Out of It: My Stories with Depersonaliztion and Derealization and How I Healed

Into the Unknown: The Causes and Ways of DP/DL

Ok, so since you're here, you are probably looking for the causes and why we get feelings like DP and DL. This article will briefly go over the hurdles and spins of this disorder, what casues it and why we get it. So hang tight, this ride can be bumpy.

What exactly is DP and DL?

They are normal sensations caused by the brain when one is either extremely anxious or extremely emotionally stressed out. The brain ''circuits off'' and attempts to somehow numb the emotions out by making you feel like you are not all there, like you're in a movie, etc, it is simply your brain's way of coping. It does not mean you are crazy or have some sort of mental illness. But sometimes DP and DL are side symptoms of a problem that you should consider, for example, if you find you are very very anxious all the time for no reason at all, you may have a sort of anxiety disorder, however, this too can be healed and bounced back from as well, so don't fret if this is the case. Other times DP and DL can happen from taking illegal drugs such as cannibis, (another good reason not to do drugs). If you are taking any of these, I urge you to try to stop. You will feel and look more healthy and happy if you cut bad and  unnecessary drugs out of your system. 

Here are some examples of how anxiety and fear play a role in DP and DL. Please note that both Jess and Jeff are fictional charcters and these are fictional events. 

So, let's say ''Jess'' is seriously stressed out. She has millions of things she has to do, and those dishes in the sink and homework on the bed are not going to do themselves. Jess always has to be somewhere at some time, then one day Jess is so stressed she begins to feel like she's in a movie! What happened? Jess got too sick emotionally and her mind wanted to calm her down by numbing the stress out, however this only made Jess feel even worse, she had to clue what was going on! Was she dreaming? Was she going a little nutso? No, she just simply had a very common episode of DL.

''Jeff'' is trying to recover from a scary event that happened at school last month. One of the students, Bruce, had brought a  very realistic looking B.B gun that only shot pellets to school. Jeff thought it was a real gun, and when Bruce wanted to show him it, Jeff became very scared and ran frantically out of the room. Later the teacher told Jeff that Bruce did not have a real gun, and Jeff began to feel much better, but also very embarrassed. Later when Jeff got home, he felt weird. He felt like he was in a dream. What happened to Jeff? His brain tried to soothe the fright that he experienced earlier at school.

So as we can see, DP and DL can happen to just about anybody. It's normal! Only when you are having it everyday, or if it is triggered easily is when there is something that needs to be addressed. In my experiences, I had it almost everyday, and it was triggered very easily due to social anxiety. I recoverec from this and so can you. The next chapter will tell my story with these weird feelings. Read on!