The Fastest Way to Recover From Depersonalization and Derealization

Every DP/DR sufferer is looking for the quickest way to recover from depersonalization and derealization. But is there really a shortcut to DP/DR recovery? Here’s what you need to know.

“What is the quickest way to recover from DP/DR?”

“Is there a way to recover from DP/DR as fast as possible?”

“I want my DP/DR gone quickly, what should I do?”

“Pls help me recover from this DP/DR hell as soon as I can!”

“I want this to be all over soon, can you help?”

Those are examples of some of the questions I repeatedly get asked by people going through depersonalization and derealization disorder (DP/DR). As someone who’s now fully recovered from DP/DR, I want to share the knowledge I’ve gained through my experience with DP/DR.

In this article, we will begin by trying to answer the question of whether it’s even possible to speed up the recovery process. We are going to see how a lot of the recovery process is not under our direct control, and hence, we may not be able to directly force a speedy recovery.

But don’t lose hope yet. There are factors that we can control that indirectly affect the speed and length of our recovery process. We will be focusing on those in the latter part of this article.

Alright, let’s start by looking at one of the most important questions on this topic.

How Fast Can You Recover From DP/DR?

People in the modern world are not used to discomfort. Any time we feel pain, unpleasantness, fear, or any kind of distress, we immediately want it to go away. This is why there are countless medications available for all sorts of pains, allergies, and whatnot.

You can browse any aisle in CVS or Walgreens (which are pharmacies in the US) and see examples of this yourself. Pain management and prevention is big business for the pharmaceutical industry. Sometimes, none of these drugs help, but we are still willing to give anything a try because we want our discomfort gone so badly.

Because of how uncomfortable DP/DR is, it’s no wonder that people constantly keep asking me to tell them the fastest way to recover from depersonalization and derealization. People want their DP/DR to be gone!

But you see, DP/DR is not like your general allergies or headaches or other types of illnesses where you can pop a pill and then be okay in a few hours. DP/DR is a dissociative mental health issue that can’t be fixed with pills. Currently, there’s no medication for depersonalization and derealization available to treat this mental health issue specifically.

DP/DR is an illness that is caused by a stressed nervous system. It’s a protective mechanism that is trying to protect you from being overwhelmed. You can think of it as your body and mind disconnecting from one another temporarily to prevent you from breaking down. This disconnection can happen because of several causes and triggers.

Predominantly, DP/DR arises from stress and trauma. Even people who get it by smoking marijuana and having a panic attack get it from the trauma of the panic attack.

The body and mind disconnect or dissociate so that we are not overwhelmed. The disconnection is protecting us from a nervous breakdown. But this protective mechanism is not perfect. DP/DR itself can be stressful, as you probably know.

Recovery from DP/DR lies in letting the body and mind get back to their normal state. That can take some time and we must understand that it’s also something we can’t control.

The recovery process is not completely under your direct control. It is very much dependent on your nervous system’s ability to reset itself. You cannot control your nervous system like you can control your fingers or other parts of your body. The nervous system is mostly autonomic in nature. This is one of the reasons you can’t really speed up the recovery process directly.

Can You Speed up the Recovery Process Indirectly?

Though we cannot directly tell our nervous system to recover quickly, we can remove the blocks from the recovery process.

First and foremost, we must stop looking at DP/DR as some sort of curse. I know how frustrated you are right now, but know that every time you are looking at DP/DR as a curse, then that means you will invariably try to fight and resist the DP/DR symptoms, thoughts, and feelings.

As I’ve mentioned in several places, one of the core principles of DP/DR recovery is to not fight its symptoms. Instead, we must aim to accept and allow these symptoms to follow their due course.

This might sound crazy to you if this is the first time you are hearing about the acceptance approach. But understand that every time you try to fight and resist the DP/DR symptoms, you are placing enormous strain on your nervous system. The nervous system is already under stress right now, which it’s trying to heal from. We don’t want to place additional stress on it. That could really prolong this illness.

If, on the other hand, we accept the DP/DR symptoms and don’t put up a fight, then that means the nervous system can heal because it is not under any undue stress. The nervous system wants to heal and it knows how to heal. We must step aside and let it do its job.

If you are feeling intrigued about this acceptance approach and want to see how you can use it to recover from DP/DR, then I’d highly recommend that you check out DP No More, my online course that can help you recover from depersonalization and derealization.There are also several simple steps you can take to make sure that you are not stuck with DP/DR for a long time. These are just everyday things you can do like simple exercises, eating healthy, and even maintaining a journal. Such activities make us healthy both mentally and physically, and can help the nervous system recover over time. A healthy body and mind can recover quicker than an unhealthy body and mind.

Don’t Focus On the Time

One thing I tell my students who are taking DP No More is that they should not focus on how long they’ve had DP/DR. Lots of people keep track of how long they have been suffering from DP/DR. They tell me, “I have suffered for 10 years! And I want this to be over soon,” or “I have been like this since May of 2012.”

This kind of time tracking only causes misery. I say stop tracking the time you have been going through DP/DR. As long as you are following the principles outlined here in this blog or in my course, know that you will eventually reach recovery.

Like I mentioned above, we can’t really tell how long depersonalization or derealization will last. It depends on your nervous system’s recovery and it’s not something you can directly control. Trying to control something that is not under your direct control can only lead to frustration.

You gotta understand that by desperately wanting to recover quickly, you are only adding time pressure to yourself. You don’t want this kind of stress. Your aim should be to alleviate stress and not add more of it.

Focusing on a quick recovery can sometimes lead to negative results. Instead of letting the nervous system heal at its own pace, you are adding this time pressure, which stresses your nervous system out more. This can actually impede its recovery.

So, go ahead and tell yourself this: “I am willing to let my nervous system heal from DP/DR at its own pace. I’m willing to be patient.”

Patience is one of the most desired qualities you must aim to cultivate. Patience along with an attitude of acceptance goes a long way in your recovery.

Instead of asking, “What’s the quickest way to recover from DP/DR,” aim to ask “How can I remove any roadblocks and let my nervous system heal itself?”

In short, the fastest way to recover from depersonalization and derealization is to give up the desire to recover quickly and instead be more patient. That’s the DP/DR recovery paradox. The more pressure we put on ourselves to recover quickly, the longer it can take to recover. Instead, if we give up our obsession to recover quickly and let the nervous system do its healing magic, we will spend less time getting stuck with DP/DR.

I hope I have convinced you to stop obsessing about the quickest way to recover and instead focus your efforts on cultivating patience, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and being open and accepting of DP/DR symptoms. These are some of the principles that will help you recover from DP/DR.If you’re ready to make this shift, but want more guidance and direction that can help you recover, then I do highly recommend that you take a look at DP No More.