Derealization or Depersonalization (DR and DP)

[kangamangus]

Just wanted to comment with my experience of DP/DR. For me it starts as extreme anxiety. Then things begin to seem "off". The world seems foreign and strange and dreamlike. Nothing makes sense to me and it's all terribly frightening. Nothing seems quite real to me. People I know and love seem different, and I can't quite tell if they are real or not. I have physical symptoms as well. I feel foggy, disconnected. My vision seems different, almost like the lighting has changed and things look more "flat". I've heard people say it's like looking at the world through glass, and it's exactly like that. A truly frightening symptom of withdrawal that made me feel like I was crazy when I first experienced it. 

[Kiaza]

I've had DP and DR on and off for 5 years now. Last two years have been almost constant DP and DR. Now I'm so used to this state that I am afraid to get out of it, I actually like it and that's a bit scary. Has anyone had DP or DR for several years?

[Pearlsky]

I go every day feeling like I’m looking over myself and watching everything I do but having no sense of awareness I’m doing it. I feel a dark fog both in my eyes and mind. It seems to lift some in brighter light. Stress appears to make this worse. I never feel in myself and don’t ever truly know who I am. I remember past memories, but it feels like it was another person and it’s frustrating because I can’t have the same kind of thinking. I know how I used to be, but I feel so disconnected from that person I can’t seem find a way do the same things I used to anymore. My feelings of depersonalization also change and feel differently all the time, and it’s terrifying. Now I feel like some unknown person.

[robcbar1]

To the people who posted about DP/DR years ago, did it go away???  I’ve been experiencing this living hell for ~2 yrs since stopping Lexapro. 

[Lolitaheb]

16 hours ago, robcbar1 said:

To the people who posted about DP/DR years ago, did it go away???  I’ve been experiencing this living hell for ~2 yrs since stopping Lexapro. 

Do you have it 24/7? Or is it just occasionally? Are you on other medications? I heard that if you are on other meds they can keep you in DP/DR even longer

[Blondiee1915]

Robcbar1 - I am also a lexapro victim and struggle with DP and DR plus dizziness / unsteadiness and fatigue .  I basically quit CT after being on for 10 years with some other meds in bw .  I sure do hope it will get better .  I did reinstate last October then switched to another ssri very little relief 

[BlusMama]

Does anyone get more intense DP/DR around their family? It's as if rationally, I know my mom is my mom, but I feel detached from her. Same with Dad, spouse, dogs, etc. 

[BlusMama]

Hi everyone,

 

I wanted to ask a few questions and hear feedback from those who have suffered DP as a result from their tapered or CT withdrawals. 

 

My DP makes me feel like I can’t think in first person. I can’t picture myself in scenarios future or past. I just don’t feel like me even though I know, rationally, it’s me. 

 

My my brain is just fuzzy and while I’m aware and conscious, it’s a very disconnected feeling. 

 

It’s particularly heightened around family, too. 

 

Do any  of you feel this way too?

 

Can this be reversed or have I done irreparable damage to my brain and CNS?

 

How long can I expect to feel this way? 

 

 

[kangamangus]

