This guy I know lives part of his life submerged in an imaginary world.

Whenever I've visited him, he's always talked about his problems, relationship and otherwise. He divorced his wife, and, now that he's in his late 30's, he can't get a date anymore. His standards are too high. His parents also rely on him a lot for money and pressured him into paying hundreds of dollars a month to keep their store open on his janitor's salary. They were also responsible for getting in-between him and his ex-wife.

I really didn't mind him living in this kind of made up place in his head. Many would find it strange, but I didn't think any less of him because of it. When he was living in his grandma's basement a while back, he had all these props down there, like security cameras and gears and pipes set up all over the place. he said he was the owner of some facility with nuclear generators and cyborgs. He also has friends, staff, a girlfriend, etc, that he talks to. He treats his staff and workers respectfully. The girlfriend, of course, was all over him. I played along with it while I was hanging out drinking beers with him.

At one point I talked it through with him (because i didn't want to exacerbate something that could be a serious mental illness), and he admitted he didn't really think any of it was real and that he appreciated me as a real friend much more than the imaginary ones. He also said he wished he was still my age and had the optimism about the world I still had. He noted I reminded him of his father when he was younger. His dad's kind of this money grubber now.

Is there a name for any of this, and how bad is it? Most people would say its unhealthy and probably wouldn't wanna be around him. He isn't a mean person though or anything. I just think he creates this alternate world and escapes into it when real life is too hard for him to deal with.

One time, when he was really depressed, he told me he practiced witch craft and that if the world continued to go the direction it was going, a black hole, which he gave a specific name to, would devour the world and end all its suffering. That was especially dark. It reminded me of a fundamentalist Christian ranting about fire and brimstone. He was so convinced about it. The cyborgs he mentioned earlier were sort of like angels or demons or something that would also aide in the worlds destruction. He considered himself a witch, almost in the same sense of a priest or an adherent to some religious order that had access to the forces of the universe. He felt he could, to some degree, summon the demise of the planet if it merited that kind of justice. Most people would say that this guy is loonier than hell. When I grew up, though, I was around a bunch of people that thought Jesus was coming back to do pretty much the same thing as his black hole. So, it may be crazy, but I don't think its really that abnormal when placed in that context. The only difference is this is a belief system held by one person as opposed to millions.

I don't know how much of it he really thinks is imaginary or real. Like everyone, he draws a line between fantasy and the real world, but its blurred to some extent, probably more so than someone who would be considered healthy. Its kind of odd to think about this actually, since imagination does shape the outside world and human interaction to some extent. I wouldn't knock someone blurring the line, but its the extent they believe their own imagination and will has influence on reality that's the issue.

 

I don't know. He seems to be aware that it's all imaginary at least some of the time, which is probably a good sign.

 

I'm no expert, but:

It sounds like he's not skitso, but he's working towards it. He knows it's not real, but he desperately wants it to be, to the point it hardly matters that it's not. It's relieving just to have it as an option or alternative, real or not.

I would say he needs a change of scene, reallllll soon, or he's going to fuck himself beyond recognition. I would say that if you're personally interested or taking any initiative, get him the FUCK out of the basement and drag him on the longest hike in the most beautiful place you can... Or go bike touring.... Or rock climbing... Something that makes him rely on his body and mind, so he doesn't have time for bull, and where he's exposed to natural wonders so he doesn't need to make shit up to feel good.

 

I think maybe getting him to see a psychiatrist or psychologist would be good.

If he doesn't have medical insurance, he might be eligible for medicaid.

 

At least he admits it :/ All you can be is a good friend at this point

 

He used to love bike riding but he fucked his back some time ago, and he can't do it anymore. That's actually part of the reason he spends so much of his spare time in the fantasy world. He also used to ride a motor bike but had to sell it to pay bills. I think I'll try to get him out on a hike somewhere. I actually taught him zazen, a sitting meditation method that's used specifically to harmonize the body with the mind.

 

I'm not sure how long that's gonna last with the crusade against all social safety netting. I'll might bring it up. This is why I think Rome fell to Christianity. The stoic, platonic rationalist Romans ignored the welfare of a whole underclass of people to the point that they finally forced all the leaders and aristocracy to convert to their collective fantasy. That's my take of it anyway now after having spent time with this dude in this condition. I'm not saying Jesus didn't have good things to say or that he wasn't crucified or that his views on spirituality weren't real, but I really think part of Christianity was a kind of mental landscape people created for their selves to live in to take their minds off the oppressive reality the roman's inflicted over them. The worst off my friend is, the more he reverts to this fantasy. The worst off Religious adherents are, the more they revert to their mythology. Its the same behavior, just more socially accepted and done simultaneously among a bunch of people. I don't really know which is more dangerous, considering the crusades, the plague, and Islamic Jihads, etc.

That's beside the point though, and I'm this has been written about already. I'll see if he wants to get to a psychologist. I think the issue is that he has a ground to reality, and I'll make sure to visit him as much as I can for that reason.

 

when i'm at work or just sitting around with nothing to do i spend a lot of time in a fantasy world. but i don't talk about it with people as if it's real. that may be a bit of a difference between normal fantasy world and need to talk to someone fantasy world.

 

If it is imaginary, how can he become submerged?

 

Sounds like "A Beautiful Mind" type stuff to me...I think he needs some help, however, the fact that he admits that he knows something is up is a good thing. But stuff like that CAN get dangerous if they aren't treated.

 

That's just a figure of speech.

 

The imagination is a product of the unconscious, and the unconscious is said to be buried beneath the conscious. So if he lives there, in a figurative way, he's submerge.