As the legalization of weed continues and stronger strains become available, Depersonalization / Derealization (DPDR) from weed is becoming extremely common. DPDR can also be triggered by other drugs like magic mushrooms, MDMA and LSD, although weed-induced Depersonalization / Derealization is by far the most common.

It's most common for teenagers and young adults, between the ages of 12 and 28, although it can occur at any age. It is much more likely to happen if while on the drug you experience:

• A bad mental and physical reaction
• Frightening thoughts like hallucinations and the fear of 'going crazy'
• Intense paranoia
• A panic attack.

If you've had a particularly bad experience like this while on weed, persistent feelings of Depersonalization / Derealization can be the result. 

What Does It Feel Like to Be Cut Off from Reality?

Feelings of DP/DR can be very frightening. They typically include symptoms like:

• Feeling disconnected from the world around you
• Feeling disconnected from yourself
• Like there's a pane of glass between you and the world
• People you know feel like strangers
• Places you know seem unfamiliar

It can be incredibly distressing but it's important to remember that they are a natural and normal part of your body and brain's fight or flight response.

Your brain thinks it's in danger, and turns on feelings of Depersonalization / Derealization (among many other responses) to cope with it and protect you from what it thinks is a life-or-death situation.

Depersonalization / Derealization are feelings of being seperated from your own body and mind, or that you're cut off from your reality and surroundings. Your brain uses it as a defense mechanism to get you through traumatic experiences.

You may have heard of people describing situations like car crashes, warzones etc in terms like 'I was in a dream' or 'I was watching it happening from outside myself'.

What they're describing are the feelings of DPDR happening at the correct time, when someone IS in actual danger. It's often referred to as the 'airbag of the mind'.

It's an extremely common reaction to perceived trauma and up to 75% of people will experience it at some point in their lives.

It could be due to abuse, stress, a panic attack, a car accident, a house fire, getting mugged, whatever.

And for most people it lasts only a few minutes, until they're out of danger.

Then it naturally fades away, which is what it's supposed to do. It's perfectly natural!

Why Do I Still Feel High Days or Weeks After Smoking Weed?

A bad experience on weed (or any other drug) can be extremely intense, lengthy and feel very traumatic. So your brain uses Depersonalization / Derealization as a defense mechanism to cope with that fear. This can make you feel lightheaded, dreamy, cut off from reality.

Initially, this is usually expressed in terms like 'my brain feels weird after smoking weed' or questions like 'Why do I feel high but I'm not on drugs?' --  But this can become progressively much more frightening, especially when it still persists after the drug should have worn off.

It can be days or weeks later, but you still feel high and you can't come down.

This can be very difficult to articulate -- People can often describe it like a weed hangover that's not going away. Maybe you still feel high after you've slept, or still feeling weird days after taking an edible.

And the longer it goes on, the more frightening it can be --  especially if you're still experiencing feelings of DPDR and anxiety months after smoking weed or consuming edibles.

The weed should be out of your system, right? But you're still feeling high all the time, even when you're not on any drugs.

You don't quite feel 'real', you're worried that you're 'going crazy'. This causes intense anxiety, and constant focusing on the feelings of Depersonalization / Derealization, which only causes them to persist.

The DPDR isn't allowed to fade away after the trauma itself is over, which is what it's supposed to do. The anxiety and DPDR become a feedback loop which can go on for days, weeks and longer.

This can result in the terrifying feeling that you are cut off from reality 24/7.

Incredibly Frightening

The feelings of Depersonalization / Derealization can be very frightening, especially when they persist long after you have come down from the weed.

But it's very important to remember that these feelings are just your brain’s reaction to the perceived trauma of the bad drug experience.

You never hear of people who have a good drug experience and end up with Depersonalization / Derealization, right? It’s always folks who have had a horrible time and then can’t seem to pull themselves back into reality once the drug has worn off.

Depersonalization from weed or any other drug can be incredibly frightening, because people are scared that they have somehow ‘broken’ or ‘changed’ their brain with the drug.

They worry that greening out has caused trauma that's irreversible. They worry that they are now 'stuck' feeling high all the time and may never come down.

And they worry (incorrectly) that these feelings are never going to stop.

Add into this mix the feelings of guilt and regret that can often be present. "If only I hadn't smoked that joint / eaten that edible", etc etc.

DPDR resulting from trauma / violence / panic attacks are scary, but the feelings of guilt and regret from drug-induced Depersonalization / Derealization can be almost overwhelming.

I know it feels weird but these are the exact same feelings that anyone who goes through a perceived traumatic event can experience.

And remember that it doesn't matter what caused the Depersonalization in the first place, it's still the same condition. I speak to and work with people all the time with DPDR who have never smoked weed in their lives, or done any drugs.

And their experience of Depersonalization is the exact same as those for whom it was triggered by drugs.

Think of it like this: Imagine someone who is stressed out, drinks three cups of coffee, and has a panic attack.

The coffee may be a contributing factor, but it's not the most important one. That's still the panic attack itself.

And in that same sense with you, the weed is not the important factor -- the important factor is the panic attack.

Is Depersonalization Disorder Permanent?

But this is very important: You have NOT done any permanent damage to your brain.

There is nothing in the weed that caused you to become 'permanently high' or 'go insane' or anything remotely like that.

"So why do I feel high when I'm not on drugs?"

It's very simple. You just had a bad drug experience, your brain perceived it as a dangerous, life-or-death situation, and so it activated the defence mechanism of Depersonalization / Derealization to protect you. The feelings of being 'high' are simply the temporary feelings of DPDR, not the weed.

You might temporarily feel unreal, like you're living in a dream, like you're high all the time, and I understand that it can feel very frightening -- but remember that it's just your brain's way of helping you to cope with a really scary experience.