Fantasy Worlds

[Cordellia Amethyste Rose]

Have you been living in a fantasy world? Tell me about it.

[FudgeCake]

Actually, I'd there are a few things I'd like to know. How can I participate in this study? Is it too late to do that? Also, what does participating in the study actually involve? Thanks.


Cordellia Amethyste Rose said:

Hi FudgeCake,
This site is for anyone who want to talk, whether they have this or not. Since it hasn't officially been recognized by the Psychological community and is only in its beginning stages of development, there is no concrete criteria for diagnosis. If you'd like to see some preliminary findings, you can look here http://www.scribd.com/doc/20700187/Daydreamers-Anonymous-Prelim-Fin...
Only you can say for sure whether or not it's a problem. The fact that you characterize it as an addiction & spend so much time doing it make me think that you have this "condition". With most things there's a continuum from normal to problematic. One day we may draw lines on it to guide us, but I think there will always be a big grey area between healthy and not. Like wine: Some people can drink on occasion & be just fine. For others it can be a problem & that's not just based on how much you do it. A lot of factors will help you decide if it's too much.
We're still working on understanding this, so feel free to come back & share. Every new perspective is helpful & can teach us. It's also a safe place to go where you can talk freely & no one will think you're weird or judge you. Let me know if you need anything else.



FudgeCake said:

Hey. I'm new to this website so I'm not really sure how this all works. But, I'm 16 and I'd like to find out a bit more about this.

I live in about 4 different fantasy worlds. I've always thought that it was normal. I'm not sure whether I actually have this maladaptive daydreaming thing or not. Two of my fantasy worlds are based on real life people and the other two are based on my two favourite TV shows. I tend to visit my fantasy worlds most at night because I'm alone and there's nobody there to disturb me. However, because I do this, my sleeping pattern is now all wrong. I'll go to bed at about 11 o'clock at night but because I'm alone, I'll visit one of my fantasy worlds. When I do this, time seems to fly by and before I know it, it's about 5 or 6 in the morning. Then I'll sort of, pause the life I'm living in my fantasy world. It's kind of like a never ending DVD that I can just pause, play, rewind or fast forward whenever I want. I'll then go to sleep and then I usually wake up at about 2 o'clock in the afternoon. I hate waking up that late. When I wake up, I always go back to one of my fantasy worlds. It's usually the one I was in the night before. Then, before I know it, my mum's home and it's almost dinner time. When I'm watching TV I will either go to one of my 4 fantasy worlds or I'll imagine myself as one of the characters on the TV show that I'm watching. I'll then start making story lines for them to make their life really interesting. My character is usually always related to one of the other character in the TV show. I’ll either be someone’s daughter or sister. Then, after all that, it's about 11 o'clock again and I haven't done anything all day except day dream. It's like a weird cycle that I can't, and don't want to, get out of.

I was wondering, is this like normal day dreaming? Or is it maladaptive daydreaming? I'm really not sure but I can't stop. It's like an addiction.

I'd just like to say something about one of the fantasy worlds I have because it’s been annoying me for a while (However, this is my favourite fantasy world). It's based on my favourite TV show and because I love the show, I've become slightly obsessed. I have the box set of this show on DVD and I always watch a few episodes before bed (at about 11 o'clock at night) and then I'll also watch a few episodes on my ipod. However, when I'm watching these episodes, it's like I'm not actually watching them. I'm in the fantasy world based on this TV show. It's like watching this show every night is like fuel to keep me daydreaming about it and to make it really clear in my mind. Again, is this normal?

Thanks.

[Cordellia Amethyste Rose]

Hi Guys,
Sorry I haven't responded as much lately. I've had exams & it's been a huge struggle to study. I've also been really groggy. I read all your posts & emails, even if I don't respond right away.
Fudgecake, the study is ongoing, and I'm sure Cynthia will be glad for more participants & perspectives. All it entails is answering a questionnaire. She's gathering and writing up all the info & will publish it in a paper, much like you read. Every new perspective helps, and it also helps her figure out what questions will be relevant to ask in the future. If you, or anyone, wants to participate, you can email her at [e-mail]. If you'd rather I give her your email address, let me know. I will NOT give out any email addresses or personal info without you telling me to. I'm just giving you that option in case you're too shy to reach out, as some are. Talking about this is a huge step for all of us. I'm glad we're doing it.
Also, if any of you have thought about discussing this with your friends & family but don't know where to begin, you can send them here. I think one person mentioned this idea a while back on another forum, and I think it's a good one. It's a way of sharing your feelings while also letting them know that you're not alone. There are lots of people dealing with this in one way or another. You don't have to have this condition to join & discuss. This forum is open to everyone. They can even ask me questions personally.
Ok, my cat Grendel (the big black one) is whining his little head off. I'd better stop & snuggle him again. He's so needy. Talk to you all later.

