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dissociation

emu12345Contributor27 May 2024, 2:25 am AEST

dissociation

Hello everyone, I am needing help or some helpful strategies to deal with severe anxiety disorder. I am 22 years old and I have PTSD, Server anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder. I am very highly medicated. The thing that I struggle to deal with the most is the feeling that nothing is real and I'm not real which sends me into a panic episode. I have a partner that lives a few hours away from me and when I'm not with him I self destruct and go back into bad eating habits or not eating at all and sleep all day and will be up all night, and stay in bed all day, I find it difficult to drive my car anywhere because of the dissociation and panic and 9 times out of 10 I do not drive when I'm home because of this feeling. i depend on him a lot and I need some helpful tips on how to be self independent. I have a psychiatrist, GP and I am seeing a new psychologist in June. When I tell people about my dissociation they do not understand and tell me to push through it when it is easier said then done, there are no triggers to my dislocation or panic I am feeling it 24/7, and the feelings I am having are so draining and when I do panic I breathe through it but when I cannot control it, it feels like I'm dying. I also would like to know if it is normal to have shaky hands because of medication, and I tend to forget a lot of things.

Thank-you to whom reads this

15 replies

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In response to: dissociation

JustSenior Contributor01 June 2024, 3:52 am AEST

Re: dissociation

Well said

In response to: dissociation

StreetspiritContributor15 June 2024, 1:23 am AEST

Re: dissociation

If you identify with repeated emotional or physical trauma, I would recommend reading Pete Walker's books Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving and The Tao of Fully Feeling. Both books explore reasons why we get anxious and dissociate (among other things) and how to treat it. The Body Keeps the Score is also a great book on trauma explaining how the right side of the brain (that processes among many things, emotions) overwhelms the left side of the brain (that processes among many things, language). I'm also reading 8 Keys to Trauma Recovery at the moment too; information is a bit outdated but I find the style, simplicity, and exercises great.

In response to: dissociation

StreetspiritContributor15 June 2024, 1:31 am AEST

Re: dissociation

P.S. @emu12345 if you identify with living in a dysfunctional family as a child, I also found the organisation, Adult Children of Alcoholics & Dysfunctional Families useful. Someone on these forums recommended it to me. It's a 12-step group and there's meetings (Zoom or in-person) throughout the world and Australia. There's also a book 'The Big Red Book' that I found very relatable too. Btw, besides Body Keeps the Score, the books I've read have all been audiobooks or text-to-speech since I have trouble concentrating.

In response to: Re: dissociation

JustSenior Contributor17 June 2024, 1:00 am AEST

Re: dissociation

Thanks will try to find this book. @Streetspirit

In response to: dissociation

JustSenior Contributor28 June 2024, 2:11 am AEST

Re: dissociation

@emu12345 I too have trouble with people saying push through. I guess because for me, I feel like I'm always pushing through and if I push to hard I end up in more trouble than I was in a second ago. I just spend as much "me time" as I can now. I do find writing stuff down gets it out of my head and also I forget a lot so can go back to refer too. I guess what I'm saying is I'm learning ( about me). The me I am now. What makes me tick, what doesn't etc. The hand shakes might be a combination of lack of food or water with meds. So my helpful advice if you want it is. Drink lots of water. Have a bottle you fill every morning so U can see how much U drank in any one day. Also get easy meals " when I was at one of my worst times. I had light and easy delivery so my body didn't get the shakes and it's a set 7 meals. Helps independence..... Good to feel you can still do it on your own when U have too. Even if the meals are made by someone else. Hehee. Thinking of you. Hope at least a bit of this helps.

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