learning that people can actually visualize things blew my mind when i first learned about aphantasia. Also a good listen in grounding myself in reality. I can view the world differently now. Like im sure most individuals can achieve great things in lilfe but to have a great legacy in life requires when the lottery of life at the moment you are born. Understanding its out of my control leads me to the conclusion there is no need to exert myself to go above and beyond.
I just tried this out for myself, I am often told to pay attention because I daydream alot so I went to a dimly lit area with a mirror and my pupils were massive then I imagined a light shining in my face and my pupils literally constricted by half then I let go of the image and my eyes dilated again. 😅😂😂🤣That is so interesting.
Can anyone else visualize vivid images on top of their vision. As well as everything time you close your eyes a visual clips play in your head making it hard to sleep.
OMG you are the first person I have ever found to say they see visual clips while trying to sleep. I have been trying to look into this but cannot seem to find out what it is called !! It happens to me often too. It is usually like a busy black and white silent film or something, birds flying in the sky or traffic on busy streets..stuff like that.
100% ! If I’m at the gym on the treadmill for long amounts of time I’ll usually zone out and start watching my imagination like a movie , I’d be staring at the wall but vividly watching myself waterbend a tsunami against a horde of zombies
In my case, as a person who dearly yearns for the past, not only I can vividly see myself in third-person view running around the sea shore, but I can also feel the warmth of the afternoon sun and the smell of my surroundings at the time. It's very mysterious for me but I quite enjoy it because it makes me feel closer to the past, the happy times.
@@profjoelpearson IVA (Imagination Visualization Ability) can be a double-edged sword. While it allows me to vividly create and experience entire worlds in my mind, it also intensifies any trauma I’ve faced. This can manifest as intense nightmares, as if I’m watching a vivid, lifelike movie in a cinema. I find myself torn on whether this should be considered a medical condition. Currently, I’m collaborating with a leading UK university on research into night terrors and IVA (previously referred to as hyperphantasia), exploring its connection to vivid dreaming and intense mental imagery.
This is a nice and brief primer on what we know so far about the imagery and the fact that not everyone has it. And after spending the better part of 20 years trying to describe the phenomenon of aphantasia to people - a decade of that just trying to come up with a word for it, or figure out if someone smarter than me already had - I'm grateful for every primer I can get my hands on. Though I would've preferred something a little less binary, clarifying that a person's level of visualization ability can exist on a spectrum. Plus, for all that metaphors like "mind's eye" are still useful, I'm not so sure about "blood tests for the mind." I get the intention - it's certainly one way lay people will recognize medical evidence as quantifiable, measurable and objective. But at the least I'd have gone with something more like "EKG of imagery," particularly given the different experiences and processes involved in popping into the office to give blood for lab work vs. going to a lab to spend what might be hours having various electronic devices measure stuff your body is doing. Kudos to the crew as well. The production doesn't just look good, it's compelling and draws the viewer in. The editing is excellent, love the art direction and the music stays energetic without every becoming overwhelming. Reminds me of old storyteller spotlight videos from the 90s and 00s, with film directors explaining what inspires them.
without ayahuasca i exp a deep images around me and i lost all my senses and reacting to jokes or dialogues as normal , i lost free smile , free expression for 5 days continously .... its because of deep meditation and attached to that meditation thing
I'm inundated by strong mind visualisations.. I have ADHD and offspring who are neurodivergent. My imagination is ridiculous...I'm often in a matrix world or sensation. My emotions are so deep and intense they overwhelm me. Ive had a lot of truama so put it all down to that. I have incredibly detailed memories of most of my past and when im bored or at a loss i can simply re-live a past event in incredible detail. Yet in the day to day i lose stuff and lose track of time. I'm learning to let go of past memories just to improve my anxiety and mental health. My autustic adult son is similar to me in some ways. He drew a highly detailed floor plan of a house he left when he was almost 5yrs. Hes now 33. We can't be the only ones like this! The brain is THE wonder of the Universe....
Thanks Dr. Pearson and thanks to your lab members! I've been fascinated reading your research results. I look forward to learning more and participating in more of your studies!
When I paint, I rely entirely on my mind, thanks to my hyperphantasia-or as I prefer to call it, IVA (Imagination Visualization Ability), which feels more user-friendly. Although I’m in my house, in my mind, I’m somewhere else entirely. Take a seascape, for example-I'm at the beach, smelling the salt in the air, hearing the cries of seagulls, and the laughter of children. I feel the hard rocks jutting out of the sand, their surfaces glistening with sunlight and salt spray. The sand reveals its many hues, while the softness of the new dune grass contrasts with the sharpness of the sea air. I hear the waves crashing and see a floundering fish caught in the incoming tide. Give me any moment in history, and I can create a living, bustling scenario in my mind-a vivid, dynamic scene filled with sights, sounds, and emotions. My IVA allows me to step into that time and place, experiencing it as if I were there. I can then transfer those vivid images to canvas, bringing them to life for others to see and feel.
