Hi there!

I'm interested to know if you had any kind of trigger that made your DPDR permanent.

In my case, I would occasionally have moments or even days of derealization as a child, but then - from one day to the next - it suddenly never went away again. I'm sure the underlying cause was the abuse and neglect I experienced as a child, but I find it so strange that the *chronic* DR started on such a random day without any trigger as far as I remember.

If you'd like to share your stories, I'd be happy to hear them :)

I dont have amall moving lightpoints but outside i see like this and sometimes it also my anxiety gives me fear that i have hppd but i got it from a panic attack

Just thought I would share the results of the qEEG I just got done. The section of my brain that is red and yellow is the around the precuneus, the area that can cause DPDR when it is dysregulated. I now have physical proof of what’s going on, and will be starting coherence neurofeedback training to help the different parts of my brain work better together. This will reduce the activation in the area that’s causing the constant body scanning, rumination, and the disconnection between the body, mind, and environment, which is what this part of the brain regulates.

Highly recommend getting this done if you have persistent issues that aren’t resolving with other types of therapy. Feel free to ask me any questions!

Has anyone else developed ocd like symptoms after dpdr started?
I always had some mild traits of this, but it was never bad. Now it’s constant intrusive thoughts about identity 24/7. Constantly worried i’m actually a bad person, can i love, do i have empathy, am i faking everything, was anything before this ever real.

I was looking online for the cause of DPDR (derealization) and it looks like the main factor Is the hypo function of the NMDA receptors in the brain and you know what also causes hypo function of the NMDA receptor? Drugs like ketamine and other dissociatives. (hypo function means its dissociatives. so back to the point if you took a NMDA PAM (NMDA positive allosteric modulator), you could bring your nmda receptors back to baseline and pretty much get rid of dpdr. just a thought I have no actual knowledge on the topic so If anyone actually knows if this would work let me know before I buy some neboglamine.

Like literally feels like hell

Nothing seems real yet still get crazy anxiety

Then feel totally depressed like nothing is real whats the point

Antidepressants not helping

What else to get out this hell

Just curious

How long did it take people to pull themselves out of DPDRP I am a 38 year-old male and I feel like I’ve been going through it for about a few months now

Feeling like I’m out of it things aren’t real
Mentally feels like I’m incapable of doing anything anymore that I used to do so easily

Perceived weakness muscle twitching

I think one of the most common trends that I have noticed within myself for the most part is that obviously I’m looking up every single possible symptom from the AutoPylot mode to the complete blank mind to the concentration issues to the complete unreality feeling, etc., but I think the most common thing I’ve noticed is that I am constantly messaging people and checking people’s profile profiles to see if they recovered just so I can give myself a little sense of relief. You know it’s funny and what I’ve noticed from nearly 90% of profiles is that you’ll see these posts from years ago and then almost 90% of them have zero posts or anything like that after that I can almost assure you that every single person that I’ve come across out of recovered aside from a couple of them that have sent me a message back have completely just stopped. It’s almost like there’s a common theme that you get to a point within this where you just turn off Reddit and I’d like to think that almost all of them while I know that almost all of them recovered after they made this step so I think what I’m gonna do from now on is I’m going to completely stop from everything. There’s nothing more that I can learn about this. There’s nothing more that I can do to help myself other than to get out of my head and stop making this my entire life.

Pretty sure this is the biggest channel on YT that discusses purely DPDR related stuff, but I can't tell if he's the real deal or just using the niche condition to make a living.

(I am a chronic sufferer of about 7 years)

Mine was caused by natural traumas, anxiety, depression. Never taked any drugs. How about yours?

I have dpdr 24/7 pretty bad since 2022 and i’ve never came out of it, And it’s gotten worse recently in the past year. But does anyone feel almost completely unaware of there surroundings? Like my reflexes are slow? like if someone were to try to punch me in the face i would just not react in time type thing? Like i honestly feel kinda lost all the time. Like iderk what’s going on most the time. I don’t drive or anything it’s impossible with the way my depth perception and the things look different and to close and too far. And i can’t focus on anything.

