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Maladaptive Daydreaming: where wild minds come to rest

Hyper-empathetic daydreams

Hyper-empathetic people feel what they see happen to others. This may explain my negative daydreams. I have noticed if I look at the story line or theme of them, I can usually go back to a news story or book or something invovling the mistreatment of women that lines up with it. I try to avoid these news stories but they are everywhere. People post photos of battered women on facebook, stories in national geo about forced marriages, rapes, women losing rights all over the world. Then these things play out in my DDs, with me feeling the emotional pain. I wish there was a way to desentasize myself. I'm so tired of the depression, the tears.

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Comment by Elizabeth Moore on April 16, 2013 at 1:10pm: This is interesting - I really thought there might be a link between being highly empathetic and having negative daydreams, I always thought it was quite strange that I daydreamed about things I would scarcely be able watch even if the violence was only suggested on TV or in a film. It did occur to me that if we DD about the things which concern us, people more concerned by what they hear on the news might DD about it more, but it seemed to more often people who have had traumatic experiences rather than hyper-empathetic people

Comment by greyartist on April 15, 2013 at 6:18pm: it's like our deepest fears are playing out in our minds and we're forced to watch. I wish I could DD about happy things.

Comment by KwanKwan on April 15, 2013 at 4:37pm: i have empathetic negative daydreams too. Some of mine involve bullying and rape. I thinks its brought on by what i see on the news.

I even have terrorist type daydreams where it's like up to me to save the world (embarassing i know).

Most of my daydreams are negative though and i end up feeling really sad.

Comment by taffle on April 15, 2013 at 8:00am: I also have hyper-empathetic daydreams about abused women. I get so attached to my characters that I feel what they feel. Sometimes I cry for them. These negative daydreams become more prominent when I go through harassment and other negative experiences. When I wasn't able to grieve in real life, I grieve in my daydreams. Having these daydreams once in a while doesn't hurt, right?