Aphantasia: The Fascinating Condition Where Your Mind Stops 'Seeing' Mental Images

Have you ever tried to picture a sunset, a loved one’s face, or the cover of your favorite book, and realised you can’t? One might assume that’s impossible for some people, but for some, imagining these things visually just isn’t possible, no matter how hard they try. This phenomenon is called aphantasia, a characteristic where the mind’s eye doesn’t produce visual imagery. 

Surprisingly, many people with aphantasia go years without realizing their experience is different from others. It’s not a disability or a medical condition; it’s simply a variation in how the mind works. To better understand the same, we at OnlyMyHealth connected with an expert in cognitive processes, Dr Syed Zafar Sultan Rizvi (PhD), Assistant professor, Department of Psychology, Mohammad Ali Jauhar University.

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What Is Aphantasia?

According to Dr. Rizvi, “Aphantasia is a phenomenon in which people are unable to visualise imagery.  It can be explained as a malfunction of processes in the episodic memory and can be seen as a condition pertinent to the same.” Aphantasia is like being unable to turn on a mental “television” to see images in your mind. To put it in perspective, people without aphantasia might experience mental images like watching a TV, some in black and white, others in vivid colour, or even in high-definition. 

For those with aphantasia, it’s as if the TV doesn’t exist at all. Instead of visualising, they rely on other senses or forms of thinking to process ideas.

How Was Aphantasia Discovered?

Dr. Rizvi says, “Aphantasia is  a new terminology but it was notably found by Francis Galton. He discovered that some people were more perfect in visualising the image of an object in mind than others. However, it was formally coined by Professor Adam Zeman, of the University of Exeter, in 2015.”

Types Of Aphantasia

Congenital Aphantasia

This means you’re born with it. Many people with congenital aphantasia don’t realise they’re missing out on mental imagery until they discover that others can visualise things.

Acquired Aphantasia

This type develops later in life, often after an injury, illness, or mental health condition. For example, head trauma or a stroke can affect the brain in ways that disrupt mental imagery.

How Common Is Aphantasia?

It’s estimated that around 1% of the population has aphantasia, while about 3% are hyperphantasic, meaning they have exceptionally vivid mental imagery. These numbers might be even higher with more flexible criteria. Interestingly, aphantasia and hyperphantasia often run in families, suggesting a genetic link.

The Many Faces Of Aphantasia

Research shows aphantasia isn’t a one-size-fits-all experience. Some people with aphantasia have no issues with memory or facial recognition, while others might struggle with recalling personal memories vividly. A smaller group of people with aphantasia may also have traits linked to autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which hints at a possible connection between neurodiversity and aphantasia.

There’s also a distinction between types of acquired aphantasia.

• A type that is caused by brain damage, such as an injury affecting the occipital lobe.
• Another type that is linked to mental health conditions like mood disorders or depersonalisation, where the mind’s eye shuts down due to psychological factors.

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How Does Aphantasia Affect Other Cognitive Processes?

People with aphantasia often report having weaker autobiographical memory, their ability to remember personal experiences in detail. While they may recall events, they might not be able to visualise them. Instead, they remember facts, sounds, or feelings associated with those events.

Interestingly, aphantasia doesn’t always mean a complete lack of mental imagery. Some people experience brief flashes of images they didn’t consciously try to form or see vivid visuals in their dreams. Around 15% of people with aphantasia can form mental images only when their eyes are open. Why this happens remains a mystery.

Causes Of Aphantasia

While experts don’t yet know exactly what causes congenital aphantasia, they believe it could be related to the way different brain regions communicate. In the case of acquired aphantasia, damage to certain brain areas or psychological factors may play a role. But these explanations are still being studied.

Why Is Knowing About It Important?

Aphantasia is a fascinating example of the diversity of human minds. Just as some people are left-handed and others are right-handed, aphantasia is simply a different way the brain works. Whether you can visualise or not, imagination still exists in countless forms. And for those with aphantasia, creativity and thinking are just as rich, even if the pictures stay out of sight.