Could You Have Aphantasia and Not Know It?

You might be wondering: “What exactly is aphantasia?”

It’s possible that as many as 2-5% of the world’s population have a condition known as aphantasia, and most don’t even know they have it. If you are born without the ability to picture images in your mind’s eye, how would you even know you are different from others? Perhaps you just think you have a lack of imagination, which, funny enough, is the literal Greek translation of “aphantasia”. It’s a rare variation in humans that has no cure, but don’t worry, it is not known to be harmful. Aphantasia might be more common than we know, as 2-5% of the population would be hundreds of millions of people. Could you have aphantasia and not even know it? Let’s break down how you can tell if you have aphantasia and what causes it. And there’s good news: if you have it, you can do something about it.

Has anyone ever asked you to close your eyes and picture a scene? Perhaps you’re being led in a guided meditation, and you are asked to imagine yourself sitting on a warm beach, the blue water washing up on your toes, the palm trees swaying in the breeze. But you can only see blackness – no images, no beach – even though you were just at the beach last Saturday?

Chances are you have aphantasia in some form if you:

1. Have trouble with facial recognition
2. Have trouble picturing people, places, and things in your head
3. Have trouble imagining future scenarios
4. Your memories are less vivid than others

Many people known to have aphantasia never knew that other people could picture images in their heads in the first place. But don’t confuse being able to visualize images with hallucinations, which would be literally seeing imagined images with your eyes. Visualization has gradients of clarity based on how familiar you are with what or who you are trying to picture. People with aphantasia can still have the ability to do some visualization, often right before they go to bed. They can also dream. It’s possible they can make photographic memories in their brain but just can’t bring it into their conscious mind.

Now here’s the good news: there are exercises one can do to improve their visualization skills. Here are a few great ways anyone, including those on the aphantasia spectrum, can improve visualization:

Memory Games

1. Traditional card games: Solitaire, Go Fish, and Memory are excellent for training your brain to recognize and recall visual patterns.
2. Digital memory games: Apps like Lumosity and BrainHQ offer a variety of games designed to improve cognitive functions, including visual memory

Pattern Block Memory Activities

1. Create patterns: Use pattern blocks to construct simple shapes and designs. Try to memorize the arrangement and recreate it from memory.
2. Match patterns: Lay out a pattern and ask someone to copy it exactly. This helps you focus on details and recall visual information accurately.

Describing Objects and Outdoor Scenes

1. Observation practice: Take time to examine objects in detail, noting their shape, color, texture, and size. Try to describe them verbally or in writing.
2. Nature walks: Explore your surroundings and pay attention to the visual elements of the environment. Describe the scenery, plants, and animals you encounter.

Immersive VR Games Requiring Picture Recognition

1. VR puzzles: Games like “The Lab” and “Job Simulator” often involve solving puzzles that require you to remember and identify visual clues.
2. VR exploration: Explore virtual worlds and pay attention to the details of your surroundings. This can help you develop a better sense of spatial awareness and visual memory.

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Pre-Bedtime Immersive VR Games and Memory Activities

1. Relaxing VR experiences: Before bed, enjoy calming VR environments like nature scenes or meditation spaces. This can help you wind down and consolidate memories. Drift and Escape are TRIPP’s most calming bedtime immersive experiences. Drift uses calming sunset colors and a selection of guided topics, award-winning musicians and nature sounds to help you prepare for sleep, and don’t forget to try it in recline mode.
2. Memory review: Before falling asleep, mentally review the events of your day, focusing on the visual aspects. This can reinforce memory pathways and improve retention.
   By incorporating these activities into your daily routine, you can gradually improve your visual memory and enhance your overall cognitive abilities.

Several people with aphantasia have reported having increased skills in mathematics. Their ability to stay present and not be distracted by picturing different scenarios can be beneficial in math and science careers. It even might make you better at finding lost things and less disturbed by past memories and nightmares, as “reliving” them is less vivid. One can see aphantasia as a hidden superpower that has made those with the condition learn new workarounds for problem-solving. Oscar-winning Disney animator Glen Keane is one of a growing group of artists who are sharing their diversified creative techniques due to living with aphantasia.

At the end of the day, science must catch up to the fascination people have with aphantasia. Although known since the 1800s, studies have only recently ramped up on this condition since Professor Adam Zeman published his paper on it in 2015. This is only the beginning of some amazing new revelations about how the human brain imagines.

Sources:

• https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2009-05537-003
• https://theconversation.com/the-art-of-aphantasia-how-mind-blind-artists-create-without-being-able-to-visualise-162566
• https://www.healthline.com/health/aphasia
• https://www.webmd.com/brain/what-is-aphantasia
• https://news.uchicago.edu/story/cant-draw-mental-picture-aphantasia-causes-blind-spots-minds-eye
• http://sites.exeter.ac.uk/eyesmind/
• https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/when-the-minds-eye-is-blind1/