Fantasy Worlds

[Cordellia Amethyste Rose]

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

[Cordellia Amethyste Rose]

I've been researching this for years and know plenty on the subject and the debate.  For the new DSM-V, the term Asperger's is removed.  They've decided it's just a sort of nick-name for a mild case of Autism.  There are many articles on this.  Here's one: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/03/health/03asperger.html  

Nico Lilly said:

Actually the "Autistic Spectrum" refers to all the associated "disorders"including Asperges. They change the definition often as they learn more about it. Aspergers is in itself a separate diagnosis on the spectrum. There's good info here: http://www.asperger-advice.com/autism-spectrum-disorders.html

I was not trying to be derogatory at all, I fight for awareness, acceptance and inclusion as part of my job and it's a job I am very passionate about. I was merely saying that the teenagers I work with cannot write well at all (mainly due to the education system giving up on them or writing them off at an early age). Believe me, I know how intelligent the people at my work are, usually far more than most of the people I know.

 

Sorry if I offended, it was not my intent.

Cordellia Amethyste Rose said:

Lots of people who get diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (formerly called Asperger's) are very intelligent and articulate.  I have the diagnosis as well, but I avoid telling people for the simple reason that I get tired of being told how surprisingly smart I am.  People really instantly prepare to treat you differently, handle you with kid gloves, and essentially talk down to you.  It's completely inappropriate.  I really hope to change the stigma around this & other conditions.  It's just a way of thinking.  It's not a handicap or a defect.  Neither is MD or any other psychological condition.  There is nothing defective about us.....any of us.  When people try to help me, advise me, or tell me I'm "so smart"........like they were assuming otherwise, I have to really correct them.  No one is in a position to look down upon or fix me.  I'm not broken.  This attitude is broken.  

Nico Lilly said:

Hello! I find it fascinating that you have Aspergers Syndrome because I work with teenagers who have "intellectual disabilities" including Autism and Aspergers. You write amazingly well, I've never met anyone on the Autistic Spectrum who is so articulate! There is a young man at my work, he has MD, only I know that of course, everyone else just thinks that he likes to run around and talk to himself because of his intellectual disability!

He gets really, really angry if someone interrupts him. He once told me he was going to get his spaceship to blow me up after I asked him if he wanted to go to the park! He has also threatened to burn down the building if we interrupted him again!

This is sometimes how I feel when interrupted, except I have a "filter" that tells me how to respond in an appropriate manner and he is just completely honest!

Alex in Wonderland said:

I am very happy and relieved to have found this website! Throughout all the years I've been using the Internet, I've been trying desperately to find other people who daydream as often and as intensely as I do. Before discovering this website, the only other people whom I talked to who had intense fantasy worlds were schizophrenics who believed that their worlds and characters were real. I knew that that wasn't anything like me, because I have always been able to distinguish between fantasy and reality. I also tried looking for adults with imaginary friends, because I've always referred to the characters who reside in my daydream worlds as "imaginary friends" even though they don't technically function like traditional imaginary friends. I almost completely gave up looking for others like me, but one day I came across the Wikipedia article for Maladaptive Daydreaming, decided to google it, and the rest is history. :)

I'm a "lifer" - I've been daydreaming as far back as I can remember, starting from around the age of 3 (I'm 20 now). The vast majority of characters who reside in my daydreams have always been characters from whichever TV shows or movies I am obsessed with at a given time, and they interact with my idealized self and each other in a setting which I create myself. I tweak the characters' backstories, lifestyles and even personalities in whichever ways I deem fit for the stories I make up about them. In a couple of cases, this has led to the characters barely resembling their "canon" selves. Starting from around the age of 16, I have enjoyed playing "matchmaker" for the characters in my world. I am addicted to slash (same-sex) pairings, and one of my favorite things to do is to pair off characters from different shows/movies whom I think would go well together. I enjoy making up children for them because I think it's fun and interesting to imagine the genetics, parenting styles and family dynamics of different characters.

I have been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome (a form of high-functioning autism), OCD, anxiety disorder and depression. I am on several medications for the latter three, all of which have worked miraculously well and have greatly improved my quality of life. My autism has caused me to be socially inept and unable to work a job or live on my own. I cannot drive either, so I am often stuck at home for days upon days. I very seldom get bored though, because I immerse myself as deeply as I can in my fantasy world.

