An Appropriate Aphantasia Analogy

1 min readByTimothy McNulty

I heard about aphantasia on a podcast years ago and can't remember if it was Neil deGrasse Tyson or Bill Nye or ol' boy Joe Rogan but I didn't really think much of it or start researching until last week. I am shocked that “the minds eye” in't just a cute analogy for the pineal gland. I'm flabbergasted that "daydreaming" is LITERAL!

I've always used analogies and metaphors to understand and explain things. So this was an easy one for me to conjure up equating aphantasia like this to friends and family:

"My mind is like a projector - it is playing the movie or projecting an image - but there's no screen!"

There's no sound, comfy seats, or popcorn either.

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Neal White•recently•edited

I am also on the extreme low end of aphantasia. Everything is black when my eyes are closed. That is a good analogy. The one I use is that there's a wall of black glass blocking my view. During lucid dreams, I am sometimes able to punch holes in the wall, or paint rough patches of color on the wall. Why do I call it a glass wall? Because I can tell something is behind it. I can even trace the outlines of something I can't see.

Timothy McNulty•recently•edited

I sort of get outlines if I really focus, but it's more work than it's worth. It's easier to conceptualize. I really like the example on this website that describes the image of the horse with labels for the head, body, legs, tail, and back. Spatial placement of identifiable features. That's pretty close. During some extended mindful meditations, I saw human faces and interesting but it takes some serious focus and relaxation to get to that level. Thanks for the feedback. 😎👍

Josh Camden•recently•edited

I tend to think of imagination as a Reality Simulator; your brain uses whatever tools it has available to give you the best simulation. My imagination uses spatial awareness & perception. I'm almost a total Aphant; I think i score 1 out of 10 on Taste.

Timothy McNulty•recently•edited

Yes. The world is understood through concepts, rather than images. I'm realizing it might be the more efficient method.