Episodes of "Out of Body" Sensation, Sometimes Accompanied by Tinnitus: What's Going on in My Brain?

Hi everyone. I came across this site, possibly not unlike many of you, while trying to find posts from people who have similar symptoms/sensations/experiences as I. For about two years, I have experienced what I would describe as “episodes”. I can go a month with zero episodes, but then have several a day for several days. It’s difficult to describe, but I’ll do my best.

I’ll be fine, and then the following will happen: most times (not every time) this is accompanied by ringing in my ears. It’s a “burst“ of what I can best describe as an “out of body” sensation. It’s not an unpleasant sensation, actually, almost like a short burst of a “high” (I’ve never done “hard” drugs and none (other than prescribed) for 35 years . Sometimes I get light headed and have balance issues with it. It lasts for about 10-15 seconds and it is rare to have just one episode. Usually if I have one, I’ll have several.

These started about two years ago, around the same time I noticed a dramatic drop in my cognitive function: forgetting conversations, having occasional trouble with slurred speech. I DID have an MRI / CT recently and it was clear. I had an episode about 25 minutes ago, and as I’m typing this in a quiet room, my ears are ringing.

Apologies for the lengthy post.

 

I'm in the same boat. My episodes are cyclical with a very short almost instant begin phase and a gradual tapering to normalish for a random period between a day to a week then back again. Mine starts with a strange sensation on the right side of the head almost like a jolt of lightning accompanied by tinnitus and a sudden drop of hearing that gradually returns between several seconds to a minute or two followed by a light-headed unstable feeling. The tinnitus remains and consumes my whole head with zero masking ability and the best way I can describe the feeling is like listening to noise that "hurts" like say nails on a chalkboard. The fluctuating tinnitus frequency that's in the 10-15 kHz range makes my eyes twitch and squint like you would if you heard an unpleasant noise. I have bouts of feeling like I'm drunk or an out-of-body experience. Sudden head movements feel very uncomfortable like I'm going to lose balance. After several days the symptoms taper off and things are somewhat normal with a VERY tiny bit of tinnitus in my left ear that unnoticeable unless in absolute silence. This good period could last between several hours to several days and at some point is triggered again and the cycle repeats. I've had this for over 3 years now. No change in hearing for the past 3 years...

My hypothesis based on my scientific (non-medical) background and research is that some damage between the ear and brain is causing neurons to fire erratically in a small area of the brain. This abnormal activity then triggers surrounding neurons to fire (crosstalk) (this is that sudden high feeling and sensation). This is then followed by a feedback loop that is self-consuming. Neurons form looped networks and this is what causes the sensory perceptions and other cognitive symptoms. Eventually this activity burns itself out and things go back to normal and the cycle repeats. The cure for people like me and perhaps you is to identify the region of the brain that is triggering this activity and suppress it either using drugs locally or perhaps electromagnetically. There may also be a way to send electrical signals to either stop this abnormal brain activity or prevent it.