Glad to hear so many folks have the same scenario as me- just a fleeting image that quickly fades to black.The crazy thing is that I have these wild dreams, highly complex and full of intrigue and adventure. And they are highly visual because I can "see " them when I wake up and recall what was going on, but only for an instant, and then it goes away. On a side note, does anyone think they may have experienced aphantasia after a head trauma. I will likely never know, but at age 16 I slipped off a diving board and hit the back of my head, requiring a bunch of stitches. Up to that point I was a straight A student, but then began to struggle in class in subjects with heavy visual requirements. In college I started as pre med, but ended up majoring in surfing after I got a C in biology, and eventually ended up as a contractor where I could use my verbal and kinesthetic skills which were my strengths. Not sure if maybe this was genetic and life was just easier when I was a kid, but I just wonder if.....

I just found this website, and I also didn't fill the VVIQ test for the "same" reason : I do see a still picture as a flash when I think about someone / something / somewhere, but can't retain that image. So I do recognize people, and can even (sometime) notice changes like a new hairdo (not matching my postcard), but can't keep the memory long enough to describe it (what is the shape of the face? unknown. But if I have to find it on a list like in a police sketchbook, I'll likely end up close enough... as else it will feel wrong, mostly in my belly). The apple is more its concept, and I can see (briefly) pictures of apples I saw before in real life. The ball pushed on the table definitely rolled out and fell (I played pool before), but had no real size, color, actual person pushing it... until asked, when several images collide in a hurry (fast, uncontrolled, changing between photographs of balls I really saw before). I definitely ear voice(s) and music in my head, though, and can see/feel dance moves (and travel directions), one of my main hobbies. Brains are strange !

Thank you for sharing these thoughts! We know the test is quite limited in capturing the true range of our individual differences. We're working on new and unique ways to measure the true range of imagery!

I also can “see” an apple, for example, for a microsecond and then it’s gone. But when i “see” it is not like an image I can look at, it’s more of an idea of an apple.

Perhaps my main issue with the VVIQ questionnaire is the subjective judgement of one's visual perception. From what I can tell, I also have a roughly similar experience, although it's not really "a flash shot" but rather "a flickering projection". Multiple-choice tests do not address people's actual thinking processes, only hinting at them.

Further thoughts... I'm sorry to hear about your loss of smell. There is some hope, since (at least in some cases) the sense does eventually return. I doubt it will help, but I've never been able to remember a smell or the feeling of warmth on my back. The only sense I can remember is sound. As for PTSD and depression, that's serious. Please seek proper help, if you haven't yet done so.

Wow! The more I learn about peoples' mental experiences, the more unusual the differences seem. I think these differences have a lot to tell us about circuits in the brain. Sandra, I am also an artist (as a hobby) and I am also more comfortable creating realistic images. However, I do appreciate abstract art and own several abstract paintings. I can relate to your experience. While I almost always see nothing but blackness in my dreams, I'm able to create actual visual scenes during my (rare) lucid dreams, but I can't hold on to them. Try as I might, the images quickly fade, over the course of a second or so (maybe less, since it's dreamtime). Your disappointment in the questionnaire is understandable. I wonder what other variations are being overlooked. That's what prompted my recent post about seeing blackness vs nothingness in your mind's eye. Black is a color; nothingness is an absence, a void. I've seen both; they are not the same. I think a lot of people feel a sense of loss when they realize they have aphantasia. It sounds like you feel alone because you are "different". I've always been different (in other ways), so for me it was a revelation which brought understanding. It's OK to be different. Life would be boring otherwise.

Glad to hear so many folks have the same scenario as me- just a fleeting image that quickly fades to black.The crazy thing is that I have these wild dreams, highly complex and full of intrigue and adventure. And they are highly visual because I can "see " them when I wake up and recall what was going on, but only for an instant, and then it goes away. On a side note, does anyone think they may have experienced aphantasia after a head trauma. I will likely never know, but at age 16 I slipped off a diving board and hit the back of my head, requiring a bunch of stitches. Up to that point I was a straight A student, but then began to struggle in class in subjects with heavy visual requirements. In college I started as pre med, but ended up majoring in surfing after I got a C in biology, and eventually ended up as a contractor where I could use my verbal and kinesthetic skills which were my strengths. Not sure if maybe this was genetic and life was just easier when I was a kid, but I just wonder if.....

I just found this website, and I also didn't fill the VVIQ test for the "same" reason : I do see a still picture as a flash when I think about someone / something / somewhere, but can't retain that image. So I do recognize people, and can even (sometime) notice changes like a new hairdo (not matching my postcard), but can't keep the memory long enough to describe it (what is the shape of the face? unknown. But if I have to find it on a list like in a police sketchbook, I'll likely end up close enough... as else it will feel wrong, mostly in my belly). The apple is more its concept, and I can see (briefly) pictures of apples I saw before in real life. The ball pushed on the table definitely rolled out and fell (I played pool before), but had no real size, color, actual person pushing it... until asked, when several images collide in a hurry (fast, uncontrolled, changing between photographs of balls I really saw before). I definitely ear voice(s) and music in my head, though, and can see/feel dance moves (and travel directions), one of my main hobbies. Brains are strange !

Thank you for sharing these thoughts! We know the test is quite limited in capturing the true range of our individual differences. We're working on new and unique ways to measure the true range of imagery!

I also can “see” an apple, for example, for a microsecond and then it’s gone. But when i “see” it is not like an image I can look at, it’s more of an idea of an apple.

Perhaps my main issue with the VVIQ questionnaire is the subjective judgement of one's visual perception. From what I can tell, I also have a roughly similar experience, although it's not really "a flash shot" but rather "a flickering projection". Multiple-choice tests do not address people's actual thinking processes, only hinting at them.

Further thoughts... I'm sorry to hear about your loss of smell. There is some hope, since (at least in some cases) the sense does eventually return. I doubt it will help, but I've never been able to remember a smell or the feeling of warmth on my back. The only sense I can remember is sound. As for PTSD and depression, that's serious. Please seek proper help, if you haven't yet done so.

Wow! The more I learn about peoples' mental experiences, the more unusual the differences seem. I think these differences have a lot to tell us about circuits in the brain. Sandra, I am also an artist (as a hobby) and I am also more comfortable creating realistic images. However, I do appreciate abstract art and own several abstract paintings. I can relate to your experience. While I almost always see nothing but blackness in my dreams, I'm able to create actual visual scenes during my (rare) lucid dreams, but I can't hold on to them. Try as I might, the images quickly fade, over the course of a second or so (maybe less, since it's dreamtime). Your disappointment in the questionnaire is understandable. I wonder what other variations are being overlooked. That's what prompted my recent post about seeing blackness vs nothingness in your mind's eye. Black is a color; nothingness is an absence, a void. I've seen both; they are not the same. I think a lot of people feel a sense of loss when they realize they have aphantasia. It sounds like you feel alone because you are "different". I've always been different (in other ways), so for me it was a revelation which brought understanding. It's OK to be different. Life would be boring otherwise.