[zobothehobo]

for as long as i can remember, i've had depersonalization and derealization episodes... but i think now i may have been having them more often than i realized? because i read somewhere that an intense feeling of being trapped in your body, like your body is a cage you feel like you shouldn't be in... like your consciousness and self is so much more than your body could ever contain and your body isn't really yours because of it is a kind of depersonalization?

has anyone else experienced this as depersonalization?

[amandalouise]

Originally Posted by zobothehobo

for as long as i can remember, i've had depersonalization and derealization episodes... but i think now i may have been having them more often than i realized? because i read somewhere that an intense feeling of being trapped in your body, like your body is a cage you feel like you shouldn't be in... like your consciousness and self is so much more than your body could ever contain and your body isn't really yours because of it is a kind of depersonalization?

has anyone else experienced this as depersonalization?

feeling you are trapped in your body can be many different things...

example people who are born one gender but feel like they are tapped in their body that they do not belong in

another example...sometimes anxiety presents this way in some people

another example sometimes medications cause a person to feel this way

another example sometimes this is also a symptom that some people have because of their paranormal situations.

another example sometimes this has to do with religious symptoms/experiences/getting the calling/ ....

another example sometimes people who use marijuana / alcohol/drugs have this reaction

another example some people who have hallucinations/delusions/ paranoia sometimes feel like they are trapped in their body's cant get out are more than what they are with in the body. this one happened to me when my medication wasnt right and when I was in the room with someone who was using marijuana.

my point is this kind of thing can be many different things...here are the new diagnostics for what america is going by for what is depersonalization/derealization disorder.

...................

Depersonalization/derealization Disorder 300.6 (F48.1)

A the presence of persistant or recurrent experiences of depersonalization, derealization or both:

1. Depersonalization: Experiences of unreality, detachment or being outside observer with respect to ones thoughts, feelings, sensations, body or actions (e.g perceptual alterations, distorted sense of time, unreal or absent self, emotional or physical numbing)

2. Derealization: experiences of unreality or detachment with respect to surroundings (e.g. individuals or objects are experienced as unreal dreamlike, foggy, lifeless or visually distorted)

B. During the depersonalization or derealization experiences, reality testing remains intact.

C. the symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

D. the disturbance is not attributable to the physiological effects of a substance (e.g. a drug of abuse, medication) or other medical condition. (e.g. Seizures)

E. The disturbance is not better explained by another mental disorder such as schizophrenia, panic disorder, major depressive disorder, acute stress disorder, post traumatic stress disorder or other dissociative disorder.

the DSM 5 also goes through the categories of diagnostic features, associated features supporting diagnosis, prevalence, development and course, Risk and Prognosis Factors, Cultural Related Diagnostic issues, Functional consequences of depersonalization/derealization disorder, differential diagnosis, and comorbidity.

.............

dissociative symptoms usually involve a feeling of being ...disconnected...from the body, a feeling of numbness, a feeling of floating out of their bodies...(not connected, not trapped, not stuck in the body feelings)

my suggestion...please do not self diagnose based on the symptom of feeling trapped in your body. you may accidentally do more harm to yourself than good if you think this may be how dissociation symptoms are presenting with in you, contact your treatment providers. they can assess where the problem is coming from, what other accompanying symptoms you may have and get you treatment so that you wont have to feel this way any more.

[lifelies]

I'm not sure about it, but this sounds like depersonalization. Sometimes Tom (host/original) kind of feels like he's not in his own body, he "stares" at any of us controlling it while remaining conscious (co-consciosness).
To him derealization is worse though - he feels like nothing is real and hence dissociates into a destructive alter (read: Christine) who hurts him/the body.
Cheers,
Lana
P.S: Totally off-topic, but I'm happy to be allowed to be back to the forums I missed you so much, but Tom was in denial so he stopped visiting the forums...

[zobothehobo]

i'm not self diagnosing based on this? I said in my op that I've experienced more typical depersonalization and derealization for as long as I can remember... I've also talked to a therapist about it and asked her not to document a formal diagnosis because I only like to have formal diagnoses when i need something from the system, and i don't want something here and she said ok, but it was mine when I wanted it.

my post here was to ask if anyone had experienced this as a kind of depersonalization. that was it.

[Hbomb0903]

Originally Posted by zobothehobo

i'm not self diagnosing based on this? I said in my op that I've experienced more typical depersonalization and derealization for as long as I can remember... I've also talked to a therapist about it and asked her not to document a formal diagnosis because I only like to have formal diagnoses when i need something from the system, and i don't want something here and she said ok, but it was mine when I wanted it.

my post here was to ask if anyone had experienced this as a kind of depersonalization. that was it.

I experience this as an inability to feel emotions and connection with the people and the structure of my life. It is making me want to end this because I cannot bear to do anything as I feel highly anxious and can't find it in me to behave appropriately. I have huge gaps in my memory and feel like I'm in a snow globe and can't relate to the world. I am diagnosed bipolar and am seeing a psychiatrist. She recently put me on. Seroquel and I believe it is making the depersonalization worse, but now find when I tried to cut back I can't sleep.

I am at the end of my rope and barely existing.

[cool09]

I started feeling dissociated at 14 and I really don't know why. I don't understand it. I don't understand why so many people (as adolescents) integrate the many facets of their life while others have extreme trouble integrating facets of their personality. Only event that changed for me at 14 was that I got braces and became very self-conscious for the first time and stopped smiling. (But I thought I handled the whole thing fairly well and got over it quickly.) Puberty also happened at that age. I discussed this with my PDOC, we talked about the braces thing but he didn't put emphasis on anything.

I felt (and still do) that I'm not there, that I'm experiencing everything from outside of my body and (can't relate these experiences to myself). At other (scarce) moments I can relate to experiences and I feel "normal" and connected to myself. It's very strange and scary and it makes you totally dysfunctional. (I also have a mood disorder which completely complicates things. I have had a very small number of meds over last 28 yrs which have improved my situation but never lasted long.) I have no idea what to do.

Any books anyone can suggest? I have read some online articles about integration of normal and dissociative personalities. I mean everyone runs into the problem of integrating the infinite number of facets of themselves (as they are growing up) but I don't get it.