No, the pattern of consistency is inferred, not directly perceived. We experience the part of the self that's happening at any time or place, but I'm talking here about a better explanation for the so-called spirit, the immaterial aspect of the self we're supposed to have. The unified self, as in the immaterial container or possessor of the mental states could be just the story we tell about ourselves, according to some narrative logic. Hence the analogy with film reels.