فكر في الحصان: وصف الأفانتازيا

كيف تصف أفانتازيا؟ غالبًا ما يتم طرح هذا السؤال على مؤسس شبكة Aphantasia. جوابه؟ فكر في حصان.
سهم
Think of a Horse

جدول المحتويات

فكر في حصان.

هل تتبادر صورة الحصان إلى الذهن؟ ما هي أفضل صورة تصف تجربتك الداخلية 1-6؟

يمكن لمعظم الناس إنشاء صورة ذهنية للحصان في أذهانهم. تمثيل مرئي لما يبدو عليه الحصان وما يفعله والمشهد المحيط به.

ليس لدي نظام ” تصورها ” المرئي. ليس لأفكار أو ذكريات أو صور المستقبل.

يطلق عليه أفانتازيا.

أعرف كيف يبدو الحصان ، لكنني لا أتخيل واحدًا

عندما تطلب مني التفكير في حصان ، أعلم أنني أفكر فيه.

تتم معالجة مفهومي عن الحصان من خلال اللغة والحوار الداخلي. أستطيع أن أخبرك أن الخيول هي ثدييات بأربعة أرجل ، طويلة القامة ، يمكن أن تكون هذه الألوان ، وما إلى ذلك ، لكن فكرة الحصان هي المهمة ، وليس التفاصيل.

بالنسبة لي ومعظم الأشخاص الذين يعانون من الأفانتازيا ، هذا هو الحوار الداخلي فقط. إما أنها تعمل بهدوء في ذهني أو تستخدم للتواصل مع شخص آخر. وإذا كانت كل أفكاري الواعية في جمل ، فلا وقت لي من الناحية اللوجستية للتفكير في تلك التفاصيل. لا يستحق المعالجة ؛ إنه غير فعال ما لم تكن التفاصيل متعلقة بالمهمة المحددة.

هذه واحدة من أعظم نقاط القوة في الأفانتازيا. المزيد عن نقاط القوة قريبا.

إذا سألتني: ” كيف تبدو صديقتك؟

يمكنني وصف ميزاتها الرئيسية وتزويدك ببعض المعلومات حول شكلها (لديها شعر أشقر ، وعيون زرقاء ، وما إلى ذلك) ، لكنني لا أراها في ذهني ، لذا فإن التفاصيل الدقيقة صعبة .

لطالما أربكت رسومات فنان الرسم تلك التي ابتكرتها الشرطة في الأفلام …

الآن ، هناك سبب يروق لي أن أسأل الناس (حرفيًا الآلاف من الناس … إنه نوع من الشيء) أن يفكروا في حصان عند وصف أفانتازيا.

تختلف الصورة الذهنية لكل فرد عن الحصان

إذا طلبت من عشرة أشخاص التفكير في حصان ، فستحصل على الأرجح على عشر إجابات مختلفة.

قد يتخيل شخص ما حصانًا كستنائيًا مع معطف بني وشخص آخر حصان رمادي. في أحد السيناريوهات ، يمكن للحصان أن يأكل العشب ويقفز فوق الأسوار في سيناريو آخر. هذا لأن الصور الذهنية تعتمد بالكامل على التجارب الشخصية والذكريات الماضية – إذا كان لديك حصان أبيض يكبر ، فمن المحتمل أن يكون هذا ما ستصوره.

فقط تخيل (تصبح اللغة صعبة هنا) الآثار المترتبة على المحادثة بين الأشخاص الذين يتأثرون بالصور المرئية المختلفة. كم مرة يتواجد الأشخاص على صفحات مختلفة بسبب عملية التصور هذه دون أن يدركوا ذلك؟

إذا كانت تصوراتنا مختلفة تمامًا عن فكرة الحصان البسيطة ، فما مدى اختلافها عندما تصبح الأفكار أكثر تجريدًا؟ هذا يسحرني وهو شيء سأكتب عنه أكثر.

أجد هنا أشخاصًا يكافحون لتخيل ما يشبه الإصابة بأفانتازيا. حرفيا. محاولة تخيل ما يشبه ، وليس لتصور الأشياء. الشيء هو أنه لا توجد طريقة للقيام بذلك.

لا يمكنك أن تتخيل ما يشبه عدم “image-ine”.

إنه تناقض لفظي!

التخيل البصري هو الحالة الافتراضية لمعظم الناس.

إنهم يتخيلون طوال الوقت ، طوال اليوم ، دون أن يدركوا أنهم يفعلون ذلك (أو على الأقل يعتبرونه أمرًا مفروغًا منه). ربما يكون من المستحيل على أولئك الذين لديهم خيال أكثر إشراقًا إيقاف تلك القدرة التخيلية.

