Depersonalization Disorder Recovery after 15 Years: Daina's Story
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- Опубліковано 8 кві 2023
- ⚡ Start YOUR 💯 recovery from DPDR today! 👉🏼 www.dpmanual.com/purchase/
02:40 DPDR at 10 Years Old
10:32 Speaking to Doctors
12:37 Do The Symptoms Change As You Grow Up?
18:39 Existential Thoughts
26:12 Does Therapy help?
30:30 "When you let go, it lets you go"
39:50 What Does Recovery Feel Like?
46:49 Can you REALLY get back to normal?
50:30 How was The DP Manual helpful?
53:14 Advice for people with Depersonalization
Daina Morgann first experienced intense DPDR when she was just 10 years old, which persisted strongly and consistently for about 5 years. Around the age of 15 Daina developed a series of coping strategies, including avoiding situations that triggered and aggravated her anxiety and DPDR. These coping mechanisms helped Daina to manage her anxiety through her teens and into her 20s.
But last year, at the age of 24, the anxiety and DPDR flared up again and became chronic. The symptoms were happening 24/7 including feelings of disconnection, and constant intrusive thoughts. It was around this time that Daina first contacted me, telling me that she was "scared beyond words".
It was a terrifying experience, but thankfully Dana is now fully recovered, and joined me to speak about about her experience with and recovery from Depersonalization Disorder.
Check out my website and DPDR recovery program at:
www.dpmanual.com/
Connect with me!
/ depersonalizationmanual
/ dpmanual
Disclaimer: Please note that the medical information contained within this video is not intended as a substitute for consultation with a professional physician and is not a recommendation of specific therapies.
Hi Shaun! Thank you again for taking the time to interview me, it was great chatting with you. It felt so therapeutic to share everything I endured all these years. Now I feel like I can finally finish this chapter, it’s a bit overdue! 😂 I hope this helps others struggling, and to know things really do get better! I had the ability to overcome this all along and so do you guys. All the best wishes for others recovery 😊
Thanks so much for sharing your experience and insight Daina, it was so lovely to have you on the channel! 😊
Thank you Daina
Thank you Daina
Thanks for sharing Daina, very enlightening 😊
Had it since 5 years and i lose hope. Know all about anxiety and dpdr but still stuck
Sean, I think this is the most important interview yet. I read so many people with DP/DR report that they’ve had their symptoms for many, many years and they’ve lost hope. Daina’s story proves that recovery is possible even after 15 years. I think this will be incredibly comforting to so many people.
Daina, congratulations on your recovery! 🎉
Hey Paul! Yes absolutely -- I speak to people all the time who worry that there's a 'time limit' after which recovery becomes impossible. It's so great to see stories from people like Daina who have made a complete recovery after more than a decade. It just goes to show that recovery is always possible, regardless of how long you've had the condition.
I lose hope after 5 years
I have also suffered from DPDR for the last 15 years. Up until a couple of months ago, I had absolutely no idea what it was. After living with it for so long, trying to imagine a life without it seems so unattainable. Almost to good to be true. I am hopeful. Praying one day it will leave me too.
Thanks for your comment Alyssa -- And don't worry, it doesn't matter what caused it or how long you've had it, you can always switch DPDR off completely by stopping the anxiety that's causing it 😊 Read this carefully: www.dpmanual.com/articles/how-long-does-depersonalization-last/
Same
20 plus years here. I'm glad I'm not alone - but am so so sorry to hear you've had it so long. I no longer pray it will leave. Also have DID and bc "I" switch so much and have that, it's all just a big joke at this point. Not to get too dark but I'm excited to lose any sort of consciousness one day...I just have to hold on until then
I had it 24/7 for 30 years. Unfortunately, only saw it get better when the pain in my life became so great, there was no way to escape. I could not avoid feeling and being in reality. I was diagnosed with a brain tumor - nothing to do with my DP/DR- and multiple other illnesses and at the same time, had to be a caregiver for my sick mother. As I get sicker, it is very difficult to be in reality, but the DP/DR seems to have retreated to a tiny fraction of what it once was. If only that had happened when I had my health and my youth!
