Non-MDD's: how can they stand a life with little imagination? - Wild Minds network2024-03-29T12:39:26Zhttps://wildminds.ning.com/forum/topics/non-mdd-s-how-can-they-stand-a-life-with-little-imagination?commentId=4661400%3AComment%3A209722&feed=yes&xn_auth=noIt has been fun to talk abou…tag:wildminds.ning.com,2015-07-07:4661400:Comment:2099292015-07-07T16:25:11.583ZEmmahttps://wildminds.ning.com/profile/Emma499
<p><br></br> <span>It has been fun to talk about this with you. Thanks for letting me think about all these ideas. </span></p>
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<div>What we are describing here is not <em>my</em> focused imagination but rather typical MDD. If you browse the discussions here on this forum, you will see that the people on here who describe their daydreams have the same sort of very elaborate and developed stories in their heads. <em>This is what MDD is.</em> What you are talking about yourself doing is…</div>
<p><br/> <span>It has been fun to talk about this with you. Thanks for letting me think about all these ideas. </span></p>
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<div>What we are describing here is not <em>my</em> focused imagination but rather typical MDD. If you browse the discussions here on this forum, you will see that the people on here who describe their daydreams have the same sort of very elaborate and developed stories in their heads. <em>This is what MDD is.</em> What you are talking about yourself doing is <strong>not</strong> MDD, in my opinion. It sounds like you might spend a lot more time in daydreams and scattered thoughts so maybe there is something else going on, but you are not doing what all of us do. </div>
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<div>As for the coping, yes I sometimes use it that way. But, like others on this forum, I have been having very elaborate daydreams with stories like this since I was in kindergarten- back long before I had anything to "cope" with. I've done it my entire life.</div>
<p><br/></p> I think the difference is you…tag:wildminds.ning.com,2015-07-07:4661400:Comment:2097502015-07-07T11:24:27.961ZFlorishttps://wildminds.ning.com/profile/Floris
<p>I think the difference is you have a much more focused mind and have this ongoing story. My mind is much more chaotic, less aimed on storytelling and ideas can pop up all over the place, about many things, useless or sometimes useful, when I'm not focused on the here and now. Thinking is very dominant so I'm definitely not day dreaming all the time but I'm in my head a lot and since I was a child I did have the typical MDD Mary Sue fantasies.<br></br><br></br>Also you emphasize the Maladaptive part,…</p>
<p>I think the difference is you have a much more focused mind and have this ongoing story. My mind is much more chaotic, less aimed on storytelling and ideas can pop up all over the place, about many things, useless or sometimes useful, when I'm not focused on the here and now. Thinking is very dominant so I'm definitely not day dreaming all the time but I'm in my head a lot and since I was a child I did have the typical MDD Mary Sue fantasies.<br/><br/>Also you emphasize the Maladaptive part, the coping mechanism. When used as such it has no other use, agreed.<br/><br/>But a very skilled writer is only capable of writing very boring fiction if he doesn't at least do a bit of day dreaming.<br/><br/>In end it just depends on the application of your imagination, which I believe you do use when MDD-ing. It has other applications, but you needed it most for the coping.<br/><br/>Not saying you should or could be a writer, sounds like you've found a job you like enough. It's just that I believe MDD's use something in their brain, imagination, for coping while it has other potentials. And of course, those involve a lot of craftmanship which indeed is a separate thing.</p> Well I appreciate the encoura…tag:wildminds.ning.com,2015-07-03:4661400:Comment:2098322015-07-03T20:35:54.888ZEmmahttps://wildminds.ning.com/profile/Emma499
<p><span>Well I appreciate the encouragement, but I have zero interest in creative writing. I'm nearly 40 and already have an established career (on my second already) and family, and I have no desire at all to write my daydreams down or to learn to write stories. I'm happy with my own pursuits, which I've already had quite a bit of success as well as some failure, and what frustrates me is the amount of time I spend daydreaming instead. As I said, when I have written professionally, it has…</span></p>
<p><span>Well I appreciate the encouragement, but I have zero interest in creative writing. I'm nearly 40 and already have an established career (on my second already) and family, and I have no desire at all to write my daydreams down or to learn to write stories. I'm happy with my own pursuits, which I've already had quite a bit of success as well as some failure, and what frustrates me is the amount of time I spend daydreaming instead. As I said, when I have written professionally, it has been technical/research writing with a little dabbling in narrative non fiction for education and tourism when I was in my 20s. I was just pointing out that the skills it takes to write well are not related to the practice of daydreaming. That's like saying someone can do skillful computer animation just because they can imagine a story in their heads. The craftsmanship, practice and interpretation to others involve a set of skills that have little to do with daydreaming. Someone could learn those things of course, but I personally have no interest in doing that. The point I keep trying to make (not clearly? or you disagree? not sure) is that there is no correlation between people who have MDD and people who can tell great stories (either in novels or screenplays or TV or whatever). Thinking about things is not the same as being able to create a world others can see. That does not mean the one excludes the other- just that they are irrelevant to each other and when they coexist in someone it is a coincidence. Just like alcoholism and compulsive gambling or anything. And I don't see what relevance MDD could possibly have to any other real life pursuits or professions beyond story telling.</span></p>
