Dyschronometria - distorted time perception

[JanCarol]

Why do they call it "the temporal lobe"?  I've always believed (with absolutely no evidence) that it has something to do with the way we process time in a linear fashion.  I'm sure there are stroke studies done with temporal lobe damage - and then there's that "prophecy problem," of temporal lobe epilepsy.

 

We had a party a few years ago (it was the last one we had!) and one of the young lads commented on how I have a clock in every room.  "Why do you have a clock in the bathroom?"  "And on the back porch?"  I said that these were places where I lost time.

 

Hubby always wants to know "how long" will my bath/shower take?  Well, it roughly takes the same amount of time - 20 minutes mag soak, wash & condition body & hair, sometimes do a face mask, ear clean or shave - but - while I am in there - I have no idea.  The clock is gone from the bathroom, I've been using it elsewhere, so I actually have hubby time me.  Otherwise, I would take a 3 hour bath!  (in winter, I can use the water temperature change as a rough guide)

 

I had this before I ever took SSRI's, but as others have mentioned, I was trying recreational substances before then, and I suspect that is where some of the time distortion came in.

 

BUT - I was looking through my "baby book," and "school books," where Mom kept notes, report cards, etc., and I was always slow, always late, there was always too much detail for me to take in.  I could stand still, doing nothing (apparently to others) and be perfectly entertained.  So I have a childhood record of this time impairment.  Mom used to say I was a day-dream child.

 

Even before I started getting sick in my 20's, my friends knew that I was "time impaired."    And here's the thing - I was not the worst of the time impaired of my friends (the ones who also drank alcohol were worse).  

 

I even thought of using it as "work excuse:"  "I have an impaired sense of time." as well as "I have a sleep disorder" (but I didn't have the words, "delayed cycle sleep" then)  But for some reason, corporate America didn't like "time impaired," and that was why I became largely unemployable.  Was it something under my control?  If I worked REALLY hard, and got up 30 minutes earlier, I could change my arrival time by 5 minutes.  Where did the other 25 minutes go?

 

My big time slip now is between midnight and 4 am.  Whoooosh!  And I've done it again, stayed up too late.  Last night (er, this morning) at 4:30 am, I wasn't even tired or sleepy, but had to go lie down or I'd be a wasteland today.  THEN upon waking, the first hour or two of the day - when I am least functional - flies by and before I know it, the sun is going down.  

 

So time flies for me when I am most functional (middle of the night), and least functional (upon rising).  

[Siskin]

I'm so glad to have found this thread...this is one of the symptoms Raven complains about a lot. He says he can remember some things (although his memory is badly affected), but that he doesn't have any sense of what he refers to as "time-indexing". He doesn't know what happened before or after other things, and has no sense of how long between events. Like you, JanCarol, being timely has never been his strong suit, but this is much more debilitating.

 

I've wondered, and suggested to him, if it might be helpful to start trying to build up that part of his memory by taking pictures at regular intervals each day and reviewing them later. At first just a day at a time, then a couple of days, and eventually work up to longer and longer time frames. The pictures could be of notable things that happened (going to the library, having a friend over for dinner, etc.), as well as just daily events (breakfast, pic of what book he's reading, what he saw when he went for his walk,...). I thought it might even be helpful if he could verbally describe the photos to me or his dad to help cement the order of things in his mind. I don't know if it would help him to "re-index" things he's already lost, but wondered if it might help strengthen those synapses for his life starting now. Does this make sense? Do you think it'd be helpful?

 

He and I both suspected this was w/d, but it's good to confirm that others are experiencing the same.

[JanCarol]

Wow, what a novel approach!  How is it going?

 

I would find that intrusive, honestly.  But I hate my smart phone, most people like theirs.  I wish it was smaller and did less, and didn't interrupt me - ever.

 

So reminding me to use a smart phone, is worse than asking me to do the dishes!  

 

But young people are attached to those things like a ball and chain, so maybe for him, it will be fun, as well as a pleasant distraction from symptoms - and - a sense of accomplishment.  What did I do today? Is a healthy question to ask, to affirm, that it wasn't really just an empty day sitting around the house - that I met this dog, and we walked to the library, etc.

 

It would be a very handy tool for facial recognition, something I seem to have a bit of problem with.  Names and faces.  My problem isn't extraordinary, but there's an anxiety when I am meeting someone that I won't recognize them.  Then there's the blindside - the person who recognizes you, but who you recognize, but cannot place (but that's a different problem from the time thing).

