DPDR (Depersonalization-Derealization Disorder)

A thematic analysis of 30 first-person DPDR recovery accounts from YouTube and TikTok.

This dashboard answers: What causes DPDR? What does it feel like? What helps people recover — and what doesn’t? Plus cross-cutting patterns and the metaphors people use to describe the condition.

How to use: Click the tabs above to explore the findings. Start with Overview for the headline numbers, then click Causation, Symptoms, What Helped, or What Didn’t Help to dig into the core results. Key Insights and Metaphors show patterns across all 30 stories, and Documents has the full methodology and codebook.

If you’re currently experiencing DPDR: the strongest pattern in these narratives was that recovery is the norm, not the exception. This page is research, not clinical advice — please reach out to a qualified clinician for support.

How we have helped

'Thank you for your generous consultation about this case -- I can’t tell you how valuable it was for me. I wrote a report and testified to grand jury about this case and included some of the quotes from your study participants about their experiences of derealization. I think those statements were incredibly important in helping the grand jury understand the experience of derealization following using psychedelics. Ultimately, the grand jury dropped the 84 counts of Attempted Murder...He is home with his wife and kids' - Alexander Milkey, forensic psychiatrist in the defence of Joseph Emerson, pilot on trial for trying to crash a plane two days after taking magic mushrooms

How we have helped

'I was looking for science-based research about how I could reassemble my mind after a legal, facilitated psilocybin journey at age 73. Then I found Ecstatic Integration and dove into its regular publication of thoughtful reports and research about what can go wrong when humans try to exit the matrix by rebooting the mind using psychedelics.' - Eva, a reader of our newsletter, Ecstatic Integration

How we have helped

'I had an ayahuasca experience and afterwards felt anxious and disorientated. This has been a very difficult time. Thankfully I found CPEP's work online; I read the stories from other people who have had challenging psychedelic experiences and eventually attended the support group which CPEP runs. CPEP also helped connect me with an integration therapist who has been immensely helpful. Post psychedelic difficulties are so hard as few people can understand what you are going through; Jules and his support group are a lifeline that helped me feel less out 'at sea' and provided an anchor to help ground you and reduce the sense of isolation and devastation that these experiences can bring. I made some connections with people in the support group and shared tips with one another of what helps. I am extremely grateful that this project exists and feel it is an absolutely essential service, especially as more and more people experiment with psychedelics. Thank-you so much to Jules and his team for all that they do to help and support!' - Clare