Depersonalization and Ecstasy

Depersonalization is the contemporary therapeutic term for a particular manifestation of anxiety. In this state, the sufferer feels a loss of reality, a haziness, even dizziness. One’s head can feel clouded or foggy; the effect is often similar to that of a bad drug trip that takes a while to wear off. It frightens people because it can feel like a psychotic episode, or resemble an experience of schizophrenia — but it is a common, and in most cases harmless, symptom of fear disorder. There are techniques and exercises for bringing oneself out of depersonalization. These often include “grounding” practices such as counting slowly, noticing concrete elements of one’s surroundings, and reminding oneself that the state is temporary.