Cordellia

[Cordellia Amethyste Rose]

FYI, I just got an email from Cynthia, and she confirmed that she's still interested in having more participants in the study. The more info we get the better. We want the world to realize that there are many of us out there. More information gives us more credibility too. Thanks again to all who've volunteered.

[Sarah]

Hi Guys,

This is amazing. I'm so overjoyed to find this place! The internet's so big that when you fail to find anyone like yourself out there you start to worry. But here you all are!

I started daydreaming a lot around the age of 7 and have lived in 2 main fantasy worlds (the first for about 4 years, the current one for about ... oh my god: 15 YEARS and counting, with a sort of intermediary one in between that was around for 6 months or so). Aside from the fantasy worlds in which there are around 4 or 5 main characters and countless 'extras' I also have fantasies about myself in worlds both real and imagined. In the fantasy worlds I take on the role of one or more of the main characters, and act out scenarios, sometimes as one-offs, sometimes over and over, refining them.

At any given time, I'll identify very strongly with one or two of the characters who happen to come to the fore and take most of the storylines. I hadn't noticed this until recently. It's interesting to see the pattern in the prime characters. I like to think it means I'm changing or growing in some way. Maybe one day I'll graduate to some character who is able to head out into the real world and connect with actual human beings!

A year or so ago I made a first attempt to see if anyone else experienced this. The best I could find was a single Q&A web page where people talked about being a grown up with imaginary friends. I suppose you could describe them that way, but that's not how I see them. They don't interact with ME, just each other. They're imaginary, but not friends, except with each other.

The stigma of being seen to be an adult with 'imaginary friends' has made this the very deepest, darkest secret I have. I've told a handful of other people - nurses, therapists, (strangers on forums! ) - about other things I wouldn't feel comfortable speaking to friends or family about, but never this. The closest I came was in the final session of a recent course of therapy. I'd determined to tell the therapist about the other worlds but, predictably, chickened-out. Then for some reason she happened to ask: "Do you daydream much?" So I took my chance: "Oh, I'd say I daydream MOST OF THE TIME." I didn't tell her much about it (I once tried to tell my mum about the other worlds when I was about 9 ... physically couldn't... the corners of my mouth distorted so much that I just couldn't form words). The therapist suggested I "learn to connect with" myself and recommended some book on "mindfulness".

I've emailed Cynthia to ask about her study. Assuming there's no face-to-face involved hopefully I'll be able to be very open and honest about it all.

Anyway, that's a hell of a post and it's just the very basics. If you made it this far, well done!

Again: SO happy to have found you.

Sarah x

[Beck Choong]

Hi everyone,I'm from Malaysia.Thank you Cordellia for creating this page.Finally I had found people who are like me and know that I'm not alone.

I'm 23,and I have been daydreaming for more than ten years now.Actually,I am not sure whether I should call it daydreaming or imagination.At first,my daydreaming are about myself.I imagine myself being success in my study/work.But now,my daydreaming was about tv characters.I have only one character in my fantasy,and the character may change from time to time,but it's always a girl.It's like,I use her as a avantar to live in the world of fantasy.

I have depression,OCD and some anxiety.Maybe I have social phobia too.It seems to me that mental disorder often come in package. For many years now,I have been avoiding people.I don't have friend at all.I don't know whether my daydreaming causes my withdrawn,or my withdrawn causes my daydreaming.I never seen any doctor and therapist because 1) I can't afford it. 2) I don't think they can help. 3) I'm not suicidal,and my symtoms do not affect my life.I can remain aware when studying or doing other things,like writing,watching tv,etc.But I have to admit that I prefer to live in my fantasy world.In there, live happens as we wish and we have full control.I totally believe that imagination is a kind of projection.There's too many problems and imperfect in our lives,so we choose to avoid the reality and choose to live in the fantasy.

