Aphantasia (/ˌeɪfænˈteɪʒə/ AY-fan-TAY-zhə, /ˌæfænˈteɪʒə/ AF-an-TAY-zhə) is the inability to voluntarily visualize mental images.
This is a condition many people don’t know they have until later in life.
Not everyone can “picture things” when they close their eyes or read.
@patrickrhone I didn’t figure this out until my mid 30’s , asking around I seem to be the only one in my family who can’t visualize.
@heyloura Beatrix found this out six months ago. She actually was listening to one of the Senior students last year giving a speech about their life with it and Beatrix turned to one of her classmates and asked, “Wait a second, you guys like actually see things when you close your eyes?!?”
It had never occurred to her that it was something that could happen.
So many things clicked into place for us when she found this out about herself (and we, subsequently, learned it about her).
@heyloura Do you find it challenging for writing code? I think if I weren't able to visualize the end state, I'd have an awfully hard time making a good widget.
@jimmitchell Hmmm, good question. I tend to narrate code to myself (and yes, that’s as tedious as it sounds). I’ve always been pretty sharp with algorithms and I find writing SQL queries and working with databases very intuitive. UI stuff is where I struggle. I can’t envision what a UI would look like for a widget or a project. I just start coding, view the result, and tweak in an endless cycle. When I see what’s emerging I can refine it to what I want.
Even so, writing UI stuff is some of my favorite work to do. Since I’m not visualizing anything it feels rather magical to make something and look at it.
@JohnBrady My limited understanding based on what my daughter has said is that she rarely remembers her dreams if she has them and, when she does they are based on memories (things she seen) versus fantasy (made up worlds or events).
Just to be clear: She can remember. What she can’t do is conjure in a way that is visual.
@JohnBrady The Wikipedia article on it does a good job of capturing what my daughter has generally relayed about dreaming under the “Research” portion.
@heyloura @patrickrhone is this something that you just find out or do you have to be diagnosed with it?
@patrickrhone My D&D group have had a lot of conversations about this as some members can not picture our actions while some (including me) not only see it but hear it too. It’s been a nice way to learn about our neurodiversity.
@patrickrhone @JohnBrady I am one of those unable to voluntarily visualize mental images when awake but still has vivid dreams. And for what it’s worth, I’m 68 and didn’t know I had aphantasia (or that other people really could voluntarily visualize mental images) until Patrick mentioned it here.
@HarveyM That is exactly why I mentioned it. It is the sort of thing that people don’t realize they have until they realize most other people don’t.
Beatrix was absolutely shocked and finds it quite strange we can actually picture things that are not there.
@patrickrhone there was an interesting link, I Do Not Remember My Life and It’s Fine - Aether Mug and thread on this posted a while back, you might like it.
@patrickrhone @heyloura @JohnBrady @joelhamill I wrote quite a bit about the experience of having SDAM and aphantasia a few years ago. These posts are getting long in the tooth now but may still be of some use.