Today, I’ll explain why it’s challenging to stop walking maladaptive daydreaming. I’ve encountered people who express their desire to quit this habit because they fear that others in the next room might hear their footsteps or sense their movements, leading to interference. In these situations, they long to return to daydreaming while sitting. However, the reality is that you can’t easily stop this behavior because it transcends your conscious control.

When daydreaming reaches a point where it becomes maladaptive, it operates beyond your conscious grasp. Daydreaming has now established a connection with the unconscious part of your mind. Your mind has developed cues to take you to this imaginary world. For instance, one of these cues triggers when you’re feeling bored or stressed, compelling you to walk. This response is driven by your mind’s understanding that entering this imaginary world provides temporary relief and safeguards you from negative emotions, anxieties, and the stresses of real life. In essence, your mind is attempting to protect you by encouraging you to engage in the habit of walking and daydreaming.

This explains why it becomes uncontrollable. The challenge lies in your inability to revert to regular daydreaming because the issue is now deeply rooted in the unconscious part of your mind. It has evolved into an automatic response: when stress arises, you walk and daydream. This pattern has forged neural pathways that connect various aspects of your real life that you’d rather avoid to entering this imaginary world. Consequently, it becomes quite difficult for you to quit because it’s become a part of your unconscious behavior.

Note from the Author

If you’re ready and you’d like my help with overcoming and managing maladaptive daydreaming without spending years in therapy, then you can book a FREE BREAKTHROUGH CALL with me HERE. Happy healing 💙💙. Feel free to share and comment! Use this information with caution, it comes from my own thoughts & bias, experiences and research😊.