Do you guys agree with me?Can you think of any problems or trauma in your childhood that can lead to your daydreaming?

[sky]

JUST FILLED IN MY STUDY THAT CYNTHIA SENT ME IF ANYONE FINDS OUT ANY MORE INFORMATION ON HER WORK AFTER THIS STUDY BEFORE ME PLEASE COULD YOU PUT UP THE LINK ON HERE CAUSE IM DYING TO FIND OUT MORE AND KEEP UP TO DATE ON ALL THE DEVELOPMENTS!!

[Cordellia Amethyste Rose]

She's working hard, but this could be a long, slow process. Thanks for helping! She actually has a profile now, so either she or I will post some sort of update when it's available. The more people we have, the more thorough the study, so this is good! :)

sky said:

JUST FILLED IN MY STUDY THAT CYNTHIA SENT ME IF ANYONE FINDS OUT ANY MORE INFORMATION ON HER WORK AFTER THIS STUDY BEFORE ME PLEASE COULD YOU PUT UP THE LINK ON HERE CAUSE IM DYING TO FIND OUT MORE AND KEEP UP TO DATE ON ALL THE DEVELOPMENTS!!

[Heinriech Heisner]

This is exciting. I just fell upon this site last week as I was delving into the possibility of projecting my imaginative world into the real world through the use of hallucinations. I don't know if that's possible as I've never actually hallucinated before, but I've been wondering how capable we are of manipulating our brains to create new sensations and perspectives of the world...

Let me back up. As I've been reading through some of the posts and comments on here, I've been surprised at how familiar everything sounds. To just stumble upon a congregated group of people that have been experiencing the same thing as I have for most of their lives is amazing. I find it facinating though that a lot of you have actually created alternate worlds that you continuously go to and have developed specific characters. I usually invent a much shallower storyline that lacks a lot of details because my mind races through them like an action movie. I usually create something new on a daily basis, although the settings are often similar. I've had a hard time creating realities that defies the laws of the real world. Everything I imagine has to have some sort of base in reality.

I've often used my imaginative worlds to simulate events that I couldn't experience in the real world. That has allowed me to feel what I imagine others are feeling, and has maybe unfortunetely caused me to become insensitive to those experiences in the real world. I think I've become addicted to the chemicals my brain and body produce when I'm experiencing something tramatic or intense in my mind. It's usually not a problem for me. I don't think anyone has really noticed my daydreaming becaue I do it while I'm doing other things like work. Though I do have to admit that sometimes the stories are so intense that when I finish with them it feels like I've been away from my real life for a very long time and I am sometimes bewildered or confused (kind of like waking from an intense dream). I do find myself thinking quite a bit rather than doing though. And I've developed a dislike for much of how the real world functions. This has forced me to take an alternate path from most people. I think on a much deeper level than most and personally I wouldn't want to trade that...most of the time. Sometimes it's too much and I wonder what it is like to not live like this.

You'll have to excuse me. I'm far more talkative through writing than in person and if I don't hold back right now, I might end up writing a novel.

I look forward to discussing more about this and hearing what others have to say. Also, how do I get in contact with this Cynthia I've been hearing about?

Thanks,
Heinriech

[Cordellia Amethyste Rose]

Hi there. Sorry if this is short. I've been at Saturday Market all day.
As for hallucinations: I've never tried it, but I suspect it's possible. I, for one, am afraid of hallucinations. My fantasy world (it's been one main one for over 20 years) has been so real & encompassing that I've always had a fear I'd go crazy & lose what little grip I had on reality. I've had a lot of insomnia problems over the years and one of the side-effects is in-between states where you're partially asleep and partially awake. Usually I'm mostly one or the other, so it's uncomfortable but not disturbing. I did have a few episodes where I was stuck halfway in between, and that really was scary because I couldn't tell if I was awake or not. I was sitting up looking around me & trying to decide if I was in my room or at the store, where my dream was. It felt like hours before I finally figured out I should lay down & go to sleep. I've also had some problems with marijuana in the past, and that would make me so paranoid I'd almost hallucinate. Lately I've been dreaming about my fantasy characters at times. While none of these are hallucinations per se, they're close enough to make it seem very possible. I'm still not sure why you'd want to though. Aren't you worried you'll lose grip on reality? You may not. It's just a fear of mine.