This topic perplexes me so much. I think I have aphantasia but I am not certain because I do not understand what it means to see something in the minds eye. When I try to visualize something I can’t actually see anything. This question being the reason I am almost certain I do have aphantasia. What does visualizing look like for others? It’s so fascinating yet confusing all at once.
while words and descriptions are wonderful, they fall short when comparing conscious qualia between people. A lot of people do have some conscious experience of what something looks like when they think about it, its weak and fleeting but its there...
When I imagine something, I can basically have an alternate reality that I create or think of in any way I want or in any way the outer world influences my thoughts. Let's say we are living in this outside world, you and I and we experience what we see and feel with our senses, but then let's say we go through a door into a shopping mall and there's a whole "different" world of people and things and experiences in that new place. They are both identical to me for the most part, but one is external that I share with you and everyone else and one is private in my mind!
Maybe you can compare with a different sense to understand it better. I have aphantasia, but I can play sounds and songs in my mind at will. It is as if I'm actually listening to the song, but coming from down the corridor or similar. Some detail is missing, but the song is definitely there. I don't have a similar experience with visualizing objects at all. I just see complete black, and the only thing that comes up is a description of an apple; words for its attributes. It is as if my brain stores memories as descriptions not images.
I’m really glad you wrote this because this subject can be quite confusing. I wondered if we see something or just remember seeing it. This answers that.
Very interesting. Thank you. I am a total 100% aphant - discovered, like many, late in life (in my 50's), 5 or so years ago. I'm fascinated reading & especially thinking about it, how I've gone through life without this 'talent' (is it a hinderance or a handy tool to have?) - Anyway, nice to see this (no pun intended), & pleased that there is research going on.
I only found out I have Synesthesia few years ago, I can see sound, I always thought everyone could until I was talking to someone else who has it. It can be a bit overwhelming especially trying to sleep when I hear loads of sounds in my head replaying
@@TayWoodeAre you able to describe any part of experiencing seeing sound? Lol I can definitely imagine it! I feel like I have a whole new reality in my own mind, but not as concentrated as fully seeing another sense like sound, but I get visual and imaginary experiences or connections... it's hard to explain in detail in such a short time, but do you see the structure of the sound or is it in a physical space?
@@Doubleaa500 it’s very hard to explain, if it’s an individual sound it’s like an abstract colourful shape that lasts as long as the sound in the back of my mind, if it’s music it’s like they’re all blended together like a bizarre set of skyscrapers with different complex shapes and colours & brightness, it’s like saying imagine a blue elephant, or your best friends front door, you see it in the back of your mind but it doesn’t appear in front of you. Strange thing is I found an old cassette (I’m old) full of sound effects from when I was about 8yrs old and I’d tried to draw what I could see on a big sheet of paper folded up as the cover, and when I found it a few months ago I looked at what I’d drawn & I recognised what sounds they were straightaway. With instruments the higher the pitcher the brighter they look, the louder they sound the bigger they look, even if they are in the same orchestral section, for example a flute looks pale blue dots and silver with sparkles with every quick note depending how it’s played, a clarinet with quick notes look like a slightly filled in upside down u brown red depending on how it’s played. A full orchestra or a full song just blows my mind, but in a good way. I could say it’s some kind of sensory overload in a negative way but I absolutely love it. It really is hard to explain, I write dance music and try to do orchestral music as a hobby and I definitely think it helps coz people say it sounds good probably coz I’m always trying to put down what I can see coz it works both ways. That probably makes absolutely no sense to you lol
@@TayWoode That made perfect sense to me!! I am a writer and I am very good at understanding many intricate complex things and that is very incredible to have a language of sound and color!! You could almost have secret coded messages within a picture of shapes and colors that translate into music then that music could translate into something tangible like words or physical locations!! That would be incredible to include in a story where a scene is described for the normal story line, but a specific way it's described like the type of architecture or the pattern or order of colors that are read as the story is being told could secretly be foreshadowing the entire rest of the book and only when you reread the entire thing again, the reader could notice the hint!!
I imagined a well-defined apple. It was ripe and red, and cold because I think cold apples taste better. It’s just been washed and dried, and it’s sitting on a beautiful dark wooden breakfast table in a cottage kitchen. It’s morning, and people and animals are waking up and starting their day. I’ve taken the cold apple in my hands, started the coffee maker, and I step out onto my porch to eat it. My kitchen smells like coffee, outside smells like grass. I’m wearing a big comfy sweater and soft house slippers. It’s a little chilly, but the sun is bright. I can hear the soft crunch, taste the apple - tart but sweet and cold - I know what it feels like to eat it. My hand is getting sticky from the apple juice, bc I always forget the napkin. I’m sure there will be several subcategories before long. The apple on a table is just the beginning. I can see it, hear it, smell it, taste it, feel it, and have a short story to go with the visuals I see.
Are you totally serious? I cannot wrap my brain around this. It actually makes me cry because I just see a blank blackness when I close my eyes and try to imagine something. Does it literally feel like you're experiencing it?