Sorry to hear about everything. I almost have no words, only that I sincerely wish you the best health and recovery possible of every single one of your conditions so you are able to have enjoyment in your life again. Much love from here ❤
Maybe it'll be better in the next life
Jesus almighty. I've been in the DP community for 2 decades, and this is the first time i've ever come across someone else who got i through a drop in blood pressure by standing up too quickly. I also got it at her age. Another great interview, Shaun!
It amazes me how the triggers can be so different, but the condition is always virtually the same. Glad you enjoyed the interview! 😊
Have you ever had panic attacks when you were younger? Or hit your head at a young age?
Yeah I do also
thank you .I just lost my dog, and having a dpd episode and panic attacks.Mine has been around since 1983, I find they go in remission. omg the questions...again. Thank you so much for the laugh, I have observed over the years that it as if my mind throws these smoke screens of dpd and panic rather than feel emotions I do not want to. The strangest thing is, in mid panic attack, when a tangible fearful situation arises, I am cool as a cucumber. so happy I found your channel, helping me out of this episode now.
Thanks for sharing your story. ❤
❤❤
I love Daina's story because I am a chronic what iffer, i find writing these thoughts down and getting to a big so what really helps. Our brains are built to think, so I accept I am getting thunked.
Thank you so much, Shaun. You have no idea how grateful I am because you, the people in your channel, you guys saved my life.
Happy to help! 😊❤️
Its so refreshing to hear this talked about. I realised not long ago that Ive had this on and off most of my life, sometimes for a few hours and sometimes for months. This last episode is just over 3 years now and its getting rather stale 😂. I still live my life as normal and dont have the thoughts that you guys were talking about, I just have this annoying thing that wont go away. Have had anxiety for the last few years but it was so much better then BOOM! Day 1 of lockdown and its been here since 24/7. PS I do check in often to see that its still here 🤦🏽♀️😂
How are you now
Its very comforting to see Shaun and his guests laugh about these intrusive thoughts about the sky and recovery from them, (as I experience them now) I feel exactly like they DID now, so I KNOW.....recovery is going to happen. I have to stop trying to figure everything out. Sometimes we dont need the answers to these crazy DPDR thoughts haha. Thank you
Glad to hear you're finding the interviews helpful 😊
Shaun is actually here to help people and not charge thousands of dollars and has the best Manuel out there ! Thank you Shaun for everything you’ve done! Ps that relaxation audio always knocks me right out at night haha
Thanks Robert, glad to hear it's helping! 😊🙏
These videos are so helpful! I need to get off the forums though. They just exacerbate my fears. Congrats Daina 🎉
Glad the videos have been helpful! 😊 And read this, I think you'll find it useful: www.dpmanual.com/articles/depersonalization-forums-why-you-must-avoid-them/
@@Dpmanual wow what a great post! Thank you. I was recovered for YEARS until a bad panic attack started my symptoms again. It’s been rough. But I just deleted Reddit. Here’s to better days!
@@crayonangelss23 Glad it was helpful! 😊
I recently found your channel but I’m not feeling the idea that ignoring it will make it go away. I’ve had it for 20 years and I’ve gone through all the feelings and various stages, which in later years led to me ignoring the symptoms because that’s just what needed to be done to go about life… but no, it’s never gone away.
20 years wow… but how do you feel now?
What started
i have struggled with very chronic DR with some episodes of DP for the last 13 years now and feel exactly the same as you. I feel like i've become an expert now when it comes to leting go of the obsessive recovery thoughts, and just as you, I'm only able to go about my days because i’ve had to learn to live with this symptom.
I don't know how much longer this is going to last for us, and i don't know how you've been feeling lately. But i wish you can recover soon.