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<div>Yes I have a lot of shame around MDD, but not because of the content of my plots. Joining this community helped with that. Terrible things happen to my dream characters, and I used to be ashamed of that- wondering what was wrong with me that I'd imagine such horrible things when in real life I'm troubled by suffering of any kind- but I've since found out that most of us imagine very dramatic and sometimes horrible things like that. It has made me feel a lot better about my daydreams. What I feel ashamed of now is the amount of time I've spent in them lately. It's an embarrassing and harmful habit to have let get this out of control. I was apologizing for offering you a detailed and boring response, not for the content of the daydream again. I've read many people's daydreams here and have offered some of my own, and I've found that they are all pretty boring in the telling. I'm sure they are not boring when people experience them as private daydreams. </div>
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<div>If you are happy with your current level of MDD, then by all means continue it. Cordelia has talked about how she has found an appropriate balance that works for her life. I'd offer some people's stories here as a cautionary tale though, and if you are able to let it go altogether, that might be a smart thing to do. As for myself, it wasn't really a problem until a few bad things happened in my life. It's better to not have those habits in place, IMO, because they can spin out of control under more difficult circumstances. At least that's my case, everyone seems a little different, and I'm sure you know what works well for you.</div>
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</div> Emma,
yes there is definitel…tag:wildminds.ning.com,2015-07-03:4661400:Comment:2098312015-07-03T18:25:09.098ZFlorishttps://wildminds.ning.com/profile/Floris
<p>Emma,</p>
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<p>yes there is definitely a difference. While, like you, I do DD about a Mary Sue (I could never be as beautiful/athletic/famous etc) and have other fantasies about my real self (succes, sex and such), I haven't built an entire fictional family or other type of world. Not yet at least, I do have a character driven novel in my head that combines several ideas I have about the world and characters I had invented (in a much more lazy way than you did). And I made up 2 very…</p>
<p>Emma,</p>
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<p>yes there is definitely a difference. While, like you, I do DD about a Mary Sue (I could never be as beautiful/athletic/famous etc) and have other fantasies about my real self (succes, sex and such), I haven't built an entire fictional family or other type of world. Not yet at least, I do have a character driven novel in my head that combines several ideas I have about the world and characters I had invented (in a much more lazy way than you did). And I made up 2 very talented Mary Sue type twins, 1 brother 1 sister for my own enjoyment and their life adapt to whatever I like to fantasize about, so they've had many professions. These are "useless for stories" however, the other characters (for the once to be written novel) are completely separated from the Mary Sues and much more flawed, all having a deficiency, like personality disorders and such.</p>
<p><br/>You may see your own stories as trivial, banal, boring and stupid but I am not convinced at all that they are. And almost all fictional works are somehow derivative this is normal, true originality is a myth. From what I read you are hypercreative in weaving many stories together so don't let anybody make you think you're not creative (and don't bother convincing others that you are until you have converted your imaginings into a creation). Building an immensely detailed world like that is what some famous writers do to the same extent, they chronicle entire family histories (Chinese and Swedish writers are famous for it, but plenty of world building is done by famous writers, Tolkien had his Middle Earth, George Lucas had his Star Wars, Stephen King describes entire town communities). They know many more details than what they tell the reader. I sense a lot of shame and apology for having a "boring, stupid" story, which is probably 10 times more interesting than the garbage that is typically produced by book publishers and Hollywood. Conflict is essential to good story telling and this may lack in MDD fantasies when it gets too Mary Sue, too good to be true. But you can work on that, all writing needs rewriting, polishing, leaving out redundancies and less interesting parts.</p>
