Depersonalization and Derealization

I just read about two interesting topics that are closely related, Depersonalization and Derealization. The first is where a person feels themselves to be alien to themselves. That is, they feel that they are looking on at their lives as if a spectator. It might be similar to what many people feel when they wake up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and there is a sense of feeling spacey and "out of it."

Derealization, which usually goes with the former, is feeling that the outside world is not-quite-real and "reality" seems different than usual.

I have personally dealt with both us these issues. My first experience started in high school. It was a mild version of derealization and I think most people have experienced it on this level; it became much more severe a few years later after I smoked marijuana a few times.

I'll write more about my experiences with both of these topics in the future.

***