When I was a child I had a game I played, the mirror game. I could sit in front of the mirror for ages and stare at it until I changed and I saw my face dissolve into another. Then I would try and guess who this person was and what their life was like. It didn’t hold any fear for me as I don’t remember when this started. I have always been able to do this.
When the game finished I would write down quickly all I had learned about the face I became. Over time I learnt to tune out by staring into my peripheral vision. If I relaxed and did this I could go to places in my mind. I could see, hear, touch and smell things as if they were real. I would write stories about worlds I didn’t know. It was another thing I was ashamed of. Now as an adult I still feel the smudge of that shame