Alice in wonderland Syndrome

[Jennygirl]

Has anyone ever had an experience where your minds eye starts to wildly disassociate scale and/or distance of things that you are thinking about? Like, say for example you are looking at your hand when one of these episodes begins. Your hand would suddenly start to feel very close to you, impossibly close. It wouldn't look any different, but it would feel as if you are almost inside of your hand it is so big. Then in the next instant, it seems impossibly far away... a speck of dust. Still nothing visually, just in your minds eye. This would continue for 10-15 minutes, occasionally becoming so dissociative that it becomes terrifying.

I had these episodes when I was a kid, usually around night time. Half the time they were funny to me, almost like my mind was being tickled or (as I could describe now) like I was drunk or on hallucinogenic drugs. The other half, I felt like something was wrong... Very wrong. Up until about 4 months ago, I hadn't had an experience like that in years. But this time, I had this thing called the internet and found out what it was:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_in_Wonderland_syndrome

Anyway, tonight I noticed that Rowan made a post on her facebook wall that read "having an extreme dissociative experience." I immediately asked her about the symptoms and sure enough, it turns out she's had this experience as well. I then wondered if maybe it would be more prevalent with gender dysphoric people- so that is why I am posting here.

Has anyone ever heard of this... or better yet, experienced it?

[MariaMx]

I have this from time to time. Especially in bed at night. Sometimes it feels as if my body teeny tiny and my head is gigantic and located between my feet. Very strange.

[Ms Grace]

The only time I experienced something like this was when I was taking a homeopathic type medicine. I don't think it's quite the same as you describe it as there were other qualities to it, but certainly I found I couldn't discern the real size of objects even when I knew how bit they were and I was standing right next to them. Has never happened since. When I was a kid, about five, I did have a number of disassociative experiences but as far as I recall they didn't involve size perception.

What causes it?

[Jennygirl]

NO WAY. Two people already?!

Neither myself nor Rowan has EVER come into contact with any other person who has had this experience.

I wonder now, if there is a link to the dissociative nature of gender with gender dysphoria- perhaps more noticeable at a younger age? So interested to see if more people have had this. This is currently blowing my mind.

As for what causes it? Who knows! I wish I knew, because I have a gut feeling that it might be something quite a few trans people experience... especially seeing that the only people I've ever shared stories about it is with trans folks. Up until today, literally no one.

This is insane in my membrane

[Ashley Allison]

I had it about a month ago in bed.  In the fog of morning wakefulness, I swore I was just some super small (like inches long) being on my bed.  Similarly, I had an experience where I felt like I encompassed the whole entire room!  I guess the technical terms are micropsia/ macropsia.  The experience was nonetheless interesting to say the least!

[Jennygirl]

forallittook- have you ever met anyone else with this condition?

[Eva Marie]

I seem to remember something like this happening when I was very young Jenny.  I had completely forgotten about it until I read this.

[Jennygirl]

So super neat! I can't believe how many people have already replied to this!

Thanks for sharing, everyone!

[MariaMx]

It's actually quiet more common than people think, especially the type of AIWS in which the body feels distorted (I can't remember experiencing objects changing size). I guess it's possible it be tied to GD, but I doubt it.

I also doubt homeopathic medicines can cause this as they are just water.

[Jennygirl]

It's actually quiet more common than people think, especially the type of AIWS in which the body feels distorted (I can't remember experiencing objects changing size). I guess it's possible it be tied to GD, but I doubt it.

I also doubt homeopathic medicines can cause this as they are just water.

It always got my tongue the worst. Sometimes I felt like I was going to choke on my tongue- which seemed like the size of earth itself but before I felt like choking, it would flip to feeling like my tongue was a tiny dust particle surrounded by the vacuum of outer space.

I gotta stop thinking about it. I feel like it's going to happen again

[MariaMx]

It always got my tongue the worst. Sometimes I felt like I was going to choke on my tongue- which seemed like the size of earth itself but before I felt like choking, it would flip to feeling like my tongue was a tiny dust particle surrounded by the vacuum of outer space.

I gotta stop thinking about it. I feel like it's going to happen again

Your tongue? Never heard of that body part being the affected by AIWS, but I suppose it's possible I wouldn't worry about it. If it happens it happens. I find the experience rather interesting form a philosophical and neurological standpoint.

[ZoeM]

Me too - mostly while reading, I'd find myself buried in a single letter and the rest of the world was a giant diorama behind it. It stopped years ago and I totally forgot about it until just now.

[Ashley Allison]

forallittook- have you ever met anyone else with this condition?

I haven't Jenny! But it was crazy to read this thread today and see how many people have experienced this, I thought I was out of my mind when it happened!

[Ms Grace]

I also doubt homeopathic medicines can cause this as they are just water.

Well, it was actually Bach Flower Remedy, more or less the same thing as I understand, just more esoteric. Dunno. All I know is it started and lasted for exactly the period of time I took this particular preparation - I'd never had any contact with homeopathy before (or since) so had no real expectation going into it. Might have been placebo effect but all I know is how I felt over that week was pretty off the planet!

