Talk:Derealization

Meaningless description

 * The detachment of realization can be described as an immaterial substance that separates a person from the outside world

Ah gee, that sure is beautiful, but uh, it doesn't mean anything. What is "the detachment of realization" and why would you describe it as an "immaterial substance"? Re-write so it makes sense. Oddity- (talk) 14:57, 22 August 2008 (UTC)

I would describe rerealization as a coping strategy to deal with a harsh reality, if it becomes questionable if reality is real, maybe one is more capable of surviving hard times and doing courses of actions necessary to survival that would not normally be considerable or viable. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 182.48.144.43 (talk) 01:51, 22 June 2014 (UTC)

As someone who experiences derealization, this description made a lot of sense to me. I'll see if I can come up with a better wording for the article. I think what the author meant by "realization" is not the usual sense of "becomming aware," such as putting two and two together or having a light bulb go off in your head- but rather "the process of recognizing the real." Most people "recognize" the material world as real, but when experiencing derealization one could easily mistake reality for a lucid dream. Similairly, when you look in a mirror you easily recognize that the images presented may look real but are just reflections. During derealization direct perceptions are as unreal as reflections, which can make looking in a mirror very disconcerting- reflections carry the same weight of reality that all other perceptions do, making mirrors seem like portals and your own reflection seem like another person.

As far as the "immaterial substance," this also makes sense to me. There's no visual perception of any fog or veil, but there's the feeling that one is separated from the real world by some sort of pecerptual barrier. It would be difficult to describe the experience without resorting to metaphysical language.

The description given, while waxing poetic, is accurate. --Parables (talk) 01:08, 10 February 2009 (UTC)

I agree; this is a meaningless description, for all that it's supposed to be metaphorical. This entire entry also reminds me of just why I hate the cognitive-behavioral orientation so very much. The nonsense about derealization being "a result of anxiety" could only be written by someone who has never truly experienced it.It is completely possible to experience both derealization and depersonalization without the slightest hint of anxiety, and DR and DP really have no connection to anxiety other than the fact that the desperate attempt to avoid both certainly can produce it. 74.229.238.136 (talk) 22:54, 21 April 2009 (UTC)

'The detachment of realization can be described as an immaterial substance that separates a person from the outside world, such as a sensory fog, a pane of glass, or a veil. ... Familiar places may look alien, bizarre, and surreal. ... The world as perceived by the individual may feel like it is going through a dolly zoom effect.' - I think the writer has done an ok job, but the difficulty for me is that the descriptions are all sensory, whereas it's a conceptual or abstract phenomenon. This may cause confusion; reading the article, sufferers may think they don't have it because they experience no 'dolly zoom effects', for example. If no one objects in the next week or so, I'd like to try to rewrite this with a different emphasis. Adambrowne666 (talk) 11:38, 27 January 2010 (UTC)

The description makes all sorts of sense and there is nothing wrong with it. Gingermint (talk) 04:16, 28 September 2010 (UTC)

I have had mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) since the age of 15 - head trauma. I am currently 74 and I can see that part of the confusion with the description is a lack of clarity that the symptoms are different for each neurological region affected by a trauma and that during the course of a lifetime the experiences evolve with age and the changing nature brought on by Cerebral shrinkage with age. I have experienced almost each of the different attempts to put into words an experience that is in effect an ongoing seizure during the event. They can be frightening - worms crawling under your skin, to the beauty of seeing and understanding the universe as only a God might. In every case, I did know that the experience was a tempory neurological "hiccup." If you are not part of the select recipients of this gift, then I can only suggest that you attempt to document in words a description while under the influence of a Psychogenic such as peyote - the answer is yes. Reference the work of Timothy Leary - before he took a little to much LSD - on the advantages of using Psychogenics in understanding and treating Schizophrenics. I have found the article very helpful in expanding my understanding. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.210.252.22 (talk) 23:24, 3 November 2017 (UTC)

"Description" Section
The "Description" section of this piece is rather long; however, it contains no supporting references. Can someone please fix this? The other sections of this article appear to be well supported by pertinent literature.Feisty.gibbon (talk) 10:38, 11 November 2008 (UTC)feisty.gibbon

Info to add once protection is removed
Under causes, this information should be added once semi-protection is removed: Interoceptive exposure can be used as a means to induced derealization, as well as the related phenomenon depersonalization. Letsgoridebikes (talk) 20:50, 4 January 2009 (UTC)

Derealization = solipsism syndrome?
should the two articles be merged? - they seem to be describing identical symptoms, and 'derealization' seems to be the accepted term. hi my name is john Adambrowne666 (talk) 11:18, 11 September 2009 (UTC)

Adambrowne666, these two articles should not be merged because they are still separate conditions, I mean why would you want two psychiatric conditions on the same page? And also the difference between these pages are that Depersonalisation is the detachment of the ego or oneself; And Derealization is the detachment of the outside world, or the sensation that everything is not stimulating or everything is percieved as meaningless and everything is the same. - Regards, Wikimeedian | Discussion 18:37, 15 September 2020 (UTC)