من الجدير بالذكر أن تجربة كل شخص حول الأفكار أو الذكريات مختلفة. قد لا تكون تجربتي مثل تجربة كل شخص مصاب بأفانتازيا.

لم يتأثر النظام البصري فقط

إنها تجربة حسية في مخيلتي.

على سبيل المثال ، عندما تفكر في حصان ، هل يمكنك شم رائحة التبن أو السماد في الفناء؟ أنا سعيد لأنني لا أستطيع فعل ذلك!

لنفترض أنك في مطعم وترى شيئًا ما تستمتع به في القائمة. يمكن لمعظم الناس شمها أو تذوقها. لا شك أن هذا يساعد (أو يعيق؟) اتخاذ القرار في المطعم!

يمكنني ، استنادًا إلى المنطق ، أن أخبرك ما هو الطعام الذي أحببته في الماضي وأن أبني اختياراتي على هذا المنطق. أستخدم ذكرى الإعجاب / عدم الإعجاب لأقرر ما سأطلبه ، لكنني لا أتخيل كيف يبدو شيء ما ، وطعمه ، ورائحته ، وما إلى ذلك.

أو إذا استغرقت بضع ثوانٍ للتفكير في أغنيتك المفضلة ، الخيالات ، فإن أولئك الذين لديهم القدرة على تخيل الحواس يمكنهم سماع الأغنية في أذهانهم.

المضي قدما، ومحاولة إعطائها! هل يمكنك سماع ذلك؟

يمكن أن يسألني أحدهم: ” كيف تتألق أغنية” نحن الأبطال “للملكة مرة أخرى؟

يمكنني (ربما) أن أضغط على إيقاع الجوقة الرئيسية ، لكن هذا كل ما في الأمر. لا اسمع شيئاً. ومع ذلك ، إذا ظهرت هذه الأغنية على الراديو ، فسأعرف كل كلمة.

يمكنني تذكر الأغنية عندما يتم تشغيلها ، لكن لا يمكنني “غنائها” في رأسي.

هل هناك أقوال شهيرة تتذكر سماعها من والديك؟ كان والدي ، الذي ورث عن والده ، يقول دائمًا: ” افعل كما أقول ، وليس كما أفعل ” (تحدث عن القيادة بالقدوة …).

أتذكر هذه الكلمات ولكن لا يسعني إلا أن أتدرب عليها بصوتي. لا أستطيع سماعها في صوته أو ذاكرته كما يفعل الكثيرون.

الخيال طيف

كشف العلم الجديد أن الخيال الحسي للفرد يختلف على نطاق واسع.

يمكن لبعض الأشخاص إنشاء صور ذهنية حية جدًا في أذهانهم ، بينما لا يستطيع البعض سوى استحضار صور غامضة. يمكن لبعض الأشخاص إنشاء تجربة كاملة متعددة الحواس في أذهانهم مع الروائح والأذواق والمشاعر وكل شيء (المعروف باسم فرط الفانتازيا ). في المقابل ، قد يكون لدى الآخرين اختلافات طفيفة في الحواس المختلفة أو مجرد ومضات خافتة من الصور الذهنية.

سيعاني البعض من أفانتازيا في جميع الحواس أو ما يعرف عادة باسم أفانتازيا متعددة الحواس أو كلية.

يبدو أن الخيال هو طيف .

لذا عندما قلت أن أفكر في حصان ، ماذا رأيت؟ يسمع؟ حاسة؟ هل تمكنت من تكوين صورة ذهنية في ذهنك؟

إذا لم يكن الأمر كذلك ، فقد تكون أفنتازيا من جميع النواحي مثلي.

شبكة عالمية من المفكرين الخاليين من الصور

هناك العديد من جوانب الأفانتازيا التي يجب تغطيتها في منشور واحد. أشياء مثل الأحلام (نعم ، أحلم بدون صور!) ، العلاقات ، الذكريات ، العواطف ، إلخ. أحب أن أسمع أكثر ما تهتم باستكشافه!

اترك تعليقًا أدناه واسمحوا لي أن أعرف ما تريد أن تقرأ عنه. يمكنك قراءة المقالات من المساهمين في مجتمعنا أو التوجه إلى صفحة المناقشات وطرح الأسئلة على المجتمع.

سواء كنت أفانتازيا أو خياليا أو مفرطا ، مرحبا بك في شبكة أفانتازيا! مكان لاكتشاف والتعرف على أفانتازيا واستكشاف أقصى درجات الخيال البشري.

