Depersonalization Disorder is when a person experiences a feeling of being detached from life around them and sometimes emotionally numb. It is often a symptom of another disorder such as anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder and particularly panic disorder, or of an illness like epilepsy or migraine, but also occurs in its own right and among users of certain drugs. CBT is an effective treatment. PRAISE FOR THE SERIES: 'The best consumer-friendly CBT-based books&All are very thorough.' Observer 'The Overcoming series just keeps getting better and better.' The Psychologist

'The first of its kind, this self-help book will offer guidance, help and solace to the many sufferers of depersonalization disorder.' Daphne Simeon, Depersonalisation and Dissociation Program, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York Depersonalization disorder can make you feel detached from life and many people describe feeling 'emotionally numb', unreal or even as if their body doesn't belong to them. It can be a symptom of another problem such as anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and, particularly, of panic disorder, or of an illness like epilepsy or migraine. It can also occur in its own right and/or as a side effect of certain drugs. This self-help book, written by leading experts, will help you to understand what causes depersonalization disorder and what can keep it going, and will introduce you to effective strategies to overcome it: Based on clinically proven cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) techniques Clear and accessible step-by-step exercises and tools, including diary-keeping and problem-solving Overcoming self-help guides use clinically proven techniques to treat long-standing and disabling conditions, both psychological and physical. Many guides in the Overcoming series are recommended under the Reading Well Books on Prescription scheme. Series Editor: Professor Peter Cooper

"Everything feels unreal to me, like a dream...I feel detached, like a stranger to myself." These are quotes from actual people, experiencing something they don't understand. What they are saying is being heard by friends, families, and physicians today more than ever before. They do not simply suffer from anxiety, or depression, and they are not schizophrenic. They have found themselves trapped in a very real and singular disorder, yet few even know its name. Their enigmatic state of mind has been studied for more than 100 years, but only recently has it become clear how prevalent and how distinctive it really is. The condition is called Depersonalization Disorder, and Feeling Unreal is the first book to reveal what it's all about. This important volume explores not only Depersonalization, but the philosophical and literary implications of selflessness as well, while providing the latest research, possible treatments, and ways to live and thrive when life seems "unreal." For those who still believe that such experiences are merely part of something else, that depersonalization is just a symptom and not a disorder in its own right, Feeling Unreal presents compelling evidence to the contrary. This book provides long-awaited answers for people suffering from Depersonalization Disorder and their loved ones, for mental health professionals, and for all students of the condition, while serving as a wake up call to the medical community at large.

Generalized anxiety, post-traumatic stress or existential thoughts can lead the brain to enter a "defensive" mode of consciousness far from reality where the perception of the self and the perception of the world result noticeably altered. The author makes an autobiographical journey of his history as a consequence of this disorder to describe the main symptoms of Depersonalization (DP) and Desrealization (DR) and presents a hypothesis about its nature based on a relative disconnection between rational and emotional hemispheres. The most frequent causes leading to Depersonalization (alteration of the self) and to Derealization (alteration of the perception of the world) are reviewed and the method of Santos Barrios (c) is presented as a natural treatment to return the individual to normality. The indiscriminate use of new technologies (smartphones, tablets, PCs, videogames, social networks, streaming on demand, ...) causes people avoid more and more the contact with the physical and emotional reality of the environment. This fact together with anxiety, the rush of everyday life, the concern for an uncertain future and the possible consumption of drugs constitute an explosive cocktail that is making an appearance of cases of distancing from reality.

As a neuroscientist who has successfully completely overcome chronic depersonalization and derealization (DPDR), I am driven to teach every last sufferer a). what this 'disorder' really is and b). how to cure it in a matter of days and ensure that you never relapse.Regardless of how dissociated and lost you currently feel, you are as real, safe and alive as you were when you were a curious child. What's more, I am going to teach you how to make these feelings vanish. There is nothing intractable about dissociative anxiety; when you are ready to launch yourself towards recovery and fight against the illusion, it disappears - it simply can no longer be sustained when you are truly committed to living in the real world.