<p><br/>Since you have so much story in your head, maybe you could try to find a short story in that whole, very rich world you've built and write it. And when you've done a couple, join a creative writing course or try to get feedback online. But you do have a day job and writing might consume time and energy you don't have. Starting very small, not being critical towards your own humble beginnings would be the best approach then.</p>
<p><br/>For me, getting fired was a blessing in disguise to figure out how I could use my strong points (creativity) more, but I had the luxury of receiving a good severance package and getting much better social security than US citizens can get.</p> You emphasize storytelling t…tag:wildminds.ning.com,2015-07-03:4661400:Comment:2100032015-07-03T15:01:23.898ZEmmahttps://wildminds.ning.com/profile/Emma499
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<p>You emphasize storytelling that would be boring for others but is internally satisfying. Let's stay with writing. Isn't all story writing a way to fulfill personal needs? It's almost always internally driven. Professional writers of fiction are not just preoccupied pleasing the masses with what "scores". Sure, their works can be polished and made more accessible with the help of feedback. But many times you will recognize so many signs that a writer is preoccupied with…</p>
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<p>You emphasize storytelling that would be boring for others but is internally satisfying. Let's stay with writing. Isn't all story writing a way to fulfill personal needs? It's almost always internally driven. Professional writers of fiction are not just preoccupied pleasing the masses with what "scores". Sure, their works can be polished and made more accessible with the help of feedback. But many times you will recognize so many signs that a writer is preoccupied with her/his inner life and not necessarily in bad novels. And, even when maladaptive, isn't day dreaming, if you do it a whole lot, something you become more adept in, in the sense that these stories you invent would also get less cheesy? Just wondering.</p>
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<p>I have written professionally, though mostly in narrative nonfiction and technical work. I find that my daydreaming creation and process have nothing whatsoever to do with real writing. I'm not really qualified to talk about writing fiction, but I read a lot of it and am a much better reader than I am writer. ;) Mostly I think my daydreams sound like fan fiction sort of drivel. I would not read a book about my daydreams. But some people do, so I do think it's the sort of thing that could be turned into something like 50 Shades or some junk like that. Loads of people like that, and I'm all for anyone turning their daydreaming mind to creating a book like that! But it's worth pointing out: being able to imagine something in your mind that is emotionally satisfying is a totally different thing (requiring totally different skills) from being able to create a story that makes someone else imagine that in THEIR minds. You can't just upload your daydreams. You have to write them out, and that requires a skill set that most of us don't have. Otherwise your telling just sounds like "and then, and then, and then..." No one cares. The descriptions of people's daydreams are mostly boring, just like mine are too.</p>
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<p>Professional writers of fiction absolutely are concerned with writing something that sells. They are also concerned with other motivations- their own personal satisfaction, artistic integrity, intellectual pursuits, etc. This is all done to varying degrees, and it's such a wide field that I don't see how we can say anything that all writers do. However, I think it is clear that what they DON'T do is simply write down daydreams that are emotionally satisfying to them without any concern to how they are received by their readers. I mean, actually probably plenty of people do. Self-publish or put it on a fan-fiction site, and I have no problem with people doing this BTW. But that's not something that is going to make you a good and/or successful writer, which was my point. I don't think the MDD helps with or hinders this sort of creativity any more than alcoholism or compulsive shopping does.</p>
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<p>It's just that, what I seem to be reading a lot here, is that there is this idea to quit cold turkey with day dreaming to become "normal" and I find the concept horrid as it seems rather extreme. This is why I placed the discussion.</p>
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<p>I'm even less qualified to talk about quitting. Unfortunately. </p>
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<p>I feel (very vaguely) that I tend to be better at all or nothing approaches to things. Maybe that is the obsessive part of my personality. If I ever do quit (and I hope I do) it will have to be cold turkey. My life tends to have extremes- periods of extreme productivity and success, periods of extreme stress and MDD coping. This took me by surprise when it started happening because I was much more balanced when I was younger.</p>
<p></p> There is nothing to apologize…tag:wildminds.ning.com,2015-07-03:4661400:Comment:2097222015-07-03T14:48:51.768ZEmmahttps://wildminds.ning.com/profile/Emma499
<p>There is nothing to apologize for. I've found this conversation very interesting because it's made me express ideas that have been bouncing about in my own mind about this behavior since I'm currently in a difficult place with it and I confuse myself. I hope you've gotten something out of it as well.</p>
