The feeling of being detached from oneself, of being able to watch oneself as though from a distance; psychological disorders having at their core long-term periods of such feelings when a specific cause may not be identified.

Dissociation, or the feeling of being detached from the reality of one's body, can be categorized into two types: depersonalization and derealization. Depersonalization is highlighted by a sense of not knowing who you are, or of questioning long-held beliefs about who you are. In derealization, persons perceive reality in a grossly distorted way. Psychologists have identified several types of disorders based on these feelings. These include depersonalization disorder, dissociative fugue, dissociative amnesia, dissociative trance disorder,...