I have never had much of an imagination. I can bring up an image in my mind, but only briefly. I think I need to have my eyes open, but un focused. If I really try I can change parts of the image but seemingly at the cost of detail. If I close my eyes I can some times bring more vivid images but totally at random I may be able to cause the images to change or move but just at random. I.e. I can will change but what ever is there will change into some other thing or distort or something.
When I had my son, as soon as he could walk he would do what he later called “private playing” where he would run around and make noises and basically act stuff out. As he became more verbal so did his playing and it was clear he was interacting with different characters and essentially acting in a movie in his mind. It was called private play, by the way because we were/are not allowed to look at him while he does it. Of course we do but if we are “caught” he chews us out. It’s very cute.
He’s 9 now. We can talk all about his imagination. It seems he can see images quite clearly, maintain the images and interact with them. It’s incredible to me.
At one point he wanted to teach me how to imagine. Also very cute.
One additional fact is that when he was young, maybe 18 months to around 5 he loved to wear dresses and play princess type stuff. As a grizzly 45 year old, you would never guess how skilled I am at being a princesses servant girl, or a queens hand maid. All his friends have always been girls and he has (I believe rightly so) a rather low opinion of boys in school. Eventually he just stopped wearing the dresses. I kind of miss it. He acts more and more boy like and he’s started to have friends that are boys.
He still private plays a great deal and it is elaborate as ever.
I wish I could see what he does