معًا ، دعنا نكتشف كيف تعمل عقولنا حقًا!

يجب تسجيل الدخول للتعليق
مجموع التعليقات (16)

I’m a 61 year old Swedish female and discovered aphantasia maybe 10 years ago. Before that I thought that visualisation is something everyone can learn. Well, not me. There is definitely no horse. I can sing in my head, my can’t hear music. I dream in pictures.
A friend once asked med how I can buy the right colours to match something I don’t have with me. I can. And this think I somehow feel the colour. Also, when planning a meal, I can feel in my mind (not taste) how certain ingredients would taste together.
And when I meditate, pictures show in my mind, but I can’t control them in any way.
I just joined this network and only just realised that being free from pictures in my head may have its advantages.

I gotta agree with Sam W and believe your definition of imagination being a visual or sensory act is wanting. The ability to imagine is very exciting for someone with aphantasia as they are not slowed down by visual constraints and can take conceptual ideas and easily cross them over other concepts to form new ones unencumbered by visuals. As with those that can visualize we can also use concepts to increase our memory by associating the concept of say an elephant in a frying pan with the number 9. And, although we don’t see an image the concept is just as powerful for memory linking. And, as bicameral minds heard voices in their heads, perhaps the minds eye is a remnant of a slower processing system rather than some missing piece.

I am also have full aphantasia so very like what you describe. But I also have a severely bad autobiographical memory 

I realized that not seeing things with your eyes closed was not normal because I was lurking around on youtube and found a gem of a video that described aphantasia and the creator’s experience with it. It’s honestly so odd that so many people don’t realize they have aphantasia when imagination is a huge part of everyday life (for me, at least.) My family did indeed have a hard time imagining what it was like to not imagine. I used to think, in the back of my mind, that everyone was just joking about seeing things. Oh well. 

I definitely see absolutely nothing, unless it’s sunny out and the light shines through my eyelids. Which doesn’t count. Music is a bit odd for me. I know the words and I can recite a song. But I can’t hear it in my head, it’s just my conscious making noises in my head to imitate the beginning of We Will Rock You. It’s just my monotone voice covering the song, which worsens my life when a song gets stuck in my head. I can’t smell or taste with my imagination, but my mouth still waters when I think of lemonade or Sour Patch Kids. So, memory and what goes on in my head are separated, which probably any neurologist could tell you. 

My family, however, was so confused when I told them that ‘of course I remember them and the faces of people but I can’t see anything in my head.’ Is it common for not aphantasiac people to think memory = being able to imagine it? Is that how it works for them? 

I also rarely have dreams. Once I had one about my brother driving my mom and I up the type of mountain you see in cartoons, but I can’t for the life of me see it again. Another one happened when I was sick and had a fever when I was young, but I don’t even remember exactly what happened. Their rarity makes it somewhat easier to remember the details (where was I, who was there, what I was doing, etc) but I just can’t imagine it. Sometimes I’m a bit confused because I know I had a dream, but I don’t think I even saw anything. 

Anyways, I shall probably spend an eternity being jealous of the people who can conjure up images of scenic places in their minds at a whim. Thanks for writing this article, though. Pretty useful to know more about this condition I thought was just a normal thing.

I am a female age 46 and only learned of Aphantasia in June of 2020 after I watched Space Force (season 1, episode 7 originally aired May 29, 2020).  The term was casually mentioned and described, but instantly I recognized it described the way my mind works (or doesn’t work).  I immediately went to the internet to start reading on it.

After having read on Aphantasia, I was absolutely stunned to learn that I was in the minority.  I, honestly, thought that most people really did not have any actual mental imagery.

I have no voluntary mental images.  On very rare occasions, I dream, but probably have 3 or less dreams per year (and that may be generous).  When I do dream I awaken tired, as if my brain was not allowed to properly shut down to rest.  A typical night for me is that I close my eyes, everything is black, and then I wake up.  I have only had 2 nightmares in my whole life, both were induced by the use of prescription pain meds years apart; after each nightmare I quit taking the meds, because I can’t have stuff messing with my sleep quality like that.  Sleep is one of my most favorite things to do… I love and revel in the nothingness.

 

All of my life I, mistakenly, assumed the mind’s eye to be a metaphor.  I, honestly, can’t even comprehend how people see things that are not physically in front of them.

