- •Table of Contents
- •Overcoming depersonalization and feelings of unreality a self-help guide using Cognitive Behavioral Techniques
- •Important Note
- •Isbn 978-1-84529-554-7 eIsbn 978-1-47210-574-5
- •Introduction: Why a cognitive behavioral approach?
- •What is dpafu?
- •How do I know if I have dpafu?
- •When does dpafu occur?
- •Diagnosing dpafu
- •How common is dpafu?
- •Is there a typical dpafu pattern?
- •Dpafu case studies
- •A brief history of dpafu
- •What causes dpafu? Physical explanations: What does the brain have to do with it?
- •Psychological explanations: What does the mind have to do with it?
- •Linking body and mind
- •The cognitive behavioral therapy approach: cbt for dpafu
- •Introduction
- •The cbt approach
- •Dealing with the core problem Defining the problem
- •Setting goals
- •Diary keeping
- •Building an explanation that fits
- •Thinking in new ways: Challenging your thoughts
- •Behaving in new ways: Tackling your avoidance and safety-seeking behaviors
- •Reducing symptom monitoring
- •Managing your own treatment
- •Worry, anxiety and dpafu
- •Low mood and dpafu
- •Recognizing change and preventing relapse
- •Other useful techniques ‘Grounding’ strategies
- •Problem solving
- •Relaxation and mindfulness
- •Exercise, diet and sleep
- •How to deal with problems related to dpafu Low self-esteem and self-confidence
- •Drugs and alcohol
- •Other types of treatment Psychological therapies
- •Medication
- •Other physiological treatments
- •The Cambridge Depersonalization Scale cambridge depersonalization scale (State Version)
- •Depersonalization scale (trait version)
- •What are antidepressants?
- •Blank worksheets
- •Academic articles
- •Classic historical books and articles
- •Websites
- •Organizations
Managing your own treatment
This book is all about helping you to better manage aspects of your DPAFU. In order to do that you will need to reflect on what you believe about DPAFU. Think about the factors that caused it and those that lead to it continuing. How does it cause problems in your life, or do the problems in your life cause DPAFU? This is a good point at which to review the model in Figure 4.5 (see page 35) and think about how each of the components fits with your experience. It may be that you believe that DPAFU has caused some sort of irreversible brain damage (although our research does not bear this out). This may mean you may believe that the possibility of psychological treatment working will be slim. You may be looking for a ‘chemical cure’ or indeed may actually believe that there is nothing that can be done.
Having to choose between either a biological or a psychological explanation is not necessary. The two are not mutually exclusive and in fact they complement each other. Remember that thoughts can influence the brain, just as the brain can influence thoughts. In fact for some people the best treatment appears to be a combination of the psychological and biological approaches. There have been very good success rates for people who have taken medication and had cognitive behavioral therapy at the same time. By ‘success rates’, we don’t just mean a decrease in, or a cure of, DPAFU sensations. Success can come in all shapes and forms. For some, it’s about returning to work or being able to do the things they used to enjoy, while for others it’s about improving the quality of their relationships.
Like any form of intervention, self-help books can lead to some people feeling as if things are getting worse. This may be because you are beginning to address thoughts, ideas or beliefs that have been difficult to deal with or that you may not have been aware of before now. Also, the very act of thinking about DPAFU can initially make it feel much more intense for some people. A number of research studies have confirmed this to be the case.
At this point it may be worth going back over the previous sections trying to be more specific in your definition and assessment of your problems. This will make SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time limited) goal-setting easier. Once your problems are defined and your goals set, you can go to each of the relevant sections to look for helpful tips. For instance, if you’ve identified your main problem as negative thought patterns leading to low mood, anxiety and low self-confidence, you’ll find lots of useful material in the sections on thinking in new ways; managing anxiety, worry and DPAFU; low mood and DPAFU; and low self-esteem. Don’t feel that you have to work through the sections in the order they appear in the book. The idea of self-help is that you can access areas of help as and when you need it, and we want you to dip in and out of this book as and when needed. It may be helpful for you to make notes or jot down your thoughts as you read through each section. You can go back over these notes later to monitor change, and/or clarify issues or ideas that you didn’t understand or points that you strongly relate to.
Bear in mind that each of the following sections focuses specifically on DPAFU. We’ll sometimes recommend more general self-help books, but we don’t supply an exhaustive list. And remember that not every section will be relevant to you or how you are feeling.