So first, let’s be clear about the basics:

You need to understand that it wasn’t actually the weed that directly triggered the Depersonalization.

The most common situation is this: You had a bad experience while on weed.

That triggered a panic attack, and part of that panic attack were the feelings of Depersonalization and Derealization, or DPDR. You then focused on those feelings, causing them to last longer than they normally should.

You may also have confused the feelings of DPDR with the effects of the weed, worrying that you’re somehow still high and can’t come down.

I know it’s a scary experience, but it’s also harmless and temporary.

It was simply your body and brain’s natural and correct response to what it perceived to be a dangerous situation. 

Remember aswell that Depersonalization Disorder is very common. It’s estimated that 1 in 50 people will develop it at some point.

And if you have weed-induced Depersonalization Disorder, that doesn’t mean that your situation is somehow dangerous or even any different. Because again, it’s not the weed that was important, it was the panic attack you had on the weed.

In the same way that if somebody drinking 5 cups of coffee in the morning has a panic attack and develops DPDR -- it’s not specifically the coffee that caused the DPDR -- it’s still the panic attack.

That’s the important factor!

So, when you recover from Depersonalization Disorder, can you go back to safely smoking weed? 

Well, I’ll answer that question like this. 

Do I personally know of many people who have safely gone back to smoking weed after they recovered from DPDR?

Yes, I do. 

Do I also know many people who have decided never to smoke again after recovery, and who have happily stayed away from weed ever since?

Yes, I do!

So ultimately, the decision to try it or not is up to you.

But if you do decide to smoke weed again after you’ve recovered, here’s some tips:

Firstly, make sure that you are completely, 100% recovered from anxiety and DPDR, and that you’ve been recovered for some time. I’d say minimum, a couple of months.

Then, and only then -- If you do decide to smoke weed again, try a weak strain, and take a very small amount. See how you get on with it.

If you enjoy yourself and want to try more, fine. If you find you’re not comfortable with it and want to stop for now, that’s fine too.

There’s no pressure either way!

And that’s a very important thing to mention:

You may feel under some social pressure to smoke weed, especially if you’re younger and have friends who like to smoke or take edibles.

Forget that for now.

If you don’t want to take it, don’t take it. End of story.

I know, it may not feel like the most sociable choice at the moment but you know what? It doesn’t matter.

Right now, you need to prioritize yourself and your own mental health. You friends will manage just fine! 

And again, to be very clear, you must NOT touch weed again, or any other drug, at least until you are 100% fully recovered. This is non-negotiable.

Your brain has made a temporary association between the anxiety / DPDR and the weed / feeling of being high.

Now, this anxious association, just like all others, will fade away and stop as your recovery continues. But in the meantime, don’t rush it, and risk another panic attack, by forcing yourself to have more weed before you’ve fully recovered. 

You might also have seen some rumours online saying that you should try weed in order to speed up your recovery. Like “weed got me into this, weed can get me out”.

No, no, no. That’s all wrong. Don’t do it!

If coffee caused your panic attack, would you deliberately drink more coffee to try and calm down?

Of course not. It makes no sense.

"But I spend time with people who smoke. Am I at risk of a contact high triggering my DPDR all over again?"

No, you’re not. The fear of a ‘contact high’ is completely overblown.

In order to have a contact high, you need to be in an unventilated room with somebody smoking a lot of weed, for a long period of time.

So even if you do live with someone who smokes, it’s easily avoidable with a little planning!

"But I smelled some weed smoke recently and it made me feel high all over again!"

No, it didn’t make you feel high, it triggered your anxiety and DPDR.

You currently have a temporary anxious association with weed because of the bad experience you had on it. So when you smelled the weed smoke, even in the distance, it triggered anxiety. And DPDR is a symptom of anxiety.

When your anxiety levels go up, the disconnected feelings of DPDR get stronger. I know that it arguably feels kind of similar to actually being high, but they’re completely different.

It’s just a temporary anxious connection. The weed isn’t actually getting you high by smelling it from a distance. That’s not possible.

If it were, nobody would ever be able to drive home after a rock concert!

"I smoked more weed after I developed DPDR. Does this mean I can’t recover?"

Absolutely not. That has no bearing on your recovery.

Even if you had another bad weed experience, remember this: All that’s happening is that your levels of anxiety are going up and down over time.

At no point do you cross some invisible line that you can’t come back from. You can always recover.

But now that you understand why it happened, make sure to stay away from weed at least until you are 100% recovered.

"What if I don’t WANT to smoke again? Do I have to avoid being around weed forever? And how is that possible if I live in a state where it’s legal?"

No. You don’t need to arrange your life so that you never come across weed again. That doesn’t make sense.

Again, if you found that drinking coffee made you anxious, and you decided to stop drinking coffee, that’s fair enough. But you wouldn’t have to avoid cafes for the rest of your life.

You wouldn’t have to go out of your way to avoid the smell of coffee, right?

So no, you don’t have to avoid being around weed forever.

And here’s another important point:

If you’re struggling with DPDR at the moment, the question of “when can I smoke weed again” should be the least of your concerns.

You need to be 100% completely recovered before you can even consider that anyways. 

So forget about that question for now. Your priority for now is your own health and recovery. 

There’s no pressure. All that other stuff can wait.