Since I republished Extreme Imagination at the end of July, I have had several enquiries asking me to make the book available outside of Amazon.

So for those of you who can't buy ebooks from Amazon in your country or prefer not to give your money to Amazon, I am thrilled to announce that Extreme Imagination is now available on Kobo.

https://www.kobo.com/ebook/extreme-imagination 

I spend so much time daydreaming about things that are completely impossible. Sometimes I just wish I could absorb and remember general knowledge instantly and keep it for the rest of my life, instead of struggling with a brain that forgets everything. When I feel down, I find myself imagining an ideal world where people are fully empathetic and flawless, or wishing we could just remove things like autism so no one has to suffer. It feels pointless to try and gather knowledge when I know my memory will just fail me. Does anyone else get lost in these kinds of massive, impossible dreams just to escape reality?

I am 29 years old but just recently realised that I have been daydreaming for all my life and that this was not a sign from God and that I was not seeing my future but I was just daydreaming that started in childhood after trauma. Unfortunately it took me that long to realise and I made decisions based on maladaptive daydreaming because I used to daydream with the same scenarios over and over. Even while running at the gym I was daydreaming.

I just don't understand why maladaptive daydreaming is not a mental health disorder by itself or why it is not a symptom of a mental disorder?

I feel that there isn't enough research about it and psychiatrists or therapists do not understand how much it can destroy someone's life

Seriously, it is not just a simple daydreaming it is being detached from reality

I’m 20 years old and have been maladaptive daydreaming since I was 3 or 4. It has never stopped. It has persisted my entire life. When I was younger I would MD anywhere because I didn’t understand social norms yet and was fine being in my own world (I had ADHD that was undiagnosed at the time and I also suspect I am autistic but that is not diagnosed). I often chose maladaptive daydreaming over normal social interactions with my peers in the classroom and on the playground as it kept me safe from being rejected or having to perform in a certain way. Once I hit middle school I started to control and limit how/when/if I did it in public and it the extent to which I did around people gradually decreased (I would mask it or hide it). As I said earlier I am 20 years old now and I feel the most alone I have in my entire life. I have a few close friends and my relationship with my parents and brother is perfect but I am 3 months out of a 2 year long relationship and I have found the healing process very difficult. The main thing I was hoping to get from the breakup was new friendships and just to have fun with people but I find trying to make friends now to be like pulling teeth. I internally scrutinize over every thing I do worrying about what is right and wrong and how others will perceive me. This happens at work, school, and literally anywhere else I interact with people who are not in my usual circle. I can’t help but wonder if maladaptive daydreaming had a part in why I feel like this. I feel like it caused me to miss out on so much and it still does. The version of me in my head is not the one I am actualizing. I wish she was real. I want to make her real. I don’t know how. I feel like I’m going to live in my head for the rest of my life.

I've gotten my MD mostly under control to the point it doesn't negatively influence my life anymore. I've mostly managed to limit my daydreaming to set times and spaces (on walks, before sleeping, pacing around my apartment) though I still slip up occasionally at work etc. but what I've been enjoying in recent years is writing self-inserts of games or shows I'm into in like diary format lol... just for myself. Wonder if anyone else does this. It's comforting and makes me feel more productive/creative than normal daydreaming & I can read it again at a later time. Anyone else do this?

Hallooo,

gibt‘s hier auch Leute mit MD über 23j in Deutschland, die vllt Interesse haben sich kennenzulernen?
Am besten wären Leute in NRW (bzw.Düsseldorf u. Umgebung), aber es geht auch voll klar nur online zu schreiben.
Würde mich sehr freuen :)

Bin 25j/w

(Ich weiß nicht ob‘s auch ein deutsches subreddit gibt, deshalb schrei ich hier einfach mal in die Leere😬👍)