It is interesting to hear of the variety of ways people remember things. Unfortunately I haven’t figured this out yet …. I’m only 59 so there’s still time 😉. I have an internal dialogue but that internal voice also can’t remember what I was wearing yesterday, nor can it recall directions, faces, languages, etc. Like Corina, I find the idea of using a myriad of senses to recall things to be completely overwhelming - but I can absolutely understand how it would help with recall. A few years ago I was in a book group and we were reviewing a book set in a remote hut in the Arctic. The first few chapters gave a detailed description of their location, hut, sleeping quarters etc. I found this completely pointless as I couldn’t imagine/picture it. Everyone else said it was an incredible piece of writing and they felt like they were actually there and could smell the aromas, imagine the state of the hut, etc. I just wondered why they didn’t save three chapters and draw a map instead 🤷♂️. I didnt get invited back! The idea of feeling all my senses recreating the image being described blows my mind - but I wish I could try it.
I agree with Renee, I think you have just described my Aphantasia pretty perfectly (though I don’t get the fleeting images). It’s strange that we all lived with this for years without realising we were not able to do something that most people could do. Many of us assumed that being told to “picture” something was just an expression - I was amazed when I discovered that most people can actually “picture” something (and I was 56 years old when I found out). Mostly I don’t feel that aphantasia has had a hugely negative impact. I have an awful sense of direction which may be due to a lack of a “mental map”, and I really struggle to recognise/remember people. This can cause some social anxiety but overall I don’t this it’s a big problem (obviously I hold it responsible for anything I struggle with - languages, bad parking, golf, etc 😉)
I guess we’re all different. I would not be able to describe my wife of 36 years or my daughters. I certainly couldn’t describe myself (though I suspect I might look a bit like Tom Cruise 😉). I really struggle with faces - I’m not Face Blind but definitely have problems. I couldn’t tell you if close friends have beards or wear glasses - though I recognise them when I see them (as long as I’m expecting to see them). So, for me, I have equal difficulty describing my own face or someone else’s
I really struggle with languages. I’ve been learning Spanish for a couple of years and it’s very hard. I can read Spanish pretty well but cannot recall even pretty simple words when trying to form a Spanish sentence. My friend speaks many languages. When I described aphantasia and asked for some tips he couldn’t understand how I could possibly learn a language. He said he sees the words in his mind and can manipulate written words, sentences, fonts, etc. so it’s like he’s seeing a page of notes. It blew my mind!!!! I simply can’t imagine what that would be like (And it didn’t help me at all 🤷♂️)
Thank you for your thoughts. I also have congenital total aphantasia and, like many on this forum, discovering aphantasia helped me to understand so many aspects of the way my minds works (it also helps my wife to understand as she always thought I was being obtuse when I said I couldn’t remember a person, place, etc). I don’t feel the need to undertake rebirghing therapy or similar but it is interesting to hear your experiences. I am very comfortable with my completely black images (eg when relaxing I imagine sheltering in a pitch-black cave/hut/boat etc ….. I can imagine the “feeling” of being there but cannot conjure up the images/sounds/smells ….. it’s enough to help me relax a fall asleep. I didn’t even realise this is what I did until I discovered aphantasia)
Hi Leanne, it’s hard to get your head around isn’t it?! I spoke to a friend who is a bird watcher and also great at languages - he explained that he can visualise a past bird-watching experience as if he were back there. He can see the trees and the bird as if he were actually back there. When he’s speaking other languages he sees words as if they were written on a computer screen and he can move letters or words around in the screen. This helps him learn and recall languages. I am completely the opposite. I cannot visualise anything. I cannot imagine what it would be like to “see” these things. and my friend cannot imagine what it’s like to not have the ability to visualise like this. I don’t think it’s hugely affected my life (I was 55 before I’d heard of aphantasia and it blew my mind to know that other people visualise) but it does help explain this for me. I have a terrible sense of direction and I would struggle describe my wife of 30+ years or my daughters. On balance I think I’ve coped well and the thought of all those extra images in my head sounds exhausting!!
Hi Kristen - and welcome to the club! Like you, my mind was blown when I discovered I had Aphantasia. I suspect many of us had absolutely no idea that other people really could see mental images. I suspect many of us ascribe personal traits to Aphantasia - but the proof will only come through detailed studies. Having said that, my experience is like yours; my memory is hopeless. I am also useless at learning languages ….. a friend who speaks multiple languages asked me how I can possibly learn without “seeing” words and images in my mind! (I honestly thought he was joking ….. he explained that he sees words and can manipulate them in his mind, and this is how he remembers and checks spellings!). However I survived to 55 without knowing I had Aphantasia and I suspect the overall impact is relatively minimal. But it is fascinating!!!