He's describing the other end of the spectrum, hyperphantasia, which is also very real as it's experienced by a significant percentage of the population. Any qualia or "sensitive experience" can fall into the spectrum. For instance, I'm a total aphant, which means I cannot reproduce *any* sense in my mind (visuals, sounds, smells, feels) at will, let alone unconsciously (talking about vomit or poop while eating wouldn't gross me out, as the concept isn't nearly as gross as actually seeing or smelling it). As for imagining something you've never experienced, that's *impossible* for everyone, however, anyone can take bits and pieces of previous experiences to come up with a new one. In that regard, one can picture how a book character looks like without ever seeing it before, and thus the experience of "huh, that's not how I imagined him at all" when they're put on screen. There's limits to that as well, as you can't just *imagine* a new color, or a new feeling, without ever experiencing something similar to it.
@@linds7774 Yes. And following on from @Amradye's post, as I read their description, I saw probably a very different version of theirs, but basically the same. With each word of the description, a different picture forms in my head AS IF I AM THERE. My kitchen is in a cottage, the table is in a corner with windows on both sides, with light pouring in, there are different colored bottles in the windows with light glinting on them. The coffee maker is sitting on a royal-blue tiled kitchen counter and I am stepping onto a wooden, covered porch with a slatted wood railing, with a screen door closing behind me. I step off the porch onto the lawn where there is dew on the grass and it is sparkling in a spider's web on the hydrangea in front of me. The sweater I am wearing is cream colored with wheat-colored specks in it and is chunky with a loose neck. Not only is the sun bright, but the sky is an amazingly deep, clear blue, and there is an apple orchard a few feet away. I bite into the apple and feel the skin of the apple unpleasantly pulling at my gums. I don't like to eat apples unless they are peeled. :) I don't have to worry about the juice because I am carrying the apple in a napkin. Each word, basically, that Amradye said conjured an ever-changing image as more information was provided. And I'll bet you that Amradye has the same experience reading my comment (if they ever do). I had no idea Aphantasia existed until a few weeks ago, and now it seems that I have Hyperphantasia? Not sure. Pretty much every word I read creates an image in my mind, and those images are always as if I am there, seeing it with all the details completely clear as if it's real. I've been like this my whole life.
@@GiggleFishy Just want to add in on the Hyperphantasia side from my own personal experience: It is very hard to put into words but if I am trying to for example think about what I am going to say next, I'm seeing my mouth make the movements but also seeing me talking to whoever (or whatever), trying to see what might happen from a bunch of different angles in terms of how I say the thing, what thing I say, how the person might react to everything else etc. but like in the time it takes me to respond and say the thing. I visualize every sense EXCEPT sound like its been kind of eluded to and maybe others share this but if I am trying to think of a song, I just see mouths moving or think about a scenario I was in where that song was playing, the music video, a dance to that song, but its not like synesthesia where I think sound has a little bit more individual meaning? (like the g chord is green and a c# is yellow for example to WAY oversimplify it) Or if I am listening to a new song or listening to someone talk it is very much a cinematic experience where I am really trying to understand through building imagery that makes sense given the context. I don't know if any of this makes sense but I hope someone gets it lol or hope this gives some kind of insight
I guess this is why I my mother got it into her head that SHE had experienced a situation I had told her about a few years prior. She probably experienced it so vividly from my retelling that she made it hers and got my real life experience messed up with her imaginary. Funny thing is, she got a few details wrong and I corrected her. A few years later, when the story came up again, she’d made a new experience, incorporating my corrections. Insane!
@Prof Joel Pearson Brains are fascinating. No wonder we misunderstood each other. We both thought we were the norm, but it turns out we are both anomalies. She's a hyperphantast and I'm an aphant. I've interpreted her very real visions as metaphors all my life. But I wonder how her hyperphantasia turned into aphantasia in me.
I'm so confused, I can "imagine" an apple in my hand, but I don't see it. There is no image. But I understand it conceptually as if it was really there. I see nothing but my hand, its not even like it was overlayed onto my hand, just nothing. But I can sense it there, invisible.
@honu2980 That's how it is for most people -- the apple isn't in your hand at all but your mind can envision it being there in your mind's eye only. Imagining is NOT like having an overlaid picture of what you're imagining that's showing up in the real world (like Meta glasses or whatever high tech glasses are out now). Imagine if THAT were the case -- you'd see things that AREN'T actually there and it would be awful more times than it would be beneficial; those are called "hallucinations."
Hello there, I am experiencing images in my mind that seem to be higher resolution than my site, and I have 20-20 vision. I can't choose the images, they are what they are and take about 5-10 minutes to materialize. the last image was a car tire. don't ask me why, as I have no idea, but I can zoom into the image and see the rubber at a clarity similar to one using a magnifying glass. Can you shed any light? Let me be also clear this does not happen all the time, and I'm not sure what triggers this. could be diet or mood. Mario.
I cannot "see" and apple, I sort of list really fast all I know about them, all my experiences with them, etc. My dreams are also probably wack as they are extremely "unstable" and randomly change every second or so.
What is it when I can imagine something in the space around me and it feels like it's actually there like I can touch it and feel the sensation of it, i can smell it, hear it, taste it. But it's completely controlled if I stop imagining it, it just disappears.
sounds like very strong imagery, voluntary imagery! what people now tend to call hyperphantasia, but used to be called eidetic imager, do you enjoy it? is it useful?
