Exploring the nexus between childhood adversities, trauma-related fantasy and memory in maladaptive daydreaming

Abstract

We conducted a qualitative study investigating traumatic daydreaming themes among individuals with maladaptive daydreaming (MD). Forty-one participants were interviewed regarding connections between their traumatic daydreams and real-life adversity. Specifically, we asked participants about 1) childhood trauma experiences, 2) trauma-related daydreaming, 3) perceived relationships between such daydreams and authentic experiences, and 4) difficulty distinguishing traumatic memories originating from daydreams versus actual events. Many participants reported past trauma and frequent traumatic daydream themes. However, participants also noted their daydreams often depicted corrected, more positive versions of experienced events. Finally, most participants stated they did not confuse daydreaming with actual experiences. This study provides new data on the complex interplay between trauma, memory, and daydreaming in MD.

Keywords

• Maladaptive daydreaming
• Trauma
• Child abuse
• False memories