Quit Daydreaming: How to Wake Up & Break FreeSample

Maladaptive Daydreaming

Growing up, I pretended to be someone I wasn't by tuning out reality to engage in a dream world of my own making. You see, while I could not shield myself from the unpredictability of real life, I had complete control in my head. Unfortunately, over time I became addicted to dissociation.

While God gives us dreams and vivid imaginations, he did not design us to live in our heads for hours on end –and that's exactly what maladaptive daydreaming is.

Dr. Eli Somer, a professor of Clinical Psychology who coined the term, described the condition as “extensive fantasy activity that replaces human interaction.” The dissociative disorder is also characterized by vivid daydreams with developed characters, scenes and settings that make it difficult to participate in everyday life.

If you can relate to this description, I want to assure you; you are not crazy and there are millions of people battling the same struggle.

In fact, the difference between you losing a grip on reality or nipping an unhealthy mental habit in the bud, depends on whether you choose to see addictive daydreaming as a destructive habit or a constructive coping mechanism.

When I was addicted to fantasizing, I spent hours immersed in daydreams envisioning an idealized version of myself. Initially, it served as a harmless escape, but gradually, it evolved into a nightmare only God could wake me up from. After He stepped in, He opened my eyes and pulled me out of my imaginary prison.

Today, I am free from mental bondage and living out the story God has illustrated for my life, instead of trying to dream up my own destiny. Over the next few days, we will expound on truths from scripture that helped me renew my mind, with the faith that you can be delivered too.