Depersonalization Disorder Recovery: Ethan's Story (2023)

⚡ Start YOUR 💯 recovery from DPDR today! 👉🏼 www.dpmanual.com/purchase/
01:47 How Ethan's DPDR Started
06:38 Symptoms of DPDR
09:08 Visual Symptoms - Floaters
09:57 Memory Problems
12:11 Trying to live and work with DPDR
14:13 "I felt like I was going to disappear"
18:20 Starting to Recover
28:20 The DP Manual
31:00 Getting Back To Normal
32:48 Advice for people with DPDR
Today I'm speaking with Ethan Cabrera (21) from San Francisco. He had quite a frightening experience with Depersonalization Disorder. It hit him seemingly out of nowhere, and for months made him feel like he was 'a robot' and worried that he was 'going to disappear'.
It was a terrifying experience, but thankfully, Ethan has since made a full recovery. I was delighted to feature his story on the channel!
Check out my website and DPDR recovery program at:
www.dpmanual.com/
Connect with me!
/ depersonalizationmanual
/ dpmanual
Disclaimer: Please note that the medical information contained within this video is not intended as a substitute for consultation with a professional physician and is not a recommendation of specific therapies.

[@Dpmanual]

Thanks so much to Ethan for sharing his story! 😊And you can find out more about my recovery course The DP Manual here 👉 www.dpmanual.com/purchase/

[@rochellehamilton3226]

I think it’s interesting that Ethan said it was almost like his life was on pause. Dpdr is like the freeze response. This gave me even more hope because if we can just train our minds to get out of the freeze response then our lives be unpaused and back to normal. The dp manual has helped me a lot. I am about 70% recovered. I can see myself in one of these videos in the future.

[@AfghanFTW]

What did you do that really helped you with recovery.

[@rochellehamilton3226]

@@AfghanFTW as uncomfortable as it is I am practicing acceptance. Accepting that this is how I feel for right now. It’s not easy. I stopped isolating myself. I’m going back to work and carrying on with my life as if I don’t feel this way. I’m having a few second and even minutes that I don’t feel dpdr. Also stay off of the forums. If you feel the need to research anything related to dpdr just watch these videos.

[@englisherno]

​@@rochellehamilton3226 Simply said, you just gotta live with it, once you turn your back on it, completely, it will simply vanish. 😁❤️

[@FeggyMin]

may I ask how you currently feel? did you heal? hope you're feeling better by now. I am also trying to just "accept" my situation and live the best i can and do the daily tasks; going to work, self care, meeting family & friends etc. ironically even writing this comment I don't even feel real lmao it's like I watch myself do all these stuff from trapped inside of me / my head... weird sensation

[@rosemary81812]

Marry that lady!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Having that support is amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@hamish8214]

I feel like I defeated the DP/DR but it has lead to somatic OCD where I am self aware of my mind and consciousness. Like I’m stuck observing myself even though things look normal again. Definitely a result of the DP/DR but I don’t know how to get over it. Even watching this video, I’m like observing myself watching and super aware.

[@TootyRooty]

Going through that right now, how’s your progress, get any better?

[@hamish8214]

@@TootyRooty not fully over it. But I think it’s understandable why we are so aware of it after dpdr. Same way you’d be pretty aware of your right foot for a while if you suffered a bad injury. It seems super weird being really aware of your thoughts and consciousness but really it’s a sign that you are sane and intact right? I think to progress it’s about acceptance and trying to shift focus into things besides yourself

[@tanyal142]

I feel the same! Like Dp /dr was gone but the awareness is scary. I hope it means that recovery is close.

[@hamish8214]

@@tanyal142 yeah it is. I recovered about a month after that comment. It’s a good sign

[@tanyal142]

@@hamish8214 im glad for you! 🙏🏻how much time do you suffered from Dp/Dr in total? You feel like you recovered completely 100%?

[@miriammacomson5987]

Does going back to normal feels scary to anyone else? Because if i feel normal for 5 minutes it scares me😢

[@deepa7678]

Thanks Shaun for educating people about dpdr , i remember being scared about it a month before and now I have completely recovered , all thanks to you and other recovery stories !! While I was experiencing dp I have read a lot of toxic forums and even though I'm dp free i still experience Panic attacks because of those toxic things I've read ! How did you overcome the negative thoughts from those horror forums ? Hope to see a vedio about it ...

[@AfghanFTW]

What helped you alot ?

