You made it this far in life without knowing, right? I think that one of the most important things to remember is that there are several people who make it late into their life (Early 30's and beyond) without even knowing they have Aphantasia. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Many aphants are just as able to mentally follow steps in a process or describe an end-goal... it's just based on our understanding of the thought, not based on simulated stimulus. If you can't bring up a visual image of something in your mind, or have difficulty doing so, then you probably have Aphantasia. is perfectly fine, but my autobiographical memory is fucking terrible. They also have a podcast that they will be starting soon! I have aphantasia and have known about it for a couple of years now. Niel Kenmuir, from Lancaster, has always had a blind mind's eye. It is a tool that is used much more often than we realize. Most people that have responded to surveys report having lifelong Aphantasia, however there are also reports of developing Aphantasia due to a stroke, brain injury, or a traumatic event. I do find it frustrating, once you know about it, how many times in life one comeâs across people or books asking one to visualize things. Only an estimated two per cent of the population â about the same number of redheads on ⦠This means that I cannot see images in my brain! This lack of mental imagery was described as early the late 1800s, yet it has remained a relatively unstudied phenomenon. So, if I were to approach memorization, I would start with categorizing the subject, then perhaps determining a sub category within that subject, then trying to think of a description for a pattern within the formula. It's not that vivid, only slightly better than an afterimage from looking at a light source, but I can definitely see clear objects and even moving scenes. From my experience, aphants are able to think of an object in our mind and have some degree of spacial awareness of that object, we just can't see the object. Interesting Aphantasia observations, based on surveys. Because of this, I tend to categorize things according into themes or commonalities. Having Aphantasia does not make it so you cannot be in a creative field - there are several aphants that are writers and artists! To be honest, I'm still skeptical that anyone can actually "see" anything, the whole concept is alien. Aphantasia does not seem to impair creativity. Aphants are unable to do so, but they are still able to recognize things and be aware of what something is in their mind. This figure is an estimate and it must be recognised that the condition and its boundaries are still being identified. I have Aphantasia my whole life and life with it is quite normal but from my research i see that Aphantasia can differ from person to person, some like me cant sense anything inner like inner ear or inner music/audio or inner imagery. He estimates that about 2 per cent of the population have little or no visual imagery. Willingfully visualizing things is a "top-down" mental process. âI have never visualised anything in my entire lifeâ¦â he writes. Some aphants can dream. Aphantasia is thought to affect between 2-3% of the population (about one in fifty). Ask questions and share perspectives. No, there's nothing wrong with you! Professor Adam Zeman's presentation summarizing findings about Aphantasia may be viewed here -, 2/13/2020 - Added notable people with Aphantasia, 2/14/2020 - Clarified source of interesting observations, 2/24/2020 - Added thought cloud gif example to, 3/6/2020 - Added a link about what it's like for someone without Aphantasia. Next, ask yourself "Now, think of someone getting on the horse to ride." Yet not all experiences of aphantasia are alike. While people without Aphantasia probably think of imagination as seeing whatever they are thinking of and manipulating the object with thought - we can do something similar with our mental awareness of the object. Still, aphantasia might affect them in some ways, she said. doesn't apply to us. Many of these people proceed with having successful careers and starting families! I can make an image but unless i focus, it's more like i'm feeling, rather than seeing it. Dreaming is possible because of the way the brain works. Realize the potential of ~3% worldwide with blind imagination. Journal article. The original study and definition is limited to the sense of sight, however it may also be experienced with the other senses (some have unofficially referred to this as "full Aphantasia" or "complete Aphantasia"). About the network. Not how most people might consider "imagination" - but we can imagine! Here are some notable people that have Aphantasia and have lead successful lives: It is currently unknown if there are direct causes for Aphantasia. Some can still visualise in their dreams, others can ⦠Having Aphantasia is certainly a mind blowing discovery and it can take some time to wrap your head around and accept. I know what an object looks like, I know a ball is round, but I can't close my eyes and "see" a ball. (NOTE: you do NOT have to have visualizing skills to be a good animator, take for example the Disney character designer Glen Keane who designed Rapunzel and Tarzan ⦠Aphantasia is the inability to create voluntary mental images, which can in different forms. Note: The following are my personal observations and should not necessarily be taken as fact. Cookies help us deliver our Services. People often think of the process of thinking as either involving words or images, but i don't think either is correct. If you believe you may have aphantasia, it could be helpful to speak to a professional where