[dmimima]

Hello, this is my first post on this forum, and I have a question. I see a therapist every 2 weeks. I have been seeing her for about 6-7 months. In our sessions we mostly discuss my anxiety disorder. Anxiety from work, school, my family etc. But, I've come to believe that I have maladaptive daydreaming. Ever since I was young (maybe 9-10; I'm 19 now) I've done with weird thing of listening to my iPod and pacing around my room coming up with scenarios. They are usually pretty normal things. Nothing really that crazy. Sometimes just having a conversation with someone. Sometimes pretending that the song I'm listening to I wrote and I'm performing it for someone. It's weird. But, I've done it all these years because it's relaxing. It doesn't disrupt my life. Like I won't not hang out with someone so that I can do it. But, I do it pretty often. My family is aware, but they've never really bothered me about it. I've always been a very imaginative person. I've always known it was weird, but ever since reading that this is a real disorder I feel very creeped out by it. I've always been embarrassed that I've done it though. Either way; I feel like a crazy person now. I feel kind of embarrassed to tell my therapist about it, but maybe I should. I've never realized that it could be a coping mechanism.

Should I tell my therapist? And does anyone else have any experience with this?

[arachnophobia.kid]

I had never heard of maladaptive daydreaming until now and I'm no doctor but that doesn't sound like a bad thing at all to me. I sometimes do the same thing with the pacing and the pretending to be a musical genius. I even take it one step further sometimes by picking up a marker and pretending it's a microphone while I lip sync alone in my room, pretending I'm on stage and everyone loves me. I'm 25 and I'm still doing that kind of thing, I've been doing it for years! It is therapeutic! And totally embarrassing. But I don't think it's unhealthy. However if this is something that you feel is unsettling than I don't see any reason why you shouldn't tell your therapist.

[Elektra_]

not at all. i do that too. and i told my T she said other people do it too. u should definitly tell her. tc

[mama pajama]

Wow, that has a name? I used to do that all the time, but not very much anymore. I always figured it had more of a negative impact than anything. I think I was pretty extreme though, day dreaming all the time, and none of it was anything close to realistic. Tell your therapist, they could help you figure out if its destructive or not.

[Elektra_]

"Now what happens when day dreaming goes too far? You find yourself missing days and hours of time daydreaming. This is known as maladaptive daydreaming (MD) — an extensive daydream that replaces human interaction with extensive fantasies that people envision in their own minds..." Maladaptive Daydreaming ? What Is It? what u saying isnt this...

[FrayedEnds]

Hi dmimima
Don't be embarrassed about mentioning this to your T. as you can see, it's pretty common. I agree with arachnophobia.kid that it's therapeutic...I see it as an expression of creativity.
I am a musical genius when it comes to playing air guitar