Getting Caught Up In Fantasy? | INFJ Forum

Getting Caught Up In Fantasy?

Faye

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Mar 9, 2009
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Is the reason that we get caught up in fantasy that we are not happy enough? It seems to me that whenever I go to a fantasy world, it is very emotional somehow. I am either crying, accomplishing something great, having an intimate moment, or something that evokes emotions and endorphins somehow.

The more miserable I am, the more time I spend in fantasy. It is almost compulsory- like a defense mechanism. I often don't realize what is happening until sometimes over an hour or two after it happens. I completely forget where I am and take in no details of the world around me; I am completely absorbed in the fantasy.

I want my fantasy world(s) to be real, but I know that it isn't real. I need to find how to be satisfied with the real world, but that seems impossible right now.

Do you live in a fantasy world as well?
 
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Haha yes of course. I think I'm an elf. Why not though? Reality is all a matter of perception. The glass is half full or half empty, or it's a magical potion. Choose whichever makes you happiest :)
 
Yes I do. I have created fantasy worlds around ever since I was a small child. Before I gained all my inhabitions, I would always make these worlds into games with my friends and could spend hours in all these imaginative tangents with them.

To this day I still have a wild imagination, and always go off to my fantasy worlds. Usually when I am outside walking around or something like that. It as you have said an escapist method for me. The thing is it doesn't last that long. And some of my fantasy worlds make me depressed in the long run because I so despratly wish they could be true.
 
Is the reason that we get caught up in fantasy that we are not happy enough? It seems to me that whenever I go to a fantasy world, it is very emotional somehow. I am either crying, accomplishing something great, having an intimate moment, or something that evokes emotions and endorphins somehow.

The more miserable I am, the more time I spend in fantasy. It is almost compulsory- like a defense mechanism. I often don't realize what is happening until sometimes over an hour or two after it happens. I completely forget where I am and take in no details of the world around me; I am completely absorbed in the fantasy.

I want my fantasy world(s) to be real, but I know that it isn't real. I need to find how to be satisfied with the real world, but that seems impossible right now.

Do you live in a fantasy world as well?


Yes, to an extent. Visiting this forum and chatting online is a fantasy that takes me away from my life, or the parts of it I have difficulty handling. It's not good, mind you, but it's one of the few ways I can relax and feel more comfortable. I'm not sure if the most important thing is to learn to be satisfied with the real world, but it is important that we don't get too caught up in the fantasy but learn how to deal with our individual realities capably without losing our minds. :m035:
 
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Is the reason that we get caught up in fantasy that we are not happy enough? It seems to me that whenever I go to a fantasy world, it is very emotional somehow. I am either crying, accomplishing something great, having an intimate moment, or something that evokes emotions and endorphins somehow.

The more miserable I am, the more time I spend in fantasy. It is almost compulsory- like a defense mechanism. I often don't realize what is happening until sometimes over an hour or two after it happens. I completely forget where I am and take in no details of the world around me; I am completely absorbed in the fantasy.

I want my fantasy world(s) to be real, but I know that it isn't real. I need to find how to be satisfied with the real world, but that seems impossible right now.

Do you live in a fantasy world as well?

To me my inner world is often more real than "reality". It is when I am awake that everything seems unreal. However I try to understand "reality" and inner world and their rules in order to merge aspects of both worlds.
 
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In my own head I will have my own little world that I day dream in. And those thoughts are real. At least they are real to me. You can make dreams a reality, all you have to do is dream.
 
I don't call it fantasy anymore. I simply cannot function without first relating to my own inner world.

I've tried going out my head, and I just felt too bare and naked and vulnerable.

:m162:

Everything was moving so fast, in a confused mess. But when I go back inside my head, actions take on the meaning that my inner world assigns to them.

I now believe that this is how we humans ( or at least intuitive humans) assign meaning to the things around us. Outside the context of our inner world, nothing makes much sense.
 
I don't call it fantasy anymore. I simply cannot function without first relating to my own inner world.

I've tried going out my head, and I just felt too bare and naked and vulnerable.

This is realy interesting. My problem always is that I go out of my head to easely and then I lose the connection with my inner self, float on other persons opinions and loose all ground under my feet. And when I notice it I have a hard time trying to go back in my head to find my inner world again.

Can you tell me a little bit more about how you do this? How does it works?
 
Introverted and extroverted intuition are both prone to creating extremely vivid imaginations. If one has a dominant intuition function (INxJs and ENxPs), they are almost always owners of extremely rich inner worlds. Intuition secondary functions (INxPs and ENxJs) may also share this trait.

This is perfectly natural. Be proud of it. It's who we are. It comes from the exact same place as all of the things that make us amazing people.
 
This is realy interesting. My problem always is that I go out of my head to easely and then I lose the connection with my inner self, float on other persons opinions and loose all ground under my feet. And when I notice it I have a hard time trying to go back in my head to find my inner world again.

Can you tell me a little bit more about how you do this? How does it works?

When I said, "go out of my head" I meant using my extroverted sensing function. To just stop listening to my inner voice, and focus on the people and things around me.

To back inside my head, I just tune back in to the voice inside, and all the other crazy theoretical constructs I have erected to explain the world around me.

Listening to my favorite music is an excellent way to "go back" inside to my inner world.A huge part of my identity is in the intangible things that you can't really describe with words, and music is an excellent place where these intangibles dwell.

So, Morgan, maybe you could also try listening to your personal favorite music, when you want to go back :)
 
Is the reason that we get caught up in fantasy that we are not happy enough? It seems to me that whenever I go to a fantasy world, it is very emotional somehow. I am either crying, accomplishing something great, having an intimate moment, or something that evokes emotions and endorphins somehow.

