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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    Why do I feel so disconnected from the world?

    Related Topics
    Depression Mental Health
    For the past six years of my life I've felt disconnected from the world but until recently it hasn't felt very severe.

    Recently I've felt as if I didn't belong in my own body. When I looked in the mirror it felt like a lie because it wasn't how I saw myself in my head. If I was remembering something I always remembered it as if I were watching myself as an on-looker and not as if I was actually experiencing it. I constantly talk to myself in third person out loud and inside my head and even feel as though I'm having conversations with myself.

    The worst feeling I've had recently about it was the weird urge to actually cut off my face to see what was underneath, as if it might clarify the fact that this is my actual body and not somebody else's.

    These feelings are becoming very disruptive for my confidence because I don't feel like I can talk to people about them in case they call me ‘crazy’ or ‘insane’ or say that I'm seeking attention.

    Help would be greatly appreciated!
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    Thanks

    Dr Simon Easterbrook-Smith

    Health Professional

    My research interests include immunology and the mechanisms of amyloid formation. The latter has implications for people who are dealing with Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease … View Profile

    With the important disclaimer that I am not a mental health professional, it could be that you are experiencing “dissociation” - it can but need not be associated with a range of mental health issues.

    One way of dealing with dissociation is what is called grounding, which essentially means reminding yourself of what you can perceive about the world.

    One grounding exercise is this:

    (1) Look around you - notice but do not judge three things that you can see (their colours, shapes, etc).

    (2) Notice but do not judge three things that you can smell (freshly-brewed coffee, flowers, perfume, aftershave, whatever).

    (3) Pick up three things close to you. Notice but do not judge the tactile sensations that you experience.

    Apart from that, I suggest that you have a talk with your GP about this. S/he will be able to give you a (Medicare-subsidised) referral to a clinical psychologist who will be able to offer you professional help.

    All the best.

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