Random Questions

[Cordellia Amethyste Rose]

I keep having random questions that I'm not sure will necessarily fit in anywhere.  How about lumping them here?  I'll start.

My current fantasy world has been around for about 20 years, and I still relive scenarios as old as 17 years.  Weird, right?  How long do you relive your scenarios?  Ever relive some from waaaaaay far back like that?  I can never remember them exactly, so they change as I grow, but overall it's the exact same thing that gets relived.  Anyone else have a take on this?  

[Cordellia Amethyste Rose]

Do you get physical symptoms?
I'm not talking about sensory issues. In this case I'm talking about purely physical symptoms that happen directly after or around daydreaming.

I get really strong physical symptoms when I've been daydreaming any more than a little bit without getting some strong external stimuli.
The main ones are headache, strange/sick feeling particularly in the head, and really strong dizziness. This gets worse the more I daydream & can last indefinitely until I'm really able to get out of my head a significant amount. My daydreaming has been really bad lately, and I've been dizzy and sick all day. I directly relate it to my disconnection to my environment as it's very similar to when I've been walking around with headphones too much. I think I remember reading that balance is directly related to hearing, and this makes sense. When I haven't been able to hear & feel connected to my surroundings, I lose my bearings completely & have to walk very slowly & carefully. I've never actually fainted, and nothing has ever been shown to be physically wrong with me. I know this is related to daydreaming as it coincides very closely.

Anyone else feel any kind of physical symptoms?

[Magenta]

Whenever I think about what happens to me physically during a daydream, I remember a study I read years ago on Love Addiction. Before I discovered the concept of Maladaptive Daydreaming, I thought I fell into the category of a being a "Love Addict" since my daydreams revolve around my romantic attachments. This proved not to be the case however, since not much else of the criteria applied to me. There was one thing that stuck out to me as being a perfect descriptor. According to the literature, a Love Addict is, among other things, someone that can become addicted to the "euphoric effects of romance". This is exactly what I experience when I daydream. One of the participants in the study stated that she felt like she was actually "getting high" when she relived particularly good fantasies. The potent high could last for several hours following the revisiting. I will go back to past daydreams and replay them over and over if I found them pleasing. Some of the daydreams I relive are over five years old, but nothing beyond that.

I don't have any negative physical side effects from my daydreaming at the moment.

[Heinriech Heisner]

Many my daydreams are similar to past ones, but they differ in many ways too. I don't usually have physical aliments associated with them, though what Magenta was talking about euphoric moments, I do tend to relive a particular moment in the story over and over just so I can relive the emotions that were playing out at that time. Otherwise, the only other thing that happens is that once in great long while I will be so into a story for many days that when it finally ends I feel dazed and confused in real life because it feels like I've been gone a really long time.

[Kathleen Taylor]

Yes, mine are all pretty much the same since I was in my 20's or late teens. They just get new names and faces, but the basic scenario has always been the same. Sort of like watching Lifetime network -- can't they think of a new plot??

[Lisa Wiggins]

I have scenarios that I've used over and over again. It all depends on how I am feeling. Sometimes I relive the same fantasies for weeks, and some for only a few days.

Do you guys notice any emotional problems? I've noticed lately that sometimes I just get so frustrated about being stuck in this world and not in one of my fantasy world that I just cry, sometimes for hours. It's a hollow kind of hurt. And I do get headaches not long after either.

[Cordellia Amethyste Rose]

Aside from being a complete instable emotional basket case..........no problems. Lol.

I'm so hollow & disconnected to the outside world that I don't know how to match emotions to outside world events. I don't know when to be happy, sad, or angry, and often I don't pick up on it 'til much later. By then I feel almost fooled & then become resentful, though there's no real reason to be. I'm not effectively moved by real people & the real world. I just walk around dazed, disconnected, and completely bitter. Anger has been my default emotion for everything........maybe because it's the only emotion that forces you into some sort of action or reaction. I'm not sure if that's why. I'm so dazed that I forget my reasoning & make up new ones as I go along. Physically, I'm very emotional. I don't remember the last time I've walked out of any office without getting angry & crying. I can't help it. I start completely blubbering, and once I start I can't stop. Then people talk down to me, and then I really lose it. Heaven help them. I'm starting to avoid meetings at school at all cost now. It's really best for all involved if I don't try to have a conversation with people. We don't communicate, and at some point they always start talking to me really really slowly. I know I'm different. However, talking SLOWER & giving me LESS information is not the way to help. It'll just get your head chewed off. Ugh. I don't lie, and I don't hide it anymore. It's already quite apparent that I'm different. May as well educate them. They'll never learn otherwise. People don't understand that different isn't defective. May take a few basket cases to teach them.

Lisa Wiggins said:

I have scenarios that I've used over and over again. It all depends on how I am feeling. Sometimes I relive the same fantasies for weeks, and some for only a few days.

Do you guys notice any emotional problems? I've noticed lately that sometimes I just get so frustrated about being stuck in this world and not in one of my fantasy world that I just cry, sometimes for hours. It's a hollow kind of hurt. And I do get headaches not long after either.

