Do you have a minds eye

[PlantingTreesAgain]

A bit of fun here to see how many MN have Aphantasia. I’ve posted in competitions as I’m guessing people who enjoy them might find this interesting.

This is the ability to see images in our minds.
To simply test this.
Close your eyes and imagine a red star.
Can you see one and to what extent,
Post here which image you see numbers 1-6 as you imagine that star .

Please note there is nothing wrong if you can’t see a star about 2-3% of the population can’t either.

Im also doing AIBU to get a quick tally
AIBU - what star? Can people see a star?
IANBU - I see a star can’t everyone ?

If we’ve seen a picture of an otter it’s our memory that enables us to know what one looks like.
We just don’t visualise it unless it’s in front of us.

I’m going off to Google ‘inner monologue’ now

Ii just see the words. It’s wild to me that people are reading mumsnet and actually visualising pictures of it. If it only affects 2-3% of people I don’t know why there’s such demand for parking diagrams 😉

In the dragon example I can recall a picture of a dragon from a book, I can make it pink and know what sort of hat I imagine. But it’s a concept I’m thinking of rather than an actual image is the best way I can describe it.

Yes.
But just as you are feaking out, all those 1s here are squeezing their eyes thinking why can’t I see anything! What do you mean you can see an image!

None of us actually realised 97% of the population were seeing real images with their eyes closed.

Mt husband did the test this morning and walked away like it was normal…which of course I now know it is but I’m feeling a bit miffed to be honest 🫤🤣

Exactly this. I don't literally see it as an image on the inside of my eyelids or anything, but I can imagine it very accurately. I can also imagine the taste, smell, sound and texture of things very accurately too. I guess that makes me a 6?

No
If you can’t literally see it you are a 1 and have Aphantasia.

Imagining it is different…it must be an actual image

Between 4-5 for me if I picture it idle, I can 'see' it more clearly if I picture it moving.

I had this conversation with a friend a few weeks back, I can just about picture a horse standing still in my minds eye, but I can picture it like I'm watching it clearly on the TV if I imagine it running across a field or something. She struggled to picture it moving but could see a still image clearly. I wonder what that means.

I also only learned recently that not everyone has an inner dialogue - it blew my mind that some others can't have conversations with themselves in their own minds!

I can see whichever of those images I choose to 'look' at. But isn't that visual memory rather than visualisation? I can also see whatever other stars I choose to imagine - that is what I understand by visualisation.

I have no images and no internal monologue. I love reading but get bored when a book is all description, I’m always thinking of stories or ideas, or making plans, all of which I used to think was what people meant by ‘imagining’. I was often in trouble for daydreaming at school, but was just immersed in my thoughts, not any images. I always thought it was just something they did for exposition on tv when they showed a person thinking in images, videos or a voice. I do have a very bad memory as well as prosopagnosia.

I think my day dreaming is mostly thought. Images just come in as and when.

No. Our memory of something is different. It gives us the capacity to know what something looks like. That’s very different from actually seeing that object without it being in front of us.

Well, I can answer the second bit! Yes, we can be hypnotised. I don't know how hypnotism works, but perhaps it accesses the parts of the brain that do dreaming - it's a different area from the visualising part. In any case, it's not really about picturing anything.

If you're right that people who don't literally see an image have aphantasia, I suspect it's a lot more than 3%. I wouldn't have said I have it, because I can visually imagine something. By your definition, though, I do.

I’m always thinking of stories or ideas

This is fascinating! How do your stories manifest for you, without words or images?

I do this too. DH was away for a few days but I could hear snatches of his (distinctive) guitar now and then.

I also get the shooting pains in my legs for the same reason! Hi, you are the only other person I have ever known to have this. I was going to be a nurse until I realised that this was hard-wired in. I can't even listen to people describing operations they have had.

I see the words "red star". Whenever I'm asked to imagine something, I picture the word, in my own handwriting. Sometimes I can even feel myself writing it. It's bloody annoying.

Actually I don't see the words. I just... get the feeling of them being written? I don't see anything. I'm not sure I can quite believe that anyone does! People are actually closing their eyes and seeing things? Like... on the back of their eyelids?!

I’m a 1. How do all you visualisers bear the constant ‘noise’ that must be going on in your heads? If you are walking down a street, thinking about otters, how do you distinguish between the real things that are in front of your actual eyes and the images of otters you have skipping about in your head? It must be like a weird version of double vision!

I see nothing, but I have very recently started being able to see odd pictures in my mind but I’m not in control of it. Often they’re random faces not of actual people I know. It’s weird but quite interesting!

Me too.
What's your sense of smell like ?
I have an acute sense of smell. But it looks like I have aphantasia.

My son who’s just told me he’s a 6 along with my entire family ( feeling a bit left out now). Looked it up
2-5% of the population have aphantasia.

I'm a 1 but I most definitely have an internal monologue.

It seems to be those, like us, that can’t see an image can’t believe that others do.
Those on here that are confused by the concept are obviously 1s.

Mostly just as ideas, although sometimes with some fragments of language without sound. I do partly think in words, they just don’t have any voice or sound quality, like the difference between skim reading something and just soaking in the meaning vs reading each word carefully and phonetically. Weirdly I do get songs stuck in my head, there’s somehow some representation of pitch without any sound to it.

I have aphantasia and no inner monologue - it’s very quiet in my head.

I have no problem with memory, recognition or imagination though.

As people said above, I know what pink is, a dragon is and a hat is so I could draw one (badly) but i wouldn’t be able to see it until I had drawn it.

I would love to experience the other side once or twice because I wonder if I’d then realise I’m missing out or appreciate the calmness?