My DP/DR is a bit different but I can relate to the sense of not being able to picture yourself. I just become very aware of my body and the space around me. I feel like I am not really there and I am looking at the world through glass. Looking at myself in the mirror frightens me because I am not really sure who's looking back at me. My derealization is worse than my depersonalization though. With DR, the whole world becomes different. Things seem so strange and frightening to me. Trees become these weird things sticking out of the ground, and don't even get me started on the ground itself. Humans themselves become these strange creatures that don't make any sense. When I look at people they almost seem too real to me, and I can't quite grasp the concept that I am looking at another human being. It gets worse the more people I am around. Gravity, space, and time all become these horribly frightening concepts that scare the hell out of me. I worry that I might just float away into space. Speaking of space, looking at the stars and the moon becomes terrifying. Space doesn't make any sense to me and my place in the universe seems so bizarre and wrong. I feel like an alien stuck on a foreign planet where all the laws of nature as I know it are backwards. It feels like I am having a bad trip on acid only I haven't done any drugs(besides my ADs that is).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Its really quite awful. BUT ITS NOT PERMANENT!! When I am in the middle of it, it feels like I have always been that way and always will. My memories become tainted with it, and I view them through the lense of this weird alien. But I accept it (hardest part of this whole thing). I say to myself "Yeah things seem weird. But you aren't crazy. If you were crazy you wouldn't be aware of how weird you felt. People seem weird but you still know who they are. You know how to walk and talk and breathe and eat. So you aren't losing your mind. You aren't some alien. Nothing has changed, its just your perception of things that has changed. Act like you normally would and accept this weird feeling is here to stay." Once I get that into my mind, it becomes much easier to deal with. Heres the best part though- it totally goes away (I am writing this to you, and myself in the future).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Right now as I am writing this I am feeling more normal than I have in days. Its hard for me to even go back to that place in my mind where things were so strange. I can tell my thought patterns are different because I am constantly waiting for that one weird thing/thought to push me back into that place, but its really hard. I can still weird myself out with the existential thoughts and stuff, but I can snap right out of it. I was on 100mg of Zoloft for about 10 years as well, so our stories are similar. I can tell you that you HAVE NOT permanently damaged your CNS. It is just in a state of extreme stress right now. This is your brains way of protecting you from all of the thoughts and feelings and anxiety. By disassociating from yourself, your brain is trying to protect you from those painful feelings (thats just my theory anyway).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Nobody can tell you how long this will last, but take comfort in the fact that it is not permanent at all. Really the best thing you can do for yourself is to accept that you are going to feel this way for the time being. When you fight back against this feeling and become anxious about it, you make it worse. Try some grounding meditations or some breathing techniques. One that really helps me is to name all of the objects in the room around me and state the color of those objects. It helps to bring me back to reality a bit. Try yoga as well, I have heard it does good things for people with DP/DR even though I haven't tried it myself. Keep in mind that these things won't cure you, but they will help you. The only thing that will cure you is time and letting your brain stay stable for as long as you can. Best of luck, and sorry for this huge wall of text. 

 

PS read this thread. There might be some more helpful tips in it, and at least youll know you aren't alone with how you are feeling .

 PPS sorry for the weird formatting, I suck at making paragraphs on this site.

 

[Deise]

Hi BlusMama, sorry to hear you suffer from DP/DR. It used to be one of my most scary symptoms.

 

Yes, I felt the same about family. In fact, what brought me to this forum was lack of feelings for my boyfriend. And Yes, the closest I was to the person, the weirder it felt, because you remember how it used to be and you cognitively know you like them but you can't feel it.

 

I suffered from DR and not really DP, except rare rare times. Familiar places seem weird to me, I know where I am and everything, but they just don't seem right. Somethings wrong but I don't know what. It also seems foggy/dreamlike.

 

The good news is, since I started my tapering (my dp/dr was caused by tapering but also by rhe AD itself) it slowly went away. I still feel weird sometimes, specially during periods of extreme anxiety (like the one I'm going through now), but it is more manageable.

 

I don't know how long it will take, nobody knows, but from my experience it will pass and you will feel grounded again. It will start slowly, but you will get there. As it was said before, accept that you are feeling it, acknowledge it, and don't give it the importance it wants (it's very hard I know, but you can train it).

 

You will get better

[robcbar1]

On ‎10‎/‎18‎/‎2017 at 2:15 AM, Lolitaheb said:

Do you have it 24/7? Or is it just occasionally? Are you on other medications? I heard that if you are on other meds they can keep you in DP/DR even longer

24/7 worse in the am, lightens up at night.  I'm not taking any other meds.  Stopped Lexapro in Feb '16 after it pooped out, trialed several other SSRIs and all were a disaster.   

[robcbar1]

On ‎10‎/‎18‎/‎2017 at 5:50 PM, Blondiee1915 said:

Robcbar1 - I am also a lexapro victim and struggle with DP and DR plus dizziness / unsteadiness and fatigue .  I basically quit CT after being on for 10 years with some other meds in bw .  I sure do hope it will get better .  I did reinstate last October then switched to another ssri very little relief 

I was on Lex for 13 years and our stories are similar.  I know I sound like a broken record but DR is the WORST thing I have ever experienced.  My livelihood depends on me having clarity so it feels like a sick joke.     

[BlusMama]

Thank you, Kanga and Deise. Your words actually made me feel a lot better. I felt some sort of reprieve yesterday and last night from it which is the best I've felt in a long time, but today its back-- not in full force-- but back nonetheless. To look at it 'glass half full,' I did get a glimpse of the old me, and it made me very happy and excited for the future. It could have had a lot to do with the fact that I did have a direct neurofeedback session yesterday (highly recommend).