Hugs ❤
I wish that for you too. But I really have to let go of that hope... because resisting it probably makes it worse. This is just life now, and I can live with that. @@iloveperros
Hi shaun , please need your guidance ! Please i comment alot and never i got the answer / i would love to buy your manual but before that i really need to know am i going through DP or DR or something else / its been 6 years i stay in a dreamy kind of state and it happened from no where all of sudden ! I thought so much about it that i went into depression / than SSRIs made me happy again but this cloudy dreamy foggy state never went away ! Well after that whenever i am sad depressed down i get intense feelings of detachment from reality i feel im stuck in thoughts , i feel weird vision, i feel so annoying , than i stop working i cnt come out of my bed im scared of all this and when i tell to doctors they say its my anxiety / they keep changing medicines or increasing my dosages / can you relate this is all DP DR due to anxiety ? Please guide me i am hopeless i dont have answers to my issues /
Hey Shaun. I bought your DP Manual. I have beside the DP
/DR the problem that Im interrupting my inner monologue and a Blank mind. So far so ,,good,, You said that whenever you have a DP thought you should catch it and occupy/ignore. Now I have the problem that Im more checking my inner monologue than ever. What can I do?
My question is how can I tell if I'm not feeling depersonalization or derealization it's been so long that i don't know what reality feels like
You wouldn't really care about telling that you have DP/DR if you no longer are anxious of it. Would you care about thinking of someone unless you're somehow 'concerned' of him? Same thing.
Hey Shaun. Been dealing with a looping thought that’s existential in nature and has me scared every day. I don’t wanna type it here bc people have enough of their own thoughts and don’t need mine on top of it lol….may I contract you directly? 😊
Hey shaun great video. I have a question for you. Me including alot of people i have met online in dp dr fourms say that our anxiety is next to nothing but our dp dr still remains 24/7 any idea why that might be? It was definitely hard and scary at first but i can definitely say im no longer afraid of it anymore but the symptoms dont leave.
Read this carefully, I think you'll find it very useful 😊 www.dpmanual.com/articles/depersonalization-without-anxiety/
Thanks so much to Daina for sharing her inspirational story! 👏You can find out more about my recovery program The DP Manual here 👉👉 www.dpmanual.com/purchase/
I’ve had derealization for 15 years now it hasn’t gone away. It happened suddenly, like a light switch turned off, and it scared me. Hasn’t went away since but I’ve learned to cope with it. But life does not have that “feeling” anymore. Idk what can bring me back.
Hey, thanks for your comment 😊 I know DPDR can be scary but just remember that it’s a natural reaction to stress and anxiety, and people experience it all the time. The National Institute on Mental Illness estimates that up to 75% of people experience at least one depersonalization / derealization episode in their lives. It's part of your brain's natural defence mechanism and usually it only lasts a few seconds or minutes at a time. It's only when it's focused on as a separate problem (feeling like you're going crazy / in a dream etc) that it can turn into a feedback loop with the anxiety that caused it in the first place. But no matter what caused it or how long you've had it, you can always switch it off completely by stopping that anxious feedback loop. Make sure to carefully read through all the articles and info on my website at www.dpmanual.com and my book The Depersonalization Manual.
And if you would like to speak to a medical professional please don't hesitate to do so. I would recommend finding an anxiety specialist if possible as they will likely be more familiar with DPDR 👍
@@Dpmanual So the Buddhists and Dzogchen and Advaita people are going about it in the wrong way. Instead of meditating a bunch and reading philosophy, we should try to be anxious in order to recognize this thing?
Even after many years of meditation, I can only "depersonalize" for split seconds. Even under lsd or ketamine, it's seconds at most.
@@MrCmon113 No, those contexts are very different. Read this, I think you'll find it helpful 😊 psychcentral.com/lib/is-depersonalization-disorder-a-form-of-enlightenment
Hi Shaun! Is it normal that I can’t smell as before. It seems like my sense of smell has gotten weaker. Also, when I don’t sleep/not much the symptoms get worse and I feel even more dpdr. Is that normal?
Hi! 😊 Losing your sense of smell is not a typical symptom of anxiety / DPDR, have you been tested for COVID?
