| Aphantasia 00:21 - Oct 11 with 3601 views | hatch |
Or the inability to picture/visualise anything. Recently discovered my wife has it (not something you actually talk about much to realise it). Apparently 1-5% of people have this which should mean statistically a good few on here.
Anyone heard of it before? I find it baffling, the idea that she can’t picture my face or her family’s faces or our wedding day or our front door etc.
She knows that an apple is green/red and has a stem etc but she can’t visualise it. |  | | |  |
| Aphantasia on 00:22 - Oct 11 with 2363 views | Illinoisblue |
Does she have memories? |  |
| |
| Aphantasia on 00:34 - Oct 11 with 2354 views | hatch |
| Aphantasia on 00:22 - Oct 11 by Illinoisblue |
Does she have memories? |
She remembers the way she felt on our wedding day (in May this year), for example, but can’t picture any of it. She remembers details of course but just can’t visualise. | | | |
| Aphantasia on 07:23 - Oct 11 with 2161 views | Herbivore |
Must play havoc with her w@nk bank. |  |
| |
| Aphantasia on 09:24 - Oct 11 with 2085 views | DJR |
Apparently it only got its name in the last 10 years or so, and there is little research on the topic.
Does it cause your wife any difficulties, and how and why was it diagnosed? [Post edited 11 Oct 2023 9:26]
|  | | |
| Aphantasia on 09:27 - Oct 11 with 2070 views | unbelievablue |
I have it. I can think about the concept of something obviously but I can't actually visualise images. |  |
| |
| Aphantasia on 09:29 - Oct 11 with 2060 views | BlueBadger |
I like the bit with Mickey Mouse making the mop come to life. |  |
| |
| Aphantasia on 09:30 - Oct 11 with 2054 views | Ewan_Oozami |
| Aphantasia on 09:27 - Oct 11 by unbelievablue |
I have it. I can think about the concept of something obviously but I can't actually visualise images. |
Blimey, that's tough! How do you remember Town games that you've seen without being able to visualise them? |  |
| |
| Aphantasia on 09:30 - Oct 11 with 2052 views | PrideOfTheEast |
| Aphantasia on 09:27 - Oct 11 by unbelievablue |
I have it. I can think about the concept of something obviously but I can't actually visualise images. |
You mean to say that you can't picture my wedding day.... what a waste of £ |  | | |
Login to get fewer ads
| Aphantasia on 09:32 - Oct 11 with 2039 views | _clive_baker_ |
Strikes me as one of those things that must be hard to establish if you have it or not, without the context of what's 'normal'. Like if I close my eyes and try to visualise something, lets say the Town badge, I can get the concept, the components / colours etc. Does my mind flash up a full image of it? Not sure really. I can't say it's like looking at a picture, but I know what I'm thinking about. If that makes sense. |  | | |
| Aphantasia on 09:33 - Oct 11 with 2026 views | unbelievablue |
| Aphantasia on 09:30 - Oct 11 by PrideOfTheEast |
You mean to say that you can't picture my wedding day.... what a waste of £ |
Hahaha that'll be the booze more than anything.
I think there's a grey area here tbh. I can't 'literally' visualise an image if I close my eyes, but I can remember what it was like and describe it. | |
| |
| Aphantasia on 09:34 - Oct 11 with 2045 views | DanTheMan |
| Aphantasia on 09:32 - Oct 11 by _clive_baker_ |
Strikes me as one of those things that must be hard to establish if you have it or not, without the context of what's 'normal'. Like if I close my eyes and try to visualise something, lets say the Town badge, I can get the concept, the components / colours etc. Does my mind flash up a full image of it? Not sure really. I can't say it's like looking at a picture, but I know what I'm thinking about. If that makes sense. |
So seems you're around a 2 or 3. Think I'm around 2 unless it's a still image I experienced. |  |
| |
| Aphantasia on 09:36 - Oct 11 with 2015 views | unbelievablue |
| Aphantasia on 09:34 - Oct 11 by DanTheMan |
So seems you're around a 2 or 3. Think I'm around 2 unless it's a still image I experienced. |
Sounds more like he's a 4 or a 5 based on how he described it? I am a 5. | |
| |
| Aphantasia on 09:37 - Oct 11 with 2006 views | DanTheMan |
| Aphantasia on 09:36 - Oct 11 by unbelievablue |
Sounds more like he's a 4 or a 5 based on how he described it? I am a 5. |
I think you're right having read through it again. | |
| |
| Aphantasia on 09:45 - Oct 11 with 1950 views | unbelievablue |
| Aphantasia on 09:38 - Oct 11 by _clive_baker_ |
I'm a 5. I certainly don't see an image.
Probably explains why I could never 'count sheep' to try and get to sleep. I couldn't see the feckers. Starts to make more sense now. [Post edited 11 Oct 2023 9:40]
|
I actually refuse to believe anyone is a 1. | |
| |
| Aphantasia on 09:45 - Oct 11 with 1951 views | hatch |
| Aphantasia on 09:38 - Oct 11 by _clive_baker_ |
I'm a 5. I certainly don't see an image.
Probably explains why I could never 'count sheep' to try and get to sleep. I couldn't see the feckers. Starts to make more sense now. [Post edited 11 Oct 2023 9:40]
|
So is the first you’re aware of this as a ‘thing’.
Because that’s what my wife found - you don’t really find yourself having conversations where she has to explain what she can picture.
And as I say, if someone said what did the man look like? She would say - tall, dark hair, large nose, green coat etc. But she does that from memory of what they look like rather than actually picturing him in the mind’s eye.
