Everyone gets a little lost in their own thoughts sometimes – but what does it actually mean?
Dr Nicole LePera, who touts herself as a holistic psychologist, shared why some people daydream more than others, and how it can impact your everyday life.
LePera explained that ‘maladaptive daydreaming’ is a form of dissociation.
‘Maladaptive daydreaming is when you’re listening to music, watching a movie, or just staring into space while imagining different scenarios in your head,’ she explained in a recent TikTok video.
‘It is a form of dissociation where your brain is imagining alternate realities to cope with how scary your actual reality is,’ she added.
LePera explained that often in these scenarios, people will replay situations where you have the ‘perfect response’ to a past uncomfortable interaction.
‘When you replay a situation where you have the perfect response, you get the closure you want, or you finally get some kind of justice,’ she detailed.
The expert explained that the most common scenarios are replaying breakups, incidents at work, or reimagining a situation where it’s handled perfectly, as opposed to how it may have gone in real life.
Dr Nicole LePera, who touts herself as a holistic psychologist, shared why some people daydream more than others, and how it can impact your everyday life
‘For most people, this starts at a young age, where you fantasize about being part of a TV family or moving somewhere or even having a celebrity parent,’ she explained.
‘This is a sign that your nervous system was looking for a fantasy because reality was too overwhelming and too painful.’
She added that maladaptive daydreaming isn’t necessarily negative since it helps people to process emotions.
‘All of us do this to some extent,’ she assured followers.
‘It helps us process our emotional experiences and it helps our brain reorganize a memory that we didn’t get closure around.’
However, LePera said it becomes an issue when people get lost in this maladaptive state or can’t connect to other people because of it.
‘It can be a trauma response or a response to chronic stress,’ she said.
Viewers flooded the video with comments and observations from their own experiences.
LaPera explained: ‘Maladaptive daydreaming is a form of dissociation where your brain is imagining alternate realities to cope with how scary your actual reality is’
‘Started when I was a kid. Mum would shout so much would zone out and come back when it was over,’ one person commented.
‘But I love daydreaming. It’s fun!’ someone else chimed in.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, this behavior is usually a coping mechanism in people who have mental health conditions like anxiety.
The site noted that sometimes the habit can disrupt work, hobbies or friendships and relationships.
The main treatment to help with maladaptive daydreaming is mental health therapy (psychotherapy), which is one of the most common therapies for conditions like OCD, anxiety, depression and dissociative disorders.