@@Dpmanual Yea well, I don’t have Covid nor the other symptoms of it.
It’s normal about the smell, you start to focus on everything and tell yourself things when nothing is even wrong. try to accept it trust me it will be fine
Hi! How do I get rid of the catastrophic ideas that I made when in my highest state of dp I feel like I may be traumatized by them.
Don’t worry Avery, catastrophic thoughts like that are super common with DPDR. I know they can be frustrating and frightening but they are also temporary and harmless and will fade away and stop as your recovery continues 😊 www.dpmanual.com/articles/depersonalization-fears-and-anxious-thoughts/
I am suffering from dpdr from 1 year please help me I can't know myself when I touch myself. I am still now feeling itself even I am afraid of breathing. I had to stop my study from 1 month for dpdr cause of PANIC attack in class😢😢😢
Hey, thanks for your comment and I'm sorry to hear you've been having a difficult time. I know DPDR can be scary but just remember that it’s a natural reaction to stress and anxiety, and people experience it all the time. The National Institute on Mental Illness estimates that up to 75% of people experience at least one depersonalization / derealization episode in their lives. It's part of your brain's natural defence mechanism and usually it only lasts a few seconds or minutes at a time. It's only when it's focused on as a separate problem (feeling like you're going crazy / in a dream etc) that it can turn into a feedback loop with the anxiety that caused it in the first place. But no matter what caused it or how long you've had it, you can always switch it off completely by stopping that anxious feedback loop. Make sure to carefully read through all the articles and info on my website at www.dpmanual.com and my book The Depersonalization Manual.
And if you would like to speak to a medical professional please don't hesitate to do so. I would recommend finding an anxiety specialist if possible as they will likely be more familiar with DPDR 👍
Hey i have a problem right now where I can't remember what i was fearing and all i feel right now is anxiety like i just randomly forgot my fears and my anxiety is still here. Can you someone explain or something cuz i used to have lots of different fears now all i have is anxiety
Don't worry, concentration + memory issues are very common with DPDR 😊 I know they can be frustrating but they will fade away and stop as your recovery continues: www.dpmanual.com/articles/depersonalization-and-memory-loss/
Is a symptom of it , like i forget who i am , like living with no purpose, like if nothing mattered ? Is scary honestly
Don’t worry, existential / intrusive thoughts like that are super common with DPDR. I know they can be frustrating and frightening but they are also temporary and harmless and will fade away and stop as your recovery continues 😊 www.dpmanual.com/articles/depersonalization-fears-and-anxious-thoughts/
It's funny that what others consider a central insight, a gem of wisdom is simply "scary" to you.
😢😢😢😢😢Guys I have a question someone please answer what do I do if I feel numb 24/7? Do I continue along or do I try to feel emotions or be happy???? Someone plzzz answer...
Don't worry Saad, feelings of numbness are very common with DPDR 😊 I know they can be frustrating but they will fade away and stop as your recovery continues: www.dpmanual.com/about/do-i-have-depersonalization-disorder/
Hi Shaun, my daughter is 11 years old and she started having dp/dr from 2 years .. is the manual can help her ?
Hi Jida, I'm sorry to hear your daughter has been having a difficult time. Yes, the information in The DP Manual will be helpful for her, though I would strongly suggest that you go through all the material with her so you're familiar with it and can simplify / explain any of the more complex topics covered. And if you would like to speak to a medical professional please don't hesitate to do so. I would recommend finding an anxiety specialist if possible as they will likely be more familiar with DPDR.
ive had dpdr for months its annoying i still do my daily stuff but it just wont go away im just so confused on what to do
Don't worry, it doesn't matter what caused it or how long you've had it, you can always switch DPDR off completely by stopping the anxiety that's causing it 😊 Read this carefully: www.dpmanual.com/articles/how-long-does-depersonalization-last/
does taking medication for anxiety/ depression help with DP? Or should someone still dealing and trying to recover from DP STAY away from any sort of meds?
