For People who have suffered/suffer from derealization or depersonalization disorder how does it work?
My answer to this question:
Depersonalization or derealization is a coping mechanism to mitigate the mental/emotional, physical, and/or sexual abuse trauma one experienced.
What we tell (self-talk) ourselves has an impact on our physiology.
Depersonalization or derealization is a state in which one’s thoughts and feelings seem unreal or not belonging to oneself. Or in which one loses touch with their sense of identity.
Depersonalization or Derealization Disorder is a label affixed to behavior that is a coping behavior following mental, emotional, physical, and/or sexual abuse trauma.
While the following discourse about a Depersonalization Disorder label might add to one’s sense of hopelessness and helplessness. Allow me to reassure you that transforming/ transmuting the symptoms at the unconscious, subconscious, and soul level is possible.
Depersonalization or Derealization is estimated to be the third most common psychiatric label and occurs following life-threatening experiences. The experiences include but are not limited to mental, emotional, physical, and/or sexual abuse assaults. Research reveals as many as 66% of women and 33% of men are sexually abused by age 18. Also, 79% of children are physically assaulted on average once a week.
It is also not uncommon for people to experience mild episodes of depersonalization when faced with a stressful situation such as giving a speech or taking an exam. While some people report these experiences as upsetting, others have said they find them helpful and calming. It is a coping strategy for many people to set aside their current anxiety and more effectively deal with the task at hand.
Frequent or severe episodes of depersonalization may compel the individual to sense they are going crazy or living in a dream world. The episodes may interfere with one or more areas of a person’s life and may make it difficult to be productive on a consistent basis. Individuals often find it extremely difficult to describe their symptoms and may believe the symptoms mean they are psychotic. Reality testing is not impaired during a depersonalization episode, but the fear that they are “going crazy” may compel some people to be reluctant to discuss their symptoms with their doctor and may increase anxiety, which in turn can trigger more episodes of depersonalization.
If episodes of depersonalization are frequent and severe, a diagnosis of Depersonalization Disorder is given to prescribe psychotropic drugs to numb and mask the symptoms.
The standard diagnostic tool – Diagnostic Criteria for Depersonalization Disorder—DSM V:
A. Persistent or recurrent experiences of feeling detached from, and as if one is an outside observer of, one’s mental processes or body (e.g., sensing one is in a dream).
B. During the depersonalization experience, reality testing remains intact.
C. Depersonalization or derealization causes significant distress or impairment in relationships, socializing, occupational, and other functions.
D. The depersonalization or depersonalization experience does not occur exclusively during the course of another mental disorder, such as Schizophrenia, Panic Disorder, Acute Stress Disorder, or another Dissociative Disorder. not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication) or a general medical condition (e.g., temporal lobe epilepsy).
Depersonalization Disorder Symptoms:
Loss or change of sensing or seeing body parts:
A sense of numbness in one or more body parts. Loss of sensation, as though the body part does not belong or has become detached from the body—primarily the body area (part) that has been assaulted. There may be little response to pain or other sensations, a defense that would be healthy and useful during an accident or life-threatening situation; such as physical assault, a.k.a. spanking/discipline, but unhealthy, harmful, and disquieting during everyday life.
Distorted perceptions of one’s body:
A sense that parts of the body are changing in size or shape, or that your body is shrinking. A sense that certain body parts do not seem to belong or appear fake or plastic. There might be a sense that specific body parts have been transplanted from other areas or even from other people.
Invisibility:
The person might feel invisible or transparent, and that others are not able to see him/her. One may feel as though one blends in with the environment, or one is moving at a different speed than others.
Not recognizing oneself in the mirror or in photographs. Or not recognizing a specific body part as belonging to oneself. Such as weight. Many people with the label Depersonalization Disorder might see themselves as overweight when they are anorexic or bulimic. One might see their body suitable for bikini or skinny clothes when they are 200 pounds overweight.
Being unable to recognize oneself or feeling unfamiliar with the person looking back when one looks into a mirror is a distortion one is unable to comprehend. Believing that one’s reflection belongs to someone else, or at a different age than one is now, is a common reality for someone who experienced mental, emotional, physical, and/or sexual abuse in childhood.
Detachment from one’s emotions:
A lack of or distortion of emotional response or an inability to feel certain emotions is common. One might feel cut off from one’s emotions or unable to access them at the appropriate times. There may be a sense that one’s feelings are dulled or flat, or that they are stored away somewhere deep inside—out of reach—yet one has a sense there is more than what one is feeling. Many people are indoctrinated and conditioned to push their mental truth and emotions aside, as they believe it is necessary to leave their “work self” at the office before going home in the evening. If you are suffering from depersonalization you might believe that your emotions are no longer within reach, and do not return in spite of sensing them and working to bring them forth.
A sense of unreality or of being a robot:
A sense you are functioning automatically or on auto-pilot, or that something or someone else is controlling your beliefs, thoughts, feelings, or actions is common. Many people experience a sense of being unreal, or like an actor in a movie. One might have the thought that one is “going through the motions” of life, or that there is no emotional connection to one’s actions and no thought behind anything one does.
A sense of floating or out-of-body sensations:
One might feel as though one is hovering over one’s body or outside of oneself. One may have the experience of watching oneself from a distance, or of standing on the sidelines commenting on or even criticizing one’s own performance.
Self-talk:
Everyone has internal dialogues when making a decision, preparing a speech, or practicing for or rehearsing a future conversation, but during a depersonalization episode these dialogues are negative—i.e. criticism—out loud and take place more frequently.
Last, but, Not Least:
The good news is all diagnosis from A to Z—Abdominal Pain to Zits and everything in between can be healed at the unconscious and soul level. A Deep Healing protocol is highly effective to create comprehensive and complete healing.
The Deep Transformation/Transmuting process is a clear, concise, and direct method of working with the mental/emotional issues that transcend traditional Western Medicine and Western Psychiatric protocols while retaining a professional focus. Deep Healing avoids prescription drugs, body parts removed, artificial hypnotic inductions, and psychic interventions. The process ties in directly with the experiences and needs of the person. The process is down-to-earth, to-the-point, practical, fearless and with 30+ years experience, I know Deep Transformation/Transmuting is efficient and effective.
I am here only to be truly helpful.
Source:
- Deep Healing and Transformation is an efficient and effective protocol that transcends traditional practices while retaining a professional focus. It avoids artificial hypnotic inductions and psychic interventions, but ties in directly with the experiences of the client. The process is down-to-earth, to-the-point, practical, and fearless. Hans TenDam Books | List of books by author Hans TenDam https://www.thriftbooks.com/a/ha…
- https://drodorothy.net
- Podcast By Dr. Dorothy Neddermeyer
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.govWashington Manual® General Internal Medicine Consult
- Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)
- Depersonalization Disorder: Symptoms, Causes, Treatment & Support