Definitely can be acquired. Patient MX was a case of acquired aphantasia. I believe it occurred after he had a stroke during some sort of surgery. I remember reading a little update is some article about Zeman that said he initially lost his ability to have visual dreams but that has come back.

It's not as literal as that. People who visualize still see black when they close their eyes because mental imagery has nothing to do with the physical eyes. When they close their eyes, they see black because their eyes are closed. The imagery is created and "viewed" in the mind's eye. My husband describes it as feeling like it's more behind his eyeballs rather than like watching images on the eyelids like they're screens. He also says it feels more like it's on a separate plane from reality. So when his eyes are closed, he can focus on the imagery in his mind, but it doesn't feel like he's actually watching it in front of his actual field of vision. He's knows it's 100% being "seen" by his mind only. It sounds like if you are creating "backend" images, then you are creating normal imagery. I think people get really hung up on this projection thing, but it's not as literal as it sounds. If I ask you to imagine a dessert, does a specific one come to mind? Can you imagine colors to it, a shape, a size? Are you imagining it in a bowl or on a plate? Can you put it on a table in your imagination? Can you imagine yourself eating it? If so, then you are likely creating imagery. I know what the word "dessert" means, but if you ask me to think of a dessert, I wouldn't have anything specific like that. I would bring to mind something I've had before or make something up in my head, I just know the abstract concept dessert. So since there's no dessert imagery in my head, it's not a certain type, there is no color or shape. I can't put it in the bowl because there is no imagery there to put in or on anything. Definitely can't imagine myself eating it because I can't imagine myself in my head either. I just don't have representations of my thoughts in my head.  

Definitely can be acquired. Patient MX was a case of acquired aphantasia. I believe it occurred after he had a stroke during some sort of surgery. I remember reading a little update is some article about Zeman that said he initially lost his ability to have visual dreams but that has come back.

It's not as literal as that. People who visualize still see black when they close their eyes because mental imagery has nothing to do with the physical eyes. When they close their eyes, they see black because their eyes are closed. The imagery is created and "viewed" in the mind's eye. My husband describes it as feeling like it's more behind his eyeballs rather than like watching images on the eyelids like they're screens. He also says it feels more like it's on a separate plane from reality. So when his eyes are closed, he can focus on the imagery in his mind, but it doesn't feel like he's actually watching it in front of his actual field of vision. He's knows it's 100% being "seen" by his mind only. It sounds like if you are creating "backend" images, then you are creating normal imagery. I think people get really hung up on this projection thing, but it's not as literal as it sounds. If I ask you to imagine a dessert, does a specific one come to mind? Can you imagine colors to it, a shape, a size? Are you imagining it in a bowl or on a plate? Can you put it on a table in your imagination? Can you imagine yourself eating it? If so, then you are likely creating imagery. I know what the word "dessert" means, but if you ask me to think of a dessert, I wouldn't have anything specific like that. I would bring to mind something I've had before or make something up in my head, I just know the abstract concept dessert. So since there's no dessert imagery in my head, it's not a certain type, there is no color or shape. I can't put it in the bowl because there is no imagery there to put in or on anything. Definitely can't imagine myself eating it because I can't imagine myself in my head either. I just don't have representations of my thoughts in my head.