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Hi again!

lizbeth_v profile image
13 Replies

First off Merry Christmas to everyone! I was hoping someone could give advice on how to cope with dissociation and feeling as though “I am not real” symptoms. Any advice would be great, it tends to get scary as I do zone out of have out of body kind of experiences when I am doing important things such as driving out taking care of children. It feels as though I am asleep and I definitely don’t wanna get into a wreck or not pay attention to my nieces and nephews and they end up doing something dangerous as they are just kids.

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lizbeth_v profile image
lizbeth_v
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13 Replies
Tellmeaboutit profile image
Tellmeaboutit

wow i dont have any experience with that sort of thing, but it sounds like it could be serious. can you give us some moredetails? how often does it happen, how long does it last, any relation to sleep paterns or stress or??? any medications?

you should probably talk to a doctor about it

lizbeth_v profile image
lizbeth_v in reply toTellmeaboutit

The most it’s ever lasted it about an hour or so. It happens a few times everyday. The best I can describe the feeling is as though I am not doing anything manually. Almost as if I was asleep but my body wasn’t. And I dont get much sleep as I tend to clench and grind my teeth at night which causes me to wake up with terrible headaches. I am currently on anxiety medication called lexapro but it stopped doing much help after being on it for a year.

in reply tolizbeth_v

I’ve not experienced the out of body experience you are having but I’ll say your teeth grinding, clenching your jaw at night is called sleep bruxism.

You could very well be doing micro sleeping in the day if your sleep deprived. Your brain is asleep but your body is awake.

Id think about maybe getting a sleep study to confirm this and find out how bad you are doing the teeth grinding and see if a mouth guard, eliminating stress and doing facial exercises may be of benefit. Sleep deprivation can cause a lot of things and it might be a reason for these out of body experiences you are having.

Worth talking to your doctor.

lizbeth_v profile image
lizbeth_v in reply to

I never really thought of it that way but yes it definitely can be the cause. I do sleep a little bit because I know I need it but it’s so painful to do something so simple as sleeping. I’ve heard of the term Bruxism before but I kind of brushed it off until now that it’s gotten worse.

in reply tolizbeth_v

I completely understand about the sleep. I have insomnia, I know how painful it is to work on sleep. My insomnia causes jolts that wake me from falling sleep or have been asleep a few minutes to abruptly wakening me. I work on sleep to get 5.5 to 6 hours over a 12-13 hour period, it’s terrible, mines all hormonal in nature.

Edit: I read you have an eating disorder as well. This compounds things greatly.

You can’t go without adequate sleep. If you are indeed having micro sleeps in the day, you don’t want to be doing tasks that require focus or driving like you said, etc. Even if it’s not micro sleeps, if your meds or other clinical cause are causing these as a side effect you need to discuss with your doctor.

lizbeth_v profile image
lizbeth_v in reply to

I’m sorry you go through that. I hope you get better from your insomnia! And yes although I believe the medication must’ve not caused it since I have stopped taking it and still have the same issues. I don’t know if maybe the effects linger but I doubt it

Tellmeaboutit profile image
Tellmeaboutit in reply tolizbeth_v

that sounds like it may well be a side effect of the lexapro. (ask yourself if it ever happened before you started taking lexapro.) I would definitely talk to your doctor about it. also, insomnia and anxiety are both listed as possible side effects, so you should probably talk about those too.

lizbeth_v profile image
lizbeth_v in reply toTellmeaboutit

I can’t recall if it was before or after lexapro, I really started to notice it after I began taking the medication. However I am inconsistent with lexapro because it stopped doing much to help my anxiety so I stopped taking it and the clenching and out of body stuff has still been happening.

FearIsALiar profile image
FearIsALiar

I’ve had this too. It can be pretty scary

lizbeth_v profile image
lizbeth_v in reply toFearIsALiar

It can.

Gentlespirit profile image
Gentlespirit

Alot of pressure and alot of things must be on your mind and dissociation is a defense mechanism. The mind can only take so much and internal or external conflicts and your reaction to them.. I use self talk and i try to reassure myself although that doesn't always work. Watching tv certain movies help and music and medication. What movies warm your heart and or give you hope in humanity again?? What movies make you laugh or uplift your spirit??

Gentlespirit profile image
Gentlespirit

Google it and read about it and you'll relate and see what others advise too.

lizbeth_v profile image
lizbeth_v in reply toGentlespirit

Thank you. A lot of things tend to be on my mind a lot of the time so it’s always just like thoughts going in and out of my mind every second of every way. Most of them being negative thoughts.

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