Neal White

"I understand, even though I'm on the other end of the scale. My wife has hyperphantasia and has said that at times, she'd prefer having my aphantasia. Bad dreams I also understand, though mine are in total darkness. I'd suggest finding someone to talk to, a friend, counselor, or professional. Here are some ideas. I hope you find them useful. * If you're not sleeping well, it's no wonder that you're exhausted. I take melatonin 2-3 hours before I go to bed. You might try that. Or see a doctor for something stronger. * Make sure you're eating properly, which should also help with the exhaustion. * Exercising might help. I like to go on long bike rides. It's easy to sleep when your body is tired out. * Controlling your breathing can help you relax and take control of your thoughts. * I find that I can reset my mental state by breathing in for 4 seconds, holding for 16 sec, and exhaling for 8 sec. Repeat the sequence a few times until you feel your mind is at ease. * When I'm trying to fall asleep, but my mind is racing, I take conscious control of my breathing and take slow deep breaths. I count my breaths, focus on the physical feeling of those breaths (both in and out), and use the mental sequence number to drive out intrusive thoughts. I've never been able to count sheep, so this works for me. You might try counting something joyful, like kittens. * Try to learn lucid dreaming, so you can guide your dreams towards more pleasant subjects. * Is it possible for you to reframe this as a mental gift? Don't try to block the experience, but instead, divert it to a happier place. * If that doesn't work, perhaps you should try listening to upbeat music to help with the diversion. * During the day, you might try reading a good book/ebook to escape from your thoughts. * Can you try to express your images and feelings as art? Sometimes just "getting it out" can help."

"I just learned I have total aphantasia, yet the only thing disturbing is the idea that OTHER PEOPLE think it's weird. It's how I've always been. I've gotten along fine without seeing things in my mind's eye. I'm sorry you experience it as distressing. It's possible to do all the "visualize a safe place" and "concentrate on a gold light" meditation-type stuff without seeing something actually in your mind's eye. It's about focusing your attention and you can do that with the darkness behind your eyes. I'm quoting a TED talk guy here: There is no true normal out there and difference is not deviance. https://www.ted.com/talks/alex_rosenthal_can_you_picture_things_in_your_mind_i_can_t?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare"

"I have complete aphantasia but have always excelled at anything involving words. How sounds and shapes make up words, how periods are ends of sentences, what paragraphs and chapters look like are things I learned when I around 5 years old and it unlocked spelling along with word meaning. I looked up anything I didn't know in a dictionary & learned more that way. I don't see words in my mind, I just know them. Maybe something similar would help? You don't say how old she is. Spelling is as much knowing pronunciation as meaning and letters."

"I don't have children, but here's how I approached sharing my aphantasia with my extended family: I'd wait until a time when your family is doing something together, which doesn't require much thinking, like assembling a jigsaw puzzle or a long car ride. At an appropriate time, ask your kids some questions like: * Close your eyes and think of a favorite place, like a beach. What do you see? * Is it like real life, like watching a movie, like a shadow, blurs of colors, or just black? * Do you feel the wind, smell the salt air, or hear the roar of the waves? * What do you see and experience when you're dreaming? It's entirely possible that either child might also have aphantasia. I would not "explain that you don't have visual memories of their childhood". Instead, just say that you don't have a visual memory. No need to focus on their childhood at all. You shouldn't feel guilty or regretful for something you can't control. Can you remember sounds, smells, touch, or taste? If so, you can share that you, for example, still remember the first time they said a word, or dada, etc. Whatever else you do, I'd recommend taking lots of photos and videos."

"Hey Martha, you're right that many aphantasia studies involve small sample sizes, especially those conducted in lab environments. However, several larger studies are now converging around a 1-5% population estimate, with sample sizes ranging from 500 to over 5,000 participants. The variation in findings primarily depends on whether researchers use a strict definition of aphantasia (total absence of imagery) or a broader definition (including dim or vague imagery). The Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire (VVIQ) is the most widely accepted tool for measuring these rates. Here are a few key population studies, including one with a multicultural sample: https://aphantasia.com/research/10.1016/j.concog.2021.103243 https://aphantasia.com/research/10.21203/rs.3.rs-1703706/v1 https://aphantasia.com/research/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1454107 You can always explore more in our research library at aphantasia.com/research."

"Lately, I've been really pondering how to use lucid dreams to make up for those imaginative experiences I'm totally missing out on. Heck, I even gave it a shot just this afternoon. If I wanna turn it into a real lucid dream instead of some fuzzy, colorless regular one, I gotta focus hard like you said to actually bring in some colors."