As for Cynthia, she has a profile here, but I don't know if she checks it very often. Your best bet is to email her at [e-mail] She's still accepting study participants for those who are interested.

Hope this helps. Have a good night.

Cordellia



Heinriech Heisner said:

This is exciting. I just fell upon this site last week as I was delving into the possibility of projecting my imaginative world into the real world through the use of hallucinations. I don't know if that's possible as I've never actually hallucinated before, but I've been wondering how capable we are of manipulating our brains to create new sensations and perspectives of the world...

Let me back up. As I've been reading through some of the posts and comments on here, I've been surprised at how familiar everything sounds. To just stumble upon a congregated group of people that have been experiencing the same thing as I have for most of their lives is amazing. I find it facinating though that a lot of you have actually created alternate worlds that you continuously go to and have developed specific characters. I usually invent a much shallower storyline that lacks a lot of details because my mind races through them like an action movie. I usually create something new on a daily basis, although the settings are often similar. I've had a hard time creating realities that defies the laws of the real world. Everything I imagine has to have some sort of base in reality.

I've often used my imaginative worlds to simulate events that I couldn't experience in the real world. That has allowed me to feel what I imagine others are feeling, and has maybe unfortunetely caused me to become insensitive to those experiences in the real world. I think I've become addicted to the chemicals my brain and body produce when I'm experiencing something tramatic or intense in my mind. It's usually not a problem for me. I don't think anyone has really noticed my daydreaming becaue I do it while I'm doing other things like work. Though I do have to admit that sometimes the stories are so intense that when I finish with them it feels like I've been away from my real life for a very long time and I am sometimes bewildered or confused (kind of like waking from an intense dream). I do find myself thinking quite a bit rather than doing though. And I've developed a dislike for much of how the real world functions. This has forced me to take an alternate path from most people. I think on a much deeper level than most and personally I wouldn't want to trade that...most of the time. Sometimes it's too much and I wonder what it is like to not live like this.

You'll have to excuse me. I'm far more talkative through writing than in person and if I don't hold back right now, I might end up writing a novel.

I look forward to discussing more about this and hearing what others have to say. Also, how do I get in contact with this Cynthia I've been hearing about?

Thanks,
Heinriech

[Heinriech Heisner]

Hey Cordellia,
Yes, you are right. I have thought about the possibility that if I was not in control of the hullicinations, whether or not I would know what was real or not. I do have an interest however at what my brain is capable of. I've used alcohol to increase my awareness of thought. I'll plan to drink enough where most people get goofy, but not to get sick. I did that once and that wasn't fun. But my only goal in drinking like that is to fight the alcohol. I can do it fairly well now. I mean, I have my physical limitations. My body functions differently with a foreign substance in it, but I'm impressed by how well I can fight it. It's hard. It takes a lot of energy, but it makes me stronger each time.

I got high once and it wasn't by choice. My friends were smoking around me and I guess I caught wiff of it. We were at a night club and it felt like I was dreaming. No hallucinations. I just sat quietly and tried to fight it. I had a very hard time keeping attention and it ruined the night for me. But I want to recreate that experience in a controlled setting. It would be one thing to be able to oontrol it; it would be another to teach my brain how to do it by itself...The real goal here isn't necessarlily to project my fantasy into the real world though. I dream of being able to perceive the world in new ways, much like if I was able to connect a computer to my brain and enter into a VR world. I could take snap shots and store them away for later. Write notes I could visably see. Create projections of people and places. Memories could be in HD 3D, so to say. It's a little crazy and it is a fantasy of mine, but I like my imagination to be somewhat rooted in the real world. If it's possible, cool; if not, it's a fun dream to imagine about.

