Voluntary imagery is mental imagery you deliberately create, like trying to picture a beach. This is the ability reduced or absent in aphantasia.

Researchers expand aphantasia definition beyond "inability to visualize." This broader framework impacts how we understand and identify with the condition.
Tom Ebeyer · January 2025

This apple illusion allows people who can't visualize to temporarily 'see' an image that isn't there—using visual perception to demonstrate what others experience through their imagination.
Aphantasia Network · October 2023

Does aphantasia impact the reading experience? Exploring the relationship between reading preferences and mental imagery.
Rosina Williams · April 2023