When people say people with aphantasia have no imagination…

Share

It’s annoying. I can imagine things. I just do it differently than people who can visualize. I can buy a lottery ticket and spend hours planning what I would do with the money if I won. I can think about what life would be like if computers had never been invented. I can create a rich world of characters, places, and events when writing or telling a story. 

Despite what some of these researchers seem to believe, my brain is not broken. Nor do I need  pity. This is not a disability. Sure, I guess I miss out on some things that brain-sighted people experience. For instance, I’ll never be able to close my eyes and picture my dad. That’s not great. But I will also never need trigger warnings on things either! I don’t have to relive the worst moments in my life involuntarily because I stumble upon a clock that is the exact same clock as the one in the room where I was raped. I don’t have a flashback to watching my friend get shot every time someone gets shot in a movie or book I’m enjoying. Some would say I’ve forgotten about it since I can openly talk about things like that…they don’t know what they’re talking about. I remember these events, I can sit and describe them in great detail 35 years later. The events were horrific, yet I was able to cope with it pretty quickly because my brain isn’t constantly making me relive those moments. 

The one thing I will never understand is how people think brains built like mine are weird. Really? These people are all out here hallucinating stuff in their brain and I’M the weird one? 

 

You must be signed in to comment
Be the first to comment