Exceptional Moods?
The other day I came across the following excerpt from The War Of The Worlds by H. G. Wells:
Perhaps I am a man of exceptional moods. I do not know how far my experience is common. At times I suffer from the strangest sense of detachment from myself and the world about me; I seem to watch it all from the outside, from somewhere inconceivably remote, out of time, out of space, out of the stress and tragedy of it all.
This passage struck me very forcefully because it captures what it feels like to experience depersonalisation disorder. I wrote about my own experiences of this about three years ago.
In my own case the depersonalisation was, I think, a side-effect of medication I took to deal with an anxiety condition that has plagued me off and on for many years.
In recent weeks I have often felt strangely detached in the same way as before, but I haven’t been on medication for nearly three years now so that’s not the cause this time.
Perhaps it is just the social distancing and the general stress caused by the Covid-19 outbreak that is causing it?
If so there is probably quite a number of people out there feeling the same way.do maybe these moods aren’t really exceptional?
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In the Dark 
April 20, 2020 at 6:18 pm
Hi Peter, I think you’re right, many people will be experiencing the effects of stress and worry due to the pandemic and old anxiety patterns might make an appearance.
I think It’s really important that we give the brain a complete rest each day to help reduce the effect that worry can trigger.
The following is a body scan meditation that can be done as often as necessary. The idea is to keep your thoughts completely on Mark’s voice and when an intrusive thought enters, notice it and then focus back on the body scan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyKhfUdOEgs
Most mediation focuses on breathing which doesn’t suit everyone, in this one, you can choose to breathe naturally throughout.
As well as the daily practise, if you can also watch what thoughts are competing for your attention and ‘sense-making’ throughout the day, and also choose to just notice them rather than focussing on them every time they appear, you will be reducing the release of stress hormones that accompany such thoughts.
At the moment we all want to gain clarity and make our own sense of the situation, if we ‘indulge’ in these pursuits for many small incidents throughout the day, we will be awash with adrenaline and cortisol which contribute to the flight and fight response being repeatably triggered. Would the depersonalisation be part of the brain’s response to have a rest from the searching for answers and the avoidance of danger? I’m not an expert on that bit but the mindfulness approach can definitely help reduce stress.
The above meditation is by Prof Mark Williams of Bangor university and his book https://amzn.to/2KmyA4W I found very helpful when I had a period of anxiety several years ago. There is a newer edition but I prefer this one.
Hope this information is a little bit useful and I look forward to seeing you in Cardiff at some point for chips and a pint.
Clare.
April 20, 2020 at 8:19 pm
How does it look now?
May 13, 2020 at 12:18 pm
[…] enough practice at dealing with anxiety in the past (not always very satisfactorily)? Perhaps the sense of detachment I’ve experienced over the past few weeks is part of some sort of defence mechanism I’ve […]