Eli Somer
Datos Biográficos
| ID | 82833 |
|---|---|
| NOMBRE | Eli Somer |
| NOMBRES | Eli |
| APELLIDO | Somer |
| FIRMA | SOMER E |
| AFILIACIONES | University of Haifa |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-1435-1763 |
| VERIFICADO | Sí |
| TOTAL DE OBRAS | 23 |
| TOTAL DE CITAS | 21 |
| TOTAL COMO AUTOR | 23 |
| TOTAL COMO EDITOR | 0 |
| PRIMER AÑO DE PUBLICACIÓN | 2000 |
| AÑO MÁS RECIENTE DE PUBLICACIÓN | 2025 |
| ÍNDICE H | 2 |
Maladaptive Daydreaming and Psychopathology
Maladaptive daydreaming (MD) is a clinical condition that cannot be explained by any existing psychopathology. The empirical literature regarding MD suggests that it is associated with mental afflictions and exhibits attributes resembling a psychological disorder. This study aimed to meta‐analytically investigate the relationship between MD and various manifestations of mental distress and dysfunction. Forty studies, totaling 24,977 individuals (…
Calling the tune in maladaptive daydreaming
This study aimed to shed light on the role of music in maladaptive daydreaming (MD), a psychological condition characterized by excessive, immersive daydreaming that interferes with well-being and functioning. Forty-one individuals with probable MD participated in asynchronous in-depth email interviews. A thematic analysis yielded three themes describing the role of music in MD. Two homogeneous themes pertained to outlier experiences: Music neces…
Exploring the nexus between childhood adversities, trauma-related fantasy and memory in maladaptive daydreaming
We conducted a qualitative study investigating traumatic daydreaming themes among individuals with maladaptive daydreaming (MD). Forty-one participants were interviewed regarding connections between their traumatic daydreams and real-life adversity. Specifically, we asked participants about 1) childhood trauma experiences, 2) trauma-related daydreaming, 3) perceived relationships between such daydreams and authentic experiences, and 4) difficulty…
Reality shifting
Different cultures, similar daydream addiction? An examination of the cross-cultural measurement equivalence of the Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale
Perceived Stress During the Covid-19 Pandemic Mediates the Association Between Self-quarantine Factors and Psychological Characteristics and Elevated Maladaptive Daydreaming
Heightened Levels of Maladaptive Daydreaming Are Associated With Covid-19 Lockdown, Pre-existing Psychiatric Diagnoses, and Intensified Psychological Dysfunctions
The COVID-19 pandemic has been spreading globally since December 2019, bringing with it anxieties, mortal risk, and agonizing psychological suffering. This study aimed to explore the relationship between maladaptive daydreaming (MD)-an addictive mental behavior to vivid fantasy associated with distress and functional impairment-and forced COVID-19 pandemic-related self-isolation and quarantine. Previous literature indicated that individuals emplo…
Maladaptive Daydreaming Among Recovering Substance Use Disorder Patients
Maladaptive Daydreaming Is Associated With Intensified Psychosocial Problems Experienced by Female Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse
We measured maladaptive daydreaming (MD) and psychosocial indices among 194 participants, aged 18-56 years: 99 female survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and 95 control respondents with no reported history of sexual abuse. Our data show that survivors of CSA scored higher on MD compared to controls. Survivors of CSA with probable MD scored higher on psychological distress, social phobia, and social isolation compared to survivors of CSA wit…
Trapped in a Daydream
Background: Maladaptive Daydreaming (MD) characterizes individuals who engage in vivid, fanciful daydreaming for hours on end, neglecting real-life relationships and responsibilities, resulting in clinical distress and functional impairment. Sufferers have embraced the term MD in cyber-communities devoted to this problem because it seemed to uniquely fit their experience and since existing diagnostic labels and their therapies seemed inadequate. …
The Micro-Politics of a New Mental Condition
This study illuminates legitimization efforts in the discourse of individuals who suffer from excessive, uncontrolled daydreaming: a contested mental condition that has not yet been recognized by the medical establishment. It aims to explore the rhetorical maneuvers employed by these “Maladaptive Daydreamers” in 35 email exchanges with the second author and two petitions, submitted to the American Psychiatric Association and to the UK Parliament,…
Development and validation of the Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale (MDS)
Maladaptive daydreaming
Dissociative disorders and possession experiences in Israel
This study examined the association between exposure to domestic violence and dissociative symptoms. A sample of 68 Israeli opiate use disorder patients in recovery, 80 battered Arab Israeli women, and 103 respondents from a community sample participated in structured interviews that included the Dissociative Disorders Interview Schedule (DDIS), the Dissociative Trance Disorder Interview Schedule (DTDIS), and the Dissociative Experiences Scale (D…
Evidence-based treatment for Depersonalisation-derealisation Disorder (DPRD)
The limited data from randomised controlled trials on the pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy of DPRD demonstrates inconsistent evidence for the efficacy of lamotrigine, and no efficacy for other interventions. Additional research on this disorder is needed
