Fantasy World?

[Mayday]

It sometimes is more appealing then the real word so it is a battle I lose most of the time. Another problem I have is sometimes I play out abusive situations in these worlds and can bring myself into tears for something that isn't real.

Wow. That is so me. I did this as a kid, and have continued all through my adult life. It's not just sometimes more appealing than the real world, it's seductively more appealing. But like aka said, I can also play out scenarios that are really upsetting and end up distraught in the real world over things that "happened" in my imaginary world.

 

[Hashi]

I really relate to what people are saying. Particularly circe's post. I've lived in fantasy worlds more than I've lived in the real world, from a very young age (I was traumatised from a very young age). I've always called it daydreaming, but I suppose it's far beyond that, being such a significant part of my existence.

In my case, I don't have DID. I think my ability to numb with dissociation and to "live" in fantasy allowed me to cope without actually splitting into different identities.

It's hard to leave the safety of the fantasy worlds for real life.

 

[Misul]

I also spend a LOT of time in a fantasy world, but have also learned to incorporate it into the real world. Like having imaginary friends and bringing them out of my world and into the real world as support. I used to take one person to Uni with me, and another came to work with me; it all depended on my needs.

One interesting thing happened; there was a specific person I used to "daydream" about often and after many years I realized he was an outward projection of myself. He was everything I liked about myself, all of my strengths. Since I realized that, I've been even stronger and haven't needed him anymore, but I still have my world I constantly run to.

It's not that I can't tell what's real from what's not, but I understand that this world IS part of my reality. It might not be part of the reality I share with others, but it's part of who I am. I went through I time when I discouraged myself from going to that world and I didn't feel at all like myself. I became depressed and just remember feeling disconnected and empty. The time I spend in my world actually recharges my batteries and gives me courage and inspiration to do things in the normal world. I think it's because it's not a world where I'm living a life I want, I don't have a second life there. I basically just go there and escape, have peace and quiet, meditate, get in touch with my inner divinity and be the self that I can't show in the real world. That self is soft spoken and sensitive, just like when I was a child.

 

[circe47]

Loving this conversation! I can't express how much it helped when in my other world I was strong, capable, powerful, amazingly intelligent, beautiful and adored and respected by the man I loved. It made being victimized, abandoned, humiliated, embarrassed so much easier to live with.

I guess this fantasy world allowed me to live my dream life and aided in accomplishing smaller feats of success in my real life. Instead of being a fashion model, high powered attorney, brain surgeon, or wealthy socialite, I got to become accomplished in more realistic ways given my adversity and environment.

On the other hand it makes me angry that I was forced to accept substandard reality given my intellectual capacity and emotional IQ. My father -bless his humble soul- has this mentality that we are born to a certain station in life and to aspire and reach for something more is crazy and unrealistic.

 

[DharmaGirl]

Count me in. I am 54 and still have my fantasy worlds but not as much as before. I am really working on mindfulness and I am doing more things in the real world and finding it pleasant. I used to daydream to such an extent that I would daydream whole days away. I don't know if I still do, the weeks seem to drift by without me realizing it.

 

[Misul]

Wow, you guys! Thanks for continuing to share! This is really something I've kept secret from absolutely everyone in my life, and probably will continue to do so because I don't want to violate my one completely safe place in this world.

 

[.Bubbles.]

I can relate. I also thought I was crazy.

 

[circe47]

When I was younger, I never thought of it as crazy.....just an easy way to make an otherwise unbearable reality more tolerable. Now I see it as an imaginative and creative coping skill that has provided huge amounts of material if I can ever focus on that "loosely based "autobiography I keep wanting to write. I want to do a sort of "Go Ask Alice" journal style book about my life, or, my multiple lives to be more specific.

 

[Deleted member 20280]

I am also writing a life book. Mine will be as factual as I can make it. Putting in my fantasy world has not featured as yet but I definatelly agree a out including it now .:)