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<p>I'm curious about your daydreaming. I know it's super personal to talk about, so if you don't want to share, then dont. But I'll ask some questions and you can respond as you…</p>
<p>There is nothing to apologize for. I've found this conversation very interesting because it's made me express ideas that have been bouncing about in my own mind about this behavior since I'm currently in a difficult place with it and I confuse myself. I hope you've gotten something out of it as well.</p>
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<p>I'm curious about your daydreaming. I know it's super personal to talk about, so if you don't want to share, then dont. But I'll ask some questions and you can respond as you feel comfortable. When you say you daydream about an idealized version of yourself, is this within the context of a story involving other characters and/or real people? An ongoing story? Or is it just about one event?</p>
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<p>Here's what I mean. In my own MD daydreams, I do not exist. I'm daydreaming entirely about other people- like watching a movie. They are not real people, they are made up. But of course, there is one that I identify with more than the others, and when I get to thinking abotu it, he has traits that I wish I had. He cares about things I do. So probably that is my Mary Sue as you say. But I'm not in it.</p>
<p><br/>On the other hand, when things are going well in my life (ebbs and flows lately) then I do daydream more about myself- but it is situational. It's embarrassing, but we all do it so I'll admit it. I daydream about how when my current project is completed, it will impress my colleagues. I daydream ways that certain friends can stumble upon knowledge of my success and be impressed. Suddenly the people that are sort of snubbing me and who have noticed that I'm mentally in decline lately, suddenly they will see that all along I've been hard at work and am successful. This is once scenario that I daydream about. Also sexual fantasies about a neighbor (yikes!) and of course I've been a hero in daydreams before too- feats of courage that I would not be able to achieve in real life. </p>
<p>Likewise, I've daydreamed about things that are causing me trouble. In my current work, there are some obstacles that I can't quite figure out how to overcome. I have imaginary conversations about these problems in which I explain something to someone and they argue and I learn better what I mean to be doing. Sometimes I just sit and think really hard about it- the various routes I could take to proceed, what sorts of outcomes or obstacles I might anticipate.</p>
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<p>I don't know how much time the average person spends in daydreams like these, but I do know that they are normal and not a problem. Maybe I spend mroe time in these daydreams than most people. <br/><br/>Is this the sort of daydreaming you describe?</p>
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<p>Maladaptive daydreaming, though, is on-going. It involves plots and developments. Let me just give you an example, even though I find it is really boring to read about other people's MDD characters and plots and so I'm sure mine is going to be boring to you. I'm just going to offer the example to differentiate. My current plot is this: my main MDD's sister (who I had previously killed off years ago) turns out she's not dead. They just thought she was. She's popped up in a cult in another country- they have been controlling her ability to communicate with her family, but she has only just now made contact.</p>
<p><br/>Now also I totally know how stupid that is. But let's not get bogged down in that- I'm using this as an example to illustrate something bigger.</p>
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<p>The scene I'm imaging when I MDD is the brother (my main character) and his best friend (who happens to be the sis's ex) receiving the phone call from the cult sis. Alright- let me tell you how detailed this is. I know the layout of my main character's house, his back porch, his garden, to the nw of which is his studio which also has a patio and a sliding glass door- this is where he retreats to take the call. I know what the curtains look like, and I see the best friend entering- it's a recording studio. I know where the equipment is and what chairs each of them sit in and how they hold the phone to listen to the call and what facial expressions they make. </p>
<p><br/>I know all of this because I have been daydreaming about these same people for over a decade. I can tell you all about when those houses got built, how they timberframed the studio, about the generations of his family. This is where I'm at in the story right now, but it started with the main character as a young child. I can tell you about his grandparents, his two uncles, their wives, his cousins, his father, how his father met his mother, a bit about the mom's family, about his elder brother who went to medical school and met his wife there- she is also a doctor and her dad is the elder brother's mentor and they live in the neighborhood that my character currently lives in- it's why they moved there when my main character's parents died. I can tell you in extreme detail- down to birthmarks and dates and goals and temper tantrums- all about how my main character met his best friend when they were children, how he came to be a part of this family, how they were educated, what hobbies they had, how this best friend fell in lvoe with my main character's sister, how they entered into a relationship, what the family thought about it, how her death affected everyone- who HER best friends are and a bit about their families. I can tell you about my main character's career, his coworkers, his partner, HIS family and child, how they met, how they have a flat in Paris together, how the two families go to a lake house on vacations and what they barbeque. And I can tell you about my main character's wife who is a human rights lawyer and what her work is like and how her dad disapproves and how her mother is supportive and how her brother is a jerk. They all have children- I'm currently into the fourth generation of this family. </p>
