Aphantasia

[Newrumpus]

Recently, I discovered that I am aphantasic. I had never heard of this until recently and after hearing about it I have become interested in the experiences of others.

To save anyone googling, aphantasia is mind blindness or lack of visual imagery. When someone says ‘Imagine an elephant’ I think of an elephant but I don’t see one in my mind.

Does anyone else have experience of this and how did you discover it?

@NameChangeThreeThousand

I have no idea whether it has made things harder (apart from recognising people), because I don't know what it would have been like to have that ability. I did well enough at school, so it didn't stop me learning. I guess the mind just finds other ways.

As an aside, I do have an inner monologue. I struggle to recognise people's voices though.

The faces thing is frustrating. So many times I've bumped into someone, had a conversation, and had no idea who they were (much to the amusement of my DC). Or I've thought someone was person X and mid-conversation discovered that they're person Y. That is embarrassing.

I gave aphantasia too. I also cannot hear things in my head, or smell or taste them too. So if I'm asked to remember a song, I could recreate it in my head, but I couldn't imagine hearing it.

I remember in facts, so I'm actually great at navigating, I only ever have to go somewhere once and I can find my way back. I think that's cause I pay more attention to my surroundings.

However, I have a terrible memory, and there's lots from my childhood that's just gone, I simply can't remember things like that.

I'm okay with maths and arithmetic, but rubbish at 3D maths. You know when you need to rotate a shape, my husband can literally flip it in his mind, but I have to sit and work out where each bit will go.

As a child, when people said to count sheep, I thought you had to literally lie there and say 1 sheep, 2 sheep etc, I never realised people could visualise sheep jumping over a wall etc.

As a matter of interest, when I say 'inner monologue' I mean that I think words. I don't actually hear the words in my head.

Is that what other people's inner monologues are like? Or do some people actually hear the words as if someone was saying them?

I hear my voice in my head

I'm a sparky, sarcastic fucker, too

Snarky

New phone's autocorrect

Me too

I'm loving this thread. You've all been able to explain so much better than me. My husband doesn't get it but we actually have less arguments now because he realises that I don't 'see'

I kind of can if I try really hard but it's not a full picture, it's there for a micro second and I can't see any colour. It gives me a headache if I try for too long. Most of my thoughts are words or it's just because I 'know'

I only realised a year or so ago, and I've doubted myself alot because what if actually I do 'see' the same way as other people but I'm just over thinking it

I was always very good academically. It is embarrassing not to know who people are, but less so since I realised that it isn't for lack of trying. I often mention it to people I am likely to meet again. For example, I am one of the officers of a chess club (so I welcome any new people) - if someone visits occasionally and then might return the following week or month, I won't know I've met them. There are two regular members of the club; I have known one for five years and see him most weeks while the other joined about six months ago. They look the same to me and I'm never sure which is which until they start talking: fortunately one is English and one is French!

I imagine there are some careers I couldn't do. If I worked in A&E I would remember the patients by where they were physically, and I'd have a rough idea of appearance. But heaven help us all if there were several middle-aged women with short hair and they moved from where I last saw them! I once worked in a corner shop and couldn't remember who the known shoplifters were or which kids weren't allowed to hang around on the doorstep because they were in the habit of asking people to buy them booze. I have done some teaching, but it was hard, and I made everyone stick with the same seats.