@@profjoelpearson same here but uncontrolled 20 days back because when learning new things suddenly i got an idea that all we learning is the past the knowledge like word apple we already know it , if someone said new word like pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis i remember it easily .... at somepoint of time i strongly thing every new knowledge is past knowledge etc and keep forced my mind .... then my mind create a networks of information which is unable to explain i get triggers of images and sensations , fears , happiness etc all at same time and my bp goes high .... its like uncontrollable thoughts ... even sleeping became so tough to me at that time . i constantly walks for hours like 6 hours a day because these thoughts disturbing me .... i met psycologist he resolved the issue with tablets . imagination is good but playing with brain without knowing consequences is like driving a car with no idea of how to drive a car
How do people with aphantasia recognize everyday objects? When I see an apple and recognize it as such, I have a visual representation of it. Or alternatively, a set of attributes that allow me to identify it.
Seeing or perception seem to not be disrupted (from what we know so far) that much, so a visual representation is formed when the light hits the eye and the information travels up to the visual cortex which experienced and people can recognize what they are seeing etc
@@profjoelpearson But this requires long term memory, no? We have a memory of what an apple, a cat, or what a specific colour looks like. My mind's eye can only create what I've seen and remembered.
@@profjoelpearson So what is preventing them from drawing upon their memory to form a mind's eye? Is the mental block solely visual? Can they access memories of events, loved ones, childhood friends, etc.?
Is there any research about what careers/occupations can aphantasics excel at/be really bad at? Is aphantasia or mental imagery linked to memorization? I hate memorization, im not bad at it if its not an image but i dislike it. I dont think i have aphantasia but its close enough, i can mentally image at will not with great detail, the thing is it only lasts for a split second, always. So basically i cant “animate” in my head. Brief Relevant background (i think): Been always great at debating/argumentation Love logic/discrete maths. Really bad at drawing, bad handwriting, chaotic and unorganized. Prof. I would really really appreciate any advice at all im very lost right now, i want to be exceptional at whatever i career i pursue so im trying to find out what occupations is this possible at if its possible, be frank with me any one experiencing the same thing ?
Without any doubt I can say that I am an Hyperphantasic cuz I do it effortlessly but If I focus on it more , man ! it's more real than the real world.But I have a Question ❓.Can I increase it ? Can I take my imagination to next level ? Can we use imagination as a superpower ? for example imagining / constructing a ruler to measure a building's height , taping into Subconsciousness , recalling memories just like a computer's memory etc.
Absolutely, you can develop this ability. Nikola Tesla used visualization to create his groundbreaking inventions. By dedicating two hours each day to visualizing as vividly as possible and then drawing those images in detail, you can cultivate a powerful skill. This practice requires dedication and focus, qualities that set extraordinary individuals apart. Studying how Tesla harnessed his mind can provide valuable insights. Albert Einstein employed similar techniques to develop his theory of relativity. Emulating their mental practices can lead to remarkable achievements.
Teacher:now everybody imagine an apple Everybody else thinking of cartoon or not very detailed apples while I am sitting here essentially watching an apple tree with just as much detail as real life and full view of everything around me as well(Left,right,forwards,backwards,up,down)including doors,birds,people,cars,etc and even tasting the f*cking apple and then being confused at everybody else.
And the smell and the taste of the apple, as well as the smell and murmurs in the background, of coworkers, because there's always apples in the break room at work.
I believe myself to be hyperphantasia and in fact my other half has no mental imaginary, he doesnt even dream. I couldnt imagine not being able to recall everything ever seen. My brain is pretty much like google images. There are little thimbnail images the. I go into it to experience the image like a video. Its as if im actually there. I can feel the textures move the ovject close and inspect it. Needless to say im good at art.
Never liked the black on black description. Saying you see black on black is implying that you are seeing a black foreground on top of a black background when all I see is whatever my eyes are looking at.
That would be a memory issue no? Creating a 20 digit number from scratch would be part of your imagination. But remembering one you have seen or made up is memory
learning that people can actually visualize things blew my mind when i first learned about aphantasia. Also a good listen in grounding myself in reality. I can view the world differently now. Like im sure most individuals can achieve great things in lilfe but to have a great legacy in life requires when the lottery of life at the moment you are born. Understanding its out of my control leads me to the conclusion there is no need to exert myself to go above and beyond.
I just tried this out for myself, I am often told to pay attention because I daydream alot so I went to a dimly lit area with a mirror and my pupils were massive then I imagined a light shining in my face and my pupils literally constricted by half then I let go of the image and my eyes dilated again. 😅😂😂🤣That is so interesting.
Can anyone else visualize vivid images on top of their vision. As well as everything time you close your eyes a visual clips play in your head making it hard to sleep.
OMG you are the first person I have ever found to say they see visual clips while trying to sleep. I have been trying to look into this but cannot seem to find out what it is called !! It happens to me often too. It is usually like a busy black and white silent film or something, birds flying in the sky or traffic on busy streets..stuff like that.
Oh but for me it is not "in my head" exactly..it is in my eyelids more like.
100% ! If I’m at the gym on the treadmill for long amounts of time I’ll usually zone out and start watching my imagination like a movie , I’d be staring at the wall but vividly watching myself waterbend a tsunami against a horde of zombies
It was hard for me to not replay movie clips in my head during math classes while staring at the board.
