Do you have a "mind's eye"?

[CurlewKate]

I was just listening to a podcast where someone said they have no mind's eye- they can't visualise things in their heads. Apparently, some people can visualise something in colour and 3d, some in colour and 2d, some in black and white 2d, some just as a hazy image and some not at all-no image at all, just words. I realise that now I can't think about which I might be....I THINK I'm 3d colour, but I don't know! You?

The pictures in my head are like a film playing. I had absolutely no idea that some people don't do this!

This is absolutely fascinating op.

I wonder how much of this can be connected to neuro diversity? My DS is ASD and he also says that he sees in colour. So numbers are colours etc. Which isn't the same for me.

Stop it....

I don’t actually believe that people don’t have an internal voice of their own. It’s just thinking that’s all. I think it’s impossible not to be able to say ‘what a wanker’ under your breath and without physically mouthing the words.

I agree not everyone uses it but there is no way they can’t. Internal monologue is simply thinking in the same way you could read to yourself. If you can silently read to yourself then you do have an internal voice, so everyone had an internal voice.

I could describe the photo because I remember it... when taken, what she is wearing, how her hair was, etc. In the same way I can describe my late parents. I can't imagine them, or hear their voice.
I remember, but I can't picture it in my head. It's just black.

No.
I don't know how to explain this but for me it's like... I know there is a photo of DS2 as a toddler sat in the snow wearing a snow suit. If I try to look at the photo in my head, it's like it is on a computer screen behind me but im wearing a neck brace. I know it's there, but I can't actually see it.
When I try and see it it actually strains my eyes. This sounds crazy and I know it does because I'm not actually using my eyes to look at it, but it gives me an instant migraine like headache.
It's a bit like having 2 tabs open but only one is on the screen.

@Bentoforthehorde the two tabs analogy makes sense actually.

I dont have an inner monologue either! I can think though.

I find it so hard to understand how other people do not have a whole movie of their life running in their head! I'm so visual and auditory too. Not only do I have my own life as a movie in my head, but I also create whole other scenarios as well. When I was little I would spend hours on my own creating whole worlds inside my own head, they were very intense and vivid, literally like films.

However, this means I have awful problems with intrusive thoughts. I get stuck in horrible scenarios. For example, last night I couldn't sleep because I got stuck in a scenario with Guido Fawkes and his fellow conspirators being hung drawn and quartered. It was impossible to shake by myself and really distressing, so I had to distract and numb with a good 30 minutes of TikTok before I could go to sleep.

I try hard to stay present these days, as after years of therapy I realise that disappearing into alternate worlds in my own head isn't necessarily a good thing. However, as you can tell from last night's experience, it doesn't always work!

Nope everything is just totally blank

If you dont have an inner voice, you read by seeing words, not hearing them.

I do. Strong inner monologue too, I can literally hear myself talking in my head. I also dream in colour.
I always pre-view outcomes and scenarios before I do them. I know when I am conflicted about something because I find it harder to visualise in detail which means there must be a block in the way.

Yes and of course no one has to read them out to themselves - I assume most people just see it and that’s enough (I’m the same) but I don’t believe people can’t read it out to themselves.

My DH, on the other hand, doesn’t dream and has no visualisation/inner monologue. He is very practical with every day things and doesn’t tend to worry about the future. He also doesn’t tend to see issues which aren’t staring him in the face but then I can make up enough issues for both of us so it works 😂

I have a question. How does it work for memories/dreams if you only see the words? How does your brain download the information as words are only a representation of the actual thing.

My brain definitely downloads in pictures. When I dream, it connect emotions and things to similar scenarios from my past. For example, I would dream of an old house in relation to a new situation and as I always link that old house to stress, I know my dream is pointing out that I am stressed about that new issue.

**edited to say I have seen the answer above

The weirdest thing, is after you find out that people picture things, it changes the perspective of so many of your life experiences and relationships.
Things like, retracing your steps. I do that physically, DH does it in his head. I didn't know that was an option to people.
My whole life has been based on 'knowing' what I want and just attempting it, then I know by the 'feel' of it whether I have done a good job or not. Whereas my DH plans it in his head, and everything in real life is compared to an image in his head.
My art, my cooking, my baking, DIY, furniture arrangement etc isn't based on a strict concrete image, I can't imagine what life must be like having to compare everything you do to an exact image. It must make achieving perfection really hard.

How do you know what is real and what isn't if you can see things in your head and also some people can bring it into in real life. Like imagining an apple in your hand.
I have had hallucinations before, but I knew they weren't real, but if you can see images then how would you ever really know?

It can be a bit of a rabbit hole to fall down🤣

I had a wonderful and vivid imagination and mind's eye. Then I had a head injury and post concussion syndrome, which made me lose it.

To say I wish I had it back again is an understatement. A decade later, I'm still depressed about it and still feel devastated. I could imagine anyone, see anything that I wanted to. Now, it's nothing but blackness.

It's horrible not having it. I honestly wished I'd never had it in the first place, having lost it.💔😢

Whether you personally believe it or not doesn't really alter around half the population not having an inner monologue though.

I don’t have a minds eye, nor do I have an inner monologue. I do sometimes have a song running through my head persistently though.

I remember having an incredibly vivid imagination as a child though - I was a typical daydreamer. I seem to have lost the ability rather than never had it, so I wonder if I could train myself to have it again?

They will do though but they don’t use it. That’s a different thing. It’s the semantics that confuses it. If you can hear yourself speak out loud, then a whisper, then under your breath, you can ‘hear in your head’.

It’s funny because I am a teacher and we recently had a maths CPD session where we were told to picture an apple. It was then pointed out that we would all have pictured a green/red picture of an apple and not the actual word. No-one argued this and it didn’t occur to me that it was incorrect.

I have very little "mind's eye" - only hazy images. But have a a very active and clear inner monologue. I remember my dreams.

My DH has an excellent mind's eye and can see very clear images but can never remember his dreams. He also has an inner monologue.

So I don't think those things are necessarily connected.

I figured out I didn't have a mind's eye a couple of years ago. To answer some questions - people with aphantasia still dream in full visual technicolour and if they take hallucinogens they can visualise things. I've figured out that with practice I can picture things if I'm lying in bed with my eyes closed and starting to get into sleep mode. It takes a lot of effort though. My memory is absolutely crap and I think not being to visualise is a big part of it. I'm so grateful for phone cameras!

On the flip side I seem to have more heightened versions of the other senses. I have songs playing in my head all the time like a radio and when I read books I can read them in the voice of whoever I want so it's like an audiobook. I can also lie in bed and close my eyes and taste things as if I'm eating them. I can eat a whole bowl of crisps and dip and a big slice of chocolate cheesecake in my head. All the things I would never allow myself to gorge on!

Omg I have this too! The sequence of numbers has a shape for me.. and the months of the year. Days of the week have a slight bend to them too.

Days of the week and numbers have colours too, as do months, but they’re not as vivid. Days of the week have the most vivid colours though.. Monday is grass green, Tuesday light blue, Wednesday light pink, Thursday yellow, Friday dark blue, Saturday brown and Sunday is also yellow 😂.

And back to the op.. I see everything in clear 3D technicolour. I can also smell, taste and hear sounds in my head. Makes concentrating on actual life tricky sometimes.

I also have an inner monologue but it became quieter after my head injury. My enjoyment of reading and love of words became less too, especially as I'm s editor and was an avid reader, getting lost in books and their worlds.

Without my mind's eye, I don't enjoy reading now, and get less reward from it. I honestly hope one day that it might improve but I don't hold out much hope really. Brain damage probably has a maximum period to improve then levels off. I think mine has now 😢