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<p>At each stage in the development of this narrative, I have spent long periods of time imagining these people and creating their worlds. This time last year, I was focused on the childhood of the main character's best friend. Two years ago, I was focused on his romance with his wife. Five years ago, my main area of interest was his work partner. Right now, I've brought back the sister. That's what I'm obsessing over right now.</p>
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<p>This is maladaptive daydreaming. It's not about the time spent in it- sometimes I spend hours. Other times, when I'm feeling better or I'm busy with more important things or I'm actually happy and engaged in real life- I'll just dip into the world for twenty minutes or so an add some new little feature or refine something that already happened. </p>
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<p>Do you see the difference?</p> I consider myself a "light" c…tag:wildminds.ning.com,2015-07-03:4661400:Comment:2097182015-07-03T13:00:11.196ZFlorishttps://wildminds.ning.com/profile/Floris
<p>I consider myself a "light" case, not so maladaptive, when given the right type of work and the right expectations on working tempo, when left alone enough, I can function. I got interested in MDD however since I recognized so many traits, I could check all the boxes. This is a problem for me with many "disorders" such as ADD or traits like HSP (not a disorder), because I recognize literally EVERYTHING in the description, then think I have it but later when talking with others that have the…</p>
<p>I consider myself a "light" case, not so maladaptive, when given the right type of work and the right expectations on working tempo, when left alone enough, I can function. I got interested in MDD however since I recognized so many traits, I could check all the boxes. This is a problem for me with many "disorders" such as ADD or traits like HSP (not a disorder), because I recognize literally EVERYTHING in the description, then think I have it but later when talking with others that have the condition, discover I am not like them entirely. Often there is a difference in the degree in which I have the condition and this is no rocket science, hard to find out, arbitrary to differentiate the haves from the have-nots.<br/><br/></p>
<p>Looking at the site description "are you MDD" I can check all of the boxes:</p>
<p>-I daydream more often than I think is normal. I find it extremely hard to quantify since it's just many short moments.<br/>-I’ve built up a character(s) that’s an idealized version of myself<br/>-I feel more empowered in my daydreams.<br/>-I can enjoy daydreaming better than the real world.<br/>-Not too often, but daydreaming has interfered with day-to-day activities, I've had concentration problems, taking way too much time for assignments.<br/>-I sometimes enact some movement, like pacing<br/>-I make facial expressions, talk, and/or act out daydreams sometimes.</p>
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<p>The problem is the site does not state how many hours per day should be spent on DD's...also I did not know that only if you fantasize stories all the time you are an MDD. I hardly make up stories, but fantasize many, many short scenes, stories seem to require a much longer attention span and my attention can quickly move on to something else, an ADD trait. The story structure does not seem to fit my needs as it requires a much more prolonged focus. Imagining music fits me more since it's a lot shorter.</p>
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<p>The site itself admits there is very little known about MDD. Now that there is a community apparantly there is a significant difference between me and. Possibly it goes beyond the degree of being a lighter/heavier "case". I am an INTP according to Myers-Briggs, seem to fall into the middle and to be a light case of SPD, HSP, MDD and ADD. But don't feel normal, or rather find it hard to understand the average person and what makes them tick, they seem to be bat shit insane at times and at other times mindless drones but know exactly when and how to switch between the two to be accepted at all times.</p>
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<p>You will have to forgive me for simply wanting to understand more about myself and share hopefully helpful insights I learned on my journey, even if I'm not the 100% fitting club member, text book MDD. I don't feel like an intruder however. I know that some need to quit MDD cold turkey, that it's pure escapism, but I would rather see people try to use their weakness as strength rather than banish it entirely. I can't see how moving from one extreme to the other can work out on the long term. If there's any key to happiness it seems to be finding the right balance.</p>