In my case, as a person who dearly yearns for the past, not only I can vividly see myself in third-person view running around the sea shore, but I can also feel the warmth of the afternoon sun and the smell of my surroundings at the time. It's very mysterious for me but I quite enjoy it because it makes me feel closer to the past, the happy times.
You are fortunate to be a very Alive person.
I finally found out where I belong 🥹 hyperphantasia !!! 31 years of being alone in it !!!! Now i know who can understand me!
Congrats
same here bro
Same here aswell! Since a kid it’s almost like I felt ideas, stories and inventions were being downloaded into my brain. Now it makes sense.
@@profjoelpearson IVA (Imagination Visualization Ability) can be a double-edged sword. While it allows me to vividly create and experience entire worlds in my mind, it also intensifies any trauma I’ve faced. This can manifest as intense nightmares, as if I’m watching a vivid, lifelike movie in a cinema. I find myself torn on whether this should be considered a medical condition. Currently, I’m collaborating with a leading UK university on research into night terrors and IVA (previously referred to as hyperphantasia), exploring its connection to vivid dreaming and intense mental imagery.
I can imagine anything. Even things I’ve never seen before in lifelike detail. Thought most people could
I thought everyone can do this
Me too.
I can not do that. It sounds unnatural, intense and unheard of. I wish I could imagine anything. Anything at all
This is a nice and brief primer on what we know so far about the imagery and the fact that not everyone has it. And after spending the better part of 20 years trying to describe the phenomenon of aphantasia to people - a decade of that just trying to come up with a word for it, or figure out if someone smarter than me already had - I'm grateful for every primer I can get my hands on. Though I would've preferred something a little less binary, clarifying that a person's level of visualization ability can exist on a spectrum.
Plus, for all that metaphors like "mind's eye" are still useful, I'm not so sure about "blood tests for the mind." I get the intention - it's certainly one way lay people will recognize medical evidence as quantifiable, measurable and objective. But at the least I'd have gone with something more like "EKG of imagery," particularly given the different experiences and processes involved in popping into the office to give blood for lab work vs. going to a lab to spend what might be hours having various electronic devices measure stuff your body is doing.
Kudos to the crew as well. The production doesn't just look good, it's compelling and draws the viewer in. The editing is excellent, love the art direction and the music stays energetic without every becoming overwhelming. Reminds me of old storyteller spotlight videos from the 90s and 00s, with film directors explaining what inspires them.
thanks Kat - more to come soon!
I have this condition, just learned there is a name for it. Very frustrating indeed. Even on ayahuasca I experienced no mental imagery.
without ayahuasca i exp a deep images around me and i lost all my senses and reacting to jokes or dialogues as normal , i lost free smile , free expression for 5 days continously .... its because of deep meditation and attached to that meditation thing
I'm inundated by strong mind visualisations.. I have ADHD and offspring who are neurodivergent. My imagination is ridiculous...I'm often in a matrix world or sensation. My emotions are so deep and intense they overwhelm me. Ive had a lot of truama so put it all down to that. I have incredibly detailed memories of most of my past and when im bored or at a loss i can simply re-live a past event in incredible detail. Yet in the day to day i lose stuff and lose track of time. I'm learning to let go of past memories just to improve my anxiety and mental health. My autustic adult son is similar to me in some ways. He drew a highly detailed floor plan of a house he left when he was almost 5yrs. Hes now 33. We can't be the only ones like this! The brain is THE wonder of the Universe....
My experience feels very similar to yours, the adhd, autism and trauma included.
Thanks Dr. Pearson and thanks to your lab members! I've been fascinated reading your research results. I look forward to learning more and participating in more of your studies!
When I paint, I rely entirely on my mind, thanks to my hyperphantasia-or as I prefer to call it, IVA (Imagination Visualization Ability), which feels more user-friendly. Although I’m in my house, in my mind, I’m somewhere else entirely. Take a seascape, for example-I'm at the beach, smelling the salt in the air, hearing the cries of seagulls, and the laughter of children. I feel the hard rocks jutting out of the sand, their surfaces glistening with sunlight and salt spray. The sand reveals its many hues, while the softness of the new dune grass contrasts with the sharpness of the sea air. I hear the waves crashing and see a floundering fish caught in the incoming tide.
Give me any moment in history, and I can create a living, bustling scenario in my mind-a vivid, dynamic scene filled with sights, sounds, and emotions. My IVA allows me to step into that time and place, experiencing it as if I were there. I can then transfer those vivid images to canvas, bringing them to life for others to see and feel.
This topic perplexes me so much. I think I have aphantasia but I am not certain because I do not understand what it means to see something in the minds eye. When I try to visualize something I can’t actually see anything. This question being the reason I am almost certain I do have aphantasia. What does visualizing look like for others? It’s so fascinating yet confusing all at once.
while words and descriptions are wonderful, they fall short when comparing conscious qualia between people. A lot of people do have some conscious experience of what something looks like when they think about it, its weak and fleeting but its there...
When I imagine something, I can basically have an alternate reality that I create or think of in any way I want or in any way the outer world influences my thoughts. Let's say we are living in this outside world, you and I and we experience what we see and feel with our senses, but then let's say we go through a door into a shopping mall and there's a whole "different" world of people and things and experiences in that new place. They are both identical to me for the most part, but one is external that I share with you and everyone else and one is private in my mind!
