Are You Unable to See Images In Your Mind’s Eye?
If so, you may have aphantasia!
Aphantasia is a really interesting disorder. It consists of either being unable to conjure mental images at all or having severe difficulty doing so. I found out about this because of some friends and realized something. I have aphantasia.
There’s a simple test to figure out if you have aphantasia. Close your eyes and try to visualize something. It’s often best to pick something your very familiar with. The question is, can you see it? If not or if you struggle to create the image, you might have aphantasia.
One of the interesting things about aphantasia is that it is estimated that around 2.1 to 2.7 percent of people have it but that most people won’t even realize they have it. Most people have it since birth and don’t ever realize that it’s not common to be unable to see pictures in your minds eye.
Of course, it seems most common to be something you’re born with but there are some other factors that are thought to cause it. There are of course things like getting brain damage. It also seems to be linked to some psychological issues. Stuff like anxiety, depression and dissociate disorders.
Aphantasia is still pretty misunderstood. It hasn’t received a whole lot of attention when it comes to research and…
