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Evolving library of aphantasia research. Discover the science behind extreme imagination, aphantasia and hyperphantasia. Share the latest knowledge.

Stage 2 Registered Report: Propositional Thought Is Sufficient for Imaginal Extinction as Shown by Contrasting Participants With Aphantasia, Simulated Aphantasia, and Controls
Monzel, M., Agren, T., Tengler, M., Karneboge, J., & Reuter, M. (2025). Stage 2 registered report: Propositional thought is sufficient for imaginal extinction as shown by contrasting participants with aphantasia, simulated aphantasia, and controls. Psychophysiology, 62(1), e14756. doi:10.1111/psyp.14756
This study investigated whether people with aphantasia can benefit from imaginal exposure therapy - a common treatment for anxiety disorders that typically involves visualizing feared situations. The research team compared three groups: people with aphantasia, people without aphantasia, and a "simulated aphantasia" group who had their visualization abilities temporarily disrupted. The findings were remarkably promising. People with aphantasia can successfully benefit from imaginal exposure therapy, even without being able to visualize, and the therapy was equally effective across all groups. This suggests that "thinking about" rather than "seeing" the feared situation is sufficient for the treatment to work. Interestingly, people with aphantasia reported feeling less subjective fear throughout the experiment, despite showing similar physical stress responses. This reduced emotional distress might actually be beneficial, as it could make therapy less overwhelming and reduce dropout rates. The researchers used a fear conditioning experiment where participants learned to associate certain images with mild electric shocks. They then underwent "extinction training" (similar to exposure therapy) where they had to think about the images without any shocks. Their fear responses were measured through skin conductance (sweat response) and self-reported anxiety. This research challenges previous assumptions about the need for mental imagery in exposure therapy and opens up new possibilities for customizing treatment approaches. Most importantly, it suggests that people with aphantasia can fully benefit from visualization-based therapies, though they may experience them differently.
Imageless imagery in aphantasia revealed by early visual cortex decoding
Chang, S., Zhang, X., Cao, Y., Pearson, J., & Meng, M. (2025). Imageless imagery in aphantasia revealed by early visual cortex decoding. Current Biology: CB. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2024.12.012
Scientists have traditionally believed that activity in the primary visual cortex directly relates to conscious visual experiences, including mental imagery. This study examined this relationship in people with aphantasia - who cannot voluntarily create mental images - by measuring brain activity patterns during both perception and attempted imagery. The research revealed several surprising findings: While both aphantasic and non-aphantasic individuals showed decodable brain activity during imagery attempts, people with aphantasia displayed distinctly different neural patterns. Their brain activity during imagery appeared on the opposite side than expected and couldn't be matched to their patterns during actual perception. Additionally, aphantasic individuals showed reduced brain response when physically viewing things compared to people without aphantasia. These results suggest that people with aphantasia do maintain some form of imagery-related representation in their visual cortex, but it contains transformed rather than absent sensory information. This challenges our fundamental understanding of how activity in the visual cortex relates to conscious visual experiences, indicating the relationship is more complex than previously thought.
The Impact of Soothing Media on the Content of Prospective Mental Imagery. Photo-Elicitation and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Study
Gouveia Gaglianone, C., Zhu, L., Gillespie-Smith, K., & Schwannauer, M. (2024). The impact of soothing media on the content of prospective mental imagery. Photo-elicitation and interpretative phenomenological analysis study. Imagination, Cognition and Personality. doi:10.1177/02762366241306398
This qualitative study investigated mental imagery through semi-structured interviews with 20 participants aged 18-65 years. The research examined both the content of prospective mental imagery and the influence of soothing videos on imagery production. Data was collected through MS Teams interviews and analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. The study revealed five major themes in prospective mental imagery content: visualizing personal and professional goals, mutual care and support (particularly family relationships), engaging with outdoors, planning for the future, and having new experiences through travel. These themes were consistent across different demographics, though individual interpretations varied significantly. When participants were shown soothing videos in the second part of the study, two key findings emerged. First, participants reported that the videos facilitated easier generation of mental imagery and resulted in more vivid mental representations. Second, the use of soothing videos led to positive emotional responses, including both calming effects and increased motivation. The research has important clinical implications, suggesting that external stimuli could enhance therapeutic interventions by facilitating mental imagery generation. While mental imagery often served as a positive motivational tool, it could also become a source of anxiety when participants perceived gaps between their present circumstances and future goals. These findings contribute to our understanding of mental imagery generation and suggest promising directions for therapeutic applications.

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