I access my fantasy world by listening to music on my iPod and running around in circles out in the park that's literally right outside my backyard. I have been made fun of by people for this, but it doesn't bother me very much. When I am in my fantasy world, I am completely oblivious and almost literally blind to everything that is going on in the real world. Therefore, I am not allowed to run in the park unless one of my family members is home to watch over me from the kitchen window. If  no one is home with me, if the weather is bad or if it is the middle of the night, I listen to my iPod and pace around my room while walking on tip-toes.

I become very upset and angry if I am interrupted while in my fantasy world. There are some days when I wish everyone would just go away and leave me alone so that I can have hours and hours of uninterrupted daydreaming time.

My urge to daydream becomes overpowering when I watch one of the movies which contain characters who reside in my fantasy world. Many times I can't finish the movie in one sitting because the urge to daydream becomes so strong that I have to pause the movie so that I can pace and go visit the characters in my fantasy world.

[Cordellia Amethyste Rose]

Anyway, I know we're all here to help.  I think it's a good thing.  It takes an army like ours to create change.  Go daydreamers!

[Nico Lilly]

I agree Mild Autism would be more appropriate. Our industry over here uses Aspergers, Autism, High functioning Autism and Severe Autism to diagnose, which works well since the difference between those with Mild Autism and Severe Autism is Huge. For instance we have one mildly autistic individual who is working, socially active and living a full life. We have an individual with severe autism who needs to have one-on-one support at all times because he is violent if things around him change, obsessive-compulsive, has a complete lack of empathy and understanding of the world that operates around him and is literally a danger to himself and others. To put them together in one catagory would be a misjustice.

I work with teenagers with many different diagnosis, syndromes, conditions, physical impairments and see nothing defective in any of them! I have been at doctors appointments with them while the doctor talks to me and ignores them, and I have to keep directing them to the individual that they are actually meant to be consulting with. I've seen people stare, abuse, belittle and patronise them. and yet they are exactly the same as any other teenager. That's what I fight for.

[Cordellia Amethyste Rose]

I agree.  We all need to stand up and be treated like the intelligent human beings we are.  Good for you.  There are a lot of young people on this site, many of whom are struggling and think something's wrong with them.  I thought that way for many years, and I can't bear the thought of people living like that any more than they have to.  Enough is enough.  

Nico Lilly said:

I agree Mild Autism would be more appropriate. Our industry over here uses Aspergers, Autism, High functioning Autism and Severe Autism to diagnose, which works well since the difference between those with Mild Autism and Severe Autism is Huge. For instance we have one mildly autistic individual who is working, socially active and living a full life. We have an individual with severe autism who needs to have one-on-one support at all times because he is violent if things around him change, obsessive-compulsive, has a complete lack of empathy and understanding of the world that operates around him and is literally a danger to himself and others. To put them together in one catagory would be a misjustice.

I work with teenagers with many different diagnosis, syndromes, conditions, physical impairments and see nothing defective in any of them! I have been at doctors appointments with them while the doctor talks to me and ignores them, and I have to keep directing them to the individual that they are actually meant to be consulting with. I've seen people stare, abuse, belittle and patronise them. and yet they are exactly the same as any other teenager. That's what I fight for.

[Ellen]

Hi Kat!

First of all, your English is great! I didn't even realize that you were not a native English speaker until I got to the end and read your note!

I can identify with a lot of your story. I love foreign languages!  I guess that is a likely think for two creative people have in common.  Also like you, I have really changed the way I daydream within the past few years. I used to daydream mostly about a particular fantasy series, but a year and a half ago, I banned myself from reading any of the books or watching any of the movies. I still daydream about it a little bit, but without the stimulation from the books and movies, I do it much less often. It also helped that I went off to college, got a bit of a social life, developed a deeper relationship with God (I'm a Christian), and became really passionate about subjects besides fantasy novels, namely languages and linguistics.  However, I now daydream about a variety of subjects, particularly about my future career or about finally being the guy who I am in love with lol.  Honestly, I don't know how much of that I can count as maladaptive daydreaming- I mean, doesn't everyone daydream about their ideal future?  Maybe we are just the ones who take it too far and daydream too often, too passionately, and too addictively. I admire your discipline in turning away from your daydreams.  I tried to quit cold turkey several times and never made it more than several days.  I wish that I could use my ideal future daydreams as motivation like you do, but my ideal future is based either on things that I am already motivated to do (like studying linguistics) or on things that are out of my hands, like whether I end up in a relationship with aforementioned guy.  So, maybe for me this is just phase II of time-wasting daydreams.  I am glad this time my daydreams are at least based in reality and not in a fantasy novel.

