26. Derealisation
We have all, at some point, experienced that strange feeling of unreality. When we set off on the road with our mind elsewhere, we may lose our bearings. Neuroscience teaches us that our brain relies on patterns, models and fixed reference points that a simple lapse of concentration can disrupt. It is often then that panic overwhelms us and we no longer recognise where we are or which way to go. The AS person experiences the same thing; in the middle of a situation, reality may suddenly slip away. The way back sometimes seems endless, because panic and stress make them lose all composure. According to neuroscience, it is better to move about calmly until the ‘map’ in our head, that is, in our brain, returns to normal. The AS person, like others, often makes bodily movements to regain their bearings.