I have read it is a safety mechanism that our brain has. You heard of the fight or flight, well you can only stay there for a short time and then your body protects itself and hense that derealization or de-??
I guess you can only scare yourself so much:)

You sure are in the right place! We can offer all kinds of support with all these symptoms you are going through! You name it, we've had it or got it.
It is a safety mechanism for your brain. Its when you go on overload and your brain just takes a "mini harmless vacation" making you feel strange and foggy or unreal.

Experiencing this feeling is the only way I cope when outside of my house. Been feeling it since a young child.

" I would start to feel almost out of body, like my senses were out of wack, or i would look at my hands and they would seem funny to me and everything around me is spaced out. ".. so would you say this accurately describes either derealization or depersonalization? This is my most terrifying symptom and i have always wondered what causes me to feel this way or WHAT exactly it is....

This is a very common and known symptom of a panic attack. This feeling isn't exclusive to a panic attack since "normal" people feel this way at times too. You may even look in the mirror and see your face and feel like it is foreign. Same goes for your surroundings, friends, family, etc. I have a great link that explains it further but i have the link on my main comp and I'm on my iPad. I'll post the link later.

This feeling is scary because you feel so out of place like you could lose control at any time or go insane or never be happy again. This feeling does pass, no matter how scared you get of it! Arm yourself with knowledge and let this feeling pass since it does pass.

iloverabbits, thank you. You have no idea the comfort it provides to know this symptom has a name. I would feel like i was going insane or something was seriously wrong with me, but it would only happen under extreme anxiety or during a panic attack. I would love to see your think. When you have a moment, if you could post it I would really appreciate it!

see your link ***

Oh crap! I was on my desk top comp earlier and then totally forgot! I'll try to remember to post it tomorrow. I wish I could remember the website but i can't.

Knowing what you're going through is important in overcoming fear of it. Fear of the unknown is scary! Paula Deen of food network fame used to be agoraphobic. Knowing that what she was going through was not unique to her was very important in her getting better, well recovering 100%. she isn't scared of anything now despite having spent decades hiding in her home in sheer terror.

We can all get better with the right tools and the right frame of mind.

Thank you for posting about this! I appreciate your description about this feeling because I always feel like this is so hard to explain! I get this feeling at the BEGINNING of every panic attack! :( It send me right into a panic attack even knowing it's just my mind dealing with the stress! I was so afraid to tell my therapist about this because I was so afraid it meant I was losing my mind! Thanks to everyone for all of your encouragement and advice!! It has gotten me through some panic!!

http://panicend.com/de.html

I've had both. And they feel absolutely horrible. So i know what you are saying. Stay strong. We'll survive.