I'm glad that many of you have found this topic interesting, and hopefully you have not found it distracting from the fun of CD by thinking about it too much! The differences in the responses points to how different we all are in our approach to CD, and maybe what it means to us as individuals. On a personal level, this description most closely mirrors what I feel when I am Kris:

Quote Originally Posted by Vintage4sarah View Post
Yes, she is the female person who I wish I could have become all along especially over the last ten years. Sarah's is more outgoing and free spirited than Paul. She also can break the chains that has restrained Paul who has always lived up to others expectations and my own perspective of being the responsible husband, father and professional. This possibly explains my habit of referring to Sarah in the "third person". Even though there is a lot of overlap between each part of me, there has developed a distinct difference which I have come to enjoy.
For me, pretty spot on. Kris is an alternate personality for me, although an imaginary one, a fantasy of sorts that I can live out n some measure. When I see Kris in the mirror, I am not admiring myself, I am admiring her, not only her appearance but her personal qualities too, again that I have ascribed to her in my imagination. Even though I have no desire to become a woman or transition,yet in many ways she is what I would want to be if I was. I am not her, but it feels great to have a relationship with her that is so close, and when I bring her out, so intense and yes, sensuous.

I'm certain a psychiatrist could run wild with this. It sounds almost like a split personality, but it's not, nor do I have any desire to be cured. I can and always do return to reality when I need to or have to - my alter ego is not "driving the bus" . But its both fun and for me it has proven to be therapeutic to take on her persona, if only for a little while in fantasy.