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Why your mind works this way

Everything you wish someone had told you about having aphantasia. Understand why you think differently, find your strengths, and learn the strategies built for your brain — not someone else's.

You're not alone

Talk to counselors, coaches, and educators who already understand aphantasia — so you don't have to start by explaining what it is.

Find aphantasia-aware support

Building awareness and understanding of aphantasia through research, education, and community support.

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Back to all videos

Why your mind works this way

Everything you wish someone had told you about having aphantasia. Understand why you think differently, find your strengths, and learn the strategies built for your brain — not someone else's.

You're not alone

Talk to counselors, coaches, and educators who already understand aphantasia — so you don't have to start by explaining what it is.

Find aphantasia-aware support

Building awareness and understanding of aphantasia through research, education, and community support.

About

What is Aphantasia?
What is Hyperphantasia?
Take Assessment
Getting Started
Newsletter
About Us
Contact

Community

Premium Membership
Find support
Discussions
Events
Visualize

For Professionals

Overview
Free Introduction
Counselor Training
Educator Training
List Your Practice
Pricing & Bundles

Resources

Articles & Stories
Videos & Interviews
Aphantasia Course
FAQs

Research

Research Library
Participate in Studies
Recruitment Services

© 2026 Aphantasia Network. All rights reserved.

Terms and Conditions
Privacy Policy

Why Don't We Hallucinate Our Mental Images?

Have you ever wondered why mental images aren't as vivid as real images? What's the difference between imagining something and hallucinating it? Alexander Sulfaro joins Aphantasia Network to discuss this and more.

April 20, 20231 min readByAphantasia Network

Altered States Dreams Perception

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About the Author

Aphantasia Network @aphantasianetwork

Aphantasia Network is shaping a new, global conversation on the power of image-free thinking. We’re creating a place to discover and learn about aphantasia. Our mission is to help build a bridge between new scientific discoveries and our unique human experience — to uncover new insight into how we learn, create, dream, remember and more with blind imagination.

Why Don't We Hallucinate Our Mental Images?

Have you ever wondered why mental images aren't as vivid as real images? What's the difference between imagining something and hallucinating it? Alexander Sulfaro joins Aphantasia Network to discuss this and more.

April 20, 20231 min readByAphantasia Network

Altered States Dreams Perception

Loading video description...

Share this video

About the Author

Aphantasia Network @aphantasianetwork

Aphantasia Network is shaping a new, global conversation on the power of image-free thinking. We’re creating a place to discover and learn about aphantasia. Our mission is to help build a bridge between new scientific discoveries and our unique human experience — to uncover new insight into how we learn, create, dream, remember and more with blind imagination.

Mental Imagery vs. Hallucinations

Have you ever wondered why mental images aren't as vivid as real images? What's the difference between imagining something and hallucinating it? Can we even measure differences in mental imagery at all?

Research has found that the brain uses similar processes for imagination and perception, which can sometimes compete with each other.

In this presentation, researcher Alexander Sulfaro presents an interesting model for the aphantasia and hyperphantasia spectrum as a competition between visual perception and mental imagery.

Alex joined Aphantasia Network to discuss these findings in a live member event hosted by our Founder, Tom Ebeyer.

To watch our Q&A with Alex, become a member and visit this link.

About the Researcher

Alexander Sulfaro is a final-year PhD student at the Sydney Computational Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory at the University of Sydney in Australia. His research explores the mechanisms behind internally-generated sensory experiences like mental images, hallucinations, and dreams. Currently, Alex is researching whether images and sounds are imagined differently, whether the content of mental imagery can be decoded from brain recordings, why mental images don’t look like real images, and whether we can even measure differences in mental imagery at all.

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