[Lisa Wiggins]

I'm very delayed emotionally as well. Things don't seem to sink in as quick. I don't really get angry it's just all frustration and then tears.
Alot of my fantasies revolve around characters in favorite books or movies or tv and I've noticed if something terrible happens to them, that sometimes I'm more upset about that then if it were to happen someone in the real world. It's kind of disheartening, but I'm glad to know I'm not alone.

Cordellia Amethyste Rose said:

Aside from being a complete instable emotional basket case..........no problems. Lol.

I'm so hollow & disconnected to the outside world that I don't know how to match emotions to outside world events. I don't know when to be happy, sad, or angry, and often I don't pick up on it 'til much later. By then I feel almost fooled & then become resentful, though there's no real reason to be. I'm not effectively moved by real people & the real world. I just walk around dazed, disconnected, and completely bitter. Anger has been my default emotion for everything........maybe because it's the only emotion that forces you into some sort of action or reaction. I'm not sure if that's why. I'm so dazed that I forget my reasoning & make up new ones as I go along. Physically, I'm very emotional. I don't remember the last time I've walked out of any office without getting angry & crying. I can't help it. I start completely blubbering, and once I start I can't stop. Then people talk down to me, and then I really lose it. Heaven help them. I'm starting to avoid meetings at school at all cost now. It's really best for all involved if I don't try to have a conversation with people. We don't communicate, and at some point they always start talking to me really really slowly. I know I'm different. However, talking SLOWER & giving me LESS information is not the way to help. It'll just get your head chewed off. Ugh. I don't lie, and I don't hide it anymore. It's already quite apparent that I'm different. May as well educate them. They'll never learn otherwise. People don't understand that different isn't defective. May take a few basket cases to teach them.

Lisa Wiggins said:

I have scenarios that I've used over and over again. It all depends on how I am feeling. Sometimes I relive the same fantasies for weeks, and some for only a few days.

Do you guys notice any emotional problems? I've noticed lately that sometimes I just get so frustrated about being stuck in this world and not in one of my fantasy world that I just cry, sometimes for hours. It's a hollow kind of hurt. And I do get headaches not long after either.

[Tina]

My scenarios and characters change depending on my mood or if I'm watching television/movie or reading a book. They are definitely not the same as when I first started the continuous daydreaming since my interests have changed since my days in elementary school. Now though I know that I definitely revisit storylines, but they get altered each time even if it's not by much. And as for physical symptoms I have caught myself laughing out loud or saying a word and sometimes I even cry.

[natasha edwards]

i do that all the time if I'm in the car with my family i will laugh or smile and my family will be like what so funny i have never talked to them about this so i just say i remembered something ...

Christina said:

My scenarios and characters change depending on my mood or if I'm watching television/movie or reading a book. They are definitely not the same as when I first started the continuous daydreaming since my interests have changed since my days in elementary school. Now though I know that I definitely revisit storylines, but they get altered each time even if it's not by much. And as for physical symptoms I have caught myself laughing out loud or saying a word and sometimes I even cry.

[Cordellia Amethyste Rose]

I catch myself smirking in the streets as I walk around. So embarrassing! I can't walk for a minute without zoning out............and apparently my characters are hilarious, darn it.

natasha edwards said:

i do that all the time if I'm in the car with my family i will laugh or smile and my family will be like what so funny i have never talked to them about this so i just say i remembered something ...

Christina said:

My scenarios and characters change depending on my mood or if I'm watching television/movie or reading a book. They are definitely not the same as when I first started the continuous daydreaming since my interests have changed since my days in elementary school. Now though I know that I definitely revisit storylines, but they get altered each time even if it's not by much. And as for physical symptoms I have caught myself laughing out loud or saying a word and sometimes I even cry.

[Tina]

I haven't spoken to my family about it either, although my mom sees that I zone out. She'll ask me what's the matter and I'll just tell her nothing. I'm glad though at least I'm catching myself doing it now, and I keep telling myself to stop. Today I stayed away from listening to music which triggers it the most, and I didn't daydream as much as I usually do. Hopefully, it will keep getting better.

Cordellia Amethyste Rose said:

I catch myself smirking in the streets as I walk around. So embarrassing! I can't walk for a minute without zoning out............and apparently my characters are hilarious, darn it.

natasha edwards said:

i do that all the time if I'm in the car with my family i will laugh or smile and my family will be like what so funny i have never talked to them about this so i just say i remembered something ...

Christina said:

My scenarios and characters change depending on my mood or if I'm watching television/movie or reading a book. They are definitely not the same as when I first started the continuous daydreaming since my interests have changed since my days in elementary school. Now though I know that I definitely revisit storylines, but they get altered each time even if it's not by much. And as for physical symptoms I have caught myself laughing out loud or saying a word and sometimes I even cry.

[H89]

Cordellia I tend to forget my old fantasies too. I also have trouble remembering my characters LAST names(never the first names lol I don't know what that's about). So I tend to make up new last names when I forget the past name. Sometimes I will change my characters first names on purpose though. Anyways my current fantasy( me being a producer and actress on a TV show about Depression era con artists) has been around for about 4 years now. I have the same problem some of you do with the laughing out loud and at times even crying. My mom knows all about my fantasies so she just gives me kind of a annoyed look and that's it(we live together). When I do the laughing and crying thing in public though it's really embarrassing.