Depersonalization And Anxiety, Everything You Need To Know

September 30, 2019

depersonalization and anxiety“Depersonalization Brings A Feeling of Detachment From The World. Real Or Unreal? I Asked Myself For 6 Years Before My Recovery.”

Anxiety can be overwhelming and can cause the mind to do some extremely abnormal things like depersonalization. Depersonalization is a mental and physical state where the mind feels divorced or distant from the sense of self.

It refers to a condition of excessive self-awareness marked by feelings of floating or being outside the body and a consciousness that disowns one’s own actions.

Depersonalization is often regarded as a dissociative symptom that may occur on its own or with other ailments like anxiety and depression, panic disorders, or bipolar disorder, etc. It may be triggered by severe traumatic incidents, prolonged stress, drug or alcohol abuse, or other health problems.

In most cases, depersonalization is believed to be a brain’s coping mechanism which becomes more sensitive or aware, so as to decrease the intensity of trauma or stress. Depersonalization may also occur unexpectedly in the absence of extreme anxiety or stress.

Severe and chronic depersonalization and anxiety can adversely affect work, relationships, and daily life. Treatment includes psychotherapy, medications, and self-care measures. Depersonalization is a condition consisting of a mix of emotions, bodily sensations, and thoughts which trigger disengagement from the surroundings and a sense that one is not actually in one’s own body. Sufferers may fear that they are somewhere else and may watch their own body while feeling that they are floating around in some other world.

What About The Symptoms of Depersonalization?

Depersonalization can cause a variety of symptoms, but the most common is sensations of losing touch with reality and fearing that it may be permanently lost. A few symptoms of depersonalization and anxiety are listed below (as well as in this YouTube video on my anxiety support channel):

  • Feelings of disconnection
  • A sense that the legs, hands, or body is shrunken, distorted, or enlarged
  • Feeling that body movements or speech cannot be controlled or that one is a robotic thing
  • Questioning just about everything, including the reality of the surroundings, one’s faith, the purpose of life, the meaning of life, etc.
  • Feeling foreign even in places that are familiar or known. People with severe depersonalization may not recognize personal things, their home, or friends, etc.
  • Feeling that things which were once important are not significant. Physical or emotional numbing of the responses or senses to the environment, people, and the worldly ways

Also you may feel totally immersed in negative thinking as well as feelings of being in a different dimension. In some cases, people may find themselves in an area and not remember how they got there.

Hyper self-awareness marked by constant and continuous over thinking and/or analysis of every little thing is quite common as well. Feeling that personal memories are emotionless and they may or may not be someone else’s memories. In some instances, sufferers may not be aware of what they did when in a state of depersonalization

Causes of Depersonalization and Anxiety

Depersonalization occurs when a person loses interest in the going-ons around him/her. In most cases, the thoughts may not be about his/her current life state or surroundings, but of different times, people, and places, etc.

Reduced involvement in immediate environment generally causes the mind to wander and focus attention and energy onto themes that can occur only in one’s imagination.

Doctors are not aware about the precise cause/causes of depersonalization. But it seems to have some sort of association with imbalance of neurotransmitters (brain chemicals). Such imbalance can increase the susceptibility of brain to develop depersonalization in times of heightened anxiety, fear, or stress, etc.

Symptoms of depersonalization and anxiety are associated with the following:

  • Emotional, verbal, or physical abuse during childhood (Learn more about childhood trauma here) or being a witness to constant domestic violence as a child
  • Extreme trauma like being in a motor accident
  • Sudden death or suicide of a family member or close friend
  • Growing up with a mentally impaired parent
  • Extreme stress-causing financial, relationship, or job issues

The below listed risk factors can increase the susceptibility to developing depersonalization:

  • Presence of underlying physical/mental health conditions like anxiety, depression, seizures, head injuries, etc.
  • Personality traits that causes avoidance or denial of problematic situations or difficulties in adapting to them
  • Using illegal substances like marijuana, hallucinogens, etc.
  • Teens and young adults are more prone to depersonalization than children or the elderly
  • Personally experiencing or witnessing abuse or trauma

First Line Of Treatments In Today’s World For Depersonalization and Anxiety:

CBT sessions with a trained practitioners allows people to understand the reasons for their depersonalization and anxiety. This help efficiently reverse symptoms of anxiety until they disappear. Doctors may also opt for techniques like psychodynamic therapy (not a fan though).

