[SorryShaped]

I feel like I'm shifting in and out of my body today, like I'm watching things happen but don't feel entirely under control. I don't feel upset or much of anything really, but I can't get over the feeling that I'm not inside my own body all the time. I feel like I'm shifting in front of or behind or off to one side a bit. I've been having strange flashes in my head too, usually followed by "electrical smells," like electronics that overheat. I'm not running a fever, slept well, BP and pulse are good, but anxiety level is above normal but copeable. It felt really strangest in yoga practice this morning, like I had four legs trying to do warrior 3. I meditated earlier and it felt like I was sitting in my own lap. This is weird for me to do when I'm fully awake and alert. I think it's like transcending but I'm not going far. The flashes and smells are the really bothersome part.

[Wild Coyote]

This sounds like dissociation.

Do you have a history of dissociating?

I have had some very unpleasant experiences with some forms of meditation.

Have you noted anything else which might signal an impending episode for you?

I hope this all subsides for you.


WC

[~Christina]

When do you see your Pdoc or T next ?

Stay safe

[SorryShaped]

I see my therapist this week, as usually every couple weeks.
I worked out extra hard tonight and the flashes were frequent but the smells reduced. After, and since, the flashes are still happening but the smells are gone. I still don't feel like I'm inside my body. I have had times like this before, usually when I'm having extreme anxiety. I don't feel very anxious though. Maybe I am and don't know it

[raspberrytorte]

I've never experienced this, but hope it subsides for you soon. Hugs.

Do describe what you wrote to your psychiatrist, SorryShaped. It could be useful information.

I have indeed experienced something similar to what you described. Could it have been dissociative symptoms? Migraine auras? Seizure or pseudo seizure activity (there are seizures that do not include convulsions)? Something psychiatric-based, or something else? I've had doctors consider all of the mentioned. Luckily, I haven't experienced these things for quite a while, other than a clear-cut manic episode, with psychosis, in late May. Either my medications finally became just right, I mastered grounding/coping tools, and/or something else.

I have done a bit of research in the past on all of the above-mentioned (dissociative symptoms, migraines, bipolar disorder, seizure disorders or pseudo seizures). There is an uncanny number of associations or similarities between them all in some peoples' experiences. Just a few include:

• Many are sometimes treated with anticonvulsants
• Many sometimes include "aura-like" beginnings before "episodes" begin
• The "Kindling Effect" is relevant to many of these conditions
• "Out of body experiences" may be had as part of many of these
• Various types of hallucinations may be experienced as part of many of these (i.e. visual, auditory, space-time distortions, deja vu, oflactory, musical, etc.)
• Types of amnesia (like en block or fragmentary blackouts) or memory issues, as part of many for some
• Many have similar stressors (i.e. light, emotional stress, others)
• Anxiety and/or depression may occur as part of many of the mentioned
• Sleep disturbances (insomnia, hypersomnia) may play a role in many of these
• In some cases, stuttering? Or rapid repetition of words/phrases.
• In some of these cases, people with one (or more) of the above-mentioned conditions, also frequently have a higher percent chance of having another, than the general public (for example, people with bipolar disorder have a higher incidence of migraines)

The brain is a very interesting organ!

[SorryShaped]

I am on an anticonvulsant, an SSRI, and an antipsychotic. I used to get flashes frequently when I was very young, way before diagnosis or meds, and it almost always looks like some kind of pattern that I can't figure out. It's like a message I need to understand but can't. Some kind of code or design or even a schematic? There's also a "feather made of lightning." It looks like it's trapped in a sphere, like a plasma ball. Rarely, I get premonitions and pay very close attention to them. One helped me avoid a terrible crash recently. The overheated electronics smells are back this afternoon, and are most strong outside and occasionally inside my home, which has had me check my entire apartment, including all the walls and switches and appliances and electronics.
Dunno.

[CrT0811]

I don’t mean to alarm you but you might want to check with your GP and get a referral to a neurologist. Smelling electrical burns is possibly a symptom of a neurological situation. Best to get it checked out.

[Wild Coyote]

BirdDancer's post is very informative and I agree with it totally.

I have also done a lot of research in the past.

Migraine auras could explain your symptoms. Silent migraines are migraine w/o pain; instead they consist of "migraine equivalents." Temporal Lobe Epilepsy also has some very similar symptoms. It's possible to smell something burning w/ either condition.

I agree with the above poster. You might want to keep track of your symptoms/experiences and share them with a physician, esp a neurologist if they continue.

I hope your symptoms subside.


WC

[Pookyl]

Sometimes (although rarely) I have experienced olfactory (smell) hallucinations. In my case I smell an industrial glue type smell every time. It freaks me out a little and I usually go on a hunting trip before I remember that the smell is familiar.