Same for me. I know the image exists in the back of my mind somewhere… "I know an apple exists." I too have seen through the black on a couple of occasions. I saw my dog who had passed. Everything turned white (she was a white dog) and she was outlined in black/gray as if in the clouds surrounded by the outline of palm trees. Even though the scene was not clear I immediately knew it was my parent's backyard looking up at the sky, one of her happy places.
The only time I have visualized anything is in a spiritual manner. Has happened when I am very relaxed - when having a massage or when laying in bed before sleep when my mind is quiet. I have seen images — more like illustrations - white outline on black but clearly a face. My brother (also with multi sensory aphantasia) described having similar visions. The images come at me fast and there is no time to assess if it is a person I know, except this one time. I saw images one afternoon in a massage and the next morning when I was waking it happened again and my friend's mom was the last image I saw - I had only met her a couple of times but I just knew it was her. It turns out she was in the hospital and my friend - who I was with on vacation - did not know yet. I thought these spiritual experiences were insanely unique because I had no idea that other people could visualize. Funny to think about now how my excitement at seeing these images must have sounded to everyone else who can always see images!
Hi David, I am 49 and just learned last fall that I too have multi sensory aphantasia and discovered this site just this morning. Wow would life had been different if schools actually assessed learning abilities and styles early on (if ever) — especially when we grew up. My assessment is similar to yours. Find I am mostly a 0 or a 9 or 10 versus anything in between. I did split out time between body clock and planning b/c I barely have a body clock but I am exceptional with time. Short version: Fully offline (0–2/10): Visual imagery, sound, smell, taste, touch, episodic memory Partial (3–5/10): Circadian/body clock Online (6–10/10): Inner voice, spatial navigation, kinesthetic movement, semantic/logical thinking, time/planning, interoception (body awareness), emotional processing Interested in what you learn and which strategies you identify. My strategies have definitely included note taking to commit to memory and for easy access/recall if needed, lists, lots of lists. And I guess my superpower is extremely strong intuition/gut. I assess and mentally organize information and identify next steps quicker than most around me and my trust in that assessment allows me to fly by the seat of my pants in life. I don't think that any strategies in particular contributed but I would assume my need to find an alternate way to be successful honed this skill early on. My blind spot is probably in how I approach others - I don't take into account that they may be feeling emotions so viscerally… I come in as an immediate problem-solver. Has to be jarring for those who just want to be heard. Good luck in your journey.