There are no specific medications for treatment of depersonalization. Doctors may however prescribe anxiety and depression medicines like Prozac/fluoxetine, clonazepam, or clomipramine if required.

Depersonalization may be distressing but not dangerous.

Stop fighting the condition and learn to be ok with it around. Hyperventilation tends to worsen anxiety or panic attacks and it is during such heightened cases of anxiety that depersonalization occurs. Hence, dramatically slow down breathing during an episode to alleviate the symptoms.

Deep breaths and practicing varied breathing exercises can help prevent frequent episodes. These anxiety audiobooks, meditation, yoga, jogging, and other exercises help gain more control of the body and mind and thus help prevent it from wandering off into an imaginative world.

In addition to counseling, talking to a person whom you trust is also helpful. Do something distracting that turns your attention back to reality. You may watch a video, or call someone, reading book, etc. You may also try to focus on what’s happening in the immediate present surroundings and events. Be more social (party, go out with friends, etc.); keep busy; avoid drugs and alcohol; and sleep well.

Ready To Turn Your Depersonalization and Anxiety Around?

Start Living The Life You Deserve. Watch the video in full below and begin a proven approach to healing through the End The Anxiety Program Today.

Depersonalization Crash Course Video:

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44 comments on “Depersonalization And Anxiety, Everything You Need To Know

  1. Victoria Freeman Jul 31, 2017

    My close friend told me that Dennis is a perfect anti anxiety guy! I’m a 32 years old, generally I behave very nice but, occasionally overreact whenever face complex situations. I am seeking your advice to get rid of this issue.

  2. Christopher Lawler Aug 1, 2017

    Dennis really helped me get to a better life to where I am able to control my anxiety now. He was very kind and responsive to my queries. I will forever be thankful to Dennis for helping me lead a better life. Thank you Dennis!

  3. Pat Martin Aug 1, 2017

    I’ve been in touch with Dennis for so many days. He is the best! I don’t think I would be able to keep a full time job if it weren’t for him. He really saved my life. The program is really easy to do; you just have to be willing to put the required effort in. Dennis is the perfect anxiety guy!

  4. Michelle Auvil Aug 15, 2017

    Very good info here. Dpdr is really scary. The day that all my issues started I’m still not sure what came first, a panic attack that was accompanied by dp or dp that made me panic. Whatever it was I went to the er and the feelings and sensations have not left since. 6 years now! On and off benzos 3 times which is hell and only makes it worse. I watched your depersonalization video as well and it makes sense that it is a stress response. The brains coping mechanism. After a rough childhood and mentally and physically abusive past relationships no wonder my brain freaked out. I have been diagnosed with a panic disorder with dpdr. So I’m not too sure which one to try to fix first. All I know is the more focused I am on it the worse it gets. And that cycle is never ending for me. Its been a rough road. Still debating on whether or not to do a one on one with you since I have been to many therapists etc which have all failed me. It may be worth a shot tho since it can’t make me any worse lol

    • Best to begin re-framing any past experiences that may have contributed to your current depersonalization and anxiety Michelle. Reframing is taking the experiences in the past and creating a different outlook. Seeing how it served you in some way for your future, and what lessons you gained. I go deep with this through the program.

    • Alecia Dixon Dec 20, 2017

      How can I conversate with dennis

  5. Simpson Jane Aug 19, 2017

    Sounds good to know that depersonalization and anxiety are extremely related. I’d like to know if its advisable to take the medical angle or the self care measures in alleviating depersonalization? Because I feel employing tailored self measures can work better. I’d appreciate if you could throw more light on this.

    • If medical experts can’t find a reason for your depersonalization they’ll most likely put you on the pill, and help you cope through a psychotherapist. I took the self care measure through a combination of CBT and NLP, and in 3 months time overcame my depersonalization and anxiety.

  6. Dennis Brown Aug 19, 2017

    Depersonalization and anxiety is common with many people, and they’re often guilty of the aforementioned causes. With this piece, it’s easy to know the symptoms and how to avert depersonalization and anxiety. Please, is ‘anti-socialization’ a risk factor that can make one susceptible to anxiety and depersonalization?