 

Did any of you feel it more so in public? I'm sitting at my house right now debating if I want to stay in all day and be lazy, or test myself and go out and do some things that I used to love doing solo (getting my nails done, and going to the supermarket). I don't want it to be too much too soon, but I don't want to let this DP win.

 

 

[Deise]

Yes BlusMama, I definitely felt it more in public. Sometimes I could be "normal" the entire day and as soon as I left the house I felt it.

The last time I felt it strongly was during new years eve, with lots of people in the streets and fireworks. Had to go home soon after midnight and felt better. So, at least for me, it's definitely worse in public. Maybe it's due to having more stimuli, but this is just my guess.

 

Either way, if you feel you can handle it you should definitely go out and do you normal daily life. You don't want to be stuck at home with fear. I'm sure you will make it and get better

[BlusMama]

Deise,

 

I think you're right. The more stimuli, and the less of a controlled environment, the DP goes way up. On that day, I did manage to run one errand but it was quick and short lived as my anxiety started acting up and I took myself home. It also gets exacerbated when I'm by myself. I used to love my time alone and cherished it deeply, but now it just scares me. Hopefully I will get to the point where I can enjoy doing stuff by myself again. I feel so dependent on my significant other for everything. Sigh. 

[Blondiee1915]

If it is worst in public does it mean that it is anxiety related ? For me my symptoms get worse in public which makes me wonder if it is anxiety related .  The reason I was put on ssri was for panic disorder I did not experience DP or dr or dizziness which makes me believe dp and dr are WD related .  But then I read how anxiety and panic can cause these symptoms as well .  Makes me wonder which symptom is attributed to what .  I know it should not matter as if it is indeed anxiety I can do copying techniques therapy and so on .  But it would be much easier if I knew that this is WD and only time can help ....

[Deise]

Hi Blondie.

 

I don't think anyone can know wether it is anxiety or wd, because it can very well be both. I would guess that if you never felt it before wd it is probably related to it. 

I had mild DR before taking ADs. ADs made it worse, tapering made it better, even to the point of not having any. But when I experience extreme anxiety (as I am experiencing lately) it sometimes shows up again.

 

So I don't think anyone can know which one is it. It can be both. Either way it will get better

 

Also, it can be from the withdrawal and still be exacerbated by anxiety, so it gets worse in public and with stimuli.

[JenJen]

My husband has what he calls "inside the glass bottle feeling."  Everything feels muffled and he is separated from everyone else even though he is there. 

 

May I ask a question about anxiety as mentioned above?  I do not think I have true anxiety.  It started after withdrawal.  I have the 4am cortisol surge and trouble falling asleep.  Sometimes I feel wired and stuck.  I also feel better outside of the house because I focus on people and what I am doing.  I am more connected but as an introvert I also need time alone.  I am also still on Wellbutrin.  I have read that it is a stimulant.  My old p-doc added an SSRI because the Wellbutrin had no anti-anxiety component.  I feel terrible when I wake up early and often feel stuck and unable to get myself moving.  I am trying to figure out if the anxiety is  withdrawal from Lexapro or from the Wellbutrin.  In some ways I don't really care as long as the first aid is the same.  I am trying to meditate, do yoga and exercise.  I take magnesium, Krill oil and vitamin E.  

[eric]

Just an observation here...

 

I have noticed it over and over and over (and over) on here with Lexapro folks... PAWS seems to set in right around 3 months after the last dose. And it usually starts with anxiety.

 

For me it was anxiety which led to DP + DR, which led to depression. With fatigue, cognition, and memory issues throughout. I had a solid 6 months (at least) of that hell until my first true window.

 

It's just interesting to me that it seems to kick in for everyone at 3 months. The overall durations do seem to vary though.

 

But if I had to guess, JenJen, I'd say that yes, you're experiencing withdrawal which will pass eventually.

 

Same for you, Blondie. Something that helped me was imagining myself IN THE STRESSFUL SITUATION (e.g. in public, or in the middle of a work meeting) and doing the following in a very deliberate manner: stopping, closing my eyes, and taking several slow, deep breaths... WITH EVERYONE WATCHING ME... and telling myself that I DON'T CARE that everyone is watching me. Sometimes I would actually do it too, although maybe not quite as dramatically  

 

Because... I know that if the roles were reversed and I saw someone calming themselves down in such a way, you know what? I WOULDN'T CARE. I might feel for that person and want to help, but mostly I would leave them be and my opinion of them wouldn't really change.

