Maladaptive Daydreaming Disorder

HELLO FELLOW MDers!

It's so nice to read your posts, it's not very active in here but I'm hoping more people will discuss this on a regular basis. I'm new here. I'd love to listen to your experiences with MD and share some of mine.

I'm not sure how this site works as of yet, but if it's possible to create an MD forum that would be great. If there's anybody out there lol, say AYE. Maybe we can talk about setting something up? *shrugs*

Also, if there's a PM option, please feel free to send me a message, I'm pretty eager to chat about this as I've never really spoken about it to anybody.

I also have a problem with maladaptive daydreaming. It also took me a very long time to do research, and learn about it and why I do it. But I'm glad I found out about what it truly is. I compose music, which also happens to "supply" my MDing. I'm trying to control it, but it is very hard to do so. I've been doing it for a long time, and it has long since become a bad habit.

It takes away from getting things done, and even sleep. I'm already an insomniac due to my high level of anxiety, and MDing lessens my chance of sleeping even more. My home is emotionally/verbally toxic (some days more than others), so MDing always helps as an escape.

I hope everyone with this problem finds a solution, soon.

Hi guys, I stumbled upon this forum a few weeks ago finding sources for my essay. I am writing about MD and bringing out into the world, as it needs to be studided more.

I would find myself at night daydreaming about a life where I was the same age as my celeb crushes, and that they loved me. I would dream that my dad and I don't talk anymore, as he verabally and mentally abused me in my childhood. I would stay up until 2am dreaming my world. This caused me to inherit insomnia, my brain wouldn't shut down. I couldn't sleep at all. I just wanted to be in world. It was also like my world had its own mind. I wouldn't be controlling what happened in it. If something upsetting happened I would cry in my reality. It would set my mood for the next few hours also. It's nice to see that I'm not alone with this. I started this when I was twelve, which was where my homelife became unsettling. Thank you for sharing your stories and making me feel a little less alone. Much love, xoxo

Hi guys,

I've always wanted to post on one of these forums but never have. I think after finding them I enjoy reading about other peoples experiences with MD as they sound so much like my own, it's comforting.

I will daydream in the day like any other person I believe, on a train or bus for example but at night before I go to bed is when it becomes 'abnormal'. Ever since I can remember I have 'rocked' myself to sleep, my parents obviously noticed when I was little and thought it was just because I was rocked as a baby (I mean they are probably right) but I thought as I got older I would stop. However the older I got the more it became my choice and around 8 maybe I started listening to music. Ever since then whenever I sleep alone, which before I started travelling with my boyfriend was pretty much every night from age 8 till 23, I will rock myself in bed with my headphones on and the lights out for on average 2-3 hours, living in another world. I do this every night and I love being able to escape to other worlds. The daydreams change constantly but like other peoples are often related to books I've read or movies I've watched and they will centre around me.

I have never told anyone about this, I once mentioned that I daydreamed excessively to a friend at uni and she replied with 'yeah I think I do too'. And I didn't really want to explain that I rocked myself in bed for hours at a time and so left it at that. My parent's have walked into my room and seen me rocking at night but not really after the age of 13. They think that I did it in my sleep and it is still something my family chat about once in a while - 'oh do you remember you used to rock in your sleep'.

Although I understand that I am essentially wasting hours of the day and I used to sometimes cancel plans at uni to stay and daydream I don't seem to have hatred that other people on the forum have for it. Maybe it's because I choose to do it? I do think on a level I am addicted to it (I mean I've done it almost every day for at least 17 years) and I did dread travelling with my boyfriend as I knew it would mean I couldn't do it anymore. But I have found it easier than I thought and I still used to escape on long bus/train rides but it wasn't the same. The reason I am talking about it again is because he went away for a week and I was back on it every night and now I'm dreading waiting for another oppotunity. I only ever do it before bed so I feel if I was really addicted I would do it whenever I was alone. I do know it's weird and abnormal which is why I am embarrassed to talk about it. But I was wondering if anyone else here enjoys it?