Have you ever found yourself lost in an elaborate fantasy world for hours, complete with complex characters and ongoing storylines? Do you sometimes pace, rock, or make facial expressions while immersed in these daydreams? Does your daydreaming interfere with your daily life, relationships, or responsibilities? If so, you might be experiencing what researchers call “maladaptive daydreaming.”
What Is Maladaptive Daydreaming?
Maladaptive daydreaming (MD) is an intense form of immersive daydreaming that was first identified by Dr. Eli Somer in 2002. Unlike ordinary daydreaming, which is typically brief and easily controlled, maladaptive daydreaming involves extensive, highly detailed fantasy worlds that can consume several hours each day.
People with maladaptive daydreaming often create rich, complex inner worlds with recurring characters and evolving storylines. These aren’t just fleeting thoughts—they’re elaborate narratives that can continue for months or even years, like an internal television series that never ends.
Signs You Might Be a Maladaptive Daydreamer
1. You spend hours daydreaming each day
While most people daydream for brief periods, maladaptive daydreamers often spend several hours per day in their fantasy worlds. Research by Somer and colleagues found that individuals with MD reported spending an average of 57% of their waking hours engaged in daydreaming, compared to just 16% for non-MD individuals.
2. Your daydreams are extremely vivid and detailed
Maladaptive daydreams are typically highly immersive and sensory-rich experiences. You might see clear images, hear specific sounds, or even feel physical sensations related to your daydreams. Many people describe experiencing a profound sense of “being there” in their fantasy world.
3. You engage in repetitive movements while daydreaming
About 80% of maladaptive daydreamers report engaging in repetitive movements while daydreaming, such as pacing, rocking, spinning, fidgeting with objects, or making facial expressions that match the emotions in their daydreams. These kinesthetic activities seem to help deepen the daydreaming experience.
4. Music often triggers or enhances your daydreams
Many maladaptive daydreamers report that listening to certain music intensifies their daydreaming experience. You might have specific playlists or songs that help you enter your fantasy world more easily.
5. You prefer daydreaming to real-life social interaction
While ordinary daydreaming supplements real-life experiences, maladaptive daydreaming often replaces them. You might find yourself canceling plans or avoiding social situations in order to have more time to daydream.
6. You have difficulty controlling or limiting your daydreaming
Despite wanting to reduce your daydreaming, you may find it extremely difficult to stop once you’ve started. You might experience an intense urge or craving to return to your daydreams, especially when interrupted.
7. Your daydreaming interferes with your daily life
Perhaps the most defining characteristic of maladaptive daydreaming is that it causes significant distress or impairment in important areas of functioning. Your daydreaming might interfere with your work or academic performance, relationships, or ability to complete daily tasks.
The Causes of Maladaptive Daydreaming
Research on maladaptive daydreaming is still evolving, but several potential causes have been identified:
Innate Imaginative Capacity
Some individuals appear to have a natural propensity for vivid imagination and fantasy. This increased imaginative capacity may make them more susceptible to developing maladaptive daydreaming.
Coping Mechanism
Many people with maladaptive daydreaming report that their fantasies initially developed as a way to cope with difficult life circumstances, loneliness, or painful emotions. As one participant in Somer’s research explained: “These fantasies basically disconnect me from situations that are too painful for me. It’s as if it is easier for me to live in fantasy than in reality.”
Underlying Conditions
Maladaptive daydreaming often co-occurs with other conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), depression, or anxiety. The relationship between these conditions is complex and still being studied.
The Experience of Maladaptive Daydreaming
What does maladaptive daydreaming actually feel like? Many describe it as a double-edged sword—both intensely pleasurable and deeply distressing.
“I love my daydreams,” one person shared in a research study. “They’re vivid, exciting, and emotionally satisfying in a way real life often isn’t. But they’re also stealing my life away. I’ve missed so many opportunities because I’d rather be in my head than in the real world.”
Common themes in maladaptive daydreams include:
- Idealized versions of oneself: Many daydreamers create fantasy versions of themselves who are more confident, successful, or attractive.
- Companionship and relationships: Imaginary friends or romantic partners are common, especially for those who struggle with real-world social connections.
