u/NefariousnessSoft275

My partner and I want to take liminal space/dreamcore photos and are looking to see if anyone knows any cool spots for this :)

Hi friends,

I’ve been struggling with dpdr for about 2.5 years now as an 18 y/o. I struggle with panic attacks (2 of which have sent me to the hospital) as well as the typical out of body experiences. I feel like a GTA character most of the time. Like I’m controlling a character. It also has spiralled into health anxiety which is super fun to deal with.

Throughout my journey with this debilitating mind disease, I’ve figured out a few ways to cope with it. I wanted to share for those of you who may be new to this and scared or just the people curious on ways to cope.

1. Literally just saying no. It might sound silly but when I feel a panic attack coming on or when a big wave of dissociation hits me, I just simply say no and continue what I was doing. It is a lot easier said than done, however, if you don’t allow yourself to be consumed by it, you wont be.

2. Accepting the existential thoughts. For me, DPDR is like a long, continuous existential crisis. I’ve learned to accept the thoughts as simple as ”what ifs”. It hits me most when I’m driving. I’ll think “what if I’m not actually driving right now and I actually got in a crash and am imagining this” which then cues the increased heart rate and dry mouth. I then remind myself that if that is what happened, driving is what I’m experiencing right now so that’s what I’m going to continue doing. Why would I dwell on the potentials when that’s not how I’m physically seeing things in that moment?

3. Treating it like that one mf that won’t get out of your dms. This one is similar to just saying no but it’s a little different. Give the waves of panic a name (mine is nickleberry) and whenever you can feel it coming, say out loud or in your head “fuck off __” or “not right now __ I’m busy”. If you personify it as just some guy, it’s a lot easier to see it as someone who just wont leave you alone. Quite literally bossing it around makes it so much easier to control.

If you are struggling to take baby steps on how to cope with something as huge as this, I recommend at least trying what I’ve mentioned. I can’t promise that you will wake up one day and feel present the way you used to but I can promise that you will learn how to manage it. Your life isn’t over and you’re definitely not dying even though it feels like that sometimes. Your mind is just trying to cope with something you are yet to uncover. My dms are always open and of course feel free to share your own ways of coping.