Out of Self: Depersonalization

Depersonalization is an altered state of awareness about oneself or one's surroundings, giving the impression of being outside one's own body or that the world is unreal or dream-like. Although it may cause an impression of impending madness or loss of control, such outcomes never occur and the individual recovers shortly afterwards. It is considered normal and only becomes pathological if it is recurrent and debilitating. Despite the fear and confusion it can cause, there is no greater threat to the individual.

Within the context of the panic syndrome, depersonalization appears as a symptom¹, when the mind unconsciously resorts to dissociation as a means to escape unbearable internal conflict, excessive anxiety or fear. Proper therapeutic and pharmacological treatments for anxiety reduces the strength and recurrence of panic attacks, and consequently, the related symptoms like depersonalization. Understanding the disorder allows a calm and patient reaction, thus preventing the onset of further panic attacks caused by depersonalization, which tends to disappear once anxiety is reduced.

The conventional approach

Psychology and Psychiatry define depersonalization as a dissociative disorder, a sense of detachment from oneself, of being an external observer of one's own mental processes or one's own body. Despite the detailed description of this disorder, modern science does not seek, at least officially, to study or understand the altered states of consciousness. Therefore, the symptoms of depersonalization are explained through the convenient hypothesis of hallucination.

There is no scientific consensus on the underlying cause of depersonalization. It may be of organic or psychological origin², which will determine the appropriate type of treatment. Antidepressants and psychotherapy are commonly recommended, although the positive outcomes are statistically insignificant. For a conventional description of the disorder, its aggravating, mitigating factors and treatment, see the DSM-V entry.

Given the apparent failure of the conventional approach, in explaining the causes and symptoms of the disorder, as well as in its treatment, new approaches and hypotheses must be explored and evaluated. The current official scientific paradigm is limited by certain assumptions, starting with the one seeking to explain what consciousness is; For modern science, consciousness in the living being is a product or epiphenomenon of neurological activity. Without any experimental evidence, this theory is so deeply rooted in scientific thought that nobody dares to question it, acquiring the character of a true scientific dogma. This very conceptualization is the researchers' greatest obstacle in their observations of the mind.

The parapsychological or transpersonal approach

In Transpersonal Psychology and Parapsychology, consciousness is not only the commander, but the architect of the physical body. It preexists its molecular organization in the uterus and survives its decomposition resulting from bodily death. In other words: the human soul. Once expanded the concept of consciousness to the extra-physical state, independent from the body, many phenomena considered 'paranormal' and inexplicable through neurological means are analyzed and explained in a more rational and coherent manner.

Depersonalization is defined as an altered state of consciousness³ which symptoms can be separated into two categories; the alteration of awareness, and the sensation of displacement from the body. Although their manifestations and mechanisms are different, they have the same cause: the energy body. The alteration of awareness mainly results from the ability of consciousness to perceive sensory input beyond the capacity of the five physiological senses, which explains the dream-likeness and 'hallucinations'. The resulting impression of losing control or impending madness come from the mind's difficulty in conciliating conflicting sensory and extrasensory information.

The sensation of displacement is the expansion or projection of consciousness and energy body outside the spatial limits of the physical body. It can therefore be considered a mild out-of-body experience, which is understood to occur naturally during sleep. This phenomenon explains why many patients claim they feel slightly away from the body, 'out of themselves', looking at reality as if it were a film. It also sheds light on the uncountable reports of near-death experiences, when individuals see 'from above', with accurate details of the surroundings and happenings, while their body lies clinically dead below.

Out-of-body experiences⁴ (OBE) have been studied by many researchers like parapsychologist Charles Tart Ph.D. and Robert Monroe. The possibility of inducing OBE artificially through drug use or external stimuli has led some researchers to attribute it to neurological hallucinations. The proponents of this hypothesis, however, could not explain how a person in a controlled sleep experiment could properly identify a series of random numbers hidden several meters away from where his body rested⁴. As in any field of science, denial is insufficient. A theory must encompass all observed phenomena, and not only what conveniently fits the proposed theory.

Depersonalization is an involuntary form of extrasensory perception , and thus cannot be satisfactorily explained through conventional Psychology/Psychiatry. The fields of Parapsychology and Para-physics, often ridiculed and considered pseudoscience in public and academic literature, is of the highest interest in civilian and military intelligence agencies around the world. A CIA document⁵ recently released to the public demonstrates the extent of Paraphysics research on extrasensory perceptions (PSI) such as clairvoyance, remote viewing, telepathy, telekinesis and others (see table page 60). Because of the civil/military intelligence applications of such mental abilities, their public knowledge is restricted, and so is the true nature of the mind.

Conclusion 

Misunderstood and poorly documented in academic literature, depersonalization is a form of involuntary extrasensory perception, natural in all human beings, which only becomes pathological if it is recurrent and debilitating. The absence of public studies on extrasensory perception responds for the lack of knowledge at the academic and professional level, severely limiting the diagnosis and treatment of related phenomena and pathologies. Along with the recommended psychiatric treatment, a better understanding of the mind-body duality through Transpersonal therapy⁶, the study of relevant literature and healthy habits like meditation gives the individual the serenity needed to face the often frightening symptoms of this disorder, fostering confidence and inner peace, which in turn reduce anxiety.

Simon Baush



References

¹Sierra-Siegert M, David AS (December 2007). "Depersonalization and individualism: the effect of culture on symptom profiles in panic disorder". J. Nerv. Ment. Dis. 195 (12): 989–95.
²https://www.theravive.com/therapedia/depersonalization-or-derealization-disorder-dsm--5-300.6(f48.1)
³https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altered_state_of_consciousness
⁴https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Out-of-body_experience
⁵https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/NSA-RDP96X00790R000100020010-5.pdf
⁶https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapy-types/transpersonal-therapy