The document discusses depersonalization disorder (DPD), including its clinical features, causes, symptoms, and treatment approaches. DPD is characterized by persistent or recurrent experiences of feeling detached from one's mental processes or body. It is estimated to affect about 2% of the population. Common triggers include trauma, substance use like marijuana, and extreme stress. Symptoms include feelings of numbness, changes in perception, and derealization. Treatment focuses on reducing anxiety and distress through cognitive behavioral therapy and exposure techniques. Mindfulness-based approaches may also help by increasing present-moment awareness.

1. DEPERSONALIZATION: CLINICAL FEATURES AND TREATMENT APPROACHES Fugen Neziroglu, Ph.D. & Katharine Donnelly, M.A. Bio-Behavioral Institute Great Neck, NY 11021

33. The Town Crier and Law Enforcement “ Numbness! Numbness! What does this mean?! … What are we going to do about this?! Find a way to Fix it!” “ Okay! I’m trying. I’m doing everything that I know how to do!”

34. The Town Crier and Law Enforcement “ Numbness! Numbness!....... Hey!.... What do we do?!” ::poke:: “ WAKE UP!” “ ZZZZZZZZZZZ” Ironic Processing (Wegner, 1992) tells us that unpleasant feelings become so relevant because you need to be alerted to them in order to get rid of them. When this system is unsuccessful or off guard…. This system continues to acknowledge discomfort, relentlessly

39. Narrow Behavioral Repertoire : A person with DPD may restrict what they are willing to experience in order to avoid intense feelings Experiential Avoidance : Individuals with DPD may avoid unpleasant thoughts/feelings/ sensations, in order to avoid feelings of DP. Dominance of Verbal Realities: An individual with DPD may become preoccupied by imagined scenarios of the future, and attention to the present moment is lost. Self-as-Content: Unpleasant thoughts and feelings may feel so inextricably linked to a DPD sufferer’s sense of who she is. Cognitive Fusion: Negative thinking about discomfort is a feature of chronic DPD; when you are fused with these thoughts, you believe that they reflect objective reality. Psychological Inflexibility Lacking Clarity of Values: This refers to lacking an awareness of what is truly important to you.

41. Committed Action : Acting according to what is meaningful in your life, despite any discomfort that might accompany these actions. Acceptance/ Willingness : Allowing DP and other unpleasant feelings to be there without trying to force them away or change them. Present Moment Awareness : Observing what is happening right now, rather than attending to thoughts unrelated to what is directly in front of you Transcendent Sense of Self : “the self” is constantly changing and is not defined by any one trait, feeling, role, or thought pattern, including DP Cognitive Defusion: Viewing thoughts and feelings as what they are (mere mental events), not what they appear to be (reflections of reality). Psychological Flexibility Clarity of Values : Having a strong sense of what is important and meaningful to you in life