Aphantasia isn’t limited to just visual imagination; it can impact all sensory imagery in the mind.
For example, when most people go to a restaurant and see something on the menu they enjoy, they can (kind of) smell and taste it. Or if you think of your favourite song, you can hear the sounds of the instrument in your mind. Think of ‘famous words’ one of your parents or teachers said to you growing up. Can you hear these words in their voice?
A study on the cognitive profile of people with aphantasia conducted by the UNSW Future Minds Lab found that most aphantasics report decreased imagery in all other sensory domains – sound, smell, taste – although not all will experience a complete lack of multi-sensory imagery.
What’s your imaginative experience like? Visual or all senses?