Finally, I understand
1 min readByBrian Pemberton
All my life I've struggled with certain things. I'm 69 now, and I've only just discovered that I have aphantasia. All my life, I've had trouble tying a name to a face, unless I really know someone. Computer games involving memorising a map or similar have always been a problem. I worked for years in a building with a “back and forth” central staircase. Just going up or down one level left me unable to point to where my desk was. I navigate by landmarks. At festivals, I developed a system using landmarks in x and y to get back to my friends after going to the loo, for instance. Until a few months ago, I thought everyone worked this way. It was only by chance that a friend mentioned that they can actually see things when they close their eyes. Like so many others, I then searched the Internet, and was astonished (and relieved) to find I was not alone. Finally I have an answer to why I am the way I am. 😁
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Neal White•recently•edited
Yeah, after decades of knowing nothing about aphantasia, suddenly, a lot of things make sense.
When I was younger, when people said things like "in my mind's eye" or "envisioning" something, I always thought they were just being poetic.
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