When I’m struggling to relax/sleep I try to visualise a relaxing scene but obviously that fails due to my aphantasia. But I do imagine myself in a different scenario …. But I’ve only just realised there is no visualisation at all. I imagine things like sheltering in a dark cave; laying in a tent at night; hiding in a shelter in the woods …. All of them are completely pitch black. So I’m imagining what it would feel like in those scenarios without seeing them. I don’t know why that’s only just occurred to me - I’ve been unable to visualise for as long as I can remember so I guess this is just a workaround to achieve the same effect.
My spelling is absolutely fine - though I’m sure I’d be hopeless at a US style spelling bee for longer words as if lose track halfway through. Every comment/response I read on this forum amazes me. Whether it’s learning about the techniques people have developed to cope with aphantasia, or learning about how “normal” people see things ….. it astonishes me
I have always had full-sense aphantasia and only discovered other people can really “see” things in their minds very recently at the age of 56. To be honest it all blows my mind! I cannot imagine what it’s like to see/smell/hear/taste things using your mind. 🤯 I bore my friends with it all the time and I keep discovering things I didn’t know. Yesterday a friend asked how I can spell if I can’t see the word in my mind. It never occurred to me that people can see words like that. He can read Chinese characters and explained they are more akin to pictures so wondered how Chinese aphantasiacs can read. I’m just blown away by the thought that people can see words - I suspect that’s one reason my friend can speak several languages and I hit a brick wall after English. When I tell people about aphantasia, their response is usually “what do you mean? You really can’t see images in your mind?!”. I reached out to my two younger sisters and their response was “what do you mean? You’re telling me people can actually see images in their minds?!No way!” - I guess we’re a family of Aphantasiacs 🤔
Thats interesting; I have memories of events but I have no images - your description of metadata is a good one. I discover different things every day. Yesterday a friend asked “if you can’t visualise things, how can you spell “ …. I couldn’t see the connection until he explained that he sees words in his head. What the hell?! 🤯 It never even occurred to me that people see words. My friend speaks many languages including Mandarin and said that the Chinese characters are pictures so he couldn’t understand how someone with Aphantasia could learn that ….. as I don’t read Chinese I’ll leave it to someone else to explain how aphantasiacs cope with more pictorial languages (indeed I’m hopeless with any languages apart from English, despite many many hours of effort - is that a common aphantasia characteristic or just my personal defect? ;0) ). I’m still trying to get my head around people seeing simple English words in their heads; I’m surprised non-aphantasiacs manage to get anything done with all this stuff going on up there. 😉
There are some interesting points raised in the responses and I can relate to some of the scenarios (like having to turn my body when giving directions. And I pity anyone who relies on my directions! I must say sat nav is a life saver for me when I’m driving …. But not so helpful when I’m following the map on my phone when walking; I generally head off in completely the wrong direction to start with!) it will be fascinating to see where the research leads. I guess my point was that many people, including myself, gain comfort from having a label to hang on a condition but the danger is that we then use this to explain any sort of deficiency we have - I’m overweight and don’t do enough exercise but I can’t blame aphantasia ….. or can I?! 🤔
Hi - you could be describing me! Like many people, I only discovered aphantasia fairly recently and it explains many things. I was among those who always assumed that “mind’s eye” and “mental image” were just expressions. I am 56 and it never occurred to me that other people can actually “see” an image in their mind or conjure up a smell or a sound. I have a terrible sense of direction, I have no ability to describe anyone (even my wife of 33 years or my daughters), I am terrible at recognising faces - I get very confused watching TV dramas ;o), I cannot remember dance moves, etc. I now believe that much of this is tied in with aphantasia (though maybe the dancing is just a lack of natural ability!). I have zero ability to picture any image, smell, or sound. As I wasn’t aware that other people had more mental imagery I wasn’t aware that I was lacking and didn’t see this as a major problem. I just thought I was bad at faces and directions …. And maybe that’s all it is - but it’s very interesting to read how many people with aphantasia appear to have the same issues. Now I can see how this has hampered me but, to be honest,I feel I’ve coped well. I actually find it comforting to have a label to hang on this; it does help to explain so many things for me and I can now have a reason for why I am poor at certain things. Hopefully my wife will now understand why I get confused with directions or descriptions of people - I think she felt I was just being obtuse when she wanted me to do something ;0)
I too have a relatively high level of Neanderthal DNA (more than 64% of their population) but it is important to understand how 23andMe come up with this; my understanding is that the 23andMe database includes many people from Africa and The Far East and I believe many of those populations have very low levels of Neanderthal DNA - hence the figures are somewhat skewed (happy to be corrected on this)
It is interesting to hear of the variety of ways people remember things. Unfortunately I haven’t figured this out yet …. I’m only 59 so there’s still time 😉. I have an internal dialogue but that internal voice also can’t remember what I was wearing yesterday, nor can it recall directions, faces, languages, etc. Like Corina, I find the idea of using a myriad of senses to recall things to be completely overwhelming - but I can absolutely understand how it would help with recall. A few years ago I was in a book group and we were reviewing a book set in a remote hut in the Arctic. The first few chapters gave a detailed description of their location, hut, sleeping quarters etc. I found this completely pointless as I couldn’t imagine/picture it. Everyone else said it was an incredible piece of writing and they felt like they were actually there and could smell the aromas, imagine the state of the hut, etc. I just wondered why they didn’t save three chapters and draw a map instead 🤷♂️. I didnt get invited back! The idea of feeling all my senses recreating the image being described blows my mind - but I wish I could try it.
