Lillian Tarnow

"The issue of nostalgia is an interesting point. Could it be that a complete lack of nostalgia is a symptom  SDAM ? I left my native country at 26, and have been living in another place for 48 years; but never experienced nostalgia. Also, at the age of 10, I almost drowned in an industrial pool; I always remember this situation, and even see something; but never experienced a sense of horror."

"This is a very interesting question. There is some early evidence that suggests aphantasia might be linked to another phenomenon known as Severely Deficient Autobiographical Memory, or SDAM for short. Autobiographical memory is defined as both the recollection of personal past events (i.e. special events from your past) and factual knowledge about oneself (i.e. your favourite food as a kid). People with SDAM have reported an ability to remember details about an event (because they've either seen a photo or deliberately learnt a story about what happened) but they cannot "picture" being there. This means that while they cannot experience the nostalgia of 'reliving the best times in life,' the upside is that they can’t recall the pain associated with the bad things either. This makes them far less likely to hold grudges as they can’t conjure up the emotion that made them feel bad in the first place. Pretty neat! Wish I was this way... Some aphants have reported having both conditions present. You can read more about Susie McKinnon's experience here. Does this experience sound familiar? What's your memory like?"