I’ve had an active fantasy life ever since I was a kid, usually one in which I indulge in when I have nothing else to do, or I’m in a very low-stimulation or sensory-deprived environment, like waiting to fall asleep or killing time at an airport terminal.
My fantasies are what you would expect, having adventures (usually of a science fiction variety, a space travel or extraterrestrial scenario). Unlike these unfortunate people, however, my fantasies don’t take on a life of their own, or have any continuity to them, I usually have to
replay them from the start when I have to abandon them and I return to them later.
I’ve tried to harness and develop this facility to generate plots for potential stories, but the fantasies usually, after a promising starting plot device, fail to develop into any coherent narratives.
It appears the people described in this article have lost control of this facility, to the point where it is “maladaptive”, that is, it interferes with their normal functioning. I don’t have this problem, thankfully, in fact, my daydreams are easily pushed aside by distractions in the real world, like an overheard conversation or a radio or TV playing nearby.
This web site has a lot of writers, and we have a strong sci-fi cohort here, I’m curious if you guys have any comments on this. I find it very interesting, and perhaps a potential resource, if it can be harnessed and exploited.
PS: I want to make clear that we are all talking about the same thing here. A daydream is not a hallucination. The subject is totally aware it is not real, and he has total control of it.