 

When trying to describe how my brain works I tell people it’s like how a computer works.  I have data (1s & 0s) about things and can infer or extract information based on that data like a cpu, but I have no monitor that displays this info as an image; my mind just works in code.  I often say it’s like that scene in the Matrix where one guy is staring at code on a screen and says something like, “When I look at this all I see a is a redhead, brunet…”.  My mind only holds code.

 

I was diagnosed with OCPD in my early 30s.  Before that diagnosis I used to think that I had mild Asperger’s; apparently the two have a lot of similar qualities, but I am still not fully convinced that I am not actually on the spectrum.

 

I, also, do not have mental senses of taste, smell, or touch.  Sometimes I do have a sense of something like hearing, but it does not even come close to what my actual ears hear; I, also, have no mental ability to hear specific voices of individuals.  All  of my mental sounds seem to be done in my own mental voice… If that makes sense.

 

I look forward to more information coming to light as more studies into this condition are done.

I see nothing but darkness.No horse.Ive never been able to visualise anything.I can’t hear music in my head either,I didn’t know other people could do that until I read this article.Im a bit shocked now,Wondering what else I don’t know.I can’t imagine a smell either,I also didn’t know others could do that.

I feel very stupid finding all this out aged 57.My dad can’t visualise anything either.Neither can my daughter.This makes me think it either runs in families or is genetic as it is so rare,that’s three in one family.I really want to know everything about this now.Thanks for the great article.

 

 

I don’t see a horse, but I know it has a long face, legs with knees and hooves, a mane, big brown eyes, a swishy tail, big shoulder area above front legs, big nostrils, a forelock, great big teeth, wide stomach girth. I’ve riden horses and seem them on TV,  and although my screen is grey with nothing on it, I can “see” in my brain at another level from my menory

I enjoyed reading this aericle.

While I agree people can’t imagine not being able to imagine, there’s still a way for someone to understand the experience of an Aphantasiac to some degree.

Traumatic Brain Injuries can result in a number of cognitive changes that can leave a person unable to use their brain in the manner as they had previously.

Anecdotally, prior to my TBI when I was remembering a word the image of a dictionary and the memory of pages I had read would automatically start in my mind. (And continue on unchecked from there, free association of the words I was planning to use).

For more than 6 months after a TBI when I went to speak nothing happened in my head. As if someone had turned off my television, but I was expecting myself to still know the dialogue of the show that was playing. 

I wasn’t imaging a black space, or a stage with no lights. It wasn’t like the abscence of thought that meditation brings. 

I didn’t have my television in my head anymore and I couldn’t even conjure the image of not being able to imagine. 

Eventually my brain did recover in most way including my imaginative abilities. 

I thought the excitement of Aphantasia was that it was something we took for granted. We assumed everyone could imagine the same and it meant we missed the fact that there’s such a big spectrum. 

So assuming you can only be born with Aphantasia, that it isn’t an experience that could be acquired (even if temporarily) seems to be doing a similiar thing. 

It’s missing out on further opportunities for learning.

There’s a huge number of people who have suffered Traumatic Brain Injuries, perhaps looking at their brains will bring some insight. 

We’re learning about how Aphantasia works in the brain in comparison to Hyperphantasia. Why not consider those in between?

What happens to a brain that could visually imagine and has since lost the ability?

Would they mimic Aphantasia in fMRI’s? Would they still resemble a Hyperphantasia brain but be unable to imagine all the same?

Is there something else the brain does, when damaged and unable to imagine, that then allows it to return to Hyperphantasia?

I hope thess questions can be answered one day, especially if uncovers something new on how the brain heals. 

 

 

 

 

Good morning Tom, I’m Aisling, 43 years and just recently realised that when people say visualise an image that they can actually  see images in their mind.
I cannot see anything when I close my eyes. Like you I can recite every word to a song that comes on the radio but cannot hear the music which until reading this article didn’t realise others can hear music. I thought it was just thoughts.
I thought it may be as a result of childhood trauma, a defence mechanism, that blocked out any visions that may cause me pain or worse.
I do dream with visions. I feel emotions a lot more than people around me, I remember people through any feelings they left with me with rather than their faces, so I forget most people very quickly, and if a situation doesn’t leave me an strong feeling I forget the event after 2 days maybe as soon as the next morning. Finding out now about aphantasia This does explain a lot to me about why I struggled in school in certain areas.
thank you for bringing this to light.
it has been comforting finding out this information. Thank you. Ash

I’m 57 and I’ve only discovered today the condition I’ve had all my life has a name. Aphantasia. Like you I dream events without images, sounds or smells. If I describe my dreams it’s like I experience the feelings I have at the time, someone I know from today but set in my childhood home before I knew that person. I experience thoughts that make up some kind of vague dialogue of events unfolding. Quite often these thoughts repeat until the narrative becomes more defined in my “imagination”. Although I have no images in my head, even of loved ones, I do at least have instant recognition so that I would struggle to visualise that person without them present but as soon as I see them I have instant recognition which I find interesting as I have no visual database to call upon. Perhaps this could be a topic for you to explore further in a future article.

