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We all know what daydreaming is and how pleasant it can be. But when daydreaming takes over your life, it can become complex if you can no longer control it. You may start living in another or multiple worlds alongside the ‘normal’ life. There are various ways one can fall into MD. For example, out of loneliness, after trauma(s), or due to adoration. In such cases, one consciously or unconsciously chooses an escape route to cope with the situation, to handle reality in that way. It is a condition discovered in the early 2000s by Israeli professor Eli Somer, who named it Maladaptive Daydreaming (MD). He also quickly identified connections with ADHD, trauma, autism, and other conditions. The book describes the complexity of MD. Various aspects are covered, such as research/science, symptoms, diagnosis, treatments as far as they are known, and prospects. The experiences of co-author Ankie Driessen, who suffered from MD, are also incorporated. MD is still a relatively unexplored area, especially in the Netherlands, and we hope this book can help change that because living with maladaptive daydreaming is often extremely problematic and painful.

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We all know what daydreaming is and how pleasant it can be. But when daydreaming takes over your life, it can become complex if you lose control of it. You might start living in another or multiple worlds alongside 'normal' life.

Inhoudsopgave

Table of contents Forword 7 1. Introduction 9 2. What is Maladaptive Daydreaming? 12 3. The Prevalence of Maladaptive Daydreaming 25 4. Signs and Symptoms of Maladaptive Daydreaming 29 5. Causes of Maladaptive Daydreaming 36 6. The Experience of Maladaptive Daydreaming 51 7. When Daydreaming Becomes an Addiction 55 8. The Impact on Daily Life 58 9. Treatment and Self-Help Tools 63 10. Stories of Hope and recovery 72 11. Finding the Right Help 74 12. Epilogue 76 Sources 78 Appendices 81 A. Trapped in a Daydream 82 B. Mindfulness meditation and self-monitoring reduced maladaptive daydreaming symptoms 84 C. Maladaptive daydreaming: Evidence for an under-researched mental health disorder 87 D. Maladaptive Daydreaming and Counterfactual Thinking 88 E. Mindfulness meditation and self-monitoring reduced maladaptive daydreaming symptoms 90 Index 93

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