 

Imagining being that brave (and occasionally actually doing it) helped me because:

 

1. You realize that people are not as observant as we think, so probably no one even knows that you are panicking when you think that they do.

2. People are kinder than we think, and will understand if you are briefly "not yourself" -- or even not-so-briefly (months), as evidenced by the fact that I still have my job, lol.

 

Anyway, I feel for you guys b/c I've been there. You can fight through this. And when I say "fight" I mean the exact opposite of that! Let time pass and be gentle to yourself. Challenge yourself occasionally to make incremental progress, but... more important than that, just be nice to yourself and, again, let time pass.

 

----

 

Note that I say the above with an intent to help. I also have only walked in my own shoes and realize I'm super lucky to be recovering. I sincerely apologize if my thoughts or advice are cliche or cause eye-rolls!

[UnfoldingSky]

On 17/10/2017 at 9:51 AM, robcbar1 said:

To the people who posted about DP/DR years ago, did it go away???  I’ve been experiencing this living hell for ~2 yrs since stopping Lexapro. 

 

I posted a bit upthread but in case you missed it, I had it years ago and yes it did go away. Also I got it in part from Celexa which is apparently chemically similar to Lexapro.

[robcbar1]

Thank you UnfoldingSky.  How long were you on Celexa?  My DR has shape shifted a bit but still makes me feel completely crazy.  I'd say it's by far the worse symptom but I've recently been dealing with insomnia (sleeping <3 hrs./night) and crippling depression. I pray that I enter a window but I'm facing a long road after being on SSRIs for 20 yrs. 

[BlusMama]

Having a pretty rough day with DP and DR. I woke up and have just felt out of it ever since. Completely unlike myself, questioning  everything about my life, and catastrophizing certain things. What if I completely forget who I am, and who my family is? I already feel so detached. I miss the old me. 

[Blondiee1915]

Eric you are correct on your observation.  For me it set off 3 months after (as you can see in my topic name).  I had initial WD symptoms physical in nature and they were gone after about 2 weeks I actually felt alive and happy and could feel again it was pretty good .  3 months later hell broke loose .  It happened to me each time I tried to quit lexapro and every time my shrink would tell me it's my anxiety .  Then coming here and reading ppl stories made me realize it can't be anxiety if so many others experience it.  I just hope it will get better .  It is encouraging to hear your story.  

 

Picturing yourself out there in stressful situations and feeling judged etc is actually a good technique .  I went to CBT therapy for a bit and that's what we did.  I had homework and had to actually make myself hyperventilate in public places and breathe through.  It was helpful I wish I continued but it was pricy and my insurance did not cover .  I am trying to find an in network provider that specializes in it.  But I do agree the more you expose yourself out there and just breathe and let it be the more freer you become of anxiety and panic .  For me it is still terrifying to be honest but I am taking it a day at the time .  I still won't attempt to go to the mall it's def anxiety related but also bc my nervous system feels sensitive and anything stimulating in nature throws me off. 

 

What also helps me with agoraphobia and being outside my comfort zone is starting a conversation with anyone if I am in a public place by myself and start feeling even more detached and dizzy and faint like .  I would talk to the register clerk or a person walking a dog or someone in the elevator anyone just to not feel judged and get that human interaction and validation of I am okay and this person next to me is friendly and safe.  

 

 

[eric]

Forcing yourself to make small talk sounds like a great technique... I may try that next time I'm feeling "off"

 

Blondie, give this (audio) book a try if you haven't yet: https://www.audible.com/pd/Self-Development/Hope-and-Help-for-Your-Nerves-Audiobook/B0085XS164/ref=a_search_c4_1_1_srTtl?qid=1508888455&sr=1-1

[Hellbutrin]

On 7/22/2011 at 4:31 PM, Altostrata said:

I had it for several years myself, after Paxil withdrawal. It gradually go better.

 

It can be frightening, but you can look at it as a symptom of withdrawal, know that your brain will heal itself, and keep yourself from adding fear and panic to the symptoms.

How long did DPD last for you?

