Dealing with Maladaptive Daydreaming and Seeking Advice

Mines caused by trauma and developed it as a coping mechanism

Hi! I have been maladaptive daydreaming ever since I was a little kid. I have CPTSD, manic depression, and severe anxiety. I've always used it as an escape, especially when things seem to constantly be going wrong or things begin to overwhelm me. To me, it's like these characters I've created would never hurt me and would love and care for me the way I want to be loved and cared for. It also allows me to act brave and noble in ways I probably couldn't in real life. Sometimes it has caused negative repercussions in my everyday life because I would much rather live in these made up worlds with made up people instead of this real world with real people. I begin to isolate myself and have conversations with people who aren't there. It made me begin to neglect the real world and it made me so sad realizing that I'm stuck in this world. I wish I could tell you "oh, this is how you stop it" or "you'll grow out of it" but I can't. I honestly don't know how to stop it and I'm 22 years old and still do it very frequently. The only thing I can say is that you are definitely not alone, and that it really helps to find others who truly understand. I hope things get better for you and you are able to make positive changes in your life and escape any abuse you are suffering ❤️

I've experienced what you are feeling. I'm still trying to deal with it. Only thing that has helped me is finding something that I want to spend time on outside of my dream realm. Such as watching a TV show, enjoying nature or working on projects

Hello! I daydream quite a lot and have a paracosm but I don't have MaDD because I can control when and for how long I daydream and it doesn't interfere with my life. However, I did a research paper on MaDD a few years back so I hope I can give you some answers and maybe others will jump in with experiences and advice. From what I know, maladaptive daydreaming (MaDD) is a coping mechanism like you thought, typically born out of trama like your being in an unsupportive, abusive household. MaDD is its own thing but can indicate some deeper emotional issues, which may be what that person you were talking to meant. It can also lead to isolation and depression because of what you were discussing, most would rather daydream than socialize, which unfortunately for introverts everywhere is a necessary part of life as a human person Daydreaming as you described earlier in the post is totally harmless and actually a very good use of imaginative play to deal with tough things. I do it all the time, using my paras to make life's challenges go down easier. Daydreaming as you say you are currently experiencing it may indeed be harmful. What you're describing is for sure MaDD - its interfering with your daily functioning and you would rather be there than here. I think this absolutely could be in response to a worsened home situation. Because your daydreaming is a coping mechanism, you may be falling back on it more than usual as you battle increased depression and feeling unsafe in this world. That's really rough and traumatizing and I'm sorry you're going through that. I know you mentioned this home situation is something you're stuck in, does that mean you can't move out? I'm not sure where you're at in life but removing yourself from the environment feels like a first step. Even if you can't move out, maybe try staying at a friend's for a few days here and there just to get a break. If the people in your life now are putting you down, find some that won't (a daunting and difficult task, I know, but one that is so so important). Don't give up until you do, there are good people out there. Things like assembling a support system and actively trying to daydream less (hard, boring, not fun, and maybe even painful but a necessary evil to reigning things in) are things you can do for free. Therapy might also be beneficial if you haven't tried it. The root of your issue here seems to be the abuse you've experienced at home and working through that and finding alternate coping mechanisms might be beneficial. If you find other ways to cope then you may rely on daydreaming less. I don't know how you experience daydreaming, if you choose to or if it happens without your consent, but I hope some of this is useful anyways. Sorry it's so long lol, but feel free to DM if you ever wanna talk and I hope your situation improves soon 😊