Gender, Distress, and Coping in Response to Terrorism
This study assessed women's vulnerability to the threats of terrorism; 326 Israeli citizens (198 women and 128 men) from cities that were hit hard by terrorist violence were interviewed to identify their level of exposure to terrorist events, symptoms of posttraumatic distress, and coping styles. Although the women were less exposed to terrorist events than were the men, they reported higher levels of indirect and subjective exposure (such as hel…
Women Sexually Victimized in Psychotherapy Speak Out
The present study was a result of an extraordinary opportunity to interview 23 women patients who had sexual relations with their therapists. The paper presents the phenomenological viewpoint of therapist-client sex (TCS) from the victims' perspectives. Patients were asked to describe their emotional experiences during the misguided therapy period. They depicted a sense of ambivalence towards TCS that included feelings of dependency, helplessness…
The Stress and Coping of Israeli Emergency Room Social Workers Following Terrorist Attacks
The authors of this qualitative study analyze Israeli hospital social workers' emotional responses to working with civilian casualties in the wake of an unprecedented surge of terrorist violence. Data are based on four focus groups conducted with 38 hospital social workers in relation to their experience with clients in the emergency room. Three themes were identified: (a) Restoring a lost sense of personal security as a necessary stepping-stone …
Dissociative Phenomena Among Recovering Heroin Users and Their Relationship to Duration of Abstinence
This study is an investigation of trauma and dissociation in 100 Israeli recovering patients with drug use disorder. The respondents showed more emotional, physical and sexual traumatization than an Israeli clinical sample, and their levels of dissociation were similar to those previously measured in Israeli patients diagnosed with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Acute Stress Disorder (Somer, Dolgin, & Saadon, 2001). Male respondents with highe…
Prediction of Abstinence from Heroin Addiction by Childhood Trauma, Dissociation, and Extent of Psychosocial Treatment
This study is an investigation of trauma and dissociation in 93 Israeli patients recovering from drug use disorder. The respondents showed more emotional, physical and sexual traumatization than consecutive admissions to an Israeli outpatient stress clinic, and their levels of dissociation were similar to those previously measured in Israeli patients diagnosed with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Acute Stress Disorder. It was posited that the l…
Posttraumatic Dissociation as a Mediator of the Effects of Trauma on Distressful Introspectiveness
This paper focuses on the stable personality trait of introspectiveness , exploring the relationship between introspectiveness and childhood trauma, dissociation and emotional distress. Ninety Israeli women were recruited from emergency counseling services and from academic and office employment settings. Pearson correlations between traumatic experiences and various dimensions of introspectiveness revealed significant links. Negative emotional a…
Variables in delayed disclosure of childhood sexual abuse
In a study of 41 adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse, the level of childhood traumatization was found to have contributed to delayed disclosure of the abuse. Other delaying variables included: belief in the importance of obedience to grownups, mistrust of people, fear of social rejection, and fear of the criminal justice system. Variables such as media attention to similar cases and experiences of personal achievement were inversely related…
Stambali
This study investigated Stambali, a Tunisian trance-dance practiced in Israel as a healing and a demon exorcism ritual by Jewish-Tunisian immigrants. The authors observed the ritual and conducted semi-structured ethnographic interviews with key informants. Content analysis revealed that Stambali is practiced for prophylactic reasons (e.g. repelling the 'evil eye'), for the promotion of personal well-being, and as a form of crisis intervention. Cr…
The Stress and Coping of Israeli Emergency Room Social Workers Following Terrorist Attacks
The authors of this qualitative study analyze Israeli hospital social workers' emotional responses to working with civilian casualties in the wake of an unprecedented surge of terrorist violence. Data are based on four focus groups conducted with 38 hospital social workers in relation to their experience with clients in the emergency room. Three themes were identified: (a) Restoring a lost sense of personal security as a necessary stepping-stone …
Stambali
This study investigated Stambali, a Tunisian trance-dance practiced in Israel as a healing and a demon exorcism ritual by Jewish-Tunisian immigrants. The authors observed the ritual and conducted semi-structured ethnographic interviews with key informants. Content analysis revealed that Stambali is practiced for prophylactic reasons (e.g. repelling the 'evil eye'), for the promotion of personal well-being, and as a form of crisis intervention. Cr…
Gender, Distress, and Coping in Response to Terrorism
