Aphantasia Network is predatory and exploitive
I've been coming to grips with the fact that I have hypophantasia for a few days now, and in my search for resources I've come across this site
I tried drawing Jax from TADC as I see it in my minds eye earlier today, it was mostly grayscale blurry messes. and i still can hardly believe that most of the population sees
This made me feel quite a bit sad.
There is a sort of existential grief in this, knowing I will never properly be able to visualize things and I'll never have the same experience that most of the population does.
Never fear, Aphantasia Network addresses this!
There's no known cure for aphantasia, and caution is advised towards anyone claiming otherwise. While there are a few reports of acquired cases regaining imagery ability, congenital and acquired cases differ. Having said that, aphantasia is a unique way some brains work, so, do we really need a cure? Some aphants find benefits in our image-free way of thinking! Here's a thought-provoking science-fiction story about a man whose aphantasia is cured by a fictional technology. Only this "cure" comes at a deep cost. The piece was written by Dustin Grinnell, an award-winning author with aphantasia. And it gives us much food for thought.
Who wrote this? Who sat down and decided to write this awful piece of toxic positivity and publish it on a site made to support aphants? At least that's what I assume Aphantasia Network is for, because it's seemingly no more than a for-profit company.
The "it's just a different way of thinking, do we really need a cure?" angle is dismissive when I'm literally trying to draw a character and getting gray and purple smudges instead of the actual visual information that would be useful to have. It's not just "different", it materially limits what you I do, especially in a field like visual art where being able to mentally reference and manipulate imagery would be a genuine advantage.
Sure, maybe some people with aphantasia have found workarounds or developed other cognitive strengths, but that doesn't mean the condition itself is a feature rather than a limitation. That's like telling someone with any other neurological difference "well, have you considered the benefits?" when they're expressing genuine frustration about what they can't do.
The science fiction story framing is particularly grating “ooh but at what cost“ when the actual cost right now is not being able to see Jax in my mind's eye like a normal reference.
Oh, it gets worse. Aphantasia Network says it is not a disorder and cites a ”study” to justify it.
A team from the University of Bonn in Germany assessed if aphantasia aligns with the criteria for mental disorders, such as its rarity, impact on daily life, deviation from societal norms, and personal distress. Despite being present in only 3-4% of the population, aphantasia typically doesn't hinder daily activities, ruling it out as a mental disorder.
Yeah man, I'm sure that the basic act of visualizing something in your mind isn't a daily activity.
When drawing as I see it from my minds eye, little more than smudges. I can't visualize ANYTHING effectively!
"Doesn't hinder daily activities" according to who? The researchers who don't have it? The fact that I literally need references at every turn for drawing, that I can't do what most people expect as basic functions (a meme that goes around often for example, “if you ever get bored remember you can rotate a cow in your head”), that I get gray smudges instead of actual visual information, those ARE hindrances to daily activities, especially if those activities involve anything visual or spatial.
And the "deviation from societal norms" criterion is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. Our entire educational system, creative industries, memory techniques, even casual conversation ("picture this...") all assume typical visualization ability. That's a pretty significant norm to deviate from! But apparently if you can still get through the day without accommodations, it doesn't count as impactful enough to be a disorder.
"Personal distress" as a criterion is inherently dismissive, it puts the burden on individuals to prove they're suffering "enough" rather than acknowledging structural barriers. It's bullshit that an, organization, company, thing that claims to support aphants still acts like aphantasia is a good thing.
You wouldn't tell an autistic person having a breakdown that “well you have good memory”.
But apparently that gets dismissed or minimized because... why? Because it's not distressing enough? Because I'm still functional? That's an absurdly high bar. The fact that some aspects might be neutral or even beneficial in some contexts doesn't negate the real, concrete difficulties in others.
Whatever Aphantasia Network is, anything supposedly dedicated to supporting people with aphantasia should be able to hold two things at once:
- It's a real condition that can cause genuine difficulties and distress
- People with it can still live full lives and develop adaptations
Instead, going full “it's not a bug, it's a feature” which is dismissive of people who are actively dealing with the limitations.
I'm an artist who can't visualize what you're trying to create. That's not quirky neurodiversity, that's a meaningful obstacle to something I care about. The fact that the aphantasia advocacy… thing, can't acknowledge that is infuriating.
Even worse, you can't say any of this directly. Yes, I know they have a contact form. It says:
Whether you're exploring aphantasia, hyperphantasia, or the extremes of imagination, we'd love to hear from you. Researchers, brands, sponsors, and advertisers—let's talk about how we can work together to share knowledge, spark conversation, and reach a global community.
In short: unless you want to pay up, shut up.
That contact form is clearly geared toward researchers, brands, and sponsors, people who can offer them something, not people who need support. "Let's talk about how we can work together" is corporate speak for "do you have money or clout?"
Maybe I'm just overreacting and I just don't get it because I'm a hypophant not an aphant, but this just makes me feel more alone when the entities that are supposed to support this issue try to pass it off as a feature.
There's no "if you're struggling with aphantasia/hypophantasia and need support, to share feedback, or just want to share your experience, reach out." It's all about knowledge sharing and reaching their "global community" as a marketing opportunity. Which is bleak as hell for an entity that's supposed to be for people with the condition.
It makes me feel more alone. I went looking for understanding and validation, found an entity that claims to represent aphants, and instead got "it's actually fine! it's just different! btw sponsors please contact us!" That's isolating in a different way than just not having resources at all, it's finding resources that don't actually acknowledge your experience as valid.
The hypophantasia vs aphantasia distinction probably doesn't matter here, both dealing with significantly impaired or completely absent visualization, and both deserve actual support, not corporate positivity spin.
Aphantasia Network is most definitely a for-profit and are egregious about it. If you feel alone and want to talk to other aphants, fuck you, 9 dollars a month to:
Connect with people who truly understand your experience, share insights, and build lasting friendships with fellow aphantasics worldwide
It's infuriating and isolating in the worst way possible.
And that's genuinely predatory, finding people who feel isolated and different, telling them "you're not alone, there's a whole community!" and then going "that'll be $9/month, please."
They've essentially monetized the loneliness and confusion that comes with discovering you experience the world fundamentally differently than most people. I just found out that nearly everyone else can casually rotate cows in their heads while you're getting gray smudges, I'm feeling sad and worried about never being able to properly visualize, and their solution is... a subscription service.
It's the worst kind of exploitation because they're positioning themselves as the authority and primary resource on aphantasia while simultaneously gatekeeping actual peer support behind a paywall. Reddit communities for every other condition under the sun are free. Discord servers are free. But Aphantasia Network decided that connection and validation should cost $99/year.
And all while maintaining that toxic positivity "it's not a disability, it's just different!" framing so they don't have to actually advocate for accommodations or research funding or anything that might help. Just collect subscription fees and tell people their limitations are actually features.
The worst part? Aphantasia Network has positioned itself as the authority on this condition. They show up first in searches. They're what you find when you're confused and looking for answers. And they use that position to extract money from vulnerable people while minimizing their struggles.
Don't support them. Don't pay for their subscription. Don't buy into their 'it's not a disability, it's a quirk!' narrative when you're actively struggling. Find the free communities. Connect with people who will actually validate your experience instead of charging you $108/year for the privilege. We deserve better than predatory positivity.
R
RuoQing Zhao•recently•edited
I love your thoughts, I haven't think so far before.But we cannot rely solely on ourselves to conduct research, perhaps we can only rely on the "interests" of normal people to carry out research activities. I feel very sad about this, but I'm afraid that's the case. The communities I have stayed in do not have such professionalism, nor do they have so many rigorous papers. At least I really need this scientific knowledge.
0