    • Depersonalization and anxiety can be a different experience from person to person. Anti socialization can certainly be a defense mechanism from the brain which creates the reward system of less anxiety and sensations. But the truth is we have to activate the fight or flight response to generate new associations to what it is we fear. This becomes essential that we place ourselves in the envioronments that challenges our depersonalization and anxiety, and change the meaning of what we feel and see from there.

      • Nakia Greer Nov 7, 2017

        At this very moment I’m going through this and before reading this was a little scary but not so much now. I still would like to know some skill sets to change this temporary condition.

        • The best skill set when it comes to overcoming the overwhelming sensations of Depersonalization is pattern recognition of what causes heightened sensitivity, and the ability to slow down. This is a signal from your nervous system telling you the emotional tank is full and it’s time to clean some stuff out, and give back to your system in ways where it brings on better rest and digest. The program can help make this much clearer.

  7. Joy Snow Sep 18, 2017

    This is such a detailed exposition here!
    I have been experiencing this sense of my mind flying away from me for a while now and it has been giving me great concern, it often times leads me to just keeping to myself and not want to leave my room all day. I think I have found the right corner here and hope to learn more from Dennis and learn to be a better person.

  8. Suzanne Sep 19, 2017

    Being an anxiety sufferer I found this article very interesting. The feeling I sometimes have that I am not part of anything or that I feel like a total different person worried me. This article for the first time gave me a name for my feeling, Depersonalization. What a relieve to known that this depersonalization is part of my anxiety road. Thanks for informing us.

  9. Johann Sep 19, 2017

    I am a husband and father. As a child I always where anxious and sometimes it felt as if my feelings were not my one. A CBT practitioner told me about depersonalization and I immediatly recognised myself. I told my wife about depersonalization and that I sometimes suffer with some of the symptoms. She helps me get through them. Using CBT techniques also helps a lot.

    • CBT will most definitely help alter the thought patterns and behaviours that fuels further Depersonalization and anxiety. Great share.

  10. I started experiencing depersonalization a few years ago, and I thought it went away. Now it seems to be back, and it feels like it never left in the first place. It truly is a very uncomfortable thing to deal with, and it can make it hard to bond with family and friends.

  11. Kirk Thomas Dec 21, 2017

    I suppose like most of you, you could write a book on the condition and almost impossible to explain to others except other people with the condition. I am 73 years old and had/have the condition all my life. Never questioned it until about five years ago, I punched it up on Google one day and to my surprise there were a lot of people who had the quote: Condition. I have read a lot about the condition; mental issues from childhood to head trauma. I could surmise the why’s but it would be guessing. I remember when I was a very small child, and since I am a twin, my mother would always ( joke I think ) tell me that I wasn’t even ordered or I’m not even suppose to be here since she didn’t know she was going to have twins in 1944. Of course I felt unwanted. When I was five years old, I fell out of the back seat of the car and hit my head. Did that cause it? When I was 21 years old, I almost died on the operating table from a perforated ulcer I didn’t know I had. I have always had a low constant sense of Anxiety. When I was in college, I was on meds for anxiety. I never question why I was disconnected from reality simply because I never had anything to compare it to. I remember once in my life, I was standing in the driveway at night with the garage lights on and I came out of my shell for the first time and Reality looked so big, so fresh, so new, so real I just laughed. It only lasted a short time but that moment I understood what reality was. Even writing this, I feel if I am looking at everything around me as a photo and I am not part of it. They say it’s not dangerous but I do live in the “Matrix”. I have told no person on this earth what I am telling you. Not my Twin brother, Not my Children, not even any Doctors. For some reason, I have comfort knowing I am not alone with this weird condition. Boy o’ Boy…. If and when I have drink on a Friday night with friends? WOW! — I’m not even on this planet. I’ll see you in the Matrix.

  12. Sameer rai Mar 12, 2018

    Hello.Sir,Dinnes i have been stung by waps.(bee) and i suddenly started feeling a sense of unreality,strange to my and thats gone on.and suddenly it has overed and then one day i have smoke marijuna then i had a panic attack which was horrible!!.then after two-three days i have ringing in ear then suddenly now it has came back…i am having Dp/dr.i am 15 years old.just ..helped me get rid of it…..