[Hellbutrin]

On 10/20/2017 at 2:17 AM, kangamangus said:

My DP/DR is a bit different but I can relate to the sense of not being able to picture yourself. I just become very aware of my body and the space around me. I feel like I am not really there and I am looking at the world through glass. Looking at myself in the mirror frightens me because I am not really sure who's looking back at me. My derealization is worse than my depersonalization though. With DR, the whole world becomes different. Things seem so strange and frightening to me. Trees become these weird things sticking out of the ground, and don't even get me started on the ground itself. Humans themselves become these strange creatures that don't make any sense. When I look at people they almost seem too real to me, and I can't quite grasp the concept that I am looking at another human being. It gets worse the more people I am around. Gravity, space, and time all become these horribly frightening concepts that scare the hell out of me. I worry that I might just float away into space. Speaking of space, looking at the stars and the moon becomes terrifying. Space doesn't make any sense to me and my place in the universe seems so bizarre and wrong. I feel like an alien stuck on a foreign planet where all the laws of nature as I know it are backwards. It feels like I am having a bad trip on acid only I haven't done any drugs(besides my ADs that is).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Its really quite awful. BUT ITS NOT PERMANENT!! When I am in the middle of it, it feels like I have always been that way and always will. My memories become tainted with it, and I view them through the lense of this weird alien. But I accept it (hardest part of this whole thing). I say to myself "Yeah things seem weird. But you aren't crazy. If you were crazy you wouldn't be aware of how weird you felt. People seem weird but you still know who they are. You know how to walk and talk and breathe and eat. So you aren't losing your mind. You aren't some alien. Nothing has changed, its just your perception of things that has changed. Act like you normally would and accept this weird feeling is here to stay." Once I get that into my mind, it becomes much easier to deal with. Heres the best part though- it totally goes away (I am writing this to you, and myself in the future).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Right now as I am writing this I am feeling more normal than I have in days. Its hard for me to even go back to that place in my mind where things were so strange. I can tell my thought patterns are different because I am constantly waiting for that one weird thing/thought to push me back into that place, but its really hard. I can still weird myself out with the existential thoughts and stuff, but I can snap right out of it. I was on 100mg of Zoloft for about 10 years as well, so our stories are similar. I can tell you that you HAVE NOT permanently damaged your CNS. It is just in a state of extreme stress right now. This is your brains way of protecting you from all of the thoughts and feelings and anxiety. By disassociating from yourself, your brain is trying to protect you from those painful feelings (thats just my theory anyway).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Nobody can tell you how long this will last, but take comfort in the fact that it is not permanent at all. Really the best thing you can do for yourself is to accept that you are going to feel this way for the time being. When you fight back against this feeling and become anxious about it, you make it worse. Try some grounding meditations or some breathing techniques. One that really helps me is to name all of the objects in the room around me and state the color of those objects. It helps to bring me back to reality a bit. Try yoga as well, I have heard it does good things for people with DP/DR even though I haven't tried it myself. Keep in mind that these things won't cure you, but they will help you. The only thing that will cure you is time and letting your brain stay stable for as long as you can. Best of luck, and sorry for this huge wall of text. 

 

PS read this thread. There might be some more helpful tips in it, and at least youll know you aren't alone with how you are feeling .

 PPS sorry for the weird formatting, I suck at making paragraphs on this site.

 

Where can we find information about depersonalization not being permanent?

[kangamangus]

11 hours ago, Hellbutrin said:

Where can we find information about depersonalization not being permanent?

Look under success stories. There are many people on this site who will tell you that they had DP/DR and it went away, myself included. I have had it really bad over the past 6 months off and on, but it always goes away. 

[Hellbutrin]

20 hours ago, kangamangus said:

Look under success stories. There are many people on this site who will tell you that they had DP/DR and it went away, myself included. I have had it really bad over the past 6 months off and on, but it always goes away. 

Thank you so much for your feedback Kangamangus, did the brain fog fade when the depersonalization/derealization faded? Did you notice that it gradually faded or did it just go away one day and not return?

[eric]

Definitely gradual for me

[Deise]

Hi everyone.

 

Did the dp/dr got worse to anyone after eating? I find that happens to me and I would like to know if it happened to someone else and if maybe someone knows why that might happen. I found it gets worse after every meal, but worst still if I have a big meal.

[Lolitaheb]

4 minutes ago, Deise said:

Hi everyone.

 

Did the dp/dr got worse to anyone after eating? I find that happens to me and I would like to know if it happened to someone else and if maybe someone knows why that might happen. I found it gets worse after every meal, but worst still if I have a big meal.

Hey Deise, it happens to me too, if you eat a lot of carbs like rice or pasta thats a no no for this condition, im not saying not to eat carbs but maybe control the intake because carbs are heavy and the stomach takes energy to digest it therefore it makes you sleepy and when you are sleepy drdp gets 10 times worse, i try to eat either small portions at lunch or less carbs.

