Michael Marshall

I am 65 years-old and just figured out I have Aphantasia. As a trainer I conduct an exercise with groups were I tell the participants, "close your eyes and do not visualize and elephant." I noticed that people's faces have vivid reactions. Everyone says that they can see the elephant. It was their strong facial reactions that led me to believe they were experiencing something that I was not. I have no problem not visualizing the elephant -- I do not see anything. It explains so much. I have an very difficult time remembering faces. I take tons and tons of photos. I have a terrible autobiographical memory. What I recall from my childhood are the stories. Once I have told a story about my past multiple times I remember the story - not the images. I do feel fortunate that I cannot recall the tragic life images that I have witnessed. I can describe what I have seen however I do not see it. I wish I had known all this earlier in my life. Thank you Dr. Zeman.