you can have a safe place to talk about your own personal experiences. I don't really see the scene, but I am keeping track of relative positioning. Zeman now has 12,000 aphantasic volunteers. You could argue that Aphantasia is simply a difference in thought process. At least now I know why I can't seem to do so. This number is based on a 2009 study where approx 2.1-2.7% of 2,500 participants claimed no visual imagination (Faw, 2009). I'm jealous. Did something happen to cause me to get Aphantasia? You wonât know you have it until you read about it. (Tests & Ask Here) | FAQ | Additional Resources, Phantasia: the psychological significance of visual imagery extremes. It also explains why I can't remember faces and often have a hard time recognizing people. Chances are you know at least one other person with Aphantasia, but you might never know because it is such an internal process. Additionally, if we ever see something disturbing to us - we likely only need to experience that one time. I have Aphantasia. AphantasiaMeow conducted a few tests, but they proved only a measure of sensory multitasking, not an objective measure of the visual imagination. I always thought when people said "imagine xyz" they meant think about that thing. The closest I have come to a visual example of what Aphants "see" would be the thought cloud represented in this gif by /u/bovinejumpsuit. Many aphantasics are successful in creative professions and have ways to compensate for their lack of a mindâs eye. Our day to day life probably doesn't look that different from people that don't have Aphantasia. Basically, an aphant's imagination is thought oriented and when we are asked to "imagine a horse" - we are aware of the thought of a horse and what a horse is, maybe even observations about what a horse looks like, but we cannot see the horse in our mind. Approximately 3% of people have Aphantasia or low/no mental visualization ability, This metric is from a 2009 study by Faw who surveyed people about their visual vividness, If you have Aphantasia, it is much more likely for someone in your family to have Aphantasia as well (genetically related), 1/2 of people with Aphantasia reported being able to dream, 1/2 of people with Aphantasia reported being, This has un-offically been referred to as "total Aphantasia" or "complete Aphantasia", 1/3 people with Aphantasia had difficulty with recognizing faces (, 1/3 people with Aphantasia have difficulty remembering details about events in the past (, Several participants also identified with the ASD spectrum, They recently hosted an event in April, 2019 to discuss research about mental visualization. If you think you have the condition and also want to have lucid dreams, I recommend you work on lucid dreaming techniques that don't require any visualization. What is Aphantasia? (NOTE: you do NOT have to have visualizing skills to be a good animator, take for example the Disney character designer Glen Keane who designed Rapunzel and Tarzan ⦠I think it's intriguing variation of human experience - like Synethesia, you wouldn't say that somebody with Synethesia has anything wrong with them, they just have an interestingly different kind of experience". For more examples, you may refer to these resources: From my discussions with people that don't have Aphantasia, it seems like aphants may have an easier time "living in the moment." Aphantasia was first discovered in the 19th Century, but wasn't seriously studied until last year when science finally announced to the world that some folks out there can be born outside the target demographic of John Lennon's "Imagine". Aphantasia does not by definition make you bad at directions, spacial recognition, or not enjoy reading. I was watching Pete Holmes' standup, and at one point he asks the audience to picture an orange, going on to say how strange and fascinating it is that our mind can conjure a translucent orange right before our eyes. However, the fact that I now do have a functioning mindâs eye means that either Image Streaming is a cure for at least one type of aphantasia or I was never truly aphantasic. "I don't really think that's the right way to think of it. Those are unique and subjective experiences. Because we can't visualize the memory of whatever was disturbing, we never need to see that disgusting image again. There are some people who have reported some success improving their mind's eye with using a technique called image streaming. I have aphantasia and my memory of external things (test info, names/dates, etc.) The site may not work properly if you don't, If you do not update your browser, we suggest you visit, Press J to jump to the feed. All of us are conceptualizing what our thoughts put together. You could have aphantasia If counting sheep is an abstract concept, or you are unable to visualise the faces of loved ones, you could have aphantasia â a newly defined condition to describe people who are born without a âmindâs eyeâ. Their mindâs eye is effectively blind. The only way to diagnose it is based on your subjective experience within your mind - no doctor, psychiatrist, or therapist can tell you if you have it. Otherwise known as blind imagination. (If I try really hard, then I might see an extremely faint wire-frame outline, if for a brief moment). You might have an idea of a horse in your head, and maybe the rider, but you can't see them. If you have Aphantasia, you probably don't have the answers to these follow up questions until after you read the questions and think about it again. Learn more. Connect and learn from many minds. Take a moment to consider what you can see with your mind. 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