So I have this imaginary friend who I had for 9 years. He has a name, a human appearance, a personality, etc. So I was thinking about who was my best friend during choir and I realized that he is, personally I don't find that sad or weird and yes I do have real friends, their close but no best friends. He serves as my conscience as well as a father figure, friend, helper. I think I have him because I'm a maladaptive dreamer. I mentioned in one thread and he is always there for me (obviously), helps me, we both tease each other. I love him and he loves me, but not in the gay way (as he once stated). I have mentioned it to my friends and they thought I was kidding. What are your guys opinion, please don't tell me to get rid of him it's an insult to both of us, he is my air and I'm his world without him I can't breath without him and he has no one else to give air to.
I tried having an imaginary friend when my age was in the high single digits. I gave up after about five minutes because anything and everything "he" was and did directly came from me. So how do you, as a 17-year old with a brain undoubtedly better at critical thinking, reconcile that? I guess it's easier to express all your thoughts if you can "outsource" some of the more out-of-character stuff to a different personality, but that's hard enough to do in fiction writing where you don't exist in the story. To do that on the fly where you are physically there and have direct influence already sounds like something harder still. The point I'm trying to make is, when it all comes down to it, he=you. So nobody could tell you to "get rid of him" and expect for you to be the same. But I would recommend that you remember the source of all his features and not let him grow too independent.
That's really cool. I have never actually had an imagination friend, but I often have different characters in my head. I like to use them to bounce around ideas and stuff.
We basically have same thoughts and also different thoughts, when I make a decision he can all like "no have this instead because..." Or "I don't agree on that". He is always someone to talk and I feel like he is an individual than a figment of my imagination, he is more like a dad than an imagination, he may be imaginary to many people, but for me his words, his love, his advice is real to me.
Having talks with someone who's imaginary isn't necessarily bad per se, I think. When I feel like I need to think something through really well, I do sometimes end up talking in thoughts to my brother, my parents, one of my friends or my boyfriend. OK, they do also exist in the real world, but at that moment they aren't really present and all I'm really talking to is a representation built by my own mind. so you could call them "Imaginary real friends". And it can help to outsource things to a different imaginary person. Sometimes it makes it easier to express a different viewpoint if you also imagine it's a different person expressing it. However, I do think RSwordsman is right on the money when he says to never forget that he is, in the end, you. When he disagrees with you, it's your own mind offering another perspective (that it still would have thought of if you hadn't expressed it through an imaginary friend). Unlike people in the real world, he will never have knowledge or stories you don't know. If you're in trouble, you can't really ask him to help you out, because he can't really affect the real world. So... do make sure you always keep your focus on the real world. Don't ditch real life people to spend time with an imaginary friend. Always remember that real-life friends can bring totally different perspectives that no figment of your imagination ever could. And that real-life friends can offer a whole range of support you couldn't ever get from an imaginary friend!
A say that I have two sides of me. Two yet one person. I have conversations with myself. I don't name them. No need. But it's like a conscience and whatever the opposite is. It's all rather confusing. I'd love to have an imaginary friend though!