Maybe you can compare with a different sense to understand it better. I have aphantasia, but I can play sounds and songs in my mind at will. It is as if I'm actually listening to the song, but coming from down the corridor or similar. Some detail is missing, but the song is definitely there. I don't have a similar experience with visualizing objects at all. I just see complete black, and the only thing that comes up is a description of an apple; words for its attributes. It is as if my brain stores memories as descriptions not images.
I’m the same way. Do you actually see something or do you remember seeing it?
I’m really glad you wrote this because this subject can be quite confusing. I wondered if we see something or just remember seeing it. This answers that.
Very interesting. Thank you. I am a total 100% aphant - discovered, like many, late in life (in my 50's), 5 or so years ago. I'm fascinated reading & especially thinking about it, how I've gone through life without this 'talent' (is it a hinderance or a handy tool to have?) - Anyway, nice to see this (no pun intended), & pleased that there is research going on.
I only found out I have Synesthesia few years ago, I can see sound, I always thought everyone could until I was talking to someone else who has it. It can be a bit overwhelming especially trying to sleep when I hear loads of sounds in my head replaying
@@TayWoodeAre you able to describe any part of experiencing seeing sound? Lol
I can definitely imagine it!
I feel like I have a whole new reality in my own mind, but not as concentrated as fully seeing another sense like sound, but I get visual and imaginary experiences or connections... it's hard to explain in detail in such a short time, but do you see the structure of the sound or is it in a physical space?
@@Doubleaa500 it’s very hard to explain, if it’s an individual sound it’s like an abstract colourful shape that lasts as long as the sound in the back of my mind, if it’s music it’s like they’re all blended together like a bizarre set of skyscrapers with different complex shapes and colours & brightness, it’s like saying imagine a blue elephant, or your best friends front door, you see it in the back of your mind but it doesn’t appear in front of you.
Strange thing is I found an old cassette (I’m old) full of sound effects from when I was about 8yrs old and I’d tried to draw what I could see on a big sheet of paper folded up as the cover, and when I found it a few months ago I looked at what I’d drawn & I recognised what sounds they were straightaway. With instruments the higher the pitcher the brighter they look, the louder they sound the bigger they look, even if they are in the same orchestral section, for example a flute looks pale blue dots and silver with sparkles with every quick note depending how it’s played, a clarinet with quick notes look like a slightly filled in upside down u brown red depending on how it’s played. A full orchestra or a full song just blows my mind, but in a good way. I could say it’s some kind of sensory overload in a negative way but I absolutely love it. It really is hard to explain, I write dance music and try to do orchestral music as a hobby and I definitely think it helps coz people say it sounds good probably coz I’m always trying to put down what I can see coz it works both ways. That probably makes absolutely no sense to you lol
@@TayWoode That made perfect sense to me!! I am a writer and I am very good at understanding many intricate complex things and that is very incredible to have a language of sound and color!!
You could almost have secret coded messages within a picture of shapes and colors that translate into music then that music could translate into something tangible like words or physical locations!! That would be incredible to include in a story where a scene is described for the normal story line, but a specific way it's described like the type of architecture or the pattern or order of colors that are read as the story is being told could secretly be foreshadowing the entire rest of the book and only when you reread the entire thing again, the reader could notice the hint!!
@@TayWoode What do Shepard Tones look like to you?
I imagined a well-defined apple. It was ripe and red, and cold because I think cold apples taste better. It’s just been washed and dried, and it’s sitting on a beautiful dark wooden breakfast table in a cottage kitchen. It’s morning, and people and animals are waking up and starting their day. I’ve taken the cold apple in my hands, started the coffee maker, and I step out onto my porch to eat it. My kitchen smells like coffee, outside smells like grass. I’m wearing a big comfy sweater and soft house slippers. It’s a little chilly, but the sun is bright. I can hear the soft crunch, taste the apple - tart but sweet and cold - I know what it feels like to eat it. My hand is getting sticky from the apple juice, bc I always forget the napkin.
I’m sure there will be several subcategories before long. The apple on a table is just the beginning. I can see it, hear it, smell it, taste it, feel it, and have a short story to go with the visuals I see.
Are you totally serious? I cannot wrap my brain around this. It actually makes me cry because I just see a blank blackness when I close my eyes and try to imagine something. Does it literally feel like you're experiencing it?
What about imagining something you've never done or eaten or experienced? How does that work?
He's describing the other end of the spectrum, hyperphantasia, which is also very real as it's experienced by a significant percentage of the population. Any qualia or "sensitive experience" can fall into the spectrum. For instance, I'm a total aphant, which means I cannot reproduce *any* sense in my mind (visuals, sounds, smells, feels) at will, let alone unconsciously (talking about vomit or poop while eating wouldn't gross me out, as the concept isn't nearly as gross as actually seeing or smelling it).
As for imagining something you've never experienced, that's *impossible* for everyone, however, anyone can take bits and pieces of previous experiences to come up with a new one. In that regard, one can picture how a book character looks like without ever seeing it before, and thus the experience of "huh, that's not how I imagined him at all" when they're put on screen. There's limits to that as well, as you can't just *imagine* a new color, or a new feeling, without ever experiencing something similar to it.