I agree with Renee, I think you have just described my Aphantasia pretty perfectly (though I don’t get the fleeting images). It’s strange that we all lived with this for years without realising we were not able to do something that most people could do. Many of us assumed that being told to “picture” something was just an expression - I was amazed when I discovered that most people can actually “picture” something (and I was 56 years old when I found out). Mostly I don’t feel that aphantasia has had a hugely negative impact. I have an awful sense of direction which may be due to a lack of a “mental map”, and I really struggle to recognise/remember people. This can cause some social anxiety but overall I don’t this it’s a big problem (obviously I hold it responsible for anything I struggle with - languages, bad parking, golf, etc 😉)
I guess we’re all different. I would not be able to describe my wife of 36 years or my daughters. I certainly couldn’t describe myself (though I suspect I might look a bit like Tom Cruise 😉). I really struggle with faces - I’m not Face Blind but definitely have problems. I couldn’t tell you if close friends have beards or wear glasses - though I recognise them when I see them (as long as I’m expecting to see them). So, for me, I have equal difficulty describing my own face or someone else’s
I really struggle with languages. I’ve been learning Spanish for a couple of years and it’s very hard. I can read Spanish pretty well but cannot recall even pretty simple words when trying to form a Spanish sentence. My friend speaks many languages. When I described aphantasia and asked for some tips he couldn’t understand how I could possibly learn a language. He said he sees the words in his mind and can manipulate written words, sentences, fonts, etc. so it’s like he’s seeing a page of notes. It blew my mind!!!! I simply can’t imagine what that would be like (And it didn’t help me at all 🤷♂️)
Thank you for your thoughts. I also have congenital total aphantasia and, like many on this forum, discovering aphantasia helped me to understand so many aspects of the way my minds works (it also helps my wife to understand as she always thought I was being obtuse when I said I couldn’t remember a person, place, etc). I don’t feel the need to undertake rebirghing therapy or similar but it is interesting to hear your experiences. I am very comfortable with my completely black images (eg when relaxing I imagine sheltering in a pitch-black cave/hut/boat etc ….. I can imagine the “feeling” of being there but cannot conjure up the images/sounds/smells ….. it’s enough to help me relax a fall asleep. I didn’t even realise this is what I did until I discovered aphantasia)
Hi Leanne, it’s hard to get your head around isn’t it?! I spoke to a friend who is a bird watcher and also great at languages - he explained that he can visualise a past bird-watching experience as if he were back there. He can see the trees and the bird as if he were actually back there. When he’s speaking other languages he sees words as if they were written on a computer screen and he can move letters or words around in the screen. This helps him learn and recall languages. I am completely the opposite. I cannot visualise anything. I cannot imagine what it would be like to “see” these things. and my friend cannot imagine what it’s like to not have the ability to visualise like this. I don’t think it’s hugely affected my life (I was 55 before I’d heard of aphantasia and it blew my mind to know that other people visualise) but it does help explain this for me. I have a terrible sense of direction and I would struggle describe my wife of 30+ years or my daughters. On balance I think I’ve coped well and the thought of all those extra images in my head sounds exhausting!!
Hi Kristen - and welcome to the club! Like you, my mind was blown when I discovered I had Aphantasia. I suspect many of us had absolutely no idea that other people really could see mental images. I suspect many of us ascribe personal traits to Aphantasia - but the proof will only come through detailed studies. Having said that, my experience is like yours; my memory is hopeless. I am also useless at learning languages ….. a friend who speaks multiple languages asked me how I can possibly learn without “seeing” words and images in my mind! (I honestly thought he was joking ….. he explained that he sees words and can manipulate them in his mind, and this is how he remembers and checks spellings!). However I survived to 55 without knowing I had Aphantasia and I suspect the overall impact is relatively minimal. But it is fascinating!!!