- Power and control: Scenarios where the daydreamer has special abilities or influence often feature prominently.
- Fame and recognition: Many daydreams involve scenarios of being celebrated, admired, or famous.
- Adventure and excitement: Daydreams frequently contain dramatic storylines with intense action or emotion.
The Impact on Daily Life
While daydreaming itself can be pleasurable, the consequences of excessive daydreaming can be significant:
Academic and Professional Challenges
Many maladaptive daydreamers struggle to maintain focus on their studies or work. “I’ll sit down to study,” one student reported, “and within minutes, I’m back in my fantasy world. Before I know it, three hours have passed, and I haven’t read a single page.”
Social Isolation
The preference for fantasy over reality can lead to increasing social withdrawal. Real relationships may seem pale and unsatisfying compared to the perfect relationships in one’s daydreams.
Emotional Distress
Many people experience significant guilt, shame, and frustration about their inability to control their daydreaming. This can contribute to feelings of low self-worth and depression.
Sleep Disturbance
Some maladaptive daydreamers report staying up late to continue their fantasies or having difficulty falling asleep because they can’t shut off their active imagination.
Is Maladaptive Daydreaming a Disorder?
Currently, maladaptive daydreaming is not officially recognized as a disorder in diagnostic manuals like the DSM-5. However, research on MD is growing, and many experts argue that it should be considered a distinct mental health condition.
In 2016, Somer and colleagues developed the Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale (MDS), a 14-item self-report questionnaire designed to assess maladaptive daydreaming symptoms. This has helped standardize research on the condition and may eventually lead to formal recognition.
Schema Therapy: Heal the Patterns Driving Your Daydreams
What is Schema Therapy?
Schema Therapy is an integrative approach that helps identify and change long-standing patterns (schemas) that drive persistent emotional difficulties and coping behaviors – including maladaptive daydreaming.
How Schema Therapy Helps Maladaptive Daydreamers:
- Uncovers root causes: Identifies the early life experiences and unmet emotional needs that may drive your retreat into fantasy
- Works with your “modes”: Recognizes different self-states that appear in your daydreams and helps integrate them healthily
- Transforms fantasy into reality: Uses techniques like chair work and imagery to bring the emotional benefits of daydreaming into your actual life
- Provides emotional reparenting: Helps meet the core needs you might be satisfying through daydream scenarios
“Schema Therapy helped me understand why I created my fantasy world in the first place. Now I can meet those needs in real life instead of escaping for hours into daydreams.” — Former maladaptive daydreamer
EMDR Therapy: Process the Emotions Fueling Your Daydreams
What is EMDR?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a well-researched therapy that helps process disturbing memories and experiences that may contribute to current symptoms – including the urge to escape into daydreams.
How EMDR Helps Maladaptive Daydreamers:
- Processes underlying trauma: Addresses difficult experiences that may have triggered daydreaming as a coping mechanism
- Reduces emotional triggers: Decreases the intensity of emotions that prompt retreat into fantasy
- Installs positive resources: Develops internal strength and coping strategies to replace daydreaming
- Uses bilateral stimulation: Harnesses your brain’s natural healing capacity through guided eye movements or other bilateral stimulation
“I never realized my daydreaming was connected to past experiences until EMDR. As we processed those memories, my need to escape into fantasy worlds gradually decreased.” — EMDR therapy client
Which Approach is Right for You?
- Consider Schema Therapy if: Your daydreams involve idealized versions of yourself, fantasies of perfect relationships, or scenarios where you receive validation, recognition, or care that’s missing in your real life.
- Consider EMDR if: Your daydreaming began or intensified after difficult or traumatic experiences, or if you notice your daydreams often involve themes of safety, control, or rescue from distressing situations.
Many people benefit from a combined approach that addresses both the underlying patterns and specific experiences that fuel maladaptive daydreaming.
Take the First Step
Speak with a qualified mental health professional experienced in Schema Therapy and/or EMDR to determine which approach might best address your unique experience with maladaptive daydreaming. Relief is possible, and a more balanced relationship with your imagination awaits.