health.com: Derealization is the experience of feeling cut off from your surroundings. You could feel as though everything around you is surreal, twisted, far away, or dreamlike during a derealization episode. Dissociation, or the separation of your body, mind, and sense of self, is seen as a sort of derealization.
It’s normal to experience mild or transient derealization episodes. Indeed, research indicates that anywhere from 26% to 74% of individuals have, at some point in their lives, seen transient derealization symptoms. Derealization can occur for a number of reasons, including substance abuse, stress, worry, and exhaustion. On the other hand, trauma or underlying medical issues are frequently the cause of chronic (long-term). health.com/derealization
Tripescapez | outboundtrek | movevacations | roamadviser | trek-together
Symptoms
Its episodes might come and go in a matter of minutes or hours. Days, weeks, or even months may pass before another episode of more chronic derealization occurs. When you go through derealization, you could feel like this:
The things surrounding you seem distant or unreal.
Even a familiar environment might feel weird and foreign.
You are perceiving the world through a mist.
Time is warped; for example, a few minutes can seem like an hour.
You can’t recall what you’re doing.
The environment around you is warped or shifting.
The lights seem brighter, or the sounds around you are muffled.
These symptoms can lead to fear and anxiety, functional deficits (e.g., performing poorly at work or school), and social isolation among people who have more chronic derealization. health.com
Causes
A number of things can lead to it. Whether you’re suffering a brief or prolonged episode may also have an impact on the cause of your derealization. health.com/derealization
Causes of Short-Term Derealization
The subsequent elements may give rise to a transient derealization episode:
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Fatigue
- Jet lag
- Changes in sleep habits
Causes of Long-Term Derealization
Trauma
Mental health conditions
Neurological (brain-related) conditions

Diagnosis
A healthcare professional can assist in identifying the reason for chronic disease, even if you can frequently self-diagnose mild or transient episodes of derealization. Your doctor may probably inquire about your past medical history, current symptoms, and lifestyle choices (such as sleeping habits, drug use, or stress levels). health.com
To determine whether your episodes are caused by an underlying mental health condition, your provider may also conduct a physical examination, order an MRI to rule out neurological conditions, or refer you to a psychologist or psychiatrist for an evaluation once they have a better understanding of your symptoms.
If you want more, you can visit health.com/derealization
Treatment
Treatment objectives for individuals with chronic derealization may include:
Acquiring grounding skills to lessen the symptoms
Analyzing traumatic experiences from the past that can cause it
Acquiring coping mechanisms for feelings and circumstances that could lead to it
As of right now, there is no approved medication to treat derealization; however, if you already have an anxiety or depressive illness, your doctor may recommend medication.
How to Prevent Derealization
Although complete prevention of derealization is unattainable, causes that can lead to derealization can be managed. The following are some tactics that could lessen derealization:
Cutting back on booze and drug use
Getting adequate rest
Putting stress-reduction strategies into practice (such as exercising or journaling)
Getting into the habit of awareness
Asking your loved ones and medical team for assistance
Another significant strategy to stop the emergence of dissociative disorders and more chronic cases of derealization is to prevent childhood trauma and provide care to trauma survivors. Even though there are many contributing factors to child abuse, there are certain institutional or cultural measures to stop it, such as: health.com/derealization
Complications
health.com: It can be a sign of a dissociative condition, even though it’s a common, sporadic sensation. In the event that you are having prolonged or recurrent episodes of derealization, you must seek medical advice. In addition, derealization is a subsequent symptom of numerous other mental health issues, such as:
- Borderline personality disorder (BPD)
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Major depressive disorder (MDD)
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Panic disorder
A Quick Review
Derealization, or the sensation of being cut off from your environment, can occur occasionally in certain people as a result of stress, sleep deprivation, or anxiety. Others have a persistent, recurrent experience that causes them to feel as though the world is “unreal,” resulting in tension, concern, and functioning deficits. health.com
More significant problems, including childhood trauma or abuse and underlying medical disorders like depersonalization and its disorders, are frequently the cause of chronic derealization.