Thanks for Cynthia's email, I just sent her one.
Night,
Heinriech

Cordellia Amethyste Rose said:

Hi there. Sorry if this is short. I've been at Saturday Market all day.
As for hallucinations: I've never tried it, but I suspect it's possible. I, for one, am afraid of hallucinations. My fantasy world (it's been one main one for over 20 years) has been so real & encompassing that I've always had a fear I'd go crazy & lose what little grip I had on reality. I've had a lot of insomnia problems over the years and one of the side-effects is in-between states where you're partially asleep and partially awake. Usually I'm mostly one or the other, so it's uncomfortable but not disturbing. I did have a few episodes where I was stuck halfway in between, and that really was scary because I couldn't tell if I was awake or not. I was sitting up looking around me & trying to decide if I was in my room or at the store, where my dream was. It felt like hours before I finally figured out I should lay down & go to sleep. I've also had some problems with marijuana in the past, and that would make me so paranoid I'd almost hallucinate. Lately I've been dreaming about my fantasy characters at times. While none of these are hallucinations per se, they're close enough to make it seem very possible. I'm still not sure why you'd want to though. Aren't you worried you'll lose grip on reality? You may not. It's just a fear of mine.

[Katherine]

Hi,
Im 16 so I am pretty young and I'm not sure whether I will still grow out of this or not. I started daydreaming ever since I can remember. I would always just fold my hands together and just stand/sit in one place and think really hard (daydream). At first, people called me out on it but I just thought it was normal. The characters are usually based on a tv show, movie, or a celebrity. However, sometimes I become someone in my life that I admire or I guess envy their life/attitude. But, I usually change bits and pieces so my fantasy world is different that their real world. I don't daydream all the time because sometimes it actually hurts my head, but recently I have picked it up again. I used to do it a lot during middle school ( I didn't really talk or have friends besides one close one who went to a different school) and then when I got to highschool and found people to talk and hang out with, I did it less and less. But I never quite forgot my fantasies. I think I have picked it up recently because now for some reason, I am feeling more like I did with middle school because some of my friends have drifted away. So now, I basically just concentrate on school and family. I find myself really involved with school, especially humanities. I feel like the authors were reading is like an outlet in some way. However, it is a problem when my daydreaming interferes with my work (doing that right now) So I don't know if I have this condition or not, but it is good to know other people do this too. Before I found this I thought that I should just get all my thoughts out so I started a blog. That did not work out well because I just got wound up in myself and ended up contradicting my thoughts and it really just made me more confused about who I am.

Ok! Thanks!
K

[Cordellia Amethyste Rose]

I can't write everything. Sheesh. Lol. J/k. Those are good resources.

Adriene said:

Hey, Katherine. You sound a lot like me (and a lot of other people on this site). One thing that stuck out to me is the basing your daydreams on tv shows, movies, books, etc. I notice that a lot of other people daydream about their own lives but my daydreams are often about made up characters (but I still daydream about my own life too).

You should check out these websites, if you haven't already. They give you a lot more information. Just remember that we are all just now learning about this.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/9089146/Excessive-daydreaming-A-case-hist...

http://www.scribd.com/doc/20700187/Daydreamers-Anonymous-Prelim-Fin...

http://daydreamingdisorder.webs.com/

Thanks for joining the group!

Katherine said:

Hi,
Im 16 so I am pretty young and I'm not sure whether I will still grow out of this or not. I started daydreaming ever since I can remember. I would always just fold my hands together and just stand/sit in one place and think really hard (daydream). At first, people called me out on it but I just thought it was normal. The characters are usually based on a tv show, movie, or a celebrity. However, sometimes I become someone in my life that I admire or I guess envy their life/attitude. But, I usually change bits and pieces so my fantasy world is different that their real world. I don't daydream all the time because sometimes it actually hurts my head, but recently I have picked it up again. I used to do it a lot during middle school ( I didn't really talk or have friends besides one close one who went to a different school) and then when I got to highschool and found people to talk and hang out with, I did it less and less. But I never quite forgot my fantasies. I think I have picked it up recently because now for some reason, I am feeling more like I did with middle school because some of my friends have drifted away. So now, I basically just concentrate on school and family. I find myself really involved with school, especially humanities. I feel like the authors were reading is like an outlet in some way. However, it is a problem when my daydreaming interferes with my work (doing that right now) So I don't know if I have this condition or not, but it is good to know other people do this too. Before I found this I thought that I should just get all my thoughts out so I started a blog. That did not work out well because I just got wound up in myself and ended up contradicting my thoughts and it really just made me more confused about who I am.

Ok! Thanks!
K