has been a huge help for me. You will learn so much and everything will start to make sense.The only symptoms that bother me now are feeling light headed which I know is to do with your breathing so I do deep breathing whenever I think of it. The other symptom is derealisation. When I was working I would feel like this all day 8 hours everyday! It was horrible. Has anyone had experiences with derealisation and if so how do you deal with it?

6 Replies 6

white knight
Community Champion
Community Champion

Hi Mishka,

Derealisation? I havent heard of that. But I was reminded many times when under a occupational therapist, was I being realistic?

I remind myself of this every day....25 years later.   eg  He would ask me how my week went. I'd talk about it then tell him of a fantasy about a bully I had in school (20 years earlier mind you) coming to get me, hunt me down.  He would ask me "are you being realistic"?  He was spot on. He taught me to stop allowing my brain to play games on me.

Mishka
Community Member

Hi white Knight,

                             Yes I asked myself the same question when I have silly thoughts. Derealisation is like you feel detached from reality and yourself. Like your in a dream or your watching a movie, its a strange feeling to describe.

faeriedust88
Blue Voices Member
Blue Voices Member

Hi Mishka,

Please could you describe more on your derealisation - like when does it happen, how long does it last for, and how often a day do you experience derealisation?  I would like a better understanding of derealisation before I try and suggest some things that may help.

What is your lifestyle like?  Do you drink alcohol, smoke or do drugs?  Just wondering.  The only time I may have experienced something like this is when I've meditated and not come back into my body properly - so then grounding is very helpful for me when this happens - but not sure if this is what you are experiencing...?  Am interested to learn more.

Hope all is good in your world. 🙂

KeepMovingForward
Community Member

Hi, 

I have had very strong feelings of this and did not know what was going on. 

It happens more readily for me when I am feeling at my low points and I have been to the cinema. If it is a good (believable and with strong emotions) movie then I will leave feeling immensely disjointed. The world about does not feel at all real as being in the cinema I became part of the movie and feel joined within it. Once the movie finishes I can have quite a hard time believing that the real world is not just an odd dream I'm having as my reality has partially shifted into the movie. I wouldn't say that I was completely out of control as I am aware of my faculties and know what I'm doing, but my mind swings in and out of which is real and which is not. It doesn't happen every time but does appear to have a strong emotional trigger (great loss or sadness) which some movies are very good at bringing on especially when the cinematography is well done. It doesn't usually last all that long (maybe an hour) but when I'm alone it does appear to last much longer (which can be a long way into the evening and has once been overnight). When I'm with someone I know, or meet people I know soon after, the feeling disappears much more quickly, which is probably due to the fact that they help me to join reality much quicker. 

I suppose this maybe more of an identity thing, but it is definitely derealisation as well. 

Pixie15
Community Member

Hi,

I think I might get what you mean and it happens to me when I am too emotional. I actually found it got worse when I was doing therapy and was asked to keep a thought diary. I wonder if people who experience this might score higher on empathy. 

Grateful. 

Guest7765
Community Member
oh Derealisation I used to have that and had it for about 4-5 months and I thought I was going insane but the good new is I know the cure, its exercise, after about 1 month of karate I started to feel a lot better and a couple of months after that I just realized all of a sudden that I don't have it anymore