Watching my own mental pictures... Is this normal?

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It oftenly happens to me - whenever I think of something, such as an old memory, my own imagination, etc. - this image becomes visible to me in a way that I start watching it.

That is, at this moment I am looking at my computer while typing; however, if I remember a recent travel to the beach, images of these memories suddenly catches my vision and I don't see my computer anymore - what I see are my own memories instead. Please notice I don't become "blind", what happens is that my vision is driven to an unexpected direction.

Same happens to what I hear, for example a music. In either case, sometimes it becomes so strong that I start reacting, humming, smiling, talking, moving my body, tapping my fingers to follow the music.

Does it sound familiar to you? Please have your say, I need your opinion so I can understand it better. Anyhow this is the reason I cannot drive cars - I'm afraid it can cause an accident.

Also, is there any sort of brain scan that could help me?

I do those same things also. It's completely normal when you are a very visual and audio based thinker.

I never have my vision obscured by mental images but I do have to view them from inside the back of my head ( as if they are projected on the inside front of my skull ) which sometimes gives me that 1000 mile stare.

I am a pattern thinker. But what you are describing sounds very much like a visual thinker.

So in order to learn more about the various Aspie sub tribes:

Can you control this? Are you able to turn this on and off at will?
What level of detail do you observe. Is it almost like being there, reliving the experience all over again in very fine detail?
Is the image in color or black and white?
Do you not only visual experience this but also what about your other senses (taste, touch, smell, hearing)?
Are you able to artistically draw the image with fine detail?
Are the images exact duplications of past memories or are they imagined events?

I will try to answer you as exactly as possible.

- I practically cannot control it. It spontaneously arises while my brain thinks. Not bad when I'm safe, and it's funny sometimes, especially when I'm alone, but think about the risks when I'm - for example - on the street. People stare at me in such moments because they think I'm crazy. And the list goes on.
- Level of detail: yes it's detailed but I never measured to which extent. But it's impressive enough to make me react with looks, hummings, etc. And yes, sometimes it looks like the episode being revived in my memories is happening again, in a way that makes me feel tense/happy/excited/agitated/whatever feelings these memories raise inside me.
- Images have no noticeable intereference on my other senses except hearing because it also applies to sounds I remember/think.
- Images: always in color. Only B/W when it's originally B/W but that's not common.
- I have few to no drawing skills. On the other side, my handwriting looks like artistic as it resembles arabic (though I've never been there, and I'm not a muslim).
- Whenever I remember an episode, these images are an exact duplication, with the exception of some details lost as time passes. When I imagine an event, this immagination is intense.

It's dangerous sometimes. For example, when I remember an episode where I was harmed, I usually feel anger enough to close my hands as if I am about to punch someone, my face distorts, my heart beats stronger, and it takes me some time to recover. I usually hear music to relieve these memories.

But, why these questions? No offence intended in my question, this is just for me to understand your reasons, nothing else. Having any other question(s), please feel free to ask.

I am a very curious person. That is how I learn. I also phase out sometimes. Generally I am very deep in though putting the pieces of a puzzle together. So I put my self in auto drive. For example I might be driving my car and for awhile, I am two people. One is in auto drive while the other side of me is very deep deep in thought. It is very hard to do. It takes deep concentration. I cannot tolerate any interruption otherwise the though process is lost forever. If you look at me during this incidences, I look totally spaced out. But it is me performing two functions at the same time.

So in a sense both pattern thinkers and visual thinkers get spaced out at times, totally invested in thoughts.

I do that all the time, everywhere. I can lose myself in my own thoughts.

Totally outside my experience. I have complete aphantasia, meaning I never see any mental imagery at all (except maybe in dreams). My memories are principally like reading a narrative account, with a vague impression that I know roughly what things looked like, but no images.

Do you people know any institute where I can perform a brain scan so I can understand it better?