Derealization is a mental state where you feel detached from your surroundings. People and objects around you may seem unreal. Even so, you’re aware that this altered state isn’t normal.
More than half of all people may have this disconnection from reality once in their lifetime. But about 2% of people experience it often enough for it to become a type of dissociative disorder.
Derealization is similar but distinct from depersonalization. The latter involves a feeling of detachment not from your environment, but from your own body, thoughts, or feelings. It’s as if you’re watching what’s happening to yourself as an outsider.
Symptoms
Derealization usually happens in episodes, which means symptoms come and go. During an episode, you might feel as if:
- You are in a dream or “fog.”
- A see-through wall or veil is separating you from your surroundings.
- The world appears lifeless, muted, or fake.
- Objects or people look “wrong” — blurry, unnaturally sharp, too big, or too small.
- Sounds are distorted, too loud, or too soft.
- Time seems to speed up, slow down, or stand still.