[Deise]

On 26/11/2017 at 4:47 PM, Lolitaheb said:

Hey Deise, it happens to me too, if you eat a lot of carbs like rice or pasta thats a no no for this condition, im not saying not to eat carbs but maybe control the intake because carbs are heavy and the stomach takes energy to digest it therefore it makes you sleepy and when you are sleepy drdp gets 10 times worse, i try to eat either small portions at lunch or less carbs.

Thank you so much, I was staring to get worried. I have since reduced the about of carbs during meals and found it to be helpful

[Hellbutrin]

The more research I have done about withdrawal in the last couple of months the more concerned I become. I've read a lot of success stories over the last 5 months, and sometimes it feels like they are all that keeps me going when withdrawal becomes unbearable. My question for this thread is about the mechanisms of the brain that cause DP/DR and how they work. To my understanding, and please correct me if I'm wrong, the brain corrects itself by creating new pathways in the brain to compensate for the receptors that were damaged by the medications we took. When we are considering derealization and depersonalization are they more interconnected and caused by the damaged pathways or the down regulated receptors that are unable to absorb dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin the way they could premedication. My concern is that a lot of the success stories that I see on this forum and others mention that the individual started seeing progress in DP/DR area of recovery immediately when they stopped taking the medication, and that they felt as if a cloud was lifted. These individuals still dealt with horrific withdrawals, but they started to feel more like themselves if just slightly emotionally blunted. I felt emotionally blunted while on the medication, but I also had a lot more focus because of the stimulatory nature of Wellbutrin, so the lack of emotion didn't bother me as much. It wasn't until I started feeling legitimately like a zombie that I realized that the medication was effecting my quality of life and I decided to start taking it. So my question is, can DR/DP be permanent depending on the way our pathways regenerate themselves or is it just a matter of time before our receptors up regulate enough for the cloud to be lifted? This is really concerning me and making my anxiety a lot worse, so any feedback is so appreciated!

[Hellbutrin]

Can anyone give me some feedback about this?

[DaisyBell]

Hi Hellbutin,

I don't have the answer to your questions, but I recommend you check out the thread on Depersonalisation and derealisation that is on this site.  It is comprehensive and may shed some light on your situation.  I do know that DP/DR for some people appears after cessation of a AD as a withdrawal symptom. It can continue for months or years. Everyone heals differently. It does eventually go away.  I've had it for over three years, but it has slowly diminished in intensity. I find staying away from stimulus (fluorescent light, noise, and  busy places, or where I have to move a lot etc) the best way to manage it. 

[Shep]

From the article - The Atlantic - Enlightenment's Evil Twin There's a lot that psychologists still don't understand about depersonalization disorder, in which the self doesn't feel real:

 

Research suggests that areas of the brain that are key to emotional and physical sensations, such as the amygdala and the insula, appear to be less responsive in chronic depersonalization sufferers. You might become less empathetic; your pain threshold might increase. These numbing effects mean that it’s commonly conceived as a defense mechanism; Hunter calls it a “psychological trip switch” which can be triggered in times of stress.

 

 

From The Ashton Manual - Ashton Manual - symptoms

 

Depersonalisation, derealisation. Feelings of depersonalisation and of unreality are associated with benzodiazepine withdrawal, although they also occur in anxiety states. They occur most often during over-rapid withdrawal from potent benzodiazepines and are, anecdotally, particularly marked on withdrawal from clonazepam (Klonopin). In these states, the person seems detached from his body and seems almost to be observing it from the outside. Similar experiences are described in near-death states when the individual feels that he is hovering above his body, detached from the events occurring below. They are also described by people involved in extreme emergencies and in individuals subjected to torture. They are clearly not specific to benzodiazepines.

 

Such experiences probably represent a normal defensive reaction evolved as a protection against intolerable suffering. They may involve a primitive brain mechanism similar to the "freezing" of some animals when presented with an inescapable danger. Like other benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms, these feelings resolve in time and should not be interpreted as abnormal or crazy.

 

 

I do believe it's a combination of damage to the amygdala, which is the fear center of the brain, as well as memory problems such as anterograde amnesia and also, many people coming off these drugs experience dyschronometria, which is a distorted perception of time. 

 

Definitely check out the SA thread on dp/dr: 

 

Derealization and depersonalization