She has no mind’s eye basically. She’s a 5 on that scale above. | | | |
| Aphantasia on 09:45 - Oct 11 with 1952 views | Buhrer |
Very interesting thanks for sharing. I did the test and found it surprisingly hard to create a photographic visual of an apple in my mind, despite thinking zbout apples. I was a 4.
Aphantazia '96 was banging though, great visuals. |  | | |
| Aphantasia on 09:54 - Oct 11 with 1930 views | _clive_baker_ |
| Aphantasia on 09:45 - Oct 11 by hatch |
So is the first you’re aware of this as a ‘thing’.
Because that’s what my wife found - you don’t really find yourself having conversations where she has to explain what she can picture.
And as I say, if someone said what did the man look like? She would say - tall, dark hair, large nose, green coat etc. But she does that from memory of what they look like rather than actually picturing him in the mind’s eye.
She has no mind’s eye basically. She’s a 5 on that scale above. |
Yes, first I've ever known of it, thanks for sharing. I've just done a bit of reading up about it and certainly seem to hit the traits. I've never been one for reading fiction, which is put down to not being able to vividly imagine what I'm reading, thus losing interest. That's true of me.
I've done some IQ tests in the past and scored really highly, it's just how my brain works which lends itself to those tests. Seems to be a thing with Aphantasia peeps scoring higher.
I'm exactly the same as your wife. It's almost like I have a collection of thoughts rather than a full blown image. Even someone as familiar to me as my father, I can describe him of course and recognise him, but I can't close my eyes and see a full blown image. It's like my mind doesn't let me, as much as it tries. | | | |
| Aphantasia on 10:02 - Oct 11 with 1893 views | Mookamoo |
| Aphantasia on 09:38 - Oct 11 by _clive_baker_ |
I'm a 5. I certainly don't see an image.
Probably explains why I could never 'count sheep' to try and get to sleep. I couldn't see the feckers. Starts to make more sense now. [Post edited 11 Oct 2023 9:40]
|
Can you remember a specific object from the past and visualise it in the present day?
My partner and I have done some meditation visualisations and we do it very differently. One exercise is to visualise a candle and then gently blow the flame so it flickers. She has to be shown a candle beforehand so she can then remember it, not invent it. I just invent one and even visualise the room, the walls, the surroundings. Interestingly, I can imagine the smells, just the visuals. |  | | |
| Aphantasia on 10:22 - Oct 11 with 1860 views | _clive_baker_ |
| Aphantasia on 10:02 - Oct 11 by Mookamoo |
Can you remember a specific object from the past and visualise it in the present day?
My partner and I have done some meditation visualisations and we do it very differently. One exercise is to visualise a candle and then gently blow the flame so it flickers. She has to be shown a candle beforehand so she can then remember it, not invent it. I just invent one and even visualise the room, the walls, the surroundings. Interestingly, I can imagine the smells, just the visuals. |
I can remember it, I know what it looks like and what I'm thinking of, but my mind won't create an image.
It's fascinating to me, honestly explains so much. One thing I just read is often the ability to get over things quickly, as you don't have vivid imagery in your mind to bring back the emotions perhaps with the same regularity or richness. That's certainly true of me when it comes to dealing with loss, I've managed to move on very quickly almost to the point where I thought something was wrong with me and I felt guilty for not being more mournful. If I see a photograph or a video though it brings a lot of emotion. | | | |
| Aphantasia on 10:33 - Oct 11 with 1838 views | Bent_double |
Interesting, never heard of this before.
I would have said that it's just a case of having a 'poor memory' if this wasn't a thing - I'm always amazed when I read posts on here where people talk about games they went to 20-30 years ago, and describe the weather, what they did, the goals that were scored, etc - and I'm thinking how the hell can they remember such detail? I can barely remember what I ate just a few hours ago sometimes.
Anyway, that's probably a different issue, I would certainly put myself somewhere on this scale though, maybe only a 3 or 4 though. |  |
| |
| Aphantasia on 10:35 - Oct 11 with 1825 views | Cotty |
| Aphantasia on 09:34 - Oct 11 by DanTheMan |
So seems you're around a 2 or 3. Think I'm around 2 unless it's a still image I experienced. |
I'm a 4.75 |  | | |
| Aphantasia on 11:03 - Oct 11 with 1779 views | Ewan_Oozami |
| Aphantasia on 09:45 - Oct 11 by unbelievablue |
I actually refuse to believe anyone is a 1. |
I'm between 1 and 2, in fact my whole remembering stuff is based around using image representation and I think visual artists/graphic designers, sculptors, etc, must be around 1 to do what they do - I'd imagine someone like Hoppy would be around 1? | |
| |
| Aphantasia on 11:04 - Oct 11 with 1771 views | ArnoldMoorhen |
| Aphantasia on 07:23 - Oct 11 by Herbivore |
Must play havoc with her w@nk bank. |
Literotica to the rescue... | | | |
| Aphantasia on 11:04 - Oct 11 with 1770 views | DanTheMan |
| Aphantasia on 11:03 - Oct 11 by Ewan_Oozami |
I'm between 1 and 2, in fact my whole remembering stuff is based around using image representation and I think visual artists/graphic designers, sculptors, etc, must be around 1 to do what they do - I'd imagine someone like Hoppy would be around 1? |
Interestingly it's actually the opposite.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-47830256
For those who can see, I can only do it for a moment. Basically like a camera flash is how I think of it, I can't keep the picture in my mind. Does anybody else have that issue? [Post edited 11 Oct 2023 11:10]
| |
| |
| |
By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions.
