Derealization

[clashcity19]

I am fairly new to the world of panic attacks. The first one I ever had was about 2 years ago (10 years after my PTSD started) and I was just sitting there eating cereal and watching TV. It came out of nowhere and I didn't realize until much later what the heck it even was. I never had another one after that until about 6 months ago. I had one at work. It was horrible and I was very embarrassed even though nobody knew what was happening. They were fairly sporadic for that 6 months until my break-up a month ago. Now I am having them all the freakin' time.

I am getting much better at realizing what they are as they start happening. The scariest one I ever had was when I was driving to work one day. What a horrible time for a panic attack to happen. I just tell myself, "It's just a panic attack. You're not going to die."

But then one day, a new symptom appeared. The best way I can describe derealization is to say that I feel like I am looking through a fish-eye lens. The sounds around me start to all blend in together and sound louder. I feel like I am not really there. It is the strangest, scariest feeling I have ever felt. I wouldn't say I feel like I am disconnected from my body or looking down upon what is happening, but everything just feels like I am in a funhouse of some sort. It's chaotic and foreign and strange.

Has anyone here experienced this or something similar? I don't know how to handle it. I usually just sit there in a daze until it passes, but it's getting to where it lasts longer and longer each time it happens. I was recently put on BuSpar to help my anxiety, but I don't feel like it's helping and the doctors treat me like I am a drug addict if I ask for some klonopin. But I really feel like I need it for times like those. It's starting to really take a toll on me. Any advice?

 

[becvan]

Although my experience is a little different, yes I have experienced this. It is actually a part of dissassociation. I particularly hate it and tend to get them when I'm getting flashbacks I simply can not handle due to the emotional impact. First I would say that you need to look at coping skills to both reduce your stress and deal with the triggers setting you off. Also the coping skills for dissassociation should help. ALso if your not in therapy, please consider starting.

If you go to the dissassociation/flashback section and do a search on the term derealization you should find a few more threads on it also.

bec

 

[bittersweet]

I know this is somewhat of an old post but I would like to say that you're not alone. I suffer from this occasionally with my panic attacks. The most recent one was 3 months ago when my husband and I went to visit his friend and the two of them stepped out to get something and I stayed in the friend's apartment. It was an unfamiliar place and the area it's located in is related to where my traumatic event happened so it triggered a ton of flashbacks and feeling of panic. It was so scary that jumping off his balcony to stop the feeling was briefly in my mind. What made it worse was that when I tried to contact my husband to rush back to help me his phone had died and his friend didn't answer his. Not a fun feeling.

 

[OKRADLAK]

Yes, I had the felling of riding on my head or that something was wrong with my eyes....my site would get very narrow and yes, sounds get jumbled. No point even trying to talk when it hits. Can you talk when it hits?

 

[bittersweet]

When it happens to me I can talk although my sentences aren't always complete

 

[Gamereign555]

Yes I've had this 3 times in the last 6 months, it usually accompanies depersonalization with me. Quite a bizarre state of mind. It typically doesn't last very long with me because I tend to get up and walk around to shake it off...seems to work for me. It did happen to me once upon suddenly being woken up and I felt like I was paralyzed for something like 10 or so mins. Fortunately it seems to completely go away if I keep my anxiety in check.

 

[dollybee]

Hi, everyone! Glad to know I am not alone in this. I will post more later. It feels always like I am in a time warp of sorts

 

[dollybee]

I am pleased to report that the right combination of medications has really helped to almost eliminate the derealization. I am on Celexa 20 mg 1.5 tablets, Ativan one tablet at night, and 5mg Zyprexa 1/2 tab at night and it has done wonders. (This is the second time I have been through this and so now I know how to attack it!) The last time was 2 years ago and it was way worse....induced by some jerk who drugged me with mj lacked fudge........jerk...anyways, I went off meds for over a year and then recently had "Anniversary syndrome" which means all the feelings resurfaced and the anxiety attacks, too........ack! So, even if you think you might have forgotten about an event, your body doesn't! (or your subconcious mind either)