To not be able to picture things in my head?

[FedoraTheExplora]

I know I'm not BU, but shamelessly posting here for traffic as I've wondered all my life if there was anyone else like me out there!

So, I can't form images in my head. It's kind of hard to explain, but my memory and thoughts are entirely words - I can't picture anything, not even my daughters face it doesn't cause me any problems really, but I have a horrible memory I.e. I don't know what colour car my dads been driving for 10 years, or what colour the walls are in my mums home, that I lived in for 10 years up until about a year ago. I've tried to google it, but I can't find anything, and I'm tempted to ask one of my psychology lecturers, but I'm a bit too shy and it's a bit too weird.

So MN, do any of you have this? Have you ever heard of it? Even a name for this condition (?) would be interesting to me..

[Mashasbear]

This is fascinating! I find it very difficult to conjure up mental images, when visualising things, my brain provides a descriptive passage rather than an image of that makes sense. I've always presumed it is the same for everyone! I was an early reader. I definitely experience face blindness - it's really embarrassing when I meet people out of context

[WilLiAmHerschel]

I can sort of taste the apple but can't do any of the others. Wow I can't believe we can all read fast too. I always thought that was my super power but it turns out everyone else just wastes time picturing things.

Anyone researching this is missing out by not reading this thread!

[FedoraTheExplora]

Galton's 1880 survey found that around 5% were non-visual-imagers (after being initially thrown for a loop by the fact that almost all of the scientists he spoke to were non-imagers). Betts expanded on Galton in 1909 and found that 2% of college students were non-imagers, but amongst the psychologists questioned that number was 19%.

I'm studying psychology at uni. How strange!

[WhenTheDragonsCame]

When you see the image is it like looking at a picture? When i try and imagine anything it is just black.

[MymbleMother]

This is a very interesting thread. I always felt like a certain part of my brain was "defective" - especially around directions. If you ( for example) gave me a location I know well and regularly drive to, I cannot picture "how to get there" as in see the route/journey in my head. It's literally a blank space in my mind. I also don't recognise faces unless they are very well known to me. I see my GP every couple of weeks but can't visualise her face now. My memory of the years of my DC being little is very poor unless I look at photos.

Interestingly, I was discussing the journey thing with my father who has a similar problem but this only developed after a stroke.

[voodoolooloo]

Wow what an interesting thread! I'm 99% I have some form of this. I can't remember much at all about my childhood or school days. Old school friends will describe a certain teacher for example and although the name sounds familiar I can never visualise their face.
I'm a very quick reader, yet I never retain the text after I've finished, as if my brain sees but doesn't process.

Other times I can almost memorise the words but I don't know the contents if that makes any sense? I can hear a short speech and recite it almost word for word seconds afterwards. I can mimic the voice and the inflection of the character.
The phrase 'counting sheep' mystified me as a child. I hated art and drawing from memory flummoxed me, yet I could copy a picture in front of me!
Long descriptions in books bore me as well.

It's great to find I'm not alone!

[bakeoffcake]

Mymble I experience all the things you have described! I too see my GP very frequently and I cannot think what her face looks like.

And I have always thought something went wrong with my brain when I was developing in the womb. I feel there's something missing. Interestingly I work as an accounts assistant so am fine with numbers, spreadsheets etc.

[EthelMercaptan]

Seeing text! Yes! If I think about words I see them as text which is probably why I have always been good at spelling; I'm not remembering the word, I'm reading it! I also taught myself to read in two weeks at the age of 5. Words are obviously what sticks in my head.

I can pull up images as well though... in fact I paint quite well.

[bakeoffcake]

"I'm a very quick reader, yet I never retain the text after I've finished, as if my brain sees but doesn't process."

Same here, it does come in handy though as I can read the same book a few years later and whilst knowing I will enjoy it, I don't have a clue what will happen. It saves money on books.

[MuchasSmoochas]

I struggle with this. I never notice anything new in a room, like pictures/sofa/flowers. You could change the whole of the interior design and I wouldn't notice. And I hate when people do flowchart or diagrams on power point, am lost. Love a big long article or book. And I don't like this trend for videos! Don't show me, tell me.

[DigestiveBiscuit]

I thought it was! That is why sometimes I don't like watching a TV/film adaptation of a book, because it does not correspond with how I saw the characters in my head, while reading it!

It was only after talking DD to the neuro-educational psychologist, who found that she can't visualise from language and can't get the gist from reading (she can decode brilliantly, but has to re-read every sentence 3 times to work out what the words mean), that I was talking to DS about it with amazement - he and I both agreed reading is like watching TV in our heads. Then DH was amazed at hearing what reading is like for us, because he can't visualise from language either, and thought his experience of reading was what it is like for everybody! I knew he read incredibly slowly, but none of us realised that reading for him is different than it is for us!

DH also struggles to recognise people, he does not know very well - like he could walk past the neighbours on the High St, because he does not recognise them out of context! People often come up to talk to us, while out and afterwards he asks me who they are, when he may have had a conversation with them two days before!

