What do dreams and memories ‘look’ like to blind people?

[Simpton]

My late grandmother was blind and I’ve recently been learning about her life. One question my family members are unable to answer is what her thoughts, memories and dreams looked like.

I know it will be different for every person with vision loss depending on whether they’ve ever had vision etc but I’m curious to know!

No experience to chip in either but thought I'd bump the post as it's an interesting thought.

I don't see pictures in my minds eye but I feel like when i dream I do see pictures

I’ve wondered this for years! I have assumed if you go blind after having sight previously you still think in pictures. But what if you are born blind? Can you still imagine colours?

I’ve also wondered how thoughts are for deaf people! Because I have a constant train of thought in my head with words. There is a spoken narrative the whole time with words going on in my head. If I was born deaf, what would that be? And what happens when a born deaf person reads?

I hope my post doesn’t sound insensitive to anyone. I’ve been wondering this very thing since I was about 8 and first heard about Helen Keller

Once, a long time ago now, I interviewed a girl who was blind through email for a project. Thanks for making me call back and finding the email and having a read through it. This was her answer:

Do you dream in pictures?

No; I don’t see pictures at all – but I sense things are there when I’m dreaming, things I wouldn’t know were there if I was awake…
(sorry, that’s a really hard one to explain even in my own head).

www.sleepfoundation.org/dreams/can-blind-people-dream

Oh that’s interesting too! I also have a running narrative in my head

There was a fascinating thread on here some time ago about the way people think and their memories.

Some are visual, others have more of an idea, or a narrative.

I won’t be able to find it, though.

This is slightly off-topic, but a few months ago, I read a post (not on MN) by a person who was totally blind. They explained that when they open their eyes, they don’t see constant darkness, because they don’t see anything at all. They can’t see with their eyes any more than a sighted person can see with their elbow. That blew my mind and I realised that I can’t fully imagine what it’s like to be blind.

So interesting! I watched a video recently by a woman who was born with one eye. She said something similar that she sees nothing and to imagine trying to see out your armpit (or other body part), you can’t!