#daydreaming disorder

[fallingmaddlyinlove]

is it even possible to feel the same kind of love in real life that you feel in your paracosm? i swear i love nobody more than my paras, and i'm scared i'll never experience love in real life because of this

[daydreamkisses]

a moment of silence for the daydreams i spent years on only to abandon them without second thought

[id-daydream]

I don’t know why but it’s very hard for me to focus on an original paracosm, I guess I just prefer already made worlds. Anyone else like this?

[glassybird]

[hauntedselves]

Proposed Diagnostic Criteria for Daydreaming Disorder (Maladaptive Daydreaming)

A. Persistent and recurrent fantasy activity that is vivid and fanciful, as indicated by the individual exhibiting two (or more) of the following in a 6-month period; at least one of these should be Criterion 1:

While daydreaming, experiences an intense sense of absorption/immersion that includes visual, auditory, or affective properties

Daydreaming is triggered, maintained, or enhanced with exposure to music

Daydreaming is triggered, maintained, or enhanced with exposure to stereotypical movement (e.g., pacing, rocking, hand movements)

Often daydreams when feels distressed or bored

Daydreaming length or intensity intensifies in the absence of others (e.g., daydreams more when alone)

Is annoyed when unable to daydream or when daydreaming is interrupted or curbed

Would rather daydream than engage in daily chores, social, academic, or professional activities

Has made repeated unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back, or stop daydreaming

B. The disturbance causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

C. The disturbance is not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication) or a general medical condition (e.g., dementia) and is not better explained by autism spectrum disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, schizophrenia spectrum disorders, bipolar I disorder, obsessive–compulsive and related disorders, dissociative identity disorder, substance-related and addictive disorders, an organic disorder, or a medical condition.

Note. Current severity defined as follows: Mild - experiences mainly distress, no obvious functional impairment; moderate - one area of functioning is affected (e.g., work); severe - more than area of functioning is affected (e.g., work, school or social life) (p. 180).

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MD is associated with social anxiety and addiction (particularly internet addiction) (p. 177), as well as dissociation, obsessive-compulsive behaviour, and inattention / attention deficit (p. 181).

People who seek treatment for MD are misdiagnosed with a variety of conditions; "...professionals were unfamiliar with their problem and provided various diagnoses, including depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, borderline personality disorder, and dissociative disorder" (p. 178).

"MD is uniquely characterized by a kinesthetic component, a need for evocative music, and an addictive yearning to compulsively engage in this mental behavior" (p. 184).

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From Somer et al., 'Maladaptive Daydreaming: Proposed Diagnostic Criteria and Their Assessment With a Structured Clinical Interview', Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice (2017), Vol. 4, No. 2, pp. 176-189. DOI: 10.1037/cns0000.

Another interesting & related article is Somer et al., 'Representations of Maladaptive Daydreaming and the Self: A Qualitative Analysis of Drawings', The Arts in Psychotherapy (2019), Vol. 63, pp. 102-110. DOI: 10.1016/j.aip.2018.12.004.

[aura-oracle]

About my para.

[yourinsanepoet]

Currently in a daydream where he is sitting across from me, gazing into my eyes while “Falling For You” by 1975 plays in the background as he actually falls in love with me. Feeling giddy, y’all.

[fallingmaddlyinlove]

FUCK YEAH

Get up girls we have another day of obsessing over fictional characters to cope with reality ahead of us

[fallingmaddlyinlove]

me after going more than two days without the chance to daydream

[id-daydream]

I’m wondering, does reoccurring dreams you have where you’re in the same world and are the same character in each dream count as a paracosm (albeit unintentionally made since it’s not a lucid dream), or does it have to be a daydream/purposefully made?

[glassybird]

[fallingmaddlyinlove]

i will get so locked in fr 😭

Hey you ever think about The Characters so much to the point where

[dark-dirty-daydreams]

Soulmates? No, my love. I love you on purpose. I see every horrible thing you've done and are and I love you regardless. I love you with intention, with the desire that you feel all the energy I put into loving you. Sure, soulmates are cute, romantic even. But my love for you is something far more primal and a lot more unrelenting, it’s without a red string of fate or because the stars say so. I love you because I say so.

[yourinsanepoet]

The fact that I can’t make a drunk confession to my para about all the terrible things that have ever happened to me and that I have loved him all my life which I won’t admit otherwise, so he listens to me patiently before putting me to a peaceful sleep, just doesn’t sit right with me.

[fallingmaddlyinlove]

i've noticed that when i go too long without daydreaming, my paras will literally appear in my dreams.

they come for me in my dreams dude. i can't escape them. (it actually makes me super happy).

[fallingmaddlyinlove]

it's my one coping mechanism that won't kill me so i'm keeping it

on one hand, relying on fictional characters for happiness is objectively Not Healthy™

on the other hand, i literally made them up in my own brain and i can make them do whatever the fuck i want because my mind is my own safe space and i can do whatever the fuck i want with it

at this point i'll take whatever meager sliver of control i can get honestly these bitches should be glad i choose daydreaming over death when the world is the way it is 💀