I fantasize a lot.
I’ve always assumed, without giving it much thought, that it had to do with low self-esteem.
A few months ago I stumbled unto a web page of a psychotherapist in San Francisco who was promoting Biofeedback as therapy for Attention deficit disorder. It’s a little sketchy in my mind but he was saying that the brain waves of people with our problem show much more Alfa (or is it beta) waves than other people. He said that these waves are associated with fantasizing.
It’s odd, if this is true, that I’ve never seen this listed among the traits of ADD sufferers. Could it simply be that people are embarrassed to admit that they fantasize, thinking it childish and narcissistic.

I’d love to know the answer to this question.

I also hear music in my head. For me this is inseparable from the disorder. Most of my distraction, when I’m sitting in a quiet room, comes from this almost incessant music. It’s worst when I’m thinking non-verbally. Maybe I’m visualizing or working out a math problem. At those times when there’s no dialog playing in my minds ear it’s hardest to stop the music.

Is this a big problem for anybody else? Thanks.

I've been a big time fantasizer all my life. Actually how I figured out I had ADHD was to put the word daydream in the computer along with a couple other traits I had and the next bizzilion entries were about ADHD. From there I went on to get a formal diagnosis. You may just be using a different word to describe it. I think it actually may be theta waves that ADHD folks have more of then usual and they are associated with daydreaming. I started a thread in around here somewhere a while back with a poll on how much people day dream -- it was pretty high, even for those on meds.

Welcome to the forums!
Scattered

I hear music too. It's not original stuff (for the most part)its like a radio. I can turn it down but not off. I use it as entertainment when I'm bored. I'm singing or dancing all the time (even in Walmart). I think its the rhythm that keeps me feeling alive or something.

Where did music come from and why is it here?

I have never fantasized much, but I definitely will hear music when I'm in a quiet room.

I spent several years working in a room by myself with the door closed and would often hear music as if a radio was playing, even though there was none. It wasn't loud or obnoxious, just low and in the background, but always there.

I don't know if it was an ADD thing (and I wasn't diagnosed at the time). Some days I enjoyed it, and others I couldn't stand it. What I do know is that no matter what, I couldn't turn it off. I would even go out into the hallway where there was lots of noise and people to "reset". But after I went back in and started working, a little while later the music would start right back up again.

People I knew would tell me it was because my mind was always going, never resting. Guess that makes sense if it's an ADD thing.

I've always daydreamed a lot. It's an excellent skill to have in boring places, but not so good when you're missing out on important stuff. I also usually have music in my head. I'm sure I dream music because I almost always wake up thinking of song...maybe its because I listen to music before i fall asleep. I get strange looks when I'm taping my feet to a beat thats in my head, but I don't care.

haha, i daydream all the time. And I've got music in my head so much that i've pretty much got my own CD player going on in my head.

I fantasize a lot.

I do a lot of fantasizing. It rarely blocks out all else or interferes with conversation as many here have described. I can drift off in thought some times it just doesn't happen very often to me. I fantasize mostly when I am tired or board, especially just before falling asleep at night. Music brings it's own visuals. I have my own mental video to songs.



Alfa (or is it beta) waves than other people.

I have read this also I must figure out where it was.


It’s odd, if this is true, that I’ve never seen this listed among the traits of ADD sufferers.

Fantazing is subjective if I remember correctly that most ADD traits listed are those that can be observed by another person. Now day dreaming, is more subjective but has been mentioned when symptoms are written about inattentive ADDers.


I also hear music in my head. For me this is inseparable from the disorder.


I don't know about the disorder but music in my head is defiantly an inseparable part of me. I have had music in my head sense I can remember. It will often begin with music I have heard before but then the music begins to "write it self" (I wish I could communicate it by writing notes) I usually hear instrumental music only rarely words.


Some times I have noticed my mental working determine tempo of internal music. Too bad we can't bring our heads together and hear each others music!!!!! That would be cool.

I fantasize a lot. In fact its how I put myself to sleep every night. I have since I have been a little kid put myself to sleep this way. Its the only way I can fall asleep within a reasonable time frame.

I too fantasize a lot. I have been doing it for as long as I can remember. Sometimes I will picture myself in differerent life situations, even just having a different life and being someone different altogether.Sometimes that is detrimental and not helpful but sometimes it is therapeutic. Im quite good at being an escapist....BUT, i fully know the difference between fantasy and reality...im just a born daydreamer is all...

...and yes, i can often hear music in my head...no particular song..just a little in the background....

I also hear music in my head. I was relieved when the medication didn't take it away, but merely allowed me to essentially control the volume on it so that I could pay attention to other things.

Fantasizing and daydreaming are also pretty common for me and for most people with ADD/ADHD. The best explanation I've heard to date is that for most of us, the "inner world" is more entertaining and interesting than the outer world if we aren't in a particularly stimulating environment.

Calvin and Hobbes demonstrated this pretty well with all those scenes of Calvin lost in his own little world as "Spaceman Spiff" or as a dinosaur or whatever when he was supposed to be paying attention in class.

my inner mind is fun!
I like to fantasize and use my imagination.
the only imparement to me is when I look
back and ruminate, dwell, and dwell on
things that happened already in the past.

I fantasize a lot. In fact its how I put myself to sleep every night. I have since I have been a little kid put myself to sleep this way. Its the only way I can fall asleep within a reasonable time frame.
I also fantasize a lot, day and night, but this doesn’t help me get to sleep. In fact it usually keeps me awake. I have lost many nights sleep due to fantasies.

James

hello i have always fantasized about something or another. and have trouble with concentration, even as far as i could sleep rock solid for 8 hrs, have breakfast and try to read a book or magazine and not finish 1 page and take a 2 hr nap.

I'm the same way. I fantasize and have music playing in my mind all the time. I always thought i was just odd but I never thought to relate it to ADD. lol Phewffff!

Same here, fantasize too and the radio in my head always on.

It's directly related to my inability to choose what to think about and what to focus my attention or thoughts on.

It's funny how the songs will change in my head. First of all I should say that the music in my head is something that is always on, with no exception. If I am reading a newspaper for example and I read something about someone and I find that there is a song that is even remotely related to that person then that song will begin playing. (These associations don't always have an explanation) This is very annoying because the songs aren't always good or my taste but they are played with an excruciating amount of detail.

I have always wondered about this, the layers and layers of detail of the music in my head, is just plain amazing. it is almost as the real thing. There must be something good about this, some sort of indication that this ability, which is something not everybody has, could be put to good use. I have no idea how, though, and I am confused about it, why sometimes it is so enjoyable (while I am on the subway, in the shower etc) and sometimes so annoying cause it just won't stop broadcasting.