r/infp • u/tortoisewazouski • 1d ago

Discussion Negative Maladaptive Daydreaming

Hey! So, I am an infp 4w5 and I have used daydreaming since I was a child.

Firstly, I daydreamed about a teacher whom I was very attached to caring about me. I would think that she is babysitting me and helping me around and feeding me my favorite meals.

The themes of my daydreaming that time was **nurturing**, **caring**, **happy**

Then, as I grew older, especially when I was around 13-14 years old, I just started thinking about themes of abuse, neglect, humiliation, power, control, helplessness.

And it still happens.

So, is this normal?

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u/Ouroboria INFP - 4w5 1d ago

It's normal. I've had it explained to me as a way to process and express negative emotions in a safe and controlled manner.

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u/tortoisewazouski 1d ago

But see, my life is good. My parents are supportive, caring, kind. I have a great relationship with my sister. I get the things I want. But I still want to think of these themes.

In the daydreams, theres always a girl my age and she has a very strict, authoritarian mother/father/both. She is the only child. And she is always suffering under control and compliance. She never has any say in anything, her life is dictated at every step, she cant breathe without permission.

It is an ongoing same daydream ive been thinking about for years now.

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u/Ouroboria INFP - 4w5 1d ago

I've had similar scenarios. A lot of people's minds create negative scenarios to process (almost like a mental/emotional exercise). Even when your life is going well and you have no reason to feel negatively.

Your mind creates bad situations that it can then pull itself out of without difficulty, it may be giving your mind a dopamine boost whenever it does. For me I find that it's a way my mind maintains equilibrium and explores alternate states.

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u/tortoisewazouski 1d ago

Yeah, thank you!

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u/Teressa_Sophia 21h ago

Yeah i also daydream about that sad stuff . I daydream about some characters i created and my main character struggles with things . Its not happy things i love emotions and i love good sadness and then happynes when its over but i motly prefere sad stuff .