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derealization - et

Posted by katekite on June 14, 2002, at 8:51:51

In reply to Re: anxiety, posted by et on June 10, 2002, at 12:10:30

What you experience sounds a bit more like derealization than pure anxiety. Derealization/dissociation is sometimes described as feeling the world is 'farther' away than one knows it really is. That you and world are 'dissociated' from one another. Your feet don't quite touch the ground, in a figurative sense (because you are not deluded about reality, just separate from it). Does this sound more like what you experience?

People with regular anxiety often find their heart speeds up and they get slightly sweaty in anxiety provoking situations. For me social interaction with non-family tends to do it -- I have social anxiety: I can't wait to get it over with even though I really like people. I'm so there in the moment that I find it a bit painful, I wish I could detach myself and see things as further away but I can't.

People who dissociate can get anxious about it, can be concerned and worried about it, also concerned or worried about other things that bother them, but also can be completely calm about it if nothing is bothering them at the time.

People who experience dissociation find medication is a very individual thing -- some find anti-anxiety meds help, others find they make it worse, etc. Effexor may well help. Some find that anything that makes them feel 'off', even a cold, can make it much worse, so that any side effects of medications make life a lot harder. If that's the case you keep looking until you find a medication without noticeable side effects.

Non-medication ways to deal with it are plentiful -- chewing on something like a carrot or celery and really focussing on how it feels (crunchy -- crunch really hard) can often help some, vigorous physical exercise which demands all your attention can help you 'live in the moment' more. Lots of concentration on how the environment 'feels', without 'thinking' too much will help. Baths, swimming, things that are immersive experiences often help. Often we are stuck in our heads and can't get out to really experience life first hand. And therapy to figure out if there are better ways to cope (some people start this as an intuitive defense to life events being too stressful to bear, then continue the defense mechanism even after life has gotten better).

Do you find if you drink alcohol to the point of getting drunk that this helps that feeling or makes it less? Or how do benzodiazepines affect it? This might help predict whether anxiety meds or more stimulating meds would be better for you.

kate


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Psycho-Babble Medication | Framed

poster:katekite thread:109301
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020609/msgs/109806.html