I just discovered this site after finally digging into why I don’t have a great memory for past events in my life or being able to picture what loved ones looked like accurately or why I struggled to even draw a face.  It was nice to realize I was not alone.

I felt like a bad friend/partner because I couldn’t visualize their outfit or even be able to notice that something has changed – clothes, hair, etc…

Thank you for a great article!

Also – I can’t see pictures but it doesn’t affect my ability to hear music in my mind. I would say Aphantasia is a spectrum rather than imagination.

Imagination isn’t just about visualizing. You seem to be misunderstanding what imagination is. Dictionary definitions all state that imagination is to visualize or form ideas in your mind. There are many creative people with Aphantasia – they have vivid imaginations. I am a creative. I can work visually when I have images or objects in front of me and I can create from a ‘knowing’ of what things look like and also the ability to imagine new ideas. I think in narratives rather than visually. What a shame to think you don’t have an imagination if you don’t see pictures – and to restrict the imagination so much!

The more I learn about it, the more I am certain that I am aphantasic. Except that I do see images in dreams. Never outside them though, and never any sense of imaginary taste or smell. Your example of your girlfriend is a good one. I can describe my wife, but I cannot picture her. The same for previous girlfriends. If I close my eyes and think of a horse, it is black, with some small speckles from my optic nerves firing. Nothing else.

But as I learn about this, it makes me wonder if I ended up taking the path in life I did because of this. I have a Ph.D. in physics. I am a very logical person (my wife has a Ph.D. in chemistry, but based on what she says she certainly does not have aphantasia). Is it that I do not know any other way to process the information that I know? I am still trying to figure this out.

Dear Tom,

first of all I would like to apologize for my bad English, I’m Turkish in origin but have an Swiss citizenship and living in Switzerland. My story is: last monday I had an appointment with my psychologist (it’s first time in my life going to a psychologist). In year 2019 we had a car accident not a very big one though but since then I’m having terrible panic attacks when I sitting in the car. Two times MRI but nothing found then Neurologists sent me to a psychologist with a thought that I might have a PTSD. Well, last monday my psychologist wanted to try in me an EMDR Therapy. He said that “OK now try to imagine the time of your accident what you see and what stressed you.”. I said “the crash that other car hit us behind, I was unaware what happened at first instance. Indeed I thought something with tires. But my husband told that another car hit us from behind.” Psychologist said “Now close your eyes and visualize that moment in your mind.”

-“Nope, nothing, full darkness”.”I can’t imagine or picture that moment in my mind as my eyes closed.”

He surprised. and asked:

– “close your eyes again and can you imagine (picture) an apple?”

– “No, but I can describe you how an apple looks like. I can even tell you with my eyes closed how your room looks like, what do you wear, the color of your table (shortly each details in this room)e.t.c.

-“he said it’s impossible, you’re the first one that I hear such a thing”

I said you’re a psychologist and you really didn’t meet with somebody like me? He said No. He said imagine in your mind that you sit in your garden etc etc but I always saw a darkness so, we couldn’t do the EMDR Therapy.

Then, when I back to home I googled about that situation and landed to your website made a VVIQ test and found out I’m not alone. Interestingly, till Monday I never realized that I was aphantastic. And I didn’t know that other people can picture the thing in their minds (eyes closed). My psychologist can imagine too.

Woov I wrote too long. But, I can dream when I sleep very vividly.

That’s all for now. Many thanks, because of your website I know that there are people like me. Next therapy is on next thursday, let’s see if my psychologist also researched and discovered about aphantasie.

cheers,

Pery

 

 

Approximately ten years ago, I went on a camping trip with my daughter to Mount Washington.  At the end of one day, we sat on the beach of a beautiful lake as the sun was setting.  My daughter, who was in her mid-twenties, said to me, “let’s sit here for awhile so that I can remember everything for later.”  Puzzled, I said “later?”  I asked her what she meant.  She was astounded that I was unable to recall what I saw.  I was too at her ability.  It was only then, that I realized that my life is different from other people’s.  I didn’t even have a name for it.  All I remember was that I felt incredibly at a loss.  And now, I’ve found this website.  I’ll read all your articles and try to understand.