I've just discovered I have Aphantasia - who knew !

[VictoriaBun]

You might have it also.

Close your eyes and imagine a happy place, a wood , a beach anywhere that floats your boat . See the image in your mind, feel yourself there etc etc.
Now can you actually see the image in your head ? No. Well then you also have it ! !
It's blown my mind that I've got to this age and realise that when people say something like count sheep to help you sleep that can actually see the sheep in their head. Wow. Apparently 2 -3 % of the population also have Aphantasia. Who's in the club ?

Minds Eye - I have synaesthesia (which is quite common). Even though I can see with my two open eyes (the ones above my nose) that the letters I'm typing are black on the page, my mind's eye simultaneously produces them in glorious technicolour. I hear the same way. I did a series of tests with some researchers a few years back and the hardest thing to explain was where the colours appear. I has nothing to do with my actual eyes, open or closed. The colours are in my 'mind's eye' - it's like Disney's Fantasia in there. And with synaesthesia you can't turn it off or conjure it up, it's just there all the time and sometimes more of a hindrance than a help. I also see time, days of the week, months, years and numbers in moveable lists that I can move back and forth. Again t's just there, in my minds eye - and there's no Off switch.

I find the concept of aphantasia fascinating - especially the connection to creativity highlighted in the BBC article. I love that synaesthesia with it's overload of internal visual image and aphantasia with its lack of the same are both thought to enhance visual creativity. Apparently it's possible to have both conditions, I don't know how, mind blown.

I don't have it as such, but when j am daydreaming I get "stuck" on a picture and no matter how I try, I can't move away from it.

Very annoying. It's like my thoughts / pictures are on a loop.

I also see time, days of the week, months, years and numbers in moveable lists that I can move back and forth

I have that too. A kind of 3 D calendar? Days have their own colours, kind of. Months, not so much. Some numbers have a pleasant texture, others less so.

I see images in my head as if they are real. They’re just there.

If I think of DH, he’s there sitting on the sofa in our living room. If I think of counting sheep I see cartoon sheep jumping over a fence. I can picture everything and anything, I just thought that everyone could!

Interesting. I don't have this, I can visualise things, but it tends to be in flashes of small detail, like tunnel vision or an old fashioned camera and lasts just a moment.
I can't imagine a moving image really. I can imagine a gate or a sheep, but I can't imagine a sheep jumping over a gate really. I can try and think about it but it's very vague and i just can't.
Or someone said to imagine a rabbit being pulled out of a hat, well I can imagine a rabbit's ears and the brim of a hat, and I know there needs to be a hand there round the ears. But I can't see the whole scene. If I concentrate hard, I see a flurry of associated images, colours. But not an actual "scene".
Some things I'm really good at. I can colour match brilliantly by just remembering clothes, furnishings etc, I don't need them with me. Exact shade usually, spot on. But I don't see the colour in my head, I just recognise it in front of me.

This is really interesting! I think DH might have it I will have to ask him. He is pretty forgetful (unrelated I think) and sometimes when we’re arguing over whether we’ve discussed something or not I’ll picture the scene of our conversation and be able to say we definitely talked about it you were sitting there and you were fiddling with the remote etc etc. I have a good memory, although not photographic but I can picture pages in my textbooks for example and be able to remember the basic look of it, images that were on the page and so on. Used to drive me crazy in exams when i could picture the page in my notes and I could see the answer was highlighted in pink but because my memory isn’t photographic I couldn’t read what it said!

DH has just said to me that he can’t count sheep because in his head the sheep get bored and start to misbehave and wander off. 😂

Do people actually count sheep? I always thought it was a figure of speech, like sitting on your hands.

Do people actually count sheep? I always thought it was a figure of speech, like sitting on your hands.

I do both these things.

No I actually count sheep. I can see them jumping over a fence.

I never knew this was a thing. I thought everyone could picture things in their mind.

I can vividly picture and hear voices in my mind constantly. It's a pain trying to get to sleep because my mind just won't shut the hell up!

But I'm very good on a creative level. I'm good with home design and decor, and fully designed all my own wedding, with lots of "wow you're so creative!" compliments. I do all the creative types of homework with DS who gets top marks. I love a book as I get lost in my own mind with all my imaginative visions and sounds.