DO NOT READ THIS BOOK IF YOU WANT TO JUST "MANAGE" YOUR ANXIETY There's a new and faster way for anxiety relief, but few have ever heard it. Most people are advised to either just "manage" their anxiety or medicate it away. If you're tired of just managing your anxiety and want a powerful natural solution, then apply the 'Dare' technique as explained in Barry McDonagh's latest book. Based on hard science and over 10 years helping people who suffer from anxiety, Barry McDonagh shares his most effective technique in this new book. The DARE technique can be used by everyone, regardless of age or background, to live a life free from anxiety or panic attacks. In this step-by-step guide you will discover how to: -Stop panic attacks and end feelings of general anxiety. -Face any anxious situation you've been avoiding (driving/flying/shopping etc.). -Put an end to anxious or intrusive thoughts. -Use the CORRECT natural supplements to relieve anxiety. -Boost your confidence and feel like your old self again. -Fall asleep faster and with less anxiety each night. -Live a more bold and adventurous life again! IMPORTANT: THIS IS MUCH MORE THAN JUST A BOOK It also comes with a free App for your smartphone as well as four audios for quick anxiety relief. With these new tools you can apply the DARE Response in any situation that makes you anxious (e.g. driving/shopping/traveling). Help is now just a click away. You can learn more at: http: //www.DareResponse.com

When you have depersonalization disorder, nothing seems real. You may feel detached from reality, even from your own thoughts, as though you are going through the motions of living without ever being truly connected to your experiences. Whether your depersonalization developed after a traumatic experience or is something you've always lived with, this book can help you reconnect with life again. Overcoming Depersonalization Disorder can help you diagnose the type and degree of your depersonalization disorder, come to understand why it developed, and cope with your symptoms using practical skills drawn from acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT). Ready to feel real again? Put the practical skills in this book to work in your life right now and start reintegrating yourself back into the world and reconnecting to your own vibrant thoughts and feelings.

This journalistic examination of depersonalization as a disorder and cultural phenomenon includes case histories, treatment, and literary and spiritual perspectives.

The second edition of the Handbook of Adult Clinical Psychology: An Evidence Based Practice Approach like its predecessor provides clinical psychologists in training with a comprehensive practice handbook to help build the skills necessary to complete a clinical placement in the field of adult mental health. While practical in orientation, the book is based solidly on empirical evidence.Building on the success of the previous edition this handbook has been extensively revised in a number of ways. Throughout the book, the text, references, and website addresses and have been updated to reflect important developments since the publication the first edition. Recent research findings on the epidemiology, aetiology, course, outcome, assessment and treatment of all psychological problems considered in this volume have been incorporated into the text. Account has been taken of changes in the diagnosis and classification of psychological problems reflected in the DSM-5. Chapters on ADHD in adults, emotion focused therapy, radically open dialectical behaviour therapy, and schema therapy have been added. The book is divided into 6 sections: Section 1 covers conceptual frameworks for practice (lifespan development; classification and epidemiology; CBT, psychodynamic, emotion focused, systemic and bio-medical models; and general assessment procedures) Section 2 deals with mood problems (depression, bipolar disorder, suicide risk, and anger management) Section 3 focuses on anxiety problems (social phobia, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and depersonalization disorder) Section 4 deals with psychological problems linked to physical health (health anxiety, somatization, chronic pain, adjustment to cancer, and eating disorders) Section 5 focuses on other significant psychological problems that come to the attention of clinical psychologist in adult mental health services (ADHD in adults, alcohol and other drug problems, psychosis, and psychological problems in older adults) Section 6 contains chapters on therapeutic approaches to psychological distress related to complex childhood trauma (dialectical behaviour therapy for borderline personality disorder, racially open dialectical behaviour for over-controlled presentations, and schema therapy). Each of the chapters on clinical problems explains how to assess and treat the condition in an evidence-based way with reference to case material. Interventions from cognitive-behavioural, psychodynamic, interpersonal/systemic and biomedical approaches are described, where there is evidence that they are effective for the problem in question. Skill building exercises and further reading for psychologists and patients are included at the end of each chapter. This book is one of a set of three volumes which cover the lion’s share of the curriculum for clinical psychologists in training in the UK and Ireland. The other two volumes are the Handbook of Child and Adolescent Clinical Psychology, Third Edition (by Alan Carr) and the Handbook of Intellectual Disability and Clinical Psychology Practice, Second Edition edited by Alan Carr, Christine Linehan, Gary O’Reilly, Patricia Noonan Walsh, & John McEvoy).

Depersonalization is a dissociative disorder, causing alteration in the perception or experience of the self and a detachment from reality. This is a fascinating and clinically relevant phenomenon neglected within psychiatry. Far from being a rare condition, it can be as prevalent as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder and frequently occurs in association with other neuropsychiatric conditions. This book is a review of depersonalization, dealing with the subject from a wide range of perspectives and covering historical, conceptual, clinical, trans-cultural, pharmacological and neurobiological factors. It discusses recent neuroimaging studies providing fresh insights into the condition and opening up new opportunities to manage the symptoms with pharmacologic and psychotherapeutic interventions. It will be relevant to psychiatrists and clinical psychologists, as well as primary care practitioners, neurologists and psychiatric nurses.