is it possible to overcome maladaptive daydreaming?

[Ola]

i daydream since i was a kid and I don’t actually remember when it all started and I want to ask people who overcome maladaptive daydreaming how did you do this? and can you say that you overcome this in 100%? Like is it even possible to live a normal live and stop daydreaming all the time? Beacause I feel like it influence my everyday life, I can’t focus on school, my exams, my work and i wonder if I ever will have a normal life without wasting my time on daydreaming and will it help if I go to the therapist even when maladaptive daydreaming is not officially a psychology disorder and there is no specific treatment??

[Valeria Franco]

Actually, I did.

Shortly after I found out about this place and I started to take action and commit myself to spread the knowledge of MD, it... sort of disappeared. I also worked on myself, making changes in my life and mind. I was trapped in life didn't understand, which had disappointed me.

So I pushed to make it more interesting, making mistakes or doing sometimes weird things, but it saved me.

I don't know if dreams are gone forever, but now it has been something like 4 years that I'm free. I daydream sometimes, but it is substantially different than before.

I think we shall not "cure dreams", we should "cure life".

[Andy Mebbins]

I hypothesise that psilocybin might just be the antidote we need.

[Ola]

Thank you all for responding. It’s really very helpful.

[Gabby]

I'm a long way from being in control of my MDD, but what sometimes helps me is to set aside time for it. Maybe an hour before bed and a couple hours on the weekend. You can just daydream, or mix it with an activity that doesn't require too much concentration, like cleaning. That can sometimes help me to cope with doing real life things, knowing that I have planned for it. Makes me feel less guilty. I have OCD, and I only have peace in my head when I'm totally engrossed in something, be it a daydream or something else I'm doing like reading a book (depends on topic) or gardening. This is probably really hard to do with study, but if you can find a way to completely absorb yourself in a topic, that might just help.

[Sandra Danczyk]

Im daydreaming since I was 3 to 4 years . For me it was always about stability and being in control. I really enjoy to escape from reality & wasn't planning to do something about is. Just learn to use it. But... now that Im 26 I know that was a mistake, I pissed out on so many stuff and memories. There is like a year from my life I just don't remember, offcourse there are some small details, but I wasn't there, not mentally. So Im going to a psychologist and in february to a psychiatrist, maybe medication will help but Im more scared that this will destroy my fantasyworlds. Maybe its also time, because I dont want to lose anymore of my life. Now Im going through withdrawal, like I stopped using drugs.

[Kayla L]

Identify why you daydream - what are you trying to run away from?

Here are some of the things that make me run away to daydreamland:

• loneliness
• perfectionist expectations (when I have to do something I'm not good at)
• family problems that I can't fix

Once you're able to figure out what aspects of reality you're running away from, it makes you more conscious of when you're about to daydream. (for example, once I see that I have a lab write-up coming up (and I'm really bad at scientific writing), I sort of predict that Im in a daydream-prone mode and prepare accordingly).

When you've figured out that you're in a situation that makes you more prone to daydreams, here are some tips:

• avoid daydream-inducing music or media (e.g. love songs, the OST of your fave film, overhearing your family's TV in your study area)
• wear something uncomfortable (it helps pull your attention to reality)
• try not to study in bed or on the floor

That's my two cents, hope it helps!