@@linds7774 Yes. And following on from @Amradye's post, as I read their description, I saw probably a very different version of theirs, but basically the same. With each word of the description, a different picture forms in my head AS IF I AM THERE. My kitchen is in a cottage, the table is in a corner with windows on both sides, with light pouring in, there are different colored bottles in the windows with light glinting on them. The coffee maker is sitting on a royal-blue tiled kitchen counter and I am stepping onto a wooden, covered porch with a slatted wood railing, with a screen door closing behind me. I step off the porch onto the lawn where there is dew on the grass and it is sparkling in a spider's web on the hydrangea in front of me. The sweater I am wearing is cream colored with wheat-colored specks in it and is chunky with a loose neck. Not only is the sun bright, but the sky is an amazingly deep, clear blue, and there is an apple orchard a few feet away. I bite into the apple and feel the skin of the apple unpleasantly pulling at my gums. I don't like to eat apples unless they are peeled. :) I don't have to worry about the juice because I am carrying the apple in a napkin. Each word, basically, that Amradye said conjured an ever-changing image as more information was provided. And I'll bet you that Amradye has the same experience reading my comment (if they ever do). I had no idea Aphantasia existed until a few weeks ago, and now it seems that I have Hyperphantasia? Not sure. Pretty much every word I read creates an image in my mind, and those images are always as if I am there, seeing it with all the details completely clear as if it's real. I've been like this my whole life.
@@GiggleFishy Just want to add in on the Hyperphantasia side from my own personal experience:
It is very hard to put into words but if I am trying to for example think about what I am going to say next, I'm seeing my mouth make the movements but also seeing me talking to whoever (or whatever), trying to see what might happen from a bunch of different angles in terms of how I say the thing, what thing I say, how the person might react to everything else etc. but like in the time it takes me to respond and say the thing.
I visualize every sense EXCEPT sound like its been kind of eluded to and maybe others share this but if I am trying to think of a song, I just see mouths moving or think about a scenario I was in where that song was playing, the music video, a dance to that song, but its not like synesthesia where I think sound has a little bit more individual meaning? (like the g chord is green and a c# is yellow for example to WAY oversimplify it) Or if I am listening to a new song or listening to someone talk it is very much a cinematic experience where I am really trying to understand through building imagery that makes sense given the context. I don't know if any of this makes sense but I hope someone gets it lol or hope this gives some kind of insight
Now I understand why most people seems to be living in some fantasy land and unable to distinguish reality from their dumb ideas.
I guess this is why I my mother got it into her head that SHE had experienced a situation I had told her about a few years prior. She probably experienced it so vividly from my retelling that she made it hers and got my real life experience messed up with her imaginary. Funny thing is, she got a few details wrong and I corrected her. A few years later, when the story came up again, she’d made a new experience, incorporating my corrections. Insane!
@@ladythalia227 Sounds like it may help with empathy
@@ladythalia227 yeah a common report I hear from those with hyperphantasia.. people confused if something actually happened or not..
@@markmuller7962 more on that very soon ; )
@Prof Joel Pearson Brains are fascinating. No wonder we misunderstood each other. We both thought we were the norm, but it turns out we are both anomalies. She's a hyperphantast and I'm an aphant. I've interpreted her very real visions as metaphors all my life. But I wonder how her hyperphantasia turned into aphantasia in me.
I'm so confused, I can "imagine" an apple in my hand, but I don't see it. There is no image. But I understand it conceptually as if it was really there. I see nothing but my hand, its not even like it was overlayed onto my hand, just nothing. But I can sense it there, invisible.
That is your spatial sense, normally blends in with your visual processing but they're distinct
@honu2980 That's how it is for most people -- the apple isn't in your hand at all but your mind can envision it being there in your mind's eye only. Imagining is NOT like having an overlaid picture of what you're imagining that's showing up in the real world (like Meta glasses or whatever high tech glasses are out now). Imagine if THAT were the case -- you'd see things that AREN'T actually there and it would be awful more times than it would be beneficial; those are called "hallucinations."
Hello there,
I am experiencing images in my mind that seem to be higher resolution than my site, and I have 20-20 vision. I can't choose the images, they are what they are and take about 5-10 minutes to materialize.
the last image was a car tire. don't ask me why, as I have no idea, but I can zoom into the image and see the rubber at a clarity similar to one using a magnifying glass. Can you shed any light?
Let me be also clear this does not happen all the time, and I'm not sure what triggers this. could be diet or mood.
Mario.
I cannot "see" and apple, I sort of list really fast all I know about them, all my experiences with them, etc. My dreams are also probably wack as they are extremely "unstable" and randomly change every second or so.
Very interesting thanks if you want to hear more sign up to our newsletter www.profjoelpearson.com/newsletter
What is it when I can imagine something in the space around me and it feels like it's actually there like I can touch it and feel the sensation of it, i can smell it, hear it, taste it. But it's completely controlled if I stop imagining it, it just disappears.
sounds like very strong imagery, voluntary imagery! what people now tend to call hyperphantasia, but used to be called eidetic imager, do you enjoy it? is it useful?
