Linasmom - I have heard of somatization yes, can't remember exactly what it means - but I don't think I've heard of it in the way you are referring to it... I'd be really interested to hear about it...

Yep kers- that's exactly what I was asking! I also have all the ones everyone has listed here too! But am starting to think that my last one might be a flashback with some dissociation, as bec suggested...

Thanks for the feedback guys - from what I've learned, the first one is the most common one that everyone experiences... it only becomes abnormal if it's hours and you don't know where you've been or what you've done etc., in which case it's more of a disorder (most disorders are normal things but existing in an extreme), and likely to be related to trauma, PTSD, or overload. From what I do know is dissociation exists on a contiuum, as does a lot of psychology... A lot of people have experienced that drive to work where they think "how did I get here?" etc. I was just confused about the second example, and whether other PTSD sufferers had experienced anything like it.

I get the other states like feeling dead and not connected to my body, floating just behind or above myself... also get total complete emotional numbness where I am just a void, a shell... also get plenty of the moments where I've completely missed a part of a conversation where I tune out...those all happen so often I forgot to include those fugue states as a type of dissociation!

Marlene and Anonymoose - I also often, when stressed out with exams, get that thing where I'll be studying one moment, and the next 2 hours have passed and I'm staring at my wall!!!! It's a real problem!

ricoforkids - that's an interesting theory - could be somethign in that.

I guess there are lots of theories and types of dissociative states, and it depends on the extremity on the continuum... but awakening, from what i do know, dissociation on some level is normal, but if you find it's extreme or it happens when you're overwhelmed (like you just can't take it anymore), then I'd call that definitely dissociation....

Seems like dissociation is complicated - i knew that, though... maybe I'll do some research on it, and flashbacks, all the types and theories... the knowledge could be useful...