The more miserable I am, the more time I spend in fantasy. It is almost compulsory- like a defense mechanism. I often don't realize what is happening until sometimes over an hour or two after it happens. I completely forget where I am and take in no details of the world around me; I am completely absorbed in the fantasy.

I want my fantasy world(s) to be real, but I know that it isn't real. I need to find how to be satisfied with the real world, but that seems impossible right now.

Do you live in a fantasy world as well?

I've lived in fantasy worlds ever since I can remember. I wrote my first short story at age eight as a way of making my fantasy real, and I've been writing for the same reason ever since. Sometimes a piece is just a safety valve for a particularly strong fantasy; other times it turns into somethin I really work at with revisions and rewrites and polishing. The main thing is, while I'm writing, I get to live in that fantasy world and I'm pretty oblivious to all else.
 
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When I said, "go out of my head" I meant using my extroverted sensing function. To just stop listening to my inner voice, and focus on the people and things around me.

So it is not that you are fatasizing all day. In that case it is the same what I meant. The problem is that 99% of the time I jump out automatically when being confronted with other people. Also because my job requieres extraverted sensing.

Is there a method you use to stay intune with your inner voice while talking to other people?

So, Morgan, maybe you could also try listening to your personal favorite music, when you want to go back :)

I still have to find out what that is. Aldo playing certain music on my piano helps a lot to go back.

thanks for your reply!
 
I tend to get caught up in my fantasy world just when I happen to XD there's no reason for it really, other than I have some inspiration.
I think about many different plot line for stories and such when I'm in a fantasy world, so it's really helpful and it only becomes a bit awkward if I don't hear people talking or I'm in class ^^"
I probably go into a fantasy world more when I'm upset or life's too much, but that's not a main reason...
 
All I have to say is that I recently had to give up roleplaying because it made me feel to pressured. I had all of these scenes in my head that I really should have wrote, but I wasn't motivated to do so. Although I'm superior at writing it really interferes with me getting things done because instead of thinking of solutions to my life I'm sitting there thinking to solutions to my stories, which is very, very, very problematic. I'm much happier when I don't write and do not discuss writing. I think also the reason I don't read fiction is because it too draws me into a mode where I'm focusing on imaginary things, which, is really not constructive at all.
 
All I have to say is that I recently had to give up roleplaying because it made me feel to pressured. I had all of these scenes in my head that I really should have wrote, but I wasn't motivated to do so. Although I'm superior at writing it really interferes with me getting things done because instead of thinking of solutions to my life I'm sitting there thinking to solutions to my stories, which is very, very, very problematic. I'm much happier when I don't write and do not discuss writing. I think also the reason I don't read fiction is because it too draws me into a mode where I'm focusing on imaginary things, which, is really not constructive at all.

Heh...I *would* ask if you're part of our RPG because ours is dying a slow, horrible death from lack of posts. :D

But honestly, I do have a fairly healthy imagination. I need to activate it some more in my writing, though. I miss it when I don't use it, and sometimes my ADD prevents me from concentrating enough on my writing. I can't just go off in my imagination as often as I'd like to.

In order to be "in the zone" I have to be at peace and in a quiet place - probably a bookstore, or a library. And I need time alone. I've discovered that if I'm too distracted, I'm like that dog from "UP": "Hi, my name is-SQUIRREL!" Lol!

But I also find that I feel so much *better* when I'm creating my fantasy worlds when it's a right time to do so.

Hmm. :D

I think I'm going to start treking over to the coffee shops more, on the weekend. I need to start paying attention to my intuition. Poor widdle thing.
 
I don't think so, the roleplay forum I go to mainly consists of Australians.

But I do like Coffee Shops.

Take me with you.
 
All 9 hours of my workday are spent in fantasy-land. Right now my fantasy is quitting and going to work in my favorite sushi restaurant.
 
Is the reason that we get caught up in fantasy that we are not happy enough? It seems to me that whenever I go to a fantasy world, it is very emotional somehow. I am either crying, accomplishing something great, having an intimate moment, or something that evokes emotions and endorphins somehow.

The more miserable I am, the more time I spend in fantasy. It is almost compulsory- like a defense mechanism. I often don't realize what is happening until sometimes over an hour or two after it happens. I completely forget where I am and take in no details of the world around me; I am completely absorbed in the fantasy.

I want my fantasy world(s) to be real, but I know that it isn't real. I need to find how to be satisfied with the real world, but that seems impossible right now.

Do you live in a fantasy world as well?

oh yes I live in a fantasy dream world alot. It often takes the form of those themes you mentioned. I love it actually. It is somehow what feeds my dreams in the meantime, untill I have achieved them. So I guess it is a form of defense mechanism because I turn to fantasy to help alleviate the longing for those things in real life.

I can go from fantasy and back to reality in an instant but I bring the mindset from the fantasy with me.

I want my fantasy world to be real as well, but I don't settle for realism. I believe they can be real. They will be different from imagined but not necessarily for the worse, in fact they may be even better than in my fantasy.
 
I used to spend a lot of time in a fantasy world. Now, I just read books and watch movies that suck me in emotionally. It allows me to disappear into a world where everlasting love happens, and men of worth exist.
 
there's no such thing as real world for me...

i think almost everything in my life is a figment of my imagination...
iLOVE LOVE LOVE MY fantasy world..... i would die to live in it......

whenever i get lonely, i escape and go to my fantasy world.. i would lie down and think of my world and then i would sleep...

and when i wake up, i regret waking up... my problems come back to me again..... and so..... i imagine my own world again.

but.... the thing is, i realized that my fantasy world will never be REAL to me.. and so, i want to accept who i am and what i have right now. but the problem is, i don't think i can ever accept myself.