Derealization and Existential Crisis
Can derealization be a symptom of an existential crisis? Moreover, can an existential crisis be a symptom of derealization? Clearly there can be a connection between the two in some cases. --189.60.107.1 (talk) 23:28, 19 October 2009 (UTC)

Naive idealism?
Is it possible that instead of, or in addition to, at least some of the stated causes, a "naive idealism" parallel to "naive realism" may be at work? --Daniel C. Boyer (talk) 01:31, 18 September 2010 (UTC)

Any procedure to "lock in" a version of the text?
"Frequently, derealization occurs in the context of constant worrying or 'intrusive thoughts' that people find hard to switch off. In such cases it can build unnoticed along with the underlying anxiety attached to these disturbing thoughts, and be recognized only in the aftermath of a realization of crisis, often a panic attack, subsequently seeming difficult or impossible to ignore. This type of anxiety can be crippling to the affected and may lead to avoidant behaviour. Those who experience this phenomenon may feel concern over the cause of their derealization. It is often difficult to accept that such a disturbing symptom is simply a result of anxiety, and the individual may often think that the cause must be something more serious. This can, in turn, cause more anxiety and worsen the derealization."

Kudos to whoever wrote this; I find that it is spot-on, and would hate to think that it would be altered or deleted later. Is there any procedure to determine that a section of text should be "locked", i.e. that more than an immediate whim would be required to edit it? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.188.210.48 (talk) 19:25, 25 February 2011 (UTC)

Fourth Dimension
I had an out-of-body experience just trying to read this article. It has a lot of words but doesn't say a lot. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.12.229.117 (talk) 08:00, 20 May 2011 (UTC)

Most psychiatric disorders aren't even close to being that simple (or well-understood), especially not the more 'exotic' ones like this...so I think it's for the best. If you're interested in the chemistry my guess is that you'd have some luck in researching the neurochemistry of schizophrenia, as the two do seem similar in some respects. Check out Glutamate Hypothesis of Schizophrenia and Dopamine Hypothesis of Schizophrenia for some schizoneurochem :) 68.11.161.74 (talk) 05:29, 7 May 2015 (UTC)

Numbers, sources and about the description
" another more-philosophical reason:... "


 * Is there any source for it? In my experience DR and DP are quite different, and not a result of "am I wrong or is the world"?


 * Agreed. That bit sticks out like a sore thumb.  My (mild) experience of DR is very much that -- a questioning of my external reality, not my 'self.'  This is no place for toy philosophy problems.  Needs citation (and a solid defense) or removal. 68.11.161.74 (talk) 05:34, 7 May 2015 (UTC)

" Chronic derealization may be caused by occipital–temporal dysfunction. These symptoms are common in the population, with a lifetime prevalence of up to 74% and between 31 and 66% at the time of a traumatic event. "


 * I'm confused. Does it mean up to 74% have chronical DR?

Description:
 * It should be made clear that not all these descriptions fit with every person experiencing it. I never have any fancy film effects, more of a terrible feeling of wrongness and non-reality, up to the point of "walking into an unreal tree to feel if it's real; then feeling unreal pain that doesn't answer that question and that can't be taken as serious". The veil/fog thing may come from the feeling that the own body still may feel real, so there is a "border of reality". But that is original research from my little universe, and I know of others experiencing it quite differently.


 * It may be the old problem: Those experiencing it aren't those researching and philosophizing it. How would you describe the feeling of "floating in water" to someone who never did?

92.225.145.141 (talk) 19:08, 29 June 2011 (UTC)

A change in wording?
I do not like this sentence: "Familiar places may look alien, bizarre, and surreal." While those who have the problem diagnosed know what that means, I worry it may cause confusion. Basically, I think it might confuse people into thinking derealization is something of a hallucination. I think it would be very good to point out that theres no true change. That while everything has the same visual properties, its interpretation is what becomes alien.

A way to emphasize that people in that state dont see things that arent there, basically. Sorry, I know its a really poor description. Thats why I was hoping for some input, hopefully from soneone better able to turn thoughts into writing than I am. 74.132.249.206 (talk) 05:44, 11 September 2011 (UTC)


 * I just noticed the section above this one is dealing with the same issue. As such, this should be considerd an addendum to the above. My apologies for not noticing sooner. I have an excuse but its rather lame and obvious and would sound like a bad joke. 74.132.249.206 (talk) 05:46, 11 September 2011 (UTC)

"Unreality" listed at Redirects for discussion
The redirect [//en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Unreality&redirect=no Unreality] has been listed at redirects for discussion to determine whether its use and function meets the redirect guidelines. Readers of this page are welcome to comment on this redirect at  until a consensus is reached. QuietHere (talk &#124; contributions) 07:21, 30 September 2023 (UTC)