To not believe that some people don't have an internal monologue?

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Even though I've just read this:

ryanandrewlangdon.wordpress.com/2020/01/28/today-i-learned-that-not-everyone-has-an-internal-monologue-and-it-has-ruined-my-day/

I can't quite understand if. Hoping some MNs of the non-monologue type can help me out.

Especially with the reading part.

When I'm reading descriptions fast I don't properly say the words in my head, more of a picture forms I guess. But I'm hearing any dialogue words.

And chattering away to myself in my head all day long. Must be nice not to!

Ohh, now there's a thought. I dont have internal voice, and have never understood the point of mindfulness or meditation. Maybe because there is less to clear??

I just asked DH and he said he does have an internal voice but it's not constant and he never has conversations with himself in his head.

He also said he wasn't surprised that my internal voice never shuts up because I talk such a lot!

Also I often rehearse conversations before they happen.

I do this a lot - not because I'm apprehensive about them but just because they're in my head.

I really struggle to describe what goes on in my head. I have a voice when I'm reading, I 'hear' the words but I have to really concentrate to picture what is being portrayed, and I rarely have pictures of my idea of the characters. It's not that I'm completely aphantasic because in some scenarios I can form mental images - when listening to music, especially when there's no other stimulus (e.g. in bed with headphones on) I can either 'see' myself dancing to it or I can make up entire videos in my head, but otherwise I'm not a hugely visual person and I can't picture routes.

Like a few PPs, I do focus on the 'feel' of words, and often find myself repeating the same word or short phrase to myself over and over again, sometimes on and off for years (there's one line of a poem I find myself quoting internally regularly). I also get 'loops' of song lyrics stuck in my head.

I have internal monologue but can’t see images

I think it's how people define it.

I listen to my thoughts if that makes sense. But there is no volume, no physical voice I imagine hearing in my head. It's simply my thoughts. There is no monologue as such running in the background.

I might think ohh I fancy an orange , but there is no monologue running along side it, I don't actually understand the concept. Someone might talk and I think god what a bitch. But it's just thoughts.

I’m amazed at the poster who hears 4 voices eith accents, I have internal monologue but like thoughts rather than hearing

I have a voice, songs and I get pictures but I never get words or numbers. In fact I really struggle with basic things like spelling and maths because they don’t come into my head and I have to write them onto paper to see them or remember them

I have a whole parallel life running in my head all the time. What must it be like to just look out a window and just see movement and shapes without a whole thought process running through the background to what you are seeing? Making up stories, running through different scenarios. Surely the ability to think and imagine beyond the immediate physical is what makes us human.

I do and it’s much worse with anxiety. I love running as it gives me a chunk of time with no distractions to think all the thoughts swirling in my head. I don’t make decisions quickly or lightly, though that’s probably more an anxiety thing.
I’ve also discovered on MN that some people don’t have a ‘mind’s eye’ literally can’t visualise anything, even faces of their children.

I don't "hear" a voice, you know, like a psychotic episode. It's just like reading a book in your head. How else do people think about how they will word things before they say them if they don't have an inner "voice" at some level?

Also I often rehearse conversations before they happen

I do this. Although the downsides are that my reactions in the moment aren’t ‘real’ as I’ve already thought through how I’ll react to good/bad conversations.

@Lifeisgenerallyfun and me. I can’t remember what it’s called but I read about it on here. I remember describing to a friend how I played through the same story in my head when I couldn’t get to sleep and she had no idea what I was talking about. One of the downsides of ADs is that I sleep like a log so I’m not waking at 4am thinking through my alternative life.

Not read the whole thread.

The differences in how we think are fascinating.

I only found out a couple of years back that when people talk about a minds eye they can actually see images! I can't say all, apparently it's called aphantasia and not that uncommon.

I have words all the time and music playing. This is normal to me.

It's a real struggle to imagine having s different way of thinking as threads like this and aphantasia ones show. Those threads always have lots of people saying oh these people must be autistic/ not imaginative/ how awful to not see anything. That's a knee jerk reaction of not like me , don't understand, there must be something 'wrong' with them.

I take the view that how we think is very little known as people including researchers have just assumed they were 'normal' and taken it from there!

It's all fascinating.

I am autistic and don't have an internal 'voice' it took me years to understand this difference. It explains why some things I can do better than neuro typicals eg speed reading, memory but others are more difficult.
I don't really have a concept of what it would be like to think in 'voice' just like you have difficulty imagining how I think without it.
Anyone who grows up non verbal , alot of people with autism and aspergers and I assume people who are born deaf wont think in this way.
I think it's a great example of how autistic and neuro typicals think very differently.

This is interesting. I suppose everyone thinks other people are the same as them. I think with an internal voice and can't work out how other people don't have it. Having said that, I asked DH wants which language his voice speaks in (he speaks more than one ) and he said that everyone only thinks in pictures and it is not true that there is a voice.

he speaks more than one language, I mean

I don’t know what the voice sounds like, it’s just internal words that happen in my brain 😂 but it is there. I think it’s my own voice? I run and rerun conversations and plan things out with the voice (and pictures). When I write something my brain will run on ahead

I think a LOT. When I am doing anything that doesn’t take any real level of concentrating the voice is just always there just thinking things. And things just pop up the voice will say ‘ooh hmm crisps’ or something 😂

I can also picture pretty much everything... everywhere I have ever lived, I also rarely lose things as I can very quickly picture where they are in my mind. I remember a lot of names and events - all using flashback pictures. And I feel like I am there when I remember them

I believe it. I am one of those weirdos who can’t see images in their minds eye (like if someone says “close your eyes and picture a chair” I can’t imagine a visual representation of a chair).

This doesn’t surprise me at all.

My twins have ASD and are non verbal. They understand a lot of things but have no understanding of language at all, it seems like they think it’s just random sounds. I would love to see in their heads!

I believe it. I am one of those weirdos who can’t see images in their minds eye (like if someone says “close your eyes and picture a chair” I can’t imagine a visual representation of a chair).

Do you have face blindness by any chance?

What does the minds eye mean? If we are redecorating I can see a photo in my mind of what the room will look like. Isn't that just imagination though? Don't we all have that? If not, how do people daydream about running away with a knight in shining armour

and whether the people who say that they don't have an internal voice, are simply misunderstanding?

You think people are too stupid to know whether or not they have an internal voice?

Is it too difficult for you to understand that people are different from each other?

I’m not an idiot. I know I don’t have an internal monologue.

Do you have face blindness by any chance?

No I have excellent face recognition! But if I had to close my eyes and imagine someone’s face I wouldn’t get any kind of visual - even DH or my children. It’s so odd.

Isn't that just imagination though?

Nope. I have a good imagination, it just doesn’t come with pictures 😂

If you have an imagination with no pictures what happens? I am genuinely interested

I am the same @SinkGirl, excellent face recognition but don't ask me to picture anyone - literally struggle to visualise my own kids which freaks me out a bit! I worried that I was going to be a crap parent when I was pregnant because people would tell me how they pictured themselves with their kids and I just couldn't build an image of what mine would be like!

I also have an excellent imagination but I'd compare it to writer rather than illustrator if that makes any sense? I can vividly describe my thoughts and build stories but I couldn't see it coming to life.

Nope. I have a good imagination, it just doesn’t come with pictures 😂

So interesting!!!!! I cannot comprehend how this works