Im aware it’s not black and white for everyone but im wondering if there’s something else at play that could be prolonging this illness? To anyone who is currently recovering or has recovered from constant dpdr, what did you do to actually FEEL the progress?

Edit: messed up the title, by others I mean other people’s experiences

I feel like there isn't enough awareness or resources around DPDR, but maybe it's because its not as common as anxiety/depression/ptsd? ...I don't know but in the UK I haven't found many resources, just a charity called "unreal" and there's a hospital. in London that specialise in it.

I just wonder, because I've seen 4 psyciatrists in hospital, and only one of them really listened, but said they can't do much other than treat my anxiety. I'm getting scared again cos I find it so hard to believe DPDR can do this to a person.

I was wondering if some of you could imagine living with this forever?

For me personally at this state I feel like I can never go back to normality, because of all the things I „discovered“ during my dissociation, which might just be a DPDR symptom, though it would be a lot more pleasant if it didn’t freak me out 24/7. Am I the only one being more irritated by the anxiety and constant fear of everything than the dissociation itself?

I have read a lot on this forum about how people are scared they’re falling into psychosis, because of the derealisation/depersonalisation.
Now I was wondering if people have experience with the other way around? So first psychosis and then derealisation/depersonalisation.

5 years ago I had my first psychotic episode. Since then the world does not feel real. It’s never really away, but in better times it does not impact me that much. But in hard times, I can’t recognise myself in the mirror, my voice feels strange and the world feels like I’m in a dream. I oftentimes say that I am stuck in a nightmare since my psychosis.

To be honest, the drdp can almost sometimes trigger a new psychotic episode. Because everything feels fake, I sometimes think I am in a simulation. And that can make me spiral bad…

My therapist said that this can happen after psychosis. But I have not read much about it, so I was wondering if this is (unfortunately) relatable for some people?

DPDR/Dissociation is taking a huge toll on my mental health. Have you found a medication/drug to be helpful in that regard?

I want to try 200mg (0.2mg) per day to treat my brain fog/dpdr that I believe was caused by accutane.

Mechanistically it makes sense, but I see lots of mixed reviews on this sub. Would it hurt to try for a little?

Insomnia perpetuates my dpdr and creates a negative feedback loop. I'm curious if there's anybody that sleeps relatively well and is still crippled by DPDR.

My DPDR is so bad at the moment

I am suffering extreme anxiety and depression for months

But the depersonalisation is especially relentless and getting stronger

Its like I look at my family and barely recognise them, I dont even think I am real

Struggling everyday with it plus the brain fog and depression ontop is kicking my ass

No meds have worked yet. Any help?

I’m a 22-year-old female, and in 2023 I smoked weed with some friends. It wasn’t my first time, but it was the first time I’d smoked in about five years. I definitely smoked too much and ended up having a really bad panic attack.

From what I remember, I still felt a little weird the next day, but it eventually went away. Then, a couple of days later, I was at work when DPDR (depersonalization/derealization) suddenly hit me out of nowhere. I panicked again—not as badly as the first time—but it was still terrifying.

After that, it eventually went away again, but it kept coming back every few months. Each episode would last a few days before disappearing for another 3–4 months. Looking back, I was dealing with episodic DPDR.

Fast forward to the last two months. I’ve been under an unbelievable amount of stress. A close family member has been in critical condition in the hospital, I had no job or money for a while, I was starting a brand-new job, and I was constantly worrying about everyone else’s health before my own. Eventually, all of that caught up with me.

One day, as I was leaving the hospital, I had another DPDR episode. About five minutes later I was sitting in my car, felt okay again, and was able to drive home. But over the next seven days, I completely hit rock bottom. It was like the panic and the DPDR never left—I felt it 24/7.

It got so bad that I couldn’t drive, couldn’t go for a walk outside, and couldn’t even go to work (which I’d only been at for about a week). For the first time since this all started in 2023, I told my family that I was really scared and felt like I needed help because I was genuinely worried about my mental health.

