Topic: Hypophantasia

Hypophantaisa is characterized by a low visual imagination. Hypo – meaning low. Hypophantasics, or people with hypophantasia, have described experiences almost like aphantasia, where visual imagery is completely absent. Hypophantasics may only experience flashes or struggle to create mental images. This phenomenon can extend to other senses in your imagination, such as auditory (sound), gustatory (taste), olfactory (smell) imagination, etc. Dive into stories, resources and discussions.

This optical afterimage experiment allows people who can't visualize to temporarily 'see' an image that isn't there—using visual perception to demonstrate what others experience through imagination.
The Ball on a Table experiment is a simple visualization test that reveals whether you think in pictures (visualizer) or concepts (conceptualizer). This revealing experiment, originally credited to u/Caaaarrrl, takes less than a minute but provides profound insights into how your mind processes information.
Understanding the hidden assumptions that lead to biases against aphantasics’ cognitive abilities.
What do typical visualizers experience? How does my imaginative experience compare? Designer Melanie Scheer introduces a new way to visualize the visual imagination spectrum.
Do I have aphantasia or hypophantasia? Answering that seemingly simple question can be very confusing. Understanding your imaginative experience is a journey of self-discovery.
Why might your mind's eye be blind while your friend can picture crystal-clear images? Shocking insights into the known neurodifferences in imagery vividness.
Aphantasia, the inability to voluntarily form mental images, was first described by Francis Galton in 1880 but largely remained unstudied until 2015, when Professor Adam Zeman of the University of Exeter coined the term and began his research, bringing renewed scientific and public attention to this fascinating aspect of human cognition. The concept traces back to Aristotle's "phantasia" from 340 BC, establishing a rich historical foundation for understanding individual differences in mental imagery.
When it comes to visualizing things in the mind's eye, our experience varies widely. Francis Galton's groundbreaking Breakfast Study revealed this phenomenon over 140 years ago, fundamentally changing how we understand visual imagery and its assessment.
Hello All! I'm just opening this discussion to see if anyone else has similar experiences with visualisation. (Useful info, I have: ADHD, M.E/Brain-fog)...
Hello! I’m wondering if I’m doing the test correctly, I get Hypophantasic if I do the questions with my eyes open, but Aphantasic if my eyes are closed. Is t...
January 23, 2024
Thank you for the Aphantasia Network! I've maybe been a member for over a year. In that time, not only have I loved the humour, but I have learnt about ...
February 16, 2023
So, I can’t visualize.  Sort of.  I can audiate.  I can dream in pictures.  I can even daydream in pictures.  But the thing is, I can’t call up a...
December 18, 2021
Hi Everyone!  I used to assume I had aphantasia, because I can’t visualize things “on command” – like a pink elephant, for example. H...
April 5, 2021
i have aphantasia but i can see flashes of (seemingly random) images that pop up and move in a direction while fading away.any other aphantasic person feel t...
March 15, 2021
I haven’t had any image in my mind for as long as I can recall. However, some time ago I had an anxiety attack (first time) that involved delusions and after...
What is the true spectrum of mental imagery? Neuroscientist Sam Schwarzkopf from the University of Auckland explores the depths of mental imagery with host Tom Ebeyer of the Aphantasia Network.
February 28, 2024
Christian Scholz answers the community’s questions about 'Meta-Imagination and The Language Game of Visualising' in this live Q&A. Hosted by Tom Ebeyer.
June 28, 2023
Discover how individuals with aphantasia engage in imaginative exercises using language and how this experience differs from visualizers. Christian Scholz presents a new theoretical concept called meta-imagination.
June 28, 2023
Do we become more aphantasic with age? Illona Kovács joins Aphantasia Network to discuss recent findings showing vividness declines across lifespans.
September 30, 2022
What do typical visualizers experience? How do hyperphantasics experience visual imagery? Melanie Scheer presents a new way to depict the visual imagination spectrum.
May 25, 2022