Motor Aphantasia
Motor aphantasia is the inability to mentally simulate physical movements or actions, sometimes called 'movement-free imagination.' Like other forms of aphantasia, it can occur in isolation or as part of multisensory aphantasia affecting multiple types of mental imagery. Whether congenital or acquired, motor aphantasia impacts activities typically enhanced by movement imagination, such as sports, dance, or learning new physical skills. This variation provides insights into how the brain processes and learns movements without mental rehearsal. On this page, you'll find aphantasia research, personal stories, and community discussions about motor aphantasia.
Motor imagery in individuals with congenital aphantasia
People with aphantasia cannot create visual mental images but may still process motor imagery differently. This study investigates how their brains activate during motor tasks using neuroimaging methods.
Kwaśniak, R., Zapała, D., Augustynowicz, P., & Szubielska, M. (2025). Motor imagery in individuals with congenital aphantasia. Scientific Reports, 15(1). doi:10.1038/s41598-025-20168-6
A decade of aphantasia research – and still going!
Aphantasia varies across multiple dimensions including voluntary versus involuntary imagery and associated cognitive differences. Research confirms introspection reliably distinguishes imagery extremes, supporting its validity in psychology.
Zeman, A. (2025). A decade of aphantasia research – and still going!. Neuropsychologia, 219, 109278. doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2025.109278
Expanding Aphantasia Definition: Researchers Propose New Boundaries
Researchers expand aphantasia definition beyond "inability to visualize." This broader framework impacts how we understand and identify with the condition.
Invisible Rehearsal: How Aphantasia Affects Motor Simulation and Rehabilitation
Understanding how our brain performs motor simulations is crucial for enhancing motor skills, whether it be in sports performance, motor rehabilitation, or simple everyday movements. But what happens when a person cannot simulate these movements?
Can Aphantasics Use Imagery to Heal or Improve Performance?
From guided imagery to imagined athletic practices, are aphantasics disadvantaged because they lack a mind’s eye?
Proposal for a consistent definition of aphantasia and hyperphantasia: A response to Lambert and Sibley (2022) and Simner and Dance (2022)
Researchers defend unified terminology (aphantasia/hyperphantasia) for mental imagery extremes across all sensory modalities. They argue this avoids confusing proliferation of terms while accommodating dissociations between individual senses.
Monzel, M., Mitchell, D., Macpherson, F., Pearson, J., & Zeman, A. (2022). Proposal for a consistent definition of aphantasia and hyperphantasia: a response to lambert and sibley (2022) and simner and dance (2022). Cortex, 152, 74–76. doi:10.1016/j.cortex.2022.04.003
3 Things I Learned From Having Multisensory Aphantasia That Changed My Understanding Of The World
My journey understanding the cognitive profiles of aphantasia and hyperphantasia started when I learned at age 30 that most of you have a superpower I don’t.
Switching The Focus From Visual Imagery
A case for studying mental imagery as a whole
Do you have a physical imagination?
Can you imagine sensations like textures or body movements? Share your experiences with physical imagination!
Think of a Horse: Describing Aphantasia
How do you describe aphantasia? Founder of Aphantasia Network often gets asked this question. His answer? Think of a horse.
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