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<p>You emphasize storytelling that would be boring for others but is internally satisfying. Let's stay with writing. Isn't all story writing a way to fulfill personal needs? It's almost always internally driven. Professional writers of fiction are not just preoccupied pleasing the masses with what "scores". Sure, their works can be polished and made more accessible with the help of feedback. But many times you will recognize so many signs that a writer is preoccupied with her/his inner life and not necessarily in bad novels. And, even when maladaptive, isn't day dreaming, if you do it a whole lot, something you become more adept in, in the sense that these stories you invent would also get less cheesy? Just wondering.</p>
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<p>It's just that, what I seem to be reading a lot here, is that there is this idea to quit cold turkey with day dreaming to become "normal" and I find the concept horrid as it seems rather extreme. This is why I placed the discussion.</p> I agree with Emma's comments…tag:wildminds.ning.com,2015-07-03:4661400:Comment:2098192015-07-03T10:06:05.230ZAlta Mordenhttps://wildminds.ning.com/profile/AltaMorden
<p>I agree with Emma's comments above. I also believe that what you describe is not Maladaptive Daydreaming but rather daydreaming of the everyday sort used to develop creative projects of various kinds. MDD is exactly as she describes, it does not link back to the external world, it is wholly inner.</p>
<p>I agree with Emma's comments above. I also believe that what you describe is not Maladaptive Daydreaming but rather daydreaming of the everyday sort used to develop creative projects of various kinds. MDD is exactly as she describes, it does not link back to the external world, it is wholly inner.</p> I'm so surprised by your resp…tag:wildminds.ning.com,2015-07-03:4661400:Comment:2098182015-07-03T03:55:49.950ZEmmahttps://wildminds.ning.com/profile/Emma499
<p>I'm so surprised by your response that I looked through some of your other comments to see if you are new here, and I see that you are not. So I assume you know what MDD is and that I've just managed to get our conversation muddled. </p>
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<p>Sometimes I daydream about my own work or projects- that is very different than when I'm doing my MDD thing. Of course we all need to take time to step back and contemplate, imagine, turn things over in our minds. Sometimes this involves…</p>
<p>I'm so surprised by your response that I looked through some of your other comments to see if you are new here, and I see that you are not. So I assume you know what MDD is and that I've just managed to get our conversation muddled. </p>
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<p>Sometimes I daydream about my own work or projects- that is very different than when I'm doing my MDD thing. Of course we all need to take time to step back and contemplate, imagine, turn things over in our minds. Sometimes this involves daydreaming. I think this is already totally common and recognized behavior. </p>
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<p>If you do experience MDD in the way that most people here appear to, I wonder if you would elaborate on what you mean. Are you saying that you have a dream world and incorporate your real world innovations and thinking into it? Or are you saying that sometimes your dream world is what you dd about, and other times you just dd like most people do (which is what I do btw)? If you are blurring the two, then this is very interesting, and I'd like some more info about it. If you never daydreamed about a particular world/plot with particular characters etc, then what makes you feel that you are a maladaptive daydreamer in the first place?</p>
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<p> </p> Look, obviously "daydream" ca…tag:wildminds.ning.com,2015-07-03:4661400:Comment:2097172015-07-03T03:40:05.195ZEmmahttps://wildminds.ning.com/profile/Emma499
<p>Look, obviously "daydream" can mean a lot of things. But I think you are under the false impression that this is a community of people talking about any old sort of daydream. We are talking about <em>maladaptive daydreaming</em>, which is a specific thing that does not sound at all like what you describe yourself as doing. I mean, perhaps you have maladaptive daydreaming TOO as well as normal daydreaming? But the more I read what you are describing, I think you might be in the wrong…</p>
<p>Look, obviously "daydream" can mean a lot of things. But I think you are under the false impression that this is a community of people talking about any old sort of daydream. We are talking about <em>maladaptive daydreaming</em>, which is a specific thing that does not sound at all like what you describe yourself as doing. I mean, perhaps you have maladaptive daydreaming TOO as well as normal daydreaming? But the more I read what you are describing, I think you might be in the wrong place. Did you read the description of MDD at the front of the website? Or any of the member descriptions?</p>
