Welcome to my DPDR series part 2. In this 4-part series I am covering my personal story of my struggle with anxiety and DPDR, what DPDR is and how to heal. If you haven’t read part 1 (my personal story) check it out here.
DPDR: what you really need to know?
DPDR or derealization/depersonalization is defined as a mental health disorder where a person feels detached from their body and/or reality. It’s completely harmless and it can’t hurt you although it can feel frightening and very uncomfortable. DPDR is the freeze response of the nervous system. It’s role is to protect us. When the nervous system is dysregulated we can get “stuck” in the freeze response.
Symptoms of DPDR
DPDR is characterized by the feeling of being detached from oneself. Also feeling like your living life from inside an imaginary glass container. Feeling that the world is fake or you’re living out a movie scene. The wide range of symptoms can include Brain fog, inability to concentrate, the feeling of impending doom (the feeling that something terrible is about to happen) fatigue, existential thoughts, fear of going insane, or losing touch with reality, irrational fears involving the world around you and the inability to recognize yourself in the mirror or your loved ones.
Why am I experiencing DPDR?
If you’re having these symptoms, you’re probably wondering why on earth you are feeling this way. There’s a simple explanation for that. When we experience the symptoms of DPDR it’s our brain and nervous systems way to protect us from a stressful situation or experiencing any further trauma. Our nervous system is basically saying it has reached its max capacity to handle stress and is shutting down.
Fight or Flight and FREEZE(DPDR)?
Humans are designed with the fight or flight response of the nervous system for protection. Just imagine our ancestors running from threats like a bear or tiger, thank goodness for the stress response, right? The adrenaline fight or flight sent pumping through their veins that increased their strength and agility to prepare them to either fight the predator or run from them, kept them safe.
Freeze
There is also another mode of the nervous systems response to stress and that is the freeze response. The freeze response is deployed when either the fight or the flight response isn’t feasible. It’s basically the body’s last-ditch effort. Consider an ancestor that came upon a threat like a tiger, who was unable to run away, and the attempts made to fight off the tiger failed. In this situation since there is the potential for serious trauma caused by the tiger, the body then deploys the freeze response. This causes the sensations of separation from one’s body in an attempt to decrease the pain and the sensations of trauma of the experience. The freeze response works as a buffer between what is happening in our environment and how we perceive it.
In normal responses the nervous system would only stay in this state for a short period of time, until the threat or traumatic event has ended. It becomes a problem when dealing with everyday stress, traumatic experiences that are not properly coped with or triggers from drugs and alcohol that causes the nervous system to get STUCK in the stress cycle.
So, if you feel like your head is in a glass jar, that’s a perfectly normal response. It’s basically putting a buffer between the outside world and your perception of it. Your body is just trying to protect you! Even though there is no real danger.
That’s sounds terrible?! It is but only when you don’t understand it. When you can learn to understand what’s happening to you, the quicker you can heal.
But why are my thoughts so scary?!
You may also be wondering why you’re having terrible existential thoughts and everything around you feels scary and off. Well, there’s a good explanation for that as well! When we are in fight or flight and or the freeze response of the nervous system we are on high alert.
During these phases of the nervous system the amygdala (the stress center of the brain) is tuned in and turned on. The amygdala prepares us to fight, run or freeze. When the amygdala is activated, this shuts down the logical thinking parts of the brain (the frontal lobe). Our mind is desperately trying to figure out why we feel the way we do but without the help of our logical thinking brain, our thoughts can turn weird and scary.
Knowledge IS Power
This all can be incredibly frightening and frustrating unless you are impowered with this knowledge. Understand that DPDR is simply the freeze response of the nervous system. This can help you look at your symptoms in better ways.
This can open the door for healing because DPDR is driven by fear. When you can begin to perceive your symptoms as your body’s way of protecting you, you can start to dissolve the fear. Once you can dissolve the fear, you can begin to end the cycle of stress. Then the symptoms of DPDR naturally dissipate.
Click here for part 3
I wish you healing friend.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this post is not meant to diagnose or treat any medical condition. If you have any medical or psychiatric concerns, please seek the advice of a licensed healthcare provider.
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