I'm not a medical professional so can't give you specific recommendations re medication. But please read this article, I think you'll find it useful: www.dpmanual.com/articles/can-medication-cure-depersonalization/
Personally I did take anti-depressants when it resurfaced in April, and it took a few months, but it definitely helped me to be able to do the proper work in order to get better. I wouldn’t say anti-depressants can ‘cure’ DPDR but they gave me an opportunity to get better whilst implementing all the actions needed in the DP manual. Everyone’s different though and speaking with a medical professional is the best way to find out what could help you. 😊
@@Dpmanual medical professionals can't answer this question tho. Have u heard of a person who took anxiety meds overcome from their dpdr?
@@DM-nv5ji Hi Daina, thank you for doing this interview. I’m 3 months in with DP and I’d say the extreme symptoms are going away but I still get random panic sensations and I have anxiety most of the day, I get the existential thoughts but I’m really trying with therapy to move forward I’m considering meds. What medication worked for you? Also are you weaning off of them okay? Thanks
Random Question: Is it good to compare your DP with others? There are different triggers for everyone, or what you would say?
This isn’t much of an answer, but iWould be open to the idea of sharing experiences with anybody. Matter fact, iFind some kinda satisfying & a sigh of relieve knowing there’s a voice out there that affirms that you’re not alone. And listens to the words uCant seem to say. I know how haunting, how desperate, how isolating this condition is makes u. I hope this help scrambles the next time it attacks. Be that deep breath of fresh air uNeed. The hand to wipe that tear. The neutralizer that resets u back to the natural you!💯
This isn’t much of an answer, but iWould be open to the idea of sharing experiences with anybody. Matter fact, iFind some kinda satisfying & a sigh of relieve knowing there’s a voice out there that affirms that you’re not alone. And listens to the words uCant seem to say. I know how haunting, how desperate, how isolating this condition is makes u. I hope this help scrambles the next time it attacks. Be that deep breath of fresh air uNeed. The hand to wipe that tear. The neutralizer that resets the existential you back to the original natural you!💯
@@DeepaSagare It's more like I've been in there for years. I was diagnosed with OCD and unfortunately I am still dealing with it. It rather puts pressure on me sometimes that I am still free of it.
I don’t think comparison is helpful in recovery if I’m being honest. DPDR is pretty much the same for everyone no matter what triggers it to happen. Sometimes comparing can cause more anxiety, worrying if you’re ‘running out of time’ or not recovering as quickly as others. In order to overcome DP you need to lessen your anxiety, so comparison doesn’t always help that! 😊
@@DM-nv5ji The trigger points are different, therefore probably also with everyone a different handling, understand.
Thank you.
i have it for months now and im scared that there is something weong with me i also get tensed up throat and my chest tensed up feeling
It's all normal. These are symptoms of anxiety just like DPDR is a symptom of anxiety. Don't worry about it.
The best advice is not making it as a big deal I know its hard to not to think about it when your are feeling unreal but make a practice of putting concious effort of having non dp thoughts!!
I've completely recovered from dp and you will too !!
Sending healing powers !!
@@DeepaSagare hey I'm just wondering, when you were really close to recovery, you don't feel unreal, you don't feel out of your body, but you struggle with not knowing who you truly are? What you like, what you hate, how you used to spend your time, etc... Did you struggle with this? Because this is what's happening to me now. Now that I'm coming back to reality I'm just wondering how did I use to live before all of that happened...
Is having a fear of cartoons/kids toys/ things seeming really scary and creepy due to dpdr or psychosis?
Hi Becci, irrational fears like that are very common with DPDR and all anxiety-based conditions: www.dpmanual.com/articles/depersonalization-biggest-fear/
And if you would like to speak to a medical professional please don't hesitate to do so. I would recommend finding an anxiety specialist if possible as they will likely be more familiar with DPDR.
@@Dpmanual thanks shaun - I am trying to see a therapist but just haven’t seen any fears of inanimate objects or cartoons etc as a dpdr symptom - also had DP in the past and these things never scared me - the thought of Christmas and Halloween just creeps me out so much - have no clue why!!
