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Aphantasia Logo
Back to all discussions
Community

Join the conversation and share your experiences with the community.

Start a Discussion
Discussion Guidelines

Please remember to:

  • • Be respectful and constructive
  • • Share your personal experiences
  • • Ask questions if you're curious
  • • Help others feel welcome
You're not alone

Talk to counselors, coaches, and educators who already understand aphantasia — so you don't have to start by explaining what it is.

Find aphantasia-aware support
Aphantasia Logo

Building awareness and understanding of aphantasia through research, education, and community support.

About

  • What is Aphantasia?
  • What is Hyperphantasia?
  • Take Assessment
  • Getting Started
  • Newsletter
  • About Us
  • Contact

Community

  • Premium Membership
  • Find support
  • Discussions
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For Professionals

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  • Counselor Training
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© 2026 Aphantasia Network. All rights reserved.

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The Mind's Voice

April 30, 20211 min readByRobert Zenhausern
Inner Speech
I knew I was an aphant since age 7 and did not think about it. At least until a chance comment led to a continuing research in the area. Since I do not have imagery thinking is in the form of words. Usually, a dialogue or lecture format. My inner voice is an active speaking on my part, but many hear rather than speak.
Here is an experiment to try. I assume everyone has had the experience of a "song going through your head". I would be curious as to how many have not had that experience. But, for those who do: Who is doing the singing? I am doing the singing, but I have found about an even split. Two questions
1) Is whether you hear the singer or do the singing depend on whether you hear or speak your inner voice? 2) What do those who think in images experience?

The Mind's Voice

April 30, 20211 min readByRobert Zenhausern
Inner Speech
I knew I was an aphant since age 7 and did not think about it. At least until a chance comment led to a continuing research in the area. Since I do not have imagery thinking is in the form of words. Usually, a dialogue or lecture format. My inner voice is an active speaking on my part, but many hear rather than speak.
Here is an experiment to try. I assume everyone has had the experience of a "song going through your head". I would be curious as to how many have not had that experience. But, for those who do: Who is doing the singing? I am doing the singing, but I have found about an even split. Two questions
1) Is whether you hear the singer or do the singing depend on whether you hear or speak your inner voice? 2) What do those who think in images experience?
Aphantasia Logo
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Cassidy Jones•recently•edited
It is my inner voice. I am also anauraliac, and can't hear anything other than my inner voice. It doesn't have any instrumental accompaniment, and doesn't have any volume or pitch.
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Gemma Cooper•recently•edited
If I can remember the words I can recite them, and I can have a vague sense of going up or down, faster or slower if I can remember how the song goes. But I can't hear it. There is no voice, I don't hear the words in my head. I don't hear pitch changes in my head, it's more like I've put a mental note on top of the lyric and I make my brain think both pieces of information together. My brain doesn't do this on it's own. Sometimes it can be easier to keep a song going in my head, but my brain doesn't do it automatically. Getting a song stuck in my head is more like having an intrusive thought of a few lyrics making me keep repeating them in my head.
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Fluffy Squirrel•recently•edited
I hear the artist singing the song, or the sound of the instruments. I can't multitask both though.. the songs tend to be instrumental, then the beat goes when the lyrics kick in, and comes back in periods of non singing Take Tina Turner's - What's love got to do with it. I can mentally remember and sing a lot of the lyrics.. but I didn't have a clue whatsoever what the backing beat was. Just listened to it on youtube and yeah I had no recollection of that at all.. so it's like it's actually my memory only records certain bits of it too.. is odd, apparently I remember lyrics and solo instrumental bits between and blah, but if they were all interlayed, I would struggle to figure out the backing beat Whereas I can hear all of the intro music to Final Countdown just fine
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Angie B•recently•edited
Rereading the tweets I realise when I read another’s words I am not reading them in my own voice, I read it in a male or female voice depending on who tweets, or a neutral voice. I realise I do talk to myself or think to myself, in my own voice
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Angie B•recently•edited
I think with my own voice, but I sometimes think it concepts that feels more 3D and only partly based on words. I don’t think in pictures (as I have aphantasia) but I can rearrange thought forms in my head not based on images it’s more kinaesthetic/ topographical I think. otherwise I do hear a tune in my head and I’m actually hearing the piece, the melody/ the instruments & the sound of the singers voice if there is one. I’m not singing the song. 
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Robert Zenhausern•recently•edited
Arranging your thoughts. Can you say more. I know we have unconscious thinking (I will sleep on it) but I have never experienced it. Maybe you?
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Robert Zenhausern•recently•edited
You are dealing with the question of whether audio and visual aphantasia run together, and you show no, but I have no visual or auditory. You are the first one who spoke about arranging thoughts. I think there is unconscious thinking (I will sleep on it) but I have never experienced thought on that level. Can you say more about rearranging?
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