[@rosemary81812]

Meditate. Get to know ur thoughts are just thoughts. I never really understood that meaning til I started meditating

[@AfghanFTW]

@@rosemary81812 sorry for so many questions but did you follow a video or something to meditate

[@miriammacomson5987]

So happy he is normal now!! I wouldnt wish dpdr on anyone!! Im currently going on 3 months of dpdr. I have a question though. Why when i feel a little normal it freaks me out and make me have anxiety? I dont like dpdr but feeling normal scares me!! How do i stop being afraid of getting back to normal because its just a big cycle and ill never get back to myself if i fear normalcy.

[@jacktierney1125]

I hope you’ve gotten better in the last 6 months. For me I’ve had a similar fear of recovering. For the last few weeks I’ve been doing better, and that has prompted intrusive thoughts questioning if I even have DP/DR or if I just made it all up. It’s really scary for me. I wonder if this is what you meant. More importantly I hope your recovery is going well.

[@ItumelengMolefi]

Best recovery story

[@MickBarkley-pz3un]

Hey Shaun, how’s it all going I have been suffering from dpdr for almost 3 yrs now I have complex ptsd and extreme anxiety fears where I think everything is going to kill me any little pain I get is a life threatening thing so I got unwell when my next door neighbour passed it was a major stress in my life and I was working crazy hrs leading up to this aswell so the anxiety kicked in and just watching your videos it feels like I can pin point the moment that the dpdr actually kicked in I would really like to get in touch with you and discuss my experiences since I was 14 yrs old I am now 40. Thanks for your videos cheers mick

[@beckhyniazi2939]

Do u feel dp/dr almost after every stress or anxiety or anything that makes u sad ? Well when i get sad of health or small small issues mostly due to health / i feel like i am lost my vision gets wierd / i feel lost lost / mind feels is stuck somewhere else / like i am doing everything but still dsnt feels present / well when i ignore slowly i become ok and fine / but this feeling never goes from almost 6 years / like when i am ok n happy i am just fine like it is there but it doesnt bother me much / but when i am sad or i think alot of something i get these symptoms more intensee // i nver understand this

[@kamranhussain6117]

Ty ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ I ask only one thing dose we need medication is that helpful for dpdr recovery!???? Plz answer me someone

[@simonray4838]

This is the most difficult symptom for me

[@Dpmanual]

It's a tough one but it'll fade away and stop as your recovery continues 😊 www.dpmanual.com/articles/back-to-normal-after-depersonalization/

[@alexweb5570]

Loved it!.. i would like to ask a question please.. i don't feel dp anymore but i don't feel that im 100% okay is that normal and will it go away too??

[@freshlygroundcoffeee9236]

It. 🎉.’🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉😢🎉😂😂😢🎉😊😊😊😊😊 3:03 😢😢

[@michellevanuijtert8727]

Hi shaun, i got dpdr 6 months ago, at first it was terrible all the symptoms. But now its just the floaters feeling anxiety not al day im back to my normal routine and all not on the lookout if its there but i have some worries will that go away to? Its just annoying at this point

[@Dpmanual]

Hi Michelle, thanks for your comment and I'm glad to hear you're doing better 😊 And to answer your question, take a look at this article, I think you'll find it useful: www.dpmanual.com/articles/what-does-depersonalization-recovery-feel-like/

[@michellevanuijtert8727]

Thanks shaun, its completly true. At first it was seconds and the fear would attack me now its just sometimes i know its there but i just ignore it and go on with things.for me it was constantly checking on myself because my feelings where so flat.and my vision was of. Now its just the floaters annoying me so i put on sunglasses

[@Dpmanual]

@@michellevanuijtert8727 Happy to help 😊

[@leylawalkingbyfaith]

That happened to me the first time I smoked weed. I was high for like 7 or 8 days & then when I was experiencing a lot of stress and anxiety I experienced all these symptoms.

[@Dpmanual]

Hope you're feeling better now Leyla 😊

[@Gran_ladron]

How did you recover

[@maxwellianman]

its so annoying because my dp/dr gets worse after intense exercise and then i start panicking 😅

[@fxmoiibandzz1061]

would taking SSRI's be good to potentially reduce some of the symptoms that come with DP/DR? like anxiety, depression etc etc?

[@Dpmanual]

I'm not a medical professional so can't give you specific recommendations re medication. But please read this article, I think you'll find it useful: www.dpmanual.com/articles/can-medication-cure-depersonalization/

[@rochellehamilton3226]

I’m taking sertraline and it has helped with my depression and anxiety that comes with dpdr, it takes some time it doesn’t work immediately. it also doesn’t take away every symptom. you still have to put in the work. this is just my experience, idk if it would work for you but it wouldn’t hurt to try!