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<p>There is a HUGE difference between long contemplation of a situation or problem and maladaptive daydreaming which is an elaborate story in your head. I'm surprised you would mix the two up. We are not talking about normal daydreaming here nor are we talking about someone thinking about efficient ways to problem-solve, etc. I know there is a colloquial use of the word "daydream" but obviously on this website, that is not what we are talking about. We are very definitely talking about fantasy- a personal adventure/romance fantasy. The components/content of the story change with individuals, but absolutely we are talking about people spending hours and hours at a time engaged in an elaborate fantasy with plots and characters- <em>that is what maladaptive daydreaming</em> <em>is</em>. You return to the same world and same story at different points- with the same characters and play it out as if it were a movie. I don't mean to suggest that every person's daydream world is fantastical- my own is very definitely rooted in real world physical laws- but plenty of others' include magic, etc. But all of us have characters with lives and relationships and plots - some daydream about made up people, others about real people in made up situations- but in all cases, we are returning to on-going plots in worlds in our heads that are inhabited by characters that we imagine very carefully and get to know very well. <em>It is a fantasy</em>- a story that is not real but that is detailed and includes imagined characters and events. If you are thinking of innovations or inventions or many different things or your daydreams are not related to one another intricately like this with an on-going continuation of people and events in a story, then you are not experiencing maladaptive daydreaming.</p>
<p><br/>My hunch is that you must not do this yourself or else you'd know there is a huge difference between that and someone who just spends a lot of time lost in his/her own thoughts thinking about things. I'm sure someone could daydream about an inventor and include those inventions in their daydreams, but it seems a rather roundabout and uncommon and inefficient way to get to a conclusion like that. Also, many people in this forum have described their daydreams, and granted that I have not read ALL of them, but every single one of them that I have read has been some sort of drama/romance/adventure/scifi fantasy story. </p>
<p><br/> <cite>Floris said:</cite></p>
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<div class="xg_user_generated"><blockquote><p>I don't know how daydreamers can help with this any more or less than any other group of people. When I look for guidance to inform my own life choices, I find plenty of great advice and practices. None of them have anything to do with daydreaming. What is it you think daydreamers can help with and how do you think they can help?</p>
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<p>I find myself in a bit of a definition problem, but it suffices to say that I make a broad interpretation of Day Dreaming.</p>
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<p>Great music, writing or other art can also, slightly, improve quality of life, but I was thinking of inventions that would increase quality of life and decrease drudgery with much more impact.While many non-MDD's take things more for granted and accept the world as it is, Day Dreamers can contemplate much more on how things could be different, better, more efficient and could be important innovators, learning the right skill and focus. It's a proven fact that technology has greatly improved wealth, so can inventing new ways of doing things. Day Dreaming can be more abstract than having our your own Romance/Adventure Fantasy, Einstein was a famous day dreamer.</p>
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<blockquote><p> I just repeatedly used story-telling forms as an example because it's the only creative field that I can think of that would have any relevance whatsoever to MDD, and even in that field, I think it is probably more of a hindrance than an aide since the daydreamer is in the habit of creating stories and characters that serve his/her own emotional needs or fantasy preferences without any need to think of story telling skills or how to present the story to others in a way that gets a certain effect. I can't see how it could relate to any other creative pursuit whatsoever. Can you?</p>
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<p>I most certainly can. Day dreaming for me personally can also mean day dreaming music that I'm making up as I go. It can mean thinking about how a certain theme would translate into a card game. It can also mean having imaginary conversations that I definitely could have in the near future, preparing myself mentally. These may not match with how you perceive day dreaming. In a rigid sense any type of dreaming could be mostly seen as if you're looking at a movie in which you're the main character that's constantly seen in first person. But my dreams can be much weirder (or much more mundane) than any movie or more abstract. And being quite a thinking person, Day Dreaming seems to be merely a component of all that happens in my brain, imagining how things could be, finding answers to many "what if" questions, running many possible scenario's rather than stories to be told, possibly hand in hand with logical thought.</p>
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<p>All in all not all day dreaming would merely serve one's own pleasure, in a form of mental masturbation. Particularly in times of crisis, innovation is of the essence. I hope that many day dreamers will find out how their weakness also is a strength. It's taken me quite some time to solve my own puzzle but the key was found in combining many different creative things (by creating tablet games) as an independent.</p>
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