This study assessed women's vulnerability to the threats of terrorism; 326 Israeli citizens (198 women and 128 men) from cities that were hit hard by terrorist violence were interviewed to identify their level of exposure to terrorist events, symptoms of posttraumatic distress, and coping styles. Although the women were less exposed to terrorist events than were the men, they reported higher levels of indirect and subjective exposure (such as hel…
Maladaptive Daydreaming Is Associated With Intensified Psychosocial Problems Experienced by Female Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse
We measured maladaptive daydreaming (MD) and psychosocial indices among 194 participants, aged 18-56 years: 99 female survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and 95 control respondents with no reported history of sexual abuse. Our data show that survivors of CSA scored higher on MD compared to controls. Survivors of CSA with probable MD scored higher on psychological distress, social phobia, and social isolation compared to survivors of CSA wit…
The Micro-Politics of a New Mental Condition
This study illuminates legitimization efforts in the discourse of individuals who suffer from excessive, uncontrolled daydreaming: a contested mental condition that has not yet been recognized by the medical establishment. It aims to explore the rhetorical maneuvers employed by these “Maladaptive Daydreamers” in 35 email exchanges with the second author and two petitions, submitted to the American Psychiatric Association and to the UK Parliament,…
Stambali
This study investigated Stambali, a Tunisian trance-dance practiced in Israel as a healing and a demon exorcism ritual by Jewish-Tunisian immigrants. The authors observed the ritual and conducted semi-structured ethnographic interviews with key informants. Content analysis revealed that Stambali is practiced for prophylactic reasons (e.g. repelling the 'evil eye'), for the promotion of personal well-being, and as a form of crisis intervention. Cr…
Variables in delayed disclosure of childhood sexual abuse
In a study of 41 adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse, the level of childhood traumatization was found to have contributed to delayed disclosure of the abuse. Other delaying variables included: belief in the importance of obedience to grownups, mistrust of people, fear of social rejection, and fear of the criminal justice system. Variables such as media attention to similar cases and experiences of personal achievement were inversely related…
Posttraumatic Dissociation as a Mediator of the Effects of Trauma on Distressful Introspectiveness
This paper focuses on the stable personality trait of introspectiveness , exploring the relationship between introspectiveness and childhood trauma, dissociation and emotional distress. Ninety Israeli women were recruited from emergency counseling services and from academic and office employment settings. Pearson correlations between traumatic experiences and various dimensions of introspectiveness revealed significant links. Negative emotional a…
Dissociative Phenomena Among Recovering Heroin Users and Their Relationship to Duration of Abstinence
This study is an investigation of trauma and dissociation in 100 Israeli recovering patients with drug use disorder. The respondents showed more emotional, physical and sexual traumatization than an Israeli clinical sample, and their levels of dissociation were similar to those previously measured in Israeli patients diagnosed with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Acute Stress Disorder (Somer, Dolgin, & Saadon, 2001). Male respondents with highe…
Prediction of Abstinence from Heroin Addiction by Childhood Trauma, Dissociation, and Extent of Psychosocial Treatment
This study is an investigation of trauma and dissociation in 93 Israeli patients recovering from drug use disorder. The respondents showed more emotional, physical and sexual traumatization than consecutive admissions to an Israeli outpatient stress clinic, and their levels of dissociation were similar to those previously measured in Israeli patients diagnosed with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Acute Stress Disorder. It was posited that the l…
The Stress and Coping of Israeli Emergency Room Social Workers Following Terrorist Attacks
The authors of this qualitative study analyze Israeli hospital social workers' emotional responses to working with civilian casualties in the wake of an unprecedented surge of terrorist violence. Data are based on four focus groups conducted with 38 hospital social workers in relation to their experience with clients in the emergency room. Three themes were identified: (a) Restoring a lost sense of personal security as a necessary stepping-stone …
Women Sexually Victimized in Psychotherapy Speak Out
The present study was a result of an extraordinary opportunity to interview 23 women patients who had sexual relations with their therapists. The paper presents the phenomenological viewpoint of therapist-client sex (TCS) from the victims' perspectives. Patients were asked to describe their emotional experiences during the misguided therapy period. They depicted a sense of ambivalence towards TCS that included feelings of dependency, helplessness…
Gender, Distress, and Coping in Response to Terrorism
This study assessed women's vulnerability to the threats of terrorism; 326 Israeli citizens (198 women and 128 men) from cities that were hit hard by terrorist violence were interviewed to identify their level of exposure to terrorist events, symptoms of posttraumatic distress, and coping styles. Although the women were less exposed to terrorist events than were the men, they reported higher levels of indirect and subjective exposure (such as hel…