[pod78]

I developed this after a serious head injury. I was previously really visual and remebered everything as a picture (eg if I lost my keys I would scroll backwards to the last time I saw them and 'see' them on the kitchen table) but since the accident I can hardly picture anything and the harder I try the more the images swim away.

It is a real handicap as my brain wants to do things that way it used to and can't, and hasn't been able to fully adapt. It is like losing a sense and big chunk of IQ. Sadly I am rubbish at maths! And I have some trouble reading/ recognising numbers.

As Mymble and others have said, I often get lost or blank when I try to go places or describe a route... even on routes I should know. And I find it really hard to learn things nowadays. And spell. And remember anything unless it is written down right on front of my face.

On the plus side, I can read the same books and watch TV shows over and over again as I can never remember what happens and the plot is always a surprise! Think I'd rather my brain worked how it used to though

[ConcernedParent88]

Ooh this thread is really interesting.

I'm completely the opposite - well, almost.

I did very very well in maths/engineering. Top mark in the most mathsy final at prestigious engineering uni.

But I mostly think in 'forms'... some images, some 'models' (which can be dynamic).

When I'm given new complex information I sort of summarise it into a 'form' which I then slot in with my other ones and they all work together.

The idea of doing this with words just doesn't compute.

My OH often asks me about conversations and I re-work from the 'form' which pisses her off no end as she says how important it is to remember the actual words used - but I reckon I've grasped the subtleties of the meanings, emphases etc and summarised them nicely. But I often don't remember what they actually said.

My Grandad always bangs on about how it's impossible for people to think about complex concepts without language and that it took language to enable us to do this and I've always argued because I (and I assumed everyone else) could have complex thought processes without words.

I mean, how did you think about things when you were 2. And how did we think about things earlier in our evolution, before we developed words with complex meaning - or words at all.

I dream in 'forms'.

I guess from the 5% stat of people that think in words, most people are like me though, which I'll tell my Grandad when I next see him.

[orangeyellowgreen]

Different people must have very different minds. We're not Type 1, Type 2 etc, you can have some or lots of these characteristics but few or none of others.
I'm very visual, very arty, have almost total recall of my entire life but can't learn facts.
I had no idea that some people can't picture things. Does this go with having no imagination (ie unable to picture things you haven't actually seen)?

[Hippoinahat]

This is so interesting! It's only from reading this thread that I've realised I don't visualise images when I'm reading and also read fast. I also have a great memory for numbers, bank cards/phone numbers/license plates etc and a very very crap memory of childhood. And yet I can conjure up images without much trouble. I think I've got a split brain!

[whois]

I can picture places vividly but not people. I can't recognise people, even those I know well, without some other trigger (how they walk/talk/dress etc).

I am really bloody good at remembering events - where people stood, what they said, what their tone of voice was like, what the background was like.

But I absolutely can not recognise people without other prompts.

I struggle to see my partners face in my mine. I don't know what colour eyes my best friend has.

[traviata]

Fascinating thread.

I have the mental map gap - I just CANNOT picture what my route would be if I went from A to B in my city.

I have some face blindness, and can't identify people out of context. I can't bring to mind the face of any member of my family. When my DC started school I was really worried that I would not be able to recognise them. Even now if they are in a big crowd of school kids, I feel a bit uncertain about picking my DC out.

I am a very fast reader and did well academically.

[whois]

"I'm a very quick reader, yet I never retain the text after I've finished, as if my brain sees but doesn't process."

Me too!

[99Luftballons]

Interesting. So would you go to your go about this?

[WilLiAmHerschel]

I had no idea that some people can't picture things. Does this go with having no imagination (ie unable to picture things you haven't actually seen)?

I can barely picture things I have seen so definitely can't picture things I haven't! I also lack imagination in the sense that i... Well... I have no imagination. I watch my dd play with toys like little figures and chatter away and it amazes me. I never did that stuff. I read books, played puzzles and games. Not imaginative play.

[WilLiAmHerschel]

In fact, apart from books and videos my favourite 'toys' were things like worksheets with maths or English puzzles.

[WilLiAmHerschel]

Oh I did like active toys where you did stuff, like beign on my bike or skates. But no imagination at all.

[EastMidsMummy]

Aphantasia

Bless you.

[NeedMoreSleepOrSugar]

This is really interesting. Possibly a daft question, but does this mean that you can't for example walk around a familiar room in the dark/blindfolded?

[soontobeanana]

oh how happy I am that it's not just me!!

I read very quickly but I dont retain the facts. I can read a book and love it but I can't remember what it was about a few minutes after finishing it.

I don't recognise peoples faces. I don't know what colour eyes my children have. I can't remember my childhood, any facts about my childrens births, my parents funerals or any significant events.

I lived in my birth home for 25 years and a few years ago I met someone else who lived in the same street, she started talking about places on the street, shops etc I couldn't remember any of them, I think she thought I was lying about living there. Ive often wondered why I am different to other people - I thought it was that I live inside my own head - having constant conversations with myself - instead of noticing what is going on around me.

I would like to change and be more "normal"