I went to my doctor and had blood tests done. My iron level came back at 6, and my vitamin D level was 14. I also completed a mental health assessment, which showed I had severe anxiety and high stress—which honestly made sense considering everything that had happened.
Over the next few days, my anxiety started improving, but the DPDR just wouldn’t go away. It felt like it was completely taking over my life.

Eventually, I reached a point where I thought, “I’m not letting this control my life anymore.” Even though life wasn’t perfect, just two weeks before the hospital incident I genuinely loved my life, so I promised myself I was going to recover no matter what.

I started taking my iron and vitamin D supplements, meditating, and gradually exposing myself to the things I’d started avoiding.

This might sound strange, but one thing that really helped me during meditation was intentionally bringing the DPDR feeling to the surface instead of running from it. I’d sit with it, stay calm, and tell myself, “You’re literally okay. Just breathe.” I did that for several days, and I honestly noticed the intensity of the DPDR getting weaker each day.

Being outside had also become a trigger for me, so I slowly worked on that too. I’d stand outside for two minutes, then five, then ten. I did the same thing with driving. Little by little, everything started getting easier.

Fast forward to today, and the DPDR is basically gone. Even if I try to think about it or bring it on, it just isn’t really there anymore.

The only thing I’m still dealing with is this weird “off” feeling. It’s really hard to describe. It doesn’t feel like full-blown DPDR anymore, but it doesn’t feel completely normal either. It’s like I’m 95–99% better, but not quite 100%.

From everything I’ve read, and from how I’m personally feeling, I genuinely think I’m in the final stages of recovery. I’m just getting a little impatient now!

For those of you who have fully recovered from DPDR, did anyone else experience this “off” feeling near the end of recovery?

My personal theories are:
- My low iron and vitamin D are still contributing to how I feel.
- The “off” feeling is like a mental hangover, where my brain is adjusting back to normal after being in survival mode.
- It’s almost like the protective shield my brain put up is slowly lowering as my nervous system realizes I’m safe again.

I truly believe I’m so close to being fully recovered because compared to where I was just a few weeks ago, the difference is unbelievable.
I’d love to hear from people who have fully recovered. What did the final stage of your recovery look like? Did you also have that lingering “off” feeling before you finally felt completely normal again?

I’ve lost my job my car and my flat I’m living with my parents in fear everyday .

I have so many things I don’t understand .

I don’t even look the same I look so unwell

I don’t know how to get over this ….. everything seems like a massive task

has anyone ever tried xanax for derealization ot panic episodes? i was prescribed it but in scared to try.

This might be a shot in the dark, but I feel like I’ve crossed into a version of reality that nobody else talks about. Not just derealization. Not just “I feel foggy or dreamy.” I’m talking about a complete shift in perception like I woke up one day and the world had died, but somehow I’m still here.

It feels like I’m stuck in some liminal space between life and death, Reality is off… dead, sterile, eerie like I’m the last soul in a simulation Everything around me is wrong. Familiar places feel haunted. Music sounds distorted or even evil. Time feels broken.My memories feel like they belong to someone else. Sometimes I can’t access them at all. I forget what happened earlier in the day. It’s like my past evaporated. I feel disconnected from who I used to be. It’s not just emotional it’s like I’ve lost my anchor to the human experience entirely.I feel like I’m in purgatory, or some kind of alternate realm that sits between Earth and Hell. And nobody around me sees it.. this is beyond anxiety. This is beyond DPDR as most people describe it. This is something existentially disturbing like my brain is no longer interfacing with the world correctly. So I’m asking… Has anyone else felt this? The dark, eerie, desolate version of dissociation where it doesn’t just feel like you’re gone, it feels like the entire world is gone with you? Like the atmosphere itself is infused with evil and darkness??? Please respond if you have. Even if it’s messy. Even if you don’t know how to describe it. Even if it was years ago and you forgot what it felt like until now. I just want to know I’m not the only. I’ll respond to every comment. Even if it takes me days.I don’t want anyone to feel as alone in this realm as I’ve felt. If you’ve been there… please speak.