 

It's interesting that you are talking about "time indexing."  This happened before that, but after the other.  As I'm a lot older than Raven, that stuff is not as important to me (unless I'm filling out a report that needs this information: First this, then this, then that)

 

My life is indexed better - I do have some "fuzzy" areas, but I can sequence them in huge chunks, usually by location (as I moved a lot).  When I lived there, I was dating him, we had those 2 cars, and that's when we got that cat.  We lived there for at least a year, because she stayed with us awhile there until she could get her own place, and it was big enough for all of us.  We had a wonderful Halloween party there, and the landlords showed up as Micky and Minnie Mouse.  But was it 2 years?  I can't remember.  I can only tell you what events happened at that place, and then - if pressed, I can tell you that it was probably around 1986.  

 

My time loss is more present.  I was waiting to get ready to go - I have about an hour to wait then whoosh.  It's time to go, NOW!

[scallywag]

There's an interesting but somewhat violent movie from the late 90s/early 00s about a man who's lost short term memory who uses technology available to him (Polaroid instant photos) to keep track. Movie is Memento.

[JanCarol]

Ah - Guy Pearce - another Australian legend!

 

He cannot make new memories.  It's really sad, because he cannot trust anyone.  He has to take their pictures and have information tatttooed on his body.  He writes on the backs of photos, but sometimes the messages are cryptic:  "you can trust her" or a phone number or address.

 

It was storyboarded with a backwards time-line, too - to keep the viewer in the same frame of mind as the main character.  I've seen it at least 3 times, and even though I know the story, it's compelling, and I am SO GLAD that I can make memories AT ALL!  It makes me appreciate that I remember your name, your avatar, and a little bit about your story (but if I make mistakes, please be patient with me - we all struggle at times!)

[JanCarol]

Dyschronometria.

 

Tonight I was thinking about time stress.

 

Being some place "on time" - how "on time" I have to be directly correlates with how stressful it is.

 

Yoga class (very bad to be late, walk away if you are)

Trains & Planes.

Doctor appointments (some are fussier than others)

 

Then, there are the variables which are stressful.

 

How far away is it?  Am I driving?  Or some other mode?  Combination?  How long did it take last time I did it?  (usually I haven't a clue) 

 

And - do I have what I need (the rumination loop):  keys and phone in bag?  drink for meds?  yoga mate, zafu, gi bag, swords, address of where I am going, kindle & a book (my safety blankets), hearing aids?  

 

This has been a lifetime struggle, and this, to me, is the stress of working, not the work itself (though people can suck, generally I've found something redeemable about most people at work).  

 

This report is due every day after 9:45 and before 10:00 to report to Federal Reserve.  You have 40 minutes to get through this audit.  It is at least 1.5 hours from home.  At 2:00 they will be expecting you to run the dailies.  It takes at least 13 minutes at a fast walk from parking lot to building.  The payroll must start at 6:00 am, and is due by 11:00 am.  All photos must be taken before the sun drops below the horizon (I was better at that one).  And so on.  These are each examples of different stresses of different jobs I've had.

 

Then the phone rings, or the cat asks for something, or hubby starts a conversation and my brain resets and I go back into rumination loops.

 

So - it is stressful to get to yoga on time, with hearing aids, yoga mat, zafu, payment card, car key.  Tonight the yoga wasn't enough to undo that stress - tonight I had to bring in flyers as well.  So all the inversions just made the headaches worse.

 

Time stress.  Some of you breeze through it like a hot knife through butter, but I flop around like a fish in the face of time!

[Ketiperri]

hi . I also have distorted time perception . this is very bad and scary , especially with the other severe symptoms i want to die every day

[JanCarol]

Topic merged with "Distortions of Time Perception."

[O2bhappy]

Is this something that gets better with time? My days seems to drag. During the day I will think an hour will pass and I look at the clock and it has only been 10 minutes. It's awful. Then as the day goes on I find that I cannot remember what I did in the morning. Or what I did is a blur.

[pinkfairy]

Omg i heave been suffering with this so very bad,its like am brain dead,no sense of time,reality is warped....I can't remember nothing!!its like have got dementia....this really frightens me as I have no sense of time...totally brain damaged!thank you for bringing this up

[Barbarannamated]

This does not seem to be better for me, but my case is very convoluted and I'm still on some drugs. The Pristiq "taper" really did me in.

