I take your description to be dissociation. I've felt very disconnected from myself many times. As though I am standing behind myself watching and listening. As the words come out of my mouth, when I speak, I am shaken up quite a bit. Yet, the part of me that's talking just keeps on going. Very strange! I don't like it, personally. It scares me.

Perhaps Open Eyes and I are talking about the same thing, and our general outlooks on life are the difference. I tend to focus on the negative aspects of things ~ and (I am just guessing here) that Open Eyes focuses on the positive aspects.