DH otoh can't imagine shit, and we constantly argue when it comes to home decor. I will chat to him about my ideas and he gets all smirky, giggly and laughs at my ideas, like I'm some kind if fruit loop. But consistently says afterwards, "I've gotta hand it to you, it does look good. I couldn't picture it at the time you mentioned it, but yeah it's really come together"

He also falls asleep in the blink of an eye and doesn't understand when I say my mind takes ages to wind down. He'll say "just close your eyes" and looks confused when I explain I do but still see and hear things that are on my mind.

DH also hates reading and doesn't understand why anyone would rather read than watch TV.

I think my DH has this!!!
It's a revelation

Gogo & BikeRunSki fair enough. It's never occurred to me to actually do it.

My DD sees pictures in great detail, a collegue sees numbers as wavepatterns - she can recite pi up to more than 100 digits (I keep checking), for my DS faces have no meaning. They are collections of body parts.
I once left a relaxation course because I could not visualize this omnious south sea island. I am the most uncreative person in my family - but I am great at admin .

I don't count sheep. Why a sheep? Why not switch the animal up? Why not just numbers?

Weird.

I can't see pictures in my head either. I kind of get an 'idea' of something but no visual representation

I have this, too. I was really shocked to discover that my son could see an actual picture of a beach when I asked him about it! I did a poll on my Facebook and found a few friends who are the same. Interestingly they are all super-creative people too.

While I don't see anything, my mind makes word pictures. It's like The Terminator's data stream, lots of descriptive words scrolling through my mind to build the closest thing I have to a mental picture.

I always thought I was really slack/disconnected from my son since I couldn't picture him in my head or remember what he was wearing. I'd always snap a quick picture if we were out and about because if something happened and I couldn't describe what he looked like or what he was wearing...well, people would surely think I was really shit. I also hate separating from a group if I'm out shopping with friends. So hard to find everyone again!! Gigs are a nightmare 🙄

Does anyone else who has counted sheep have trouble with their sheep behaving? I literally can not control mine. My sheep get over excited and start charging at the fence in clumps then all jump in a massive manic rush.

It's very frustrating. It's my imagination. Why won't it behave?

I'm very good at picturing things in my mind, but not converting 2D to 3D. So, say, plans of houses and developments, some people seem to be able to picture a room from a plan. I just keep asking "What's this bit again?" Unless you show me in 3D it is pretty meaningless to me.

Also, I'm not face blind, but have a kind of hyperfocus where I don't see people I know when they walk past me in the street, because I was deep in thought. I think I developed it from working in open plan offices and having to do work which required concentration and shut out background noise.

I always knew I had facial blindness but now I've read about this, I definitely have this.

Even really familiar things like my husband, son, house, road,I can't really picture and struggle to remember details about beyond the facts.

I have been obsessing about this all day since I read your post. My DH was absolutely baffled when I asked him about it "well obviously I can see it when I close my eyes" DD1 was on his side but DS and I were both confused, when we close our eyes and try to think of a sheep we don't actually see a sheep in front of us we remember what a sheep looks like and describe it to ourselves, we can't see it, is that what people are saying they can do? If you are looking at a sheep, then you close your eyes can you still see the sheep in the same way, is that what you're saying?

I’m also curious as to whether the ability to visualise things correlates with a proclivity for creative writing, visual arts etc?

DS and I are both into creative writing for a hobby, he is very good and recognised as such by teachers. I won't say the same about myself but I don't think I am bad so no I think it's bollocks. I have a vivid imagination but I just don't picture it, I didn't realise anyone else did until today - genuinely!!.

this has blown my mind.

this explains how the police do e-fits. I have never understood why anyone can be sure about those.

I definitely DON'T have this. I can "see" things in my mind's eye. Sometimes a still image (picture this type things tend to be still images), other times like a video playback (memories of events, counting sheep).

Going to ask DH.

Amazing that some people don't!

If you are looking at a sheep, then you close your eyes can you still see the sheep in the same way, is that what you're saying?

Yes. I can see it in my mind as clearly as if I were looking at it. I can turn it different colours. I can conjure the image up from memory, it may look like a real sheep or cartoon sheep. I can flip it upside down. I can 'see' someone riding it, or it with a hat on. All as clearly as if you handed me a photo.

I can conjure up the image with eyes open or closed. If they are open it isn't as though it's really there, more as though the background (what I'm really seeing, the scene that's actually there) goes a bit blurry and I focus on the image I create.

My god this has blown my mind...another who doesn't see anything either. I can think about feelings and noises but no visualisation at all. I always wondered about efits as well...I can remember faces etc butninwouls very much struggle to describe people in detail aside from hair colour eye colour etc