@@profjoelpearson same here but uncontrolled 20 days back because when learning new things suddenly i got an idea that all we learning is the past the knowledge like word apple we already know it , if someone said new word like pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis i remember it easily .... at somepoint of time i strongly thing every new knowledge is past knowledge etc and keep forced my mind .... then my mind create a networks of information which is unable to explain i get triggers of images and sensations , fears , happiness etc all at same time and my bp goes high .... its like uncontrollable thoughts ... even sleeping became so tough to me at that time . i constantly walks for hours like 6 hours a day because these thoughts disturbing me .... i met psycologist he resolved the issue with tablets . imagination is good but playing with brain without knowing consequences is like driving a car with no idea of how to drive a car
How do people with aphantasia recognize everyday objects?
When I see an apple and recognize it as such, I have a visual representation of it. Or alternatively, a set of attributes that allow me to identify it.
Seeing or perception seem to not be disrupted (from what we know so far) that much, so a visual representation is formed when the light hits the eye and the information travels up to the visual cortex which experienced and people can recognize what they are seeing etc
@@profjoelpearson But this requires long term memory, no? We have a memory of what an apple, a cat, or what a specific colour looks like. My mind's eye can only create what I've seen and remembered.
@@bumblebee9337 yes exactly it requires memory
@@profjoelpearson So what is preventing them from drawing upon their memory to form a mind's eye?
Is the mental block solely visual?
Can they access memories of events, loved ones, childhood friends, etc.?
Is there any research about what careers/occupations can aphantasics excel at/be really bad at?
Is aphantasia or mental imagery linked to memorization? I hate memorization, im not bad at it if its not an image but i dislike it.
I dont think i have aphantasia but its close enough, i can mentally image at will not with great detail, the thing is it only lasts for a split second, always.
So basically i cant “animate” in my head.
Brief Relevant background (i think):
Been always great at debating/argumentation
Love logic/discrete maths.
Really bad at drawing, bad handwriting, chaotic and unorganized.
Prof. I would really really appreciate any advice at all im very lost right now, i want to be exceptional at whatever i career i pursue so im trying to find out what occupations is this possible at if its possible, be frank with me
any one experiencing the same thing ?
Imagine the Inside of your eyelids Yh that’s what we see
Without any doubt I can say that I am an Hyperphantasic cuz I do it effortlessly but If I focus on it more , man ! it's more real than the real world.But I have a Question ❓.Can I increase it ? Can I take my imagination to next level ? Can we use imagination as a superpower ? for example imagining / constructing a ruler to measure a building's height , taping into Subconsciousness , recalling memories just like a computer's memory etc.
Absolutely, you can develop this ability. Nikola Tesla used visualization to create his groundbreaking inventions. By dedicating two hours each day to visualizing as vividly as possible and then drawing those images in detail, you can cultivate a powerful skill. This practice requires dedication and focus, qualities that set extraordinary individuals apart. Studying how Tesla harnessed his mind can provide valuable insights. Albert Einstein employed similar techniques to develop his theory of relativity. Emulating their mental practices can lead to remarkable achievements.
Is this more common with autism, and why do I also have the ability to remember exact sound and sound pattern of things
Thanks for making the tests. I was wonder though , if people act nervous and weird while doing the tests , then the results would be incorrect .
possibly in some of the test, but not all
666 like.... sir again why you use apple as an example ?
'...blood test for the mind' eh? I can't imagine that...
What would be the cause of genuinely believing you've seen nothing but blackness,and any of those 3 tests suggesting otherwise?
Do you mean unconscious imagery? It’s there and shows up on the objective tests but you aren’t aware of it?
@@profjoelpearson That-yes ,or alternatively a false positive.
Teacher:now everybody imagine an apple
Everybody else thinking of cartoon or not very detailed apples while I am sitting here essentially watching an apple tree with just as much detail as real life and full view of everything around me as well(Left,right,forwards,backwards,up,down)including doors,birds,people,cars,etc and even tasting the f*cking apple and then being confused at everybody else.
Also wind effects and the birds varied and did fly in and out of view.
And the smell and the taste of the apple, as well as the smell and murmurs in the background, of coworkers, because there's always apples in the break room at work.
@@k_tess I was thinking eating an apple outside, I don't know why but yeah
I believe myself to be hyperphantasia and in fact my other half has no mental imaginary, he doesnt even dream. I couldnt imagine not being able to recall everything ever seen. My brain is pretty much like google images. There are little thimbnail images the. I go into it to experience the image like a video. Its as if im actually there. I can feel the textures move the ovject close and inspect it. Needless to say im good at art.
Wow sounds useful, what about negative thoughts or anxiety does it come with strong images?
👌🏻👌🏻
I have Multisensory Aphantasia.
What is this ?? :O
1:49
Never liked the black on black description.
Saying you see black on black is implying that you are seeing a black foreground on top of a black background when all I see is whatever my eyes are looking at.
yeah it's different for everyone
People claim to have vivid imagination but can’t recall a 20 digit number. Most are lying
That would be a memory issue no? Creating a 20 digit number from scratch would be part of your imagination. But remembering one you have seen or made up is memory
Memory and imagination are two different concepts