Evidence-based treatment for Depersonalisation-derealisation Disorder (DPRD)
The limited data from randomised controlled trials on the pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy of DPRD demonstrates inconsistent evidence for the efficacy of lamotrigine, and no efficacy for other interventions. Additional research on this disorder is needed
Dissociative disorders and possession experiences in Israel
This study examined the association between exposure to domestic violence and dissociative symptoms. A sample of 68 Israeli opiate use disorder patients in recovery, 80 battered Arab Israeli women, and 103 respondents from a community sample participated in structured interviews that included the Dissociative Disorders Interview Schedule (DDIS), the Dissociative Trance Disorder Interview Schedule (DTDIS), and the Dissociative Experiences Scale (D…
Development and validation of the Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale (MDS)
Maladaptive daydreaming
Trapped in a Daydream
Background: Maladaptive Daydreaming (MD) characterizes individuals who engage in vivid, fanciful daydreaming for hours on end, neglecting real-life relationships and responsibilities, resulting in clinical distress and functional impairment. Sufferers have embraced the term MD in cyber-communities devoted to this problem because it seemed to uniquely fit their experience and since existing diagnostic labels and their therapies seemed inadequate. …
The Micro-Politics of a New Mental Condition
This study illuminates legitimization efforts in the discourse of individuals who suffer from excessive, uncontrolled daydreaming: a contested mental condition that has not yet been recognized by the medical establishment. It aims to explore the rhetorical maneuvers employed by these “Maladaptive Daydreamers” in 35 email exchanges with the second author and two petitions, submitted to the American Psychiatric Association and to the UK Parliament,…
Maladaptive Daydreaming Among Recovering Substance Use Disorder Patients
Maladaptive Daydreaming Is Associated With Intensified Psychosocial Problems Experienced by Female Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse
We measured maladaptive daydreaming (MD) and psychosocial indices among 194 participants, aged 18-56 years: 99 female survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and 95 control respondents with no reported history of sexual abuse. Our data show that survivors of CSA scored higher on MD compared to controls. Survivors of CSA with probable MD scored higher on psychological distress, social phobia, and social isolation compared to survivors of CSA wit…
Heightened Levels of Maladaptive Daydreaming Are Associated With Covid-19 Lockdown, Pre-existing Psychiatric Diagnoses, and Intensified Psychological Dysfunctions
The COVID-19 pandemic has been spreading globally since December 2019, bringing with it anxieties, mortal risk, and agonizing psychological suffering. This study aimed to explore the relationship between maladaptive daydreaming (MD)-an addictive mental behavior to vivid fantasy associated with distress and functional impairment-and forced COVID-19 pandemic-related self-isolation and quarantine. Previous literature indicated that individuals emplo…
Different cultures, similar daydream addiction? An examination of the cross-cultural measurement equivalence of the Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale
Perceived Stress During the Covid-19 Pandemic Mediates the Association Between Self-quarantine Factors and Psychological Characteristics and Elevated Maladaptive Daydreaming
Reality shifting
Calling the tune in maladaptive daydreaming
This study aimed to shed light on the role of music in maladaptive daydreaming (MD), a psychological condition characterized by excessive, immersive daydreaming that interferes with well-being and functioning. Forty-one individuals with probable MD participated in asynchronous in-depth email interviews. A thematic analysis yielded three themes describing the role of music in MD. Two homogeneous themes pertained to outlier experiences: Music neces…
Exploring the nexus between childhood adversities, trauma-related fantasy and memory in maladaptive daydreaming
We conducted a qualitative study investigating traumatic daydreaming themes among individuals with maladaptive daydreaming (MD). Forty-one participants were interviewed regarding connections between their traumatic daydreams and real-life adversity. Specifically, we asked participants about 1) childhood trauma experiences, 2) trauma-related daydreaming, 3) perceived relationships between such daydreams and authentic experiences, and 4) difficulty…
Maladaptive Daydreaming and Psychopathology
Maladaptive daydreaming (MD) is a clinical condition that cannot be explained by any existing psychopathology. The empirical literature regarding MD suggests that it is associated with mental afflictions and exhibits attributes resembling a psychological disorder. This study aimed to meta‐analytically investigate the relationship between MD and various manifestations of mental distress and dysfunction. Forty studies, totaling 24,977 individuals (…
Psychology (23 obras) · Clinical Psychology (18 obras) · Psychiatry (13 obras) · Mind wandering and attention (12 obras) · Clinical Psychology (10 obras) · Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes (9 obras) · Developmental psychology (8 obras) · Medicine (8 obras) · Social Psychology (8 obras) · Distress (7 obras)