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The Mind’s Voice

I knew I was an aphant since age 7 and did not think about it.  At least until a chance comment led to a continuing research in the area.  Since I do not have imagery thinking is in the form of words.  Usually, a dialogue or lecture format.  My inner voice is an active speaking on my part, but many hear rather than speak.

Here is an experiment to try.  I assume everyone has had the experience of a “song going through your head”.  I would be curious as to how many have not had that experience.  But, for those who do:  Who is doing the singing?  I am doing the singing, but I have found about an even split.  Two questions

1) Is whether you hear the singer or do the singing depend on whether you hear or speak your inner voice?
2) What do those who think in images experience?

 

 

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Total Comments (5)
Angie B
on May 5, 2021

I think with my own voice, but I sometimes think it concepts that feels more 3D and only partly based on words. I don’t think in pictures (as I have aphantasia) but I can rearrange thought forms in my head not based on images it’s more kinaesthetic/ topographical I think.

otherwise I do hear a tune in my head and I’m actually hearing the piece, the melody/ the instruments & the sound of the singers voice if there is one. I’m not singing the song. 

Bob Zenhausern
on January 20, 2024

You are dealing with the question of whether audio and visual aphantasia run together, and you show no, but I have no visual or auditory.
You are the first one who spoke about arranging thoughts. I think there is unconscious thinking (I will sleep on it) but I have never experienced thought on that level. Can you say more about rearranging?

Bob Zenhausern
on January 20, 2024

Arranging your thoughts. Can you say more. I know we have unconscious thinking (I will sleep on it) but I have never experienced it. Maybe you?

Angie B
on May 5, 2021

Rereading the tweets I realise when I read another’s words I am not reading them in my own voice, I read it in a male or female voice depending on who tweets, or a neutral voice. I realise I do talk to myself or think to myself, in my own voice

Fluffy Squirrel
on June 2, 2021

I hear the artist singing the song, or the sound of the instruments. I can’t multitask both though.. the songs tend to be instrumental, then the beat goes when the lyrics kick in, and comes back in periods of non singing

Take Tina Turner’s – What’s love got to do with it. I can mentally remember and sing a lot of the lyrics.. but I didn’t have a clue whatsoever what the backing beat was. Just listened to it on youtube and yeah I had no recollection of that at all.. so it’s like it’s actually my memory only records certain bits of it too.. is odd, apparently I remember lyrics and solo instrumental bits between and blah, but if they were all interlayed, I would struggle to figure out the backing beat

Whereas I can hear all of the intro music to Final Countdown just fine

Cassie Allgood
on May 23, 2022

If I can remember the words I can recite them, and I can have a vague sense of going up or down, faster or slower if I can remember how the song goes. But I can’t hear it. There is no voice, I don’t hear the words in my head. I don’t hear pitch changes in my head, it’s more like I’ve put a mental note on top of the lyric and I make my brain think both pieces of information together. My brain doesn’t do this on it’s own. Sometimes it can be easier to keep a song going in my head, but my brain doesn’t do it automatically. Getting a song stuck in my head is more like having an intrusive thought of a few lyrics making me keep repeating them in my head.

Cassidy Jones
on January 19, 2024

It is my inner voice. I am also anauraliac, and can’t hear anything other than my inner voice. It doesn’t have any instrumental accompaniment, and doesn’t have any volume or pitch.