@@Rising497 Don't worry Becci, as with all anxiety-based conditions, the focus of your fears / phobias can change over time 😊Rather than focusing on them one by one, instead try to focus on addressing the underlying anxiety that's causing them, and you will start to make progress in getting rid of them altogether 😊
20 plus year veteran here. "I" can't conceive of ever getting out
Don't worry, it doesn't matter what caused it, how long it’s lasted, or whether it’s been 24/7 or episodic, you can always switch DPDR off completely by stopping the anxiety that's causing it 😊 Read this carefully: www.dpmanual.com/articles/how-long-does-depersonalization-last/
@@Dpmanual what if the person also has DID??
BRO 20 YEARS????? bro you basically wasted your Life
@@aleggs.0 I didn't. My abusers did. Ive never used drugs. But 16 years of 24/7 abuse takes its toll..and 20 years later you've still never been able to escape
@@chinesekungfu2031I feel so sorry for you, psychological abuse is very bad.
Does dpdr intensify when you accept it and try to move on
Read this, I think you'll find it helpful 😊www.dpmanual.com/articles/what-does-depersonalization-recovery-feel-like/
No, it will go away if you dont worry about it
I had dpr for 25 years now I don't see it going a way now 😢
Hi Barry, it will go away if you take the necessary changes in order to reduce your anxiety. Nothing was stopping me from moving forward apart from myself. I know how horrible it can be, but you need to give yourself time and space to heal and get better, nothing is impossible. I wish you all the luck in the world 😊
Omg 25 years😢
Me too- 20 years!
Thank you Shaun. This interview is up there with one of your best. ❤🫂🙏
Thanks Michael! 😊🙏
I have since 2003...cause trauma ...really i want weak up
Don't worry, it doesn't matter what caused it, how long it’s lasted, or whether it’s been 24/7 or episodic, you can always switch DPDR off completely by stopping the anxiety that's causing it 😊 Read this carefully: www.dpmanual.com/articles/back-to-normal-after-depersonalization/
The title is misleading, she didn't have dpdr for 15 years. She had it for 5 years as a kid and then 1 year as an adult. That's only 6 years total. I was hoping to hear about someone who overcame chronic dpdr that lasted over a decade but this isn't it.
Hi! I’m not sure if you missed some of the video, but I do say that during the age of 15-24 I still had DP. I hadn’t fully recovered, I just managed it in my own way, so that it wasn’t as intense, e.g every day. For anyone that has had DP for a long time, some days or weeks were less intense than others, but it never fully went away until this year when I had it at it’s worse. The good news is, it really doesn’t matter if you’ve had it for 1 year or 10 years, it is something you can recover from. Wish you all the best 😊
@@DM-nv5ji I really want to know how you recover after having it for so many years. How did u manage it? Just eliminating stressors?
@@DM-nv5ji thank you for replying
So if you watch the interview, we spend most of the second half answering that question and discussing Daina's recovery process at length 😊 You can click forward to around 26:12 and go from there 👍
@@DM-nv5ji how did you overcame intrusive thoughts? They really scare me 😢
I literally have never come across a therapist or psychiatrist who knows what DP/DR is. They always look at me blankely.
That's a very common experience Brittney. I discuss the reasons for it in the second half of this article: psyche.co/guides/how-to-cope-with-experiencing-feelings-of-unreality
a night marathon
Do you have it?
this is the most relieving recovery story i’ve heard yet. this video has gave me so much more closure on my mind and my life and how i should be treating all of these negative existential thoughts. i seem to get way too attached with them but the way you are able to explain how to just let it go and the thoughts WILL go as long as i just pay attention to my own life instead of my mind makes me see this whole thing as a brand new perspective 🤍
So glad it was helpful! 😊 And don't worry, the existential thoughts are 100% temporary and harmless: www.dpmanual.com/articles/depersonalization-fears-and-anxious-thoughts/