When I dissociate I feel disconnected from my surroundings, but generally don't lose time. I actually used to use it as a coping mechanism, and called in zoning in or zoning out. Zoning in when working on a project that required a lot of focus, and zoning out to relax myself. I never really thought of that as dissociation until the last year or so after a crisis situation has cause my dissociation to change. It's more automatic now and doesn't work to relax me any more. I can snap out of it when someone talks to me though, although I often feel a little disconnected still afterwards. On a scale, mine is on the lower end of the spectrum.