derealisation
Reality feels artificial
Derealisation is the unsettling sense that the world around you isn't real—that your surroundings, other people, or ordinary objects feel distant, dreamlike, or artificial.
It often accompanies anxiety, trauma, or dissociative disorders: During the panic attack, derealisation set in and everything looked flat and strange.
The spelling with s is British; Americans write derealization.
Hazy and fantastical
- surrealDreamlike and strange
- foggyObscured by vapor
- hazyUnclear, indistinct
- distortedMisshapen from original form
muted · two-dimensional · flat · glassy · veiled · distant · blurred · muffled
Separation or emotional uninvolvement
- numbnessLoss of sensation
- disconnectionState of being severed
- dissociationMental separation from surroundings
- out-of-bodySeparated from physical form
autopilot · floating · observing · separation · emptiness · disembodiment · splitting · fragmentation
Mental health medicine
- psychosisSevere reality detachment
- diagnosisIdentification of illness
- symptomIndicator of disease
- therapyCurative mental treatment
treatment · counseling · psychotherapy · antipsychotic · dissociative disorder · PTSD · trauma · panic disorder
Persistent apprehensive distress
- panicUncontrollable sudden fear
- stressPressure, mental or vocal
- traumaLasting psychological wound
- sleep deprivationInadequate rest condition
fatigue · hyperventilation · overstimulation · substances · cannabis · fever · migraine · flashback
State of being isolated
- strangenessQuality of being peculiar
- unfamiliarityLack of prior knowledge
- othernessQuality of being unlike
- foreignnessQuality of being unfamiliar
confusion · disorientation · fear · dread · bewilderment · unease · questioning · doubt
dreamlike
Hazy and fantastical
distorted · muted · two-dimensional · flat · glassy · veiled · distant · blurred · muffled · filtered
detachment
Separation or emotional uninvolvement
- numbnessLoss of sensation
- disconnectionState of being severed
- dissociationMental separation from surroundings
out-of-body · autopilot · floating · observing · separation · emptiness · disembodiment · splitting · fragmentation · absent
psychiatry
Mental health medicine
therapy · treatment · counseling · psychotherapy · antipsychotic · dissociative disorder · PTSD · trauma · panic disorder · anxiety disorder
anxiety
Persistent apprehensive distress
sleep deprivation · fatigue · hyperventilation · overstimulation · substances · cannabis · fever · migraine · flashback · overwhelm
alienation
State of being isolated
- strangenessQuality of being peculiar
- unfamiliarityLack of prior knowledge
- othernessQuality of being unlike
foreignness · confusion · disorientation · fear · dread · bewilderment · unease · questioning · doubt · groundlessness
- anxiety signspanic, nervousness, worry, worrying, trembling
derealisationreality
What actually exists
realness · presence · grounding · groundedness · vividness
derealisationpresence
State of being somewhere
embodiment · connection · engagement · immersion · grounding
real, realize, reality, unreal, realistic, realism, unreality, realisation, realty