Abstract
This 90-minute webinar offers a comprehensive exploration of maladaptive daydreaming (MD), a newly proposed mental health condition characterized by excessive, vivid fantasy activity that impairs daily functioning. The presentation begins with a detailed history of the construct's development and emergence, tracing its evolution in psychological research. A critical comparison between MD and mind wandering follows, highlighting the distinct features of each phenomenon to address common blurring of the terms in the literature. Unlike MD, mind wandering is a normal, often helpful mental process that occurs when attention shifts away from the task at hand. It’s transient and typically doesn’t interfere with daily life. The webinar delves into the unique phenomenological aspects of MD and will describe the roles of movement and music to induce and deepen the immersive experience of MD. The webinar will present data on MD prevalence and comorbidity with other mental health disorders, particularly ADHD, anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive spectrum symptoms. The presentation will also describe the association of MD with autism spectrum disorder and childhood trauma. Attendees will gain insight into the conceptualization of MD as a dissociative disorder, emphasizing the role of dissociative absorption in its manifestation. The presentation will extend to childhood antecedents of MD, exploring potential developmental factors that contribute to its onset and its possible periatric presentation as a stereotypical movement disorder and other tic and movement disorders often presented at pediatric neurology clinics. Furthermore, the lecture addresses the risks associated with MD, including the potential for errors in memory source attribution and the creation of memory confabulations. Evidence will shown that many individuals with maladaptive daydreaming reported experiencing childhood trauma and that 51 % noted their traumatic experiences are reflected as themes in their daydreaming. However, participants often described more positive versions of their childhood in their daydreams. While most participants could distinguish between daydream content and actual traumatic memories, most false memories aimed to rectify an adverse past event or anticipate an unwelcome future. The fictitious stories are about plausible or desired experiences. Memory inaccuracies in MD may help with distress regulation. This comprehensive overview of MD aims to provide mental health professionals and researchers with a deeper understanding of this absorptive daydreaming disorder, its implications, and its place within the broader spectrum of psychological phenomena.

Potential to Distress: No