How would you describe your ability - or inability - to see things in your mind?

April 1, 20253 min readByJulia Walther

Hi, I’m new here and only came across the term aphantasia yesterday. I have trouble recognizing people - if I’ve only seen someone once or twice, I often don’t realize I’ve met them before when I see them again. I can completely mix people up because of this, and sometimes it’s uncomfortable. It happened to me again recently, and I talked to my husband about it. That’s when I realized that I can’t picture faces. But he can. I can’t imagine the face of my daughter as a whole person. I know the details - I can describe the shape of her lips, and I can kind of trace the contours in my mind - but I don’t have a image. When I close my eyes and try to picture something, all I see is black. I can’t create an image in my mind’s eye. It works a little better with my eyes open - I get a brief flash, like a fleeting impression - but it’s gone immediately. If I try to describe something, I have a sense of spatial positioning and I can mentally trace contours, assign a color, and reconstruct details. But I don’t actually see it as a whole image. I find it really hard to explain. If I think about my last vacation - the waves, the beach - at first, I get a quick impression, almost like a flash. I know where the waves are, I create a sense of spatial positioning, where I am as the observer, and where everything else is. But if I try to look at the image in my mind, I can’t hold on to it. I can’t truly see it. If I close my eyes, it’s just an impression, not something I can examine. I can’t keep it in place. I wouldn’t even be able to say what colors things have without reasoning it out. The same happens with sounds. If I try to imagine what a fire truck siren sounds like, or how my husband speaks, or how a rooster crows, I can reconstruct it mentally. My inner voice can try to mimic the siren or the crowing, and I know the pattern of the sounds. But I can’t actually hear it in my head. I don’t know what my husband’s voice sounds like in my mind - Icouldn’t even try to imitate it. A siren or a rooster’s crow is easier because I can reproduce a version of it, but I don’t hear the real sound in my mind. It’s the same with smells and tastes. I don’t know what cinnamon or a rose smells like just by thinking about it. I also can’t recall how things taste - except for sourness. I can imagine that, because I know how my mouth reacts to it, how everything tightens up. But the actual taste? I don’t feel it. How do you all experience this? How would you describe your ability - or inability - to see things in your mind?

How would you describe your ability - or inability - to see things in your mind? | Aphantasia Network

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Barbara Duhl•recently•edited

I, too, am new to learning about my aphantasia. Your description and the comments below it are so familiar to me. So interesting!

Eric Kristoff•recently•edited

My experience is different and yet the same. I had that same shock when i realized that "visualizing" something was more than a metaphor, and that other people had a different experience of the world. The difference is that it's not really dim or blurry for me. Or at least not just that way. I describe it as looking at a tornado, through a snow globe, in the dark. I can catch snatches of things but they are disjointed and fleeting.

Mick Holmshaw•recently•edited

I agree with Renee, I think you have just described my Aphantasia pretty perfectly (though I don’t get the fleeting images). It’s strange that we all lived with this for years without realising we were not able to do something that most people could do. Many of us assumed that being told to “picture” something was just an expression - I was amazed when I discovered that most people can actually “picture” something (and I was 56 years old when I found out). Mostly I don’t feel that aphantasia has had a hugely negative impact. I have an awful sense of direction which may be due to a lack of a “mental map”, and I really struggle to recognise/remember people. This can cause some social anxiety but overall I don’t this it’s a big problem (obviously I hold it responsible for anything I struggle with - languages, bad parking, golf, etc 😉)

Renee Russell•recently•edited

For someone that just came across it yesterday you have described it better for me than I have been able to describe it since i found out a year ago. My aphantasia is like that EXACTLY. Also thanks for making me realize I can't recall people's voices, and my inner voice sounds kind of funny trying to sound like a chicken. My only difference is I think I may have some sort of taste there if I think hard about a food. But that could just be the Pavlov effect of thinking about the food. Not sure if I can actually taste it or if my mouth is just reacting to thinking about it. I know the first time I learned about it I was upset and felt robbed from parr of the human experience. Hope you're doing well. There's also facebook groups for aphantasia If you're looking for a wider community for discussion

Renee Russell•recently•edited

Julia Walther•recently•edited

Thank you for the response! I will have a look at the Facebook group.

Sort comments by

Barbara Duhl•recently•edited

I, too, am new to learning about my aphantasia. Your description and the comments below it are so familiar to me. So interesting!

Eric Kristoff•recently•edited

Mick Holmshaw•recently•edited

Renee Russell•recently•edited

Julia Walther•recently•edited

Thank you for the response! I will have a look at the Facebook group.