 

I'm a bit better when I have something to do, but I rarely get out.

 

Also, anytime I see or hear anyone talk of how "life is short", all I can think is how loooong life seems to me.

[manymoretodays]

Great topic.  Glad it's here for discussion.

 

Distorted time perception/ dyschronometria.  

Dyschronometria.

 

And wow.....yes, this symptom just more recently has come into play for me.  And it does seem to have been/be more directly related to my recent choice to be a ? cavewoman......oh, alright, alright........I've isolated!

 

So hopefully.......getting out more will indeed improve my time perception.

Most of mine seems to correlate with my time "in the box", defined for me and by me........as my time spent on my desktop PC.  Hours literally go by.  I'd like to think it IS meditative yet it may be verging on becoming another dependency.  It feels meditative at times though.  As it takes me out of my now busy brain.  And then I'm more focused later.  Oh, it keeps me somewhat connected too.......to the Universe if you will.

 

I think I shall tackle it with working hard on keeping to a better schedule, more self discipline, and especially with making sure that I do get out more.  All part of self care in this now protracted WD that I find myself in.

On 4/2/2017 at 11:52 AM, Barbarannamated said:

I'm a bit better when I have something to do, but I rarely get out.

Yes, except that I am changing that.....because I CAN change that.  I know not all of us can, due to other illnesses and such......but as yet I am unaware of any in myself.

And my mind, body, soul is telling me that this is something I need to do for my health and wellness going forward now.  The timing is right, as it's nearly Spring too.  That should help.

On 4/2/2017 at 11:52 AM, Barbarannamated said:

Also, anytime I see or hear anyone talk of how "life is short", all I can think is how loooong life seems to me.

Hmmmm........I just want to get back to a more balanced life and certainly more time aware.   It's a bit like DP/DR stuff too.  I'm doing okay when out with my initial forays in the last week or so.  Briefly.......I'm a bit removed from it all, but then my brain seems to remember..........and I'm present........  And the longer I'm out, the better it gets.....or easier most of the time.  I've got so much work to do here at home though.  Sure hoping my domestic goddess side shows up soon. 

 

Life does seem too short to me right now.  I'm wanting to skip ahead all the time.......and not put in the effort to change,  what really are for me, more in the just bad habits category......that I've developed over the past several months.

Although...... to not be too hard on myself.......I also do feel that my body/mind/spirit was telling me to take it easy...........that I have been through so very much.........and that even being a cave woman for awhile does indeed have it's place.

 

I'm sure hoping that my white board and calendar will help.  I'm sure it will.   I'm making  it a creative endeavor too.   As well as prioritizing just 1-3 things that I have to be on time for each week.  I find that things that I have to be on time for........at least on the ground..........can wind up being stressful for me.  So that's why the only 1-3 things per week.  One must limit stress in this WD journey.  Another way to make even being on time less stressful is to up my meditative, yoga, body awareness type practices.

I think I can measure the effectiveness of my practices when being on time is no longer stressful. 

 

I've been thinking lately, that I'm pretty certain, if I work on my more movement oriented practices.......body in other words........my mind will follow and improve from some of my now enhanced limitations.

 

And I'm off for a walk now.  I hope.  She(me) says.

Love, peace, healing, and growth,

mmt

 

[Meeto]

Has anyone felt disorientation of time in wd?  Days seem vague, can't tell time, years ago feel like yesterday or can't perceive time much if at all?

[UnfoldingSky]

Hi Meeto, yes, we have a thread around somewhere about that. 

 

There is a medical condition associated with problems other than withdrawal called dyschronometria, where the sufferer can't gauge the passage of time properly.  I had something like this (the typical causes though are  not relevant to us though, please don't misunderstand and assume you have some other even more serious problem going on, or that you can't improve, I don't wish to imply anything like this.) I don't know if any doctors ever use this term in association with withdrawal or not, this is just my own self-diagnosis.  In early withdrawal it was really severe--I had been cold turkeyed off an antidepressant, then given drugs that mess with memory pretty badly, which I'm sure had something to do with it.

 

Once off the drugs and with sufficient time passing it is now nowhere near as bad, far more manageable if I just keep an eye on the time.   Now I do sometimes lose track of time but not always, and of course everyone does this at some point who has not been through withdrawal.  But the kind of severe problem I had before, like you describe, where longer stretches of time were really distorted, where something that occurred a year ago may seem like it happened yesterday has ended.