I do! I visualize when I dream. But I can’t do it on command. This is how I realized I probably have aphantasia. I can never consciously visualize. I can think and conceptualize, but not ‘see’.
I realized after reading about people with aphantasia that what I do is kind of a combination of visualization and conceptualization. If you ask me to imagine a cow, I’ll tend to visualize the cow itself, but it doesn’t come with a field for the cow to stand in. The cow is just in the concept of a place. That is, until I concentrate on visualizing details of the place, at which point I’ll probably lose the visual of the cow. Like, it’s still there, it’s just become the concept of a cow.
I also have aphantasia. I only learnt about it a year or so ago. It was eye opening when I realised. People used to say “picture this or that” and I thought it was a figure of speech! Turns out there are people who can picture shit.
That’s interesting that your brain is capable of it but it just won’t. It sounds like it could make a lot of things difficult for you. I spend a lot of my idle time “working” on different problems with projects I have going on and a lot of that involves “constructing” things in my mind. I don’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t do that.
I spend a lot of my idle time “working” on different problems with projects I have going on and a lot of that involves “constructing” things in my mind.
I do, too! I guess in a different way though. A lot of aphants like to compare it to a computer that does not have a screen or GUI. The computer is there - also the graphics card, the images, the data - but nothing visual appears in your mind’s eye. I would say there are several things that are more difficult for me to do - but surprisingly people with aphantasia function just fine. Otherwise I would have known something is different with me way earlier.
I have the exact same experience, from lack of inner monologue to aphantasia. Funnily enough, when I’m on the verge of falling asleep, I can sometimes conjure images, but that’s the only way I’m able to
I don’t think I have an inner monologue. Also I have full Aphantasia. I can’t visually imagine an apple let alone rotate it in my mind.
Do you have dreams?
I do! I visualize when I dream. But I can’t do it on command. This is how I realized I probably have aphantasia. I can never consciously visualize. I can think and conceptualize, but not ‘see’.
I realized after reading about people with aphantasia that what I do is kind of a combination of visualization and conceptualization. If you ask me to imagine a cow, I’ll tend to visualize the cow itself, but it doesn’t come with a field for the cow to stand in. The cow is just in the concept of a place. That is, until I concentrate on visualizing details of the place, at which point I’ll probably lose the visual of the cow. Like, it’s still there, it’s just become the concept of a cow.
I also have aphantasia. I only learnt about it a year or so ago. It was eye opening when I realised. People used to say “picture this or that” and I thought it was a figure of speech! Turns out there are people who can picture shit.
Waiiiiit. It’s not just a figure of speech?!
welcome to the rabbit hole!
it’s absolutely wild! I still struggle to imagine how other people can picture things.
That’s interesting that your brain is capable of it but it just won’t. It sounds like it could make a lot of things difficult for you. I spend a lot of my idle time “working” on different problems with projects I have going on and a lot of that involves “constructing” things in my mind. I don’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t do that.
I do, too! I guess in a different way though. A lot of aphants like to compare it to a computer that does not have a screen or GUI. The computer is there - also the graphics card, the images, the data - but nothing visual appears in your mind’s eye. I would say there are several things that are more difficult for me to do - but surprisingly people with aphantasia function just fine. Otherwise I would have known something is different with me way earlier.
I have the exact same experience, from lack of inner monologue to aphantasia. Funnily enough, when I’m on the verge of falling asleep, I can sometimes conjure images, but that’s the only way I’m able to
yess when I read that this is a common experience for aphants, I became pretty certain I’m an aphant too. crazy how people can do that on command