Does anyone out there ever feel totally dissociated from your self and the rest of the world?

Question

I suffer from dissociation and depersonalisation, sometimes it lasts a few minutes, sometimes weeks at a time. It's like being totally disconnected from my body, like I'm behind myself, not 'in' myself. Also feel like nothing is real, like its all fake. I can be in a room with other people but feel like I'm not really there, I can't communicate with them and feel like I must be invisible to them, objects seem fake, I can't understand colours, shapes, textures, distance etc, and feel like my body doesn't really belong to me. Sometimes I can deal with it, other times it makes me feel really panicky. It's really hard to describe, but someone out there must know what I mean?

Answer 1

I'm not joking here, but when you speak when you are in these states, does it feel like it's not you who is talking? You can hear yourself as if you are listening to someone else? I had a mad 'episode' a couple of weeks ago which totally freaked me out, I thought I was having a stroke or something, or going crazy, I couldn't get my words to come out and was so frustrated, when they did they sounded like someone else was talking, I thought I was losing it, I was totally spaced out, felt like my head was sinking backwards without moving and I was totally confused about everything, like everything was new or srtrange or something. It lasted 4hours. My doctor said it was a panic attack and laughed. I've never agreed with him, it didn't seem to be the answer. I'm 23.

Answer 2

Quit being so self-absorbed. Quit feeding your anxiety with ME ME ME......what makes ME comfortable, what I need, what I want......

Others have social anxieties, too. Try to focus on other people. A lot of people know exactly what you mean. Whatever thought you have or had, every emotion you have or had, there is someone else out there that has thought the same thing.

Allow youself to seek those that feel smilarly. Discover things about other people. Ask people questions about things they are thinking, ask their opinions and takes on different things.

Yes, it can sometimes be nervewracking to go into a social situation and mix with others. Do it anyway. Quit worrying about what others think of you. Chances are, they don't, unless YOU give tham a reason to.

Being too nervous and shy gives the impression that you are stuck up, aloof, and don't care about other people. And they will be right, to a point, because you are more concerned with yourself and how you feel, that finding out what THEY think and feel.

Think of socail situations like conducting a survey. Come up with 5 questions in your mind, and ask everybody those questions. Make sure those questions are about THEM, and not you. For example, "What do you think ahould be the legal age to drive a car, and why?" or "How do you feel about arranged marriages?"

By focusing on others, you not only realize that there are so many schools of thought, but that it's not all about YOU.

Also, if you want to make yourself more popular with others, while you go out there and pick peoples' brains, compliment them on something.

By simply noticing the effort people put into defining their individualtiy, and by noticing a good quality in someone, you inspire them to feel good about themselves. When they feel good around you, they will want you around.

Think about this. You are simply siffering from advanced self-absorbtion, and advanced narcissism. You can get yourself over this.

Just try to have more empathy. Ask people for their perspectives and accpet them, even if you don't agree with them or understand them. Find out what other people think and feel. Trust me, this will work.....

Answer 3

*nod* yup, i feel this usually sets in when i'm depressed or unhappy or both. sometimes it sheer anxiety that causes me to be unfocused, stressed, out of sorts and on another planet really. sometimes i look in the mirror and because i've had such an exceptionally tough time these past 2 years (stopped working full time, my best friend passed away without any real forewarning of illness, my family is abroad) and being here in england doesnt help because people think i'm asian here in essex where i live and they're generally prejudiced against asians (never mind my qualifications and that i do volunteer work at 2 different churches). I feel sometimes even, that i wonder if my volunteer work is appreciated. i sometimes go these churches functions (social) but deep down i wonder if its for real because even though my vicar is the sweetest angel ever, the members really dont invite one home for tea, and i tell myself i dont care about their tea or whatever, but deep down (and knowing that i have lots of mates back home in south africa, i only came to england to teach 6 years ago when the education dept had a crisis and we had too many teachers in south africa) i feel hurt and in a sense rejected for not being english...i feel like i ought to carry a label around my neck which says 'professional, intelligent, multi-talented' because the label of me resembling an asian, its hard to bear (i'm mixed race, english, indian, french...yea, what a combination!!). so yea, i do feel like 'what am i doing here' is this for real, when i look at my pained expression in the mirror time and time again when my only family member here 'my soon to be ex husband' and i row and row and row some more...i think what keeps me going is my Christian faith, it helps me feel uplifted, and helps me cope because i can say a prayer whenever i feel overwhelmed with hurt, and there's a saying that goes
"the good thing about hitting rock bottom is, the only way from there is up".
So, chin up, take a good look at yourself and start by loving yourself.

Answer 4

I think you may have depression as I felt exactly the same way when I suffered from it, youcant ignore this, you need to get help from a doctor, NO NO NO you are not going mad, you are going to get help and this will make you a bigger person. have you had a stressfull and shocking time in your life recently? or cought up with memories from the past??

you need to resolve you deep issues, please do not worry, but get help for how you feel, you are not invisible and I completley relate to the fact that yuou cant understand colurs and shapes, i went through the exact same thing.

take care good luck

Answer 5

I used to be like you describe but had no awareness of it like you do until it was pointed out to me by friends. I occasionally do it now when something gets triggered in me in my relationship with my girlfriend of 3+ years.

What helped me? Working with a body-oriented psychotherapy...I learned to trust my body and let the answers unravel from within...my mind had no real answers, but my body did.

I highly recommend either working with someone who's studied with Dr. Peter Levine's Somatic Experiencing
or Ron Kurtz's Hakomi

Both have excellent books describing there methods.

Answer 6

Same here to a certain degree, it's depression and they are known as feelings of unreality, u will improve, it's amazing just reading how many people answered you here so fast about this, there are millions of us in this same boat my friend, let me tell you that YOU are real and i am real. See the doc and he will give you Fluoxetine and then u will improve. These are the stresses of life, i always say to people "take it easy" cos when that little bit of elastic snaps it's hard to get back. But we all will.

Answer 7

Its an anxiety related disorder isn't it? I have experienced a small taste of that, Is it connected with being so focussed on your fear that other things start to fade perhaps. I do remember feeling like the houses on a road were just cardboard like a backdrop. (praps I'm just weird)

Answer 8

I know exactly what you mean. This can happen when you are emotionally drained or stressed. Try not to dwell on it - focus your mind by reading books, listening to music for relaxation. Remember all the good times ;-)

Answer 9

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Answer 10

Go out for a walk..
breathe in the fresh air and calm down..
look around and observe whats around you..
and be happy that you are you and your alive and have lots of friends that care for you :)