Visual aphantasia is the most common form of aphantasia, characterized by the inability to create voluntary mental images – an ‘image-free imagination’ or absence of the ‘mind’s eye.’ Individuals with visual aphantasia cannot visualize objects, people, or scenes, though they fully understand and recognize them.
Studies suggest that many with visual aphantasia also experience reduced imagery in other senses, indicating a higher likelihood of multisensory aphantasia. Like other forms, visual aphantasia can be congenital (present from birth) or acquired. While it affects visual imagination, it doesn’t impair creativity, memory, learning or general cognition – rather, it represents a different way of processing visual information.
On this page, you’ll find aphantasia research, personal stories, and community discussions about visual aphantasia.