    • Your subconscious most likely picked up on something that triggered these feelings. Understanding the cause that your mind gets triggered by will help you to work on seeing that cause from another angle and desensitize yourself. My program can help with the steps. ❤️

  13. Joe McElrone Aug 16, 2018

    Can someone please help me? From the age of 7 to about 11 I would wake up and feel completely detached from reality. I would walk down to my Mom’s room and the hallway would look like a hallway in a “ Fun House” it would appear narrower as I walked to my mother’s door. I would be sobbing uncontrollably. My mom would hold me in her arms and I would feel as though we were physically joined together and feel like we were encased in lead. It felt as though time was spinning at an incomprehensible rate. I would see objects on the floor get larger and smaller. It was the most terrifying experience of my life. It would last 10 to 15 minutes. I don’t remember if my mom would walk me back to my bed or if I passed out from the experience. I’m an alcoholic and I’ve had 12 or 13 alcohol withdrawal seizures. Before and after the seizure I feel exactly the same as I did during those episodes as a child. I’ve researched and think it may be Derealization/ Depersonalization although I don’t feel that way in my life in general at all. It only occurred as a child and before and after seizures. Can anyone relate or confirm what I think it is? Joe McElrone… joemcelrone@hotmail.com

  14. Depersonalisation is so scary. I’m fortunate (for want of a better word) that I’ve only ever experienced it once, during a panic attack in the midst of my severe stress-anxiety-depression last two years of high school. I’m fortunate that I’ve only experienced it as a symptom, not the disorder itself – one of my fears is to lose touch to reality (or to have a physical health issue resulting in loss of connection with my body).

    Having had that experience actually helps me now – I lived through that scary sensation, and now I know some ways of grounding myself. I never want to feel that way again – and I can’t imagine living with that sensation constantly – but now I have the tools to deal with it if I ever do.

    It was a really enlightening article, going to read some of your others 😊

  15. I really wish I could get help. It’s been about the same amount of time, 6 years… I want to exersize but I am scared I will pass out from the “dizzy feeling”. Or the feeling of being disconnected. I feel trapped, no matter what I do, I also don’t have insurance so I can’t talk to anyone, and I also have a baby on the way. I listen to your videos about derealizarion as much as I can and they help temporarily. But the feeling never changes, it only gives me the confidence to tolderate it, but I am really so sick of this and I just want my life back… I live in fear everyday. P.S. you said you like photography, check out my work at http://www.JeffreyPadgett.com

  16. I am glad you mention analyzing everything you see .. that is really bothering me.. will that fade away in recovery. And why does it happen?

    • Contemplating the worst possible outcomes occurring does go away when opposite perspectives get practiced enough. It happens due to the need from the survival brain to recognize and pick apart the details in the outside world that threatens our personal space and safety. Many times misinterpretations though, and we begin perceiving things from a very sensitive perspective.

  17. melane123 Oct 23, 2019

    Depersonalization is not an illness. It is a fatigue mind created out of prolonged fearful worry. With the correct approach, one is able to overcome depersonalization permanently. Never hesitate to call and find out exactly what your symptoms mean and how to interrupt them. There is no reason to feel frightened and upset when you can instantly learn the facts and move forward.

  18. Hi Dennis, thank you for the podcasts and video about depersonalization. I was never bothered by anxiety and stress before this symptom. I was so scared of it that it stayed with me for practically 2 months. Finding true information about it is so hard, it seems like no one speaks about it. Thank you for teaching me acceptance, because of this, it faded away, and I’m not even scared of it coming back now. Bring it on !

    • Thanks for sharing your experience on depersonalization and anxiety Max it means a lot to me and others I’m sure.

  19. Natalie Michael Oct 3, 2020

    Dennis, I want to first thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the amazing work you do. It has helped me on my journey. I would love so much to do some of your programs or meet with you but really can’t afford to right now. Anyway, if possible I’d love your advice. I’m struggling with depersonalization right now. First it started with panic attacks brought on by health anxiety last winter. I started antidepressants in an effort to gain control but they had a horrible depersonalization effect on me so I slowly tapered off but now it’s as if I can’t shut it off. Like my brain got used to it being a threat so it still like at the world that way or something. It’s frustrating. I was even worried that the medicine changed my brain. I have been working with a counselor to do a lot of the root inner child work of my anxiety and I’m making huge progress, but this has been really difficult to overcome. I know it’s temporary and anxiety based. My panic is under control and so many of my other symptoms are under control too! Win! However, this is hard to navigate. Hoping you’ll be able to respond with some helpful tips or encouragement. Thank you so so very much.
    Love, Natalie