[YBtheOutlaw]

one more here! i used to have such sensations when i was very young, so i don't remember enough to explain what it felt like on my own, but when i read your post i realized that was exactly what i felt. very similar. it happened often those days, mostly happened when i stared at our family bedroom window when i was lying alone in the bed in low light. i was not more than 8 then. there was i period i could get myself to that sensation whenever i wanted. it sort of felt cool and i liked it. i've never talked about it with anybody until now, mostly because i didn't know how to explain the way i felt, and i didn't see it as a defect as i thought it was cool. until now i thought everybody felt so once in a while. haven't had one of them for a long time now. wonder when i had it last.

it's so wonderful how every minute weirdness i had found in myself gets discussed in these forums. most of them are somehow or other connected with dysphoria. AIWS might be too.

[Gabrielle]

Has anyone ever had an experience where your minds eye starts to wildly disassociate scale and/or distance of things that you are thinking about? Like, say for example you are looking at your hand when one of these episodes begins. Your hand would suddenly start to feel very close to you, impossibly close. It wouldn't look any different, but it would feel as if you are almost inside of your hand it is so big. Then in the next instant, it seems impossibly far away... a speck of dust. Still nothing visually, just in your minds eye. This would continue for 10-15 minutes, occasionally becoming so dissociative that it becomes terrifying.

I had these episodes when I was a kid, usually around night time. Half the time they were funny to me, almost like my mind was being tickled or (as I could describe now) like I was drunk or on hallucinogenic drugs. The other half, I felt like something was wrong... Very wrong. Up until about 4 months ago, I hadn't had an experience like that in years. But this time, I had this thing called the internet and found out what it was:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_in_Wonderland_syndrome

Anyway, tonight I noticed that Rowan made a post on her facebook wall that read "having an extreme dissociative experience." I immediately asked her about the symptoms and sure enough, it turns out she's had this experience as well. I then wondered if maybe it would be more prevalent with gender dysphoric people- so that is why I am posting here.

Has anyone ever heard of this... or better yet, experienced it?

Yes, I have had that sort of experience, several times in my teens.

I attribute it, however, to psilocybin mushrooms 

[Carrie Liz]

Holy s***!... no freaking way!!! I used to have these REALLY weird episodes as a kid where all of a sudden it would feel like the wall on the opposite side of the room was crashing in on me, and the toys at the other end of the room suddenly became gigantic and were flying right at me. Like, I would constantly have this feeling that things were flying at me and hitting me, even though they weren't moving. And it was so weird, because my mind told me that there was a large object crashing into me, and I should be feeling pain, but it didn't really hurt.

This usually happened when I was sick, and it was ALWAYS right before I was about to fall asleep. And it hasn't happened since I was about 12 years old. But I never knew what the hell that was.

That is just totally freaky! I never knew what the hell this was before.

[JillSter]

I got this all the time when I was little!

I remember one time when it was really bad I was crying on the couch and my mom was trying to figure out what was wrong, and I just keep yelling, "the TV is too far away!" Sometimes I would feel like the world goes two-dimensional on me and everything is right up in my face, then other times I'd experience a sort of tunnel vision. It always comes with a feeling of dread. Not sure if that's just because it scares me, or if it's part of it. It happened a lot more often as a child, but still happens on occasion as an adult -- usually when I'm tired, most often when I'm in bed trying to go to sleep. But it's pretty rare these days.

I always thought they were little mini-seizures. FWIW, I also get visual migraines regularly. No pain, just snakes of colored flashing light wrapping around the periphery until it creeps into my focal point, and then I'm as good as blind. No idea if those two things are related.

---

I just read the whole thread (just responded to the OP before) and it reminded me why I always thought they were seizures. I would get a feeling like my body is rolling into its center from every point, like I'm imploding. Very disorienting and scary feeling! Luckily it's rare these days.

[MariaMx]

Well, it was actually Bach Flower Remedy, more or less the same thing as I understand, just more esoteric. Dunno. All I know is it started and lasted for exactly the period of time I took this particular preparation - I'd never had any contact with homeopathy before (or since) so had no real expectation going into it. Might have been placebo effect but all I know is how I felt over that week was pretty off the planet!

Homeopathic medicines are made by diluting the substance with water till there isn't a single molecule left of the substance. I saw someone do the calculations and if memory serves me right you'd need a ball of water the diameter of our solar system to find one single molecule of the original substance. Post hoc, ergo propter hoc. Most likely it was a coincidence.

[Danielle Emmalee]

Homeopathic medicines are made by diluting the substance with water till there isn't a single molecule left of the substance. I saw someone do the calculations and if memory serves me right you'd need a ball of water the diameter of our solar system to find one single molecule of the original substance. Post hoc, ergo propter hoc. Most likely it was a coincidence.

I'm confused.  How does diluting reduce the number of molecules of something.

<edit: Nevermind, I see you mean diluting and separating into smaller quantities>