When I’m struggling to relax/sleep I try to visualise a relaxing scene but obviously that fails due to my aphantasia. But I do imagine myself in a different scenario …. But I’ve only just realised there is no visualisation at all. I imagine things like sheltering in a dark cave; laying in a tent at night; hiding in a shelter in the woods …. All of them are completely pitch black. So I’m imagining what it would feel like in those scenarios without seeing them. I don’t know why that’s only just occurred to me - I’ve been unable to visualise for as long as I can remember so I guess this is just a workaround to achieve the same effect.
My spelling is absolutely fine - though I’m sure I’d be hopeless at a US style spelling bee for longer words as if lose track halfway through. Every comment/response I read on this forum amazes me. Whether it’s learning about the techniques people have developed to cope with aphantasia, or learning about how “normal” people see things ….. it astonishes me
I have always had full-sense aphantasia and only discovered other people can really “see” things in their minds very recently at the age of 56. To be honest it all blows my mind! I cannot imagine what it’s like to see/smell/hear/taste things using your mind. 🤯 I bore my friends with it all the time and I keep discovering things I didn’t know. Yesterday a friend asked how I can spell if I can’t see the word in my mind. It never occurred to me that people can see words like that. He can read Chinese characters and explained they are more akin to pictures so wondered how Chinese aphantasiacs can read. I’m just blown away by the thought that people can see words - I suspect that’s one reason my friend can speak several languages and I hit a brick wall after English. When I tell people about aphantasia, their response is usually “what do you mean? You really can’t see images in your mind?!”. I reached out to my two younger sisters and their response was “what do you mean? You’re telling me people can actually see images in their minds?!No way!” - I guess we’re a family of Aphantasiacs 🤔
Thats interesting; I have memories of events but I have no images - your description of metadata is a good one. I discover different things every day. Yesterday a friend asked “if you can’t visualise things, how can you spell “ …. I couldn’t see the connection until he explained that he sees words in his head. What the hell?! 🤯 It never even occurred to me that people see words. My friend speaks many languages including Mandarin and said that the Chinese characters are pictures so he couldn’t understand how someone with Aphantasia could learn that ….. as I don’t read Chinese I’ll leave it to someone else to explain how aphantasiacs cope with more pictorial languages (indeed I’m hopeless with any languages apart from English, despite many many hours of effort - is that a common aphantasia characteristic or just my personal defect? ;0) ). I’m still trying to get my head around people seeing simple English words in their heads; I’m surprised non-aphantasiacs manage to get anything done with all this stuff going on up there. 😉
There are some interesting points raised in the responses and I can relate to some of the scenarios (like having to turn my body when giving directions. And I pity anyone who relies on my directions! I must say sat nav is a life saver for me when I’m driving …. But not so helpful when I’m following the map on my phone when walking; I generally head off in completely the wrong direction to start with!) it will be fascinating to see where the research leads. I guess my point was that many people, including myself, gain comfort from having a label to hang on a condition but the danger is that we then use this to explain any sort of deficiency we have - I’m overweight and don’t do enough exercise but I can’t blame aphantasia ….. or can I?! 🤔
Hi - you could be describing me! Like many people, I only discovered aphantasia fairly recently and it explains many things. I was among those who always assumed that “mind’s eye” and “mental image” were just expressions. I am 56 and it never occurred to me that other people can actually “see” an image in their mind or conjure up a smell or a sound. I have a terrible sense of direction, I have no ability to describe anyone (even my wife of 33 years or my daughters), I am terrible at recognising faces - I get very confused watching TV dramas ;o), I cannot remember dance moves, etc. I now believe that much of this is tied in with aphantasia (though maybe the dancing is just a lack of natural ability!). I have zero ability to picture any image, smell, or sound. As I wasn’t aware that other people had more mental imagery I wasn’t aware that I was lacking and didn’t see this as a major problem. I just thought I was bad at faces and directions …. And maybe that’s all it is - but it’s very interesting to read how many people with aphantasia appear to have the same issues. Now I can see how this has hampered me but, to be honest,I feel I’ve coped well. I actually find it comforting to have a label to hang on this; it does help to explain so many things for me and I can now have a reason for why I am poor at certain things. Hopefully my wife will now understand why I get confused with directions or descriptions of people - I think she felt I was just being obtuse when she wanted me to do something ;0)
I too have a relatively high level of Neanderthal DNA (more than 64% of their population) but it is important to understand how 23andMe come up with this; my understanding is that the 23andMe database includes many people from Africa and The Far East and I believe many of those populations have very low levels of Neanderthal DNA - hence the figures are somewhat skewed (happy to be corrected on this)