What is Maladaptive Daydreaming?

Do you ever feel like your mind pulls you into a world of vivid stories or fantasies, leaving reality behind? Or do you ever find yourself so disconnected that everything around you seems unreal.

These experiences might seem similar, but they’re not quite the same.

For some, maladaptive daydreaming (MD) becomes a deeply immersive escape, while dissociation feels more like a fog that envelops the mind. Both can be linked to trauma and can impact your everyday life.

In this post, we’ll explore the differences between maladaptive daydreaming and dissociation, when they might become a concern, and how to begin healing.

Let’s dive in!

The following table shows the level of awareness you might experience, the purpose, the sense of control and the pieces of the sensory experience for both MD and dissociation.

Feature	Maladaptive Daydreaming	Dissociation
Awareness	Aware of the fantasy but drawn to it compulsively.	Often unaware of dissociation until it ends.
Purpose	Active escape into a fantasy world.	Passive shut-down or disconnection.
Control	Feels difficult but not impossible to stop.	Feels automatic and involuntary.
Sensory Experience	Vivid imagery, often engaging senses in the fantasy.	Numbness, fog, or detachment from senses.

Both MD and dissociation may overlap or occur simultaneously, especially for those with trauma histories. Recognizing which one you’re experiencing can support you as you move through your healing process.

When Is It a Problem?

It’s normal to daydream or feel disconnected occasionally. These become a concern when they interfere with your ability to live a life that feels fulfilling for you. The following table demonstrates frequent triggers and symptoms for maladaptive daydreamers and dissociation.

Aspect	Maladaptive Daydreaming	Dissociation
Definition	Maladaptive daydreaming (MD) is more than the occasional daydream. It’s a condition where excessive and immersive daydreaming becomes a coping mechanism. These fantasies are often vivid, detailed, and can feel more engaging than real life.	Dissociation is a disconnect from the present moment. It’s a way the brain protects itself during overwhelming situations, affecting thoughts, emotions, memory, or identity.
Triggers	Listening to music, repetitive movements or tasks, loneliness, unresolved trauma and emotional overwhelm can trigger daydreams	Triggered by implicit or explicit stress or trauma where the brain activates survival mechanisms.
Signs	Consumes hours of the day, interfering with work, relationships, and self-care. Feels like stepping into a controllable movie.	- Feeling emotionally numb or detached. - Losing chunks of time or being unaware of what happened. - Experiencing the world as unreal or dreamlike.

If your experiences are causing distress, or preventing you from moving forward in trauma recovery, it might be helpful to seek support from a trauma therapist.

Why Do These Things Happen?

Both maladaptive daydreaming and dissociation can be traced to trauma or unmet emotional needs. Trauma impacts the brain and nervous system in profound ways, shaping how we respond to stress and regulate emotions.

Here’s how:

Why It Happens	Maladaptive Daydreaming	Dissociation
Emotional Safety	Often emerges as a way to create emotional safety. Daydreaming becomes a refuge for those experiencing rejection or loneliness.	A survival response to overwhelming stress, shutting down emotions to protect the self from further harm.
Brain Activity	Linked to overactivity in areas responsible for imagination and emotional regulation.	Involves the both sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the nervous system, dampening emotional intensity to create a sense of detachment.
Response to Overwhelm	Provides a controllable inner world when real-world interactions feel unsatisfying or threatening.	Activates during fight, flight, or freeze responses when none are effective, leading to a "shut down" state.
Long-Term Effects	Can become habitual, making it harder to engage with real-world relationships and responsibilities.	Repeated use may cause difficulties with emotional regulation and staying present in daily life.

Unresolved trauma keeps the nervous system in a state of hyper- or hypoarousal, making both MD and dissociation more likely to occur.

For example, chronic hypervigilance can make daydreaming an appealing escape, while chronic hypoarousal can pull someone into dissociation. Part of healing involves helping the nervous system come back to a state of balance where it no longer perceives the world as threatening.

How to Start Healing From Trauma and CPTSD

Healing from MD or dissociation begins with compassion and small, intentional steps. Here’s some ideas:

Step 1: Build Self-Awareness

• Keep a journal to track your experiences:

  • When do you daydream or dissociate?

  • What triggers it? How do you feel afterward?

• Reflect on how these patterns impact your daily life.

Step 2: Use Grounding Techniques

• For MD:

  • Practice mindfulness exercises to gently redirect your focus to the present.

  • Set time limits for daydreaming, turning it into a conscious activity.

  • Try a "sensory pause": interrupt a daydream by engaging in a grounding activity that involves multiple senses, like eating something flavorful or holding a textured object.

• For Dissociation:

  • Use sensory grounding: focus on what you can see, hear, touch, and smell.

  • Practice deep breathing to calm your nervous system.

  • Explore bilateral stimulation techniques, like tapping alternate hands on your knees or listening to binaural beats, to help re-anchor yourself in the present.

Step 3: Seek Trauma Therapy or EMDR Therapy

• Trauma-focused therapies, like EMDR or somatic therapy, can address the root causes of MD and dissociation.

• Consider Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy to explore and integrate parts of yourself that may feel stuck in daydreams or disconnection.

• Work with a therapist who understands these experiences and can guide you with compassion.

Step 4: Build Emotional Tolerance (check out the window of tolerance here)

• Practice identifying and sitting with uncomfortable emotions in small doses. For example:

  • Name the feeling you’re avoiding (e.g., sadness, anger) and allow it to exist without judgment.

  • Use self-soothing tools, like wrapping yourself in a weighted blanket or repeating affirmations, to build a sense of safety.

Step 5: Reconnect With Creativity and Connection

• For MD: Channel your imagination into creative outlets, such as writing stories, journaling, or exploring art projects. These activities can give your mind a healthy place to wander.

• For Dissociation: Focus on building connections with safe, trusted people. Activities like gardening, cooking, or dancing can also help reintegrate mind and body.

Step 6: Create a "Reset Ritual"

• Design a short ritual to bring yourself back to the present when you feel yourself slipping into MD or dissociation. This could include:

  • Splashing cold water on your face.

  • Saying a grounding mantra, like “I am here, I am safe.”

  • Doing a quick movement sequence, like stretching or shaking out your hands.

Both maladaptive daydreaming and dissociation are ways your body has tried to protect you.

They may have helped you survive overwhelming times, but they don’t have to define your future. With support, curiosity, self-awareness, and small steps, you can reconnect with the present and the people who matter most.

Remember, it’s okay to ask for help- your imagination and resilience are truly gifts, and they can guide you toward living a life filled with connection, joy and purpose. Trauma therapy with a trauma therapist can support you in getting there.

Ready to reclaim your life from the impact of trauma? Reach out, and we’ll help you get started.

🧡,

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Reclaim Therapy is a team of Trauma Therapists in Horsham, PA who provide EMDR Therapy, Therapy for CPTSD, Therapy for Eating Disorders and Body Image Issues

Whether you’re experiencing maladaptive daydreaming, dissociation, self harming behaviors or eating disorder behaviors, we believe that trauma therapy can support you in healing the roots of what is causing you so much distress. Our team is passionate about providing treatment that supports the renegotiation of trauma to find freedom from distressing behaviors and self beliefs.

We would be honored to support you on your journey toward reclaiming YOU.

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