Ep 9. “Is daydreaming or having an imaginary persona healthy?”

Gerri’s alter ego Aidan is discussed through the lens of clinical appraisal. No stone is left unturned. Imy wends her way around to piping up about the benefits of person centered care as opposed to a problem centered approach. Gerri is left unconvinced and presents a welterweight of evidence on MD, which we understand does not mean Major Depression in this instance. Instead it refers to the practice of ‘maladaptive daydreaming’. The presence of a powerful critic is felt but not placed in the empty chair. The tendency of Clinical Psychologist to generate jargon in pursuit of that elusive perfect intervention which promises the return of “rightness” to the world is discussed. The case of trauma and Complex Post Traumatic Stress is examined in relationship to the phenomenon of maladaptive daydreaming. The use of Dr Google to direct both diagnosis and treatment for many an avid amateur psychologist is discussed together with undesirable and unwanted side effects. For example, young people developing critical cases of anxiety after watching YouTube videos and self diagnosing themselves with a range of rare presentations. Dr Google is very able and willing to confirm and disconfirm diagnosis depending on what is paradoxically both feared and desired. Daydreaming is also discussed in terms of its potential adaptive response.  Join Us on Facebook  Twitter  YouTube and follow along. #womenpodcasters #psychologystuff #lifestory