I'm on the same page as you. I just found out that people actually see things and am shocked. I almost don't believe it. I consider myself as having a very vivid imagination, I can "see" things and imagine whole worlds, but I do this with my eyes open. If I close my eyes, all I ever see is black (and the remininance of shapes/light from the room I'm in). I cannot imagine that people actually see a thing when they close their eyes. I am fascinated by this. I look forward to hearing people's accounts of what/how they see :)

It's a fair question, Willow! How can we possibly know to what extent our mental pictures are accurate, detailed, vivid if we cannot compare them to someone else’s experience? VVIQ asks you to compare the image in your head with how you know it looks in real life to reconcile this somewhat. In other words, how do the images in your mind's eye compare to seeing with your actual eyes? Or is it, that you see no mental pictures at all and only "know" what something looks like in your mind? We elaborate more on how to evaluate your mind's eye and some of the limitations here.

I am also confused about that. any responses?

They can. My boyfriend is an artist and can literally paint from memory - just like painting with a very detailed photo in front of him. It sounds incredible to me but this is the 'normal' way of being apparently. I posted a question about it on facebook some time ago and ... it was just me that couldn't!

I'm on the same page as you. I just found out that people actually see things and am shocked. I almost don't believe it. I consider myself as having a very vivid imagination, I can "see" things and imagine whole worlds, but I do this with my eyes open. If I close my eyes, all I ever see is black (and the remininance of shapes/light from the room I'm in). I cannot imagine that people actually see a thing when they close their eyes. I am fascinated by this. I look forward to hearing people's accounts of what/how they see :)

It's a fair question, Willow! How can we possibly know to what extent our mental pictures are accurate, detailed, vivid if we cannot compare them to someone else’s experience? VVIQ asks you to compare the image in your head with how you know it looks in real life to reconcile this somewhat. In other words, how do the images in your mind's eye compare to seeing with your actual eyes? Or is it, that you see no mental pictures at all and only "know" what something looks like in your mind? We elaborate more on how to evaluate your mind's eye and some of the limitations here.

I am also confused about that. any responses?

They can. My boyfriend is an artist and can literally paint from memory - just like painting with a very detailed photo in front of him. It sounds incredible to me but this is the 'normal' way of being apparently. I posted a question about it on facebook some time ago and ... it was just me that couldn't!