[Anaa]

Hello. I'm Ana. I posted about my issue in the "blog" zone of this website. I wasn't sure where to post. I'm sorry if I got it wrong. My proper introduction/ramble is here: (http://wildminds.ning.com/profiles/blogs/i-guess-ive-got-a-name-for-it) 

 

Anyway, I'm sixteen and I've been daydreaming for as long as I can remember. I never saw it as a problem, but a gift. Sure my close family always looked at me strange but being able to go where I go is amazing. I love the stories I imagine in my head, I can be there, see them clearly, and know it's not real. I can also see my ideal-self. My confident, adult-self, with amazing hair, who keeps going strong even with all the struggles she faces. My perfect Mary-Sue future self. And, while I know that's not me . . . I somehow believe it could be me. I know, sad. :(

 

It never really affected my Real Life either. Sure I'm no social butterfly, but I've got a group of solid friends I love dearly. And I go out with them and make plans and love spending time with them. 

 

Honestly though, whenever somebody invites me out I always think of refusing because that free afternoon would be so great to immerse myself in my own world (I love to do so!), but I say yes (most of the times), because I know I'll have a great time even if I, at first, would prefer to stay in and live in my other (improved) life. Where I'm actually smart, not flunking Physics, Maths and Chemistry and got a scholarship to MIT. OR actually went for a humanities/letters course like I wanted instead of following my parents dream . . . AND work for a successful book publisher company. 

 

Sometimes I'm even a pretty awesome singer/actress. 

 

It's like they say. If you dream, dream big.

 

(Though I always tend to murder my first-love-interest in my daydreams. Which leads me to a period of angst I overcome because my 'better-self' is a strong, independent woman. I guess the reason I kill him off is because I have issues with his-real-self. I know, I'm horrible for killing him in "my world")

 

Now, however, I've started to see it as an issue. My grades are dropping, I can't focus and I can't stop. I often go into hysteria and crying attacks after I realize I've done nothing all day. I feel useless and I hate myself for not being able to quit. 

 

That's my story so far. I must leave the computer now, so I'm cutting it short. Well, what I call short. 

 

I look forward to reading and knowing more about all of your stories. ^__^

 

[Harley]

Hi Feng!! I'm so glad you posted this, because I do the same thing with YouTube videos and movies. I'm glad I'm not the only one. Do you find they make your fantasies strong, or do they just make you wish they were stronger when compared to the times during which you could actualy watch the video?

Feng said:

Hi all, my name is Feng

I like to thank you Cordellia for creating this wonderful website. It means a lot to people like me who has been struggling with this "disease" almost their entire life. I know some people don't consider it as a disease but I certainly do.

I've been following the thread on revolutionary health very closely and I've read every single posts so far. I even made a post on there on page 5, the name I used was Jung.

Since then I have made some small progress in coping with my daydreaming/fantasy problem. One thing was that I went to see a doctor and got myself diagnosed with depression. My doctor prescribed me with anti-depressant and that has helped a bit. I also noticed that overtime I have developed a tendency to use youtube videos to make my fantasies stronger. For example, my fantasize myself as a international super soccer star, I would watch a bunch of soccer clips on youtube and pretend that I am that person in the clip doing amazing dribbles and shots. Or, if my fantasy revolve around being an actor, I would watch some movie clips and pretend that I am that male actor delivering those dialogues. So by desperately trying to avoid the internet, I can reduce my urge to daydream somewhat.

[Tinkerbell]

I daydream about many things until i make them into a story and as I have not done that with this one yet, this is one I keep on coming back to.

 

I am some kind of super humsn with special ablities unique from everyone else, super intellegent from a powerful respected family.  I am admired and adored by all.  LMAO!