[@marioncarbonell6047]

@@rochellehamilton3226 remember taking risperidon and it helped out a lot, sadly not with the emotional numbness, but slowly I felt sensations coming back, I was able to concentrate on things a lot, I was starting to enjoy music again, I could converse with people, memory improved, emotions where slowly coming back too, i could feel my limbs, tongue, every single part of my body again. I feel like the reason psychiatric medication does help out with dpdr is because it relaxes us and it finally gives our nervous system and our brain a chance to stop being overly active and think it’s in danger all the time.

[@mauricia9635]

@@marioncarbonell6047did the doctor recommend risperidon or u just took it ?

[@AfghanFTW]

Hey im currently going through dpdr from reoccuring panic attacks. I cant sleep and i feel like everything around me is fake like my family doesnt seem real. Is this common? Please i need some advice here and i did buy the DP manual currently still reading it.😊

[@rosemary81812]

Yes it’s common, it will go away just let it be. I promise you it will go away. I had that.

[@AfghanFTW]

@@rosemary81812 what did you do that can possibly help me recover?

[@Satorugojo64]

@@rosemary81812 do u get existential thoughts during that time and after how months u recovered

[@Zamoxi]

@@Satorugojo64 Existential thoughts are extremely common, thoughts about consciousness and hyper awareness of ones self is also common. Also thoughts about god and death and religion are extremely common. You will also experience symptoms like Headaches, nausea, insomnia and other things. Just know that all of these things are safe. They will not cause you any harm. You will not produce a mental illness or go crazy. Give this its time. Your body is very sensitive right now and it needs time to balance. Every body is different. You need to believe that you are okay and accept that you feel this way right now. Every day accept it until it fades. If you have a set back oh well. Just do your best to not research any of it and do your best to live your life again.

[@Satorugojo64]

@@Zamoxi i also feel like i m losing control in my body and not getting body movement feeling ,is it dp/dr symptom or something else

[@augustoutside5130]

I like success stories 😁

[@Dpmanual]

Me too! 😊

[@bryansalazar8927]

I know there are ppl who try to autoinduce this by meditation or by the usage of drugs. It is a very interesting topic.

[@nishanlama3817]

I think i have dementia or schizophrenia all the symptoms are alike The world around me isn’t like it used to be and im a chain smoker can someone give me adivce for recovery

[@Dpmanual]

Read this, I think you'll find it useful: www.dpmanual.com/articles/depersonalization-three-reasons-youre-not-going-crazy-2/ And if you would like to speak to a medical professional please don't hesitate to do so. I would recommend finding an anxiety specialist if possible as they will likely be more familiar with DPDR.

[@autoN55]

this happened to me you eventually get over it or used to it

[@reimervb4267]

I need help, im 15 years old now and having derealization for 2,5 years since i smoked weed at a young age. I feel like i have no control over myself and the world seems so weird. I can’t remember the last time i felt normal. Im currently having therapy with a dp therapist but ive been having 6 sessions and its still the same.

[@Dpmanual]

Hey, thanks for your comment. Firstly, please make sure that you’re speaking to your parents about what’s happening. It’s very important that they know what’s going on. Secondly, I know DPDR can be frightening but remember that it's just your body and brain's natural response to stress and anxiety. It's not permanent and it can't hurt you. You can and will recover. Make sure to read through all the info and articles on my website at www.dpmanual.com

[@TheWolimorb]

Is it normal to not recognise your name. Like you know it is but it sounds weird if you say it or someone says it. Like your a stranger to yourself.

[@Dpmanual]

Don’t worry Willie, symptoms like that are super common with DPDR. I know they can be frustrating but they will fade away and stop as you recover 😊 www.dpmanual.com/about/do-i-have-depersonalization-disorder/

[@KadeMichael]

Omg yes! If anyone called my name I would think ‘I know this is my name and I have to reply to this but I’m not that person anymore’…so strange!

[@polargenx1219]

Hey I would love to talk to you some time maybe make a video with you

[@LarrySwishamane]

No one else has felt like that uJust large elaborate cosmic practical joke where, not only are u the butt of, but also the complicit in, by design, quantum physics? Some customized synchronized regenerative orbiting simulation far easier to comprehend/accept than it is explain…because operates more like a detonator or a countdown than it does a creation?

[@denizbozdag8377]

Huan