While daydreaming is healthy, in recent years it has become evident that it can also evolve into extreme and maladaptive behavior, to the point where it becomes a clinically significant condition.
“Excessive daydreaming”, “compulsive daydreaming” or “misfit reverie” (maladaptive daydreamingEI in Spanish) is an immersive and addictive imagination activity that leads to heartbreak because it hinders social, occupational and academic performance.
From healthy fantasy to compulsive fantasy
We all love to think of that ideal scenario, a trip, love… but, When does daydreaming become a problem? when it happens for most of the day and interferes in our ability to carry out ordinary tasks, it can be classified as a real mental health problem.
I have been lost in dreams for as long as I can remember… These daydreams tend to be stories about which I feel real emotion, usually happiness or sadness, which have the ability to make me laugh and cry… They are such a big part of my life like anything else; I can spend hours alone with my daydreams… I’m careful to control my actions in public, so it’s not obvious that my mind is constantly spinning these stories and I constantly lose myself in them.
The above is the testimony of a self-diagnosed 20-year-old student, who describes what she believes to be abnormal behavior: the excessive daydreaming.
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The profile of those who suffer from compulsive fantasy
People with maladaptive reverie need to engage in vivid, whimsical imagery that can last for hours on end. Some individuals who suffer from it report that their dreams awaken compensatory narratives with idealized versions themselves.
In a study published in the journal Frontiers of Psychiatrythe expert Eli Somer raises the possibility of interpreting IE as a type of mental obsession or compulsion; however, in OCD obsessions are often related to feelings of intrusion and anxiety, while IE is described as more voluntary and enjoyable.
A condition that begins to become visible
Although scientific research on the subject has been scant, thousands of Internet users have adopted the term maladaptive daydreaming (IS); several online communities are dedicated to people who suffer from IE and seek communication online with others who understand and share their condition.
These netizens have finally found an adequate description of their symptoms. They have different types of dreams, often more elaborate, fantastical or immersive than usual; are manufactured idealized versions of oneself or the fantasies involve historical or imaginary figures or celebrities with whom one tends to establish emotional ties; spoken during reverie or emotions related to it such as laughter, crying or anger are expressed.
In addition, distress is experienced due to three factors:
You identify?
* Images: Gregory Thielker
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