I'm glad you're here. I started aphantasie.org because for a long time I missed a place where people could share openly.
I have total aphantasia myself: when I close my eyes, there's no image — but also no inner sound, no inner voice, no remembered taste. Silence on every channel. For a long time I thought "the mind's eye" was just a figure of speech, until I realised most people mean it literally.
That exact moment — realising you perceive differently — is the reason for this community. Here no result is "right" or "wrong". Feel free to share: when did you find out about your aphantasia? And how did that feel for you?
Hi! I'm not an aphant but I want to learn more about them. There aren't many forums about this topic
I have mental imagery of sounds and pictures, so I thought I couldn't possibly have aphantasia... until I found out that most people can imagine/remember tastes, smells, and even physical pain. That last one especially, I had thought was completely impossible. So, it turns out I have... pain-aphantasia? Is there even a word for that? I think I can imagine, like, other forms of physical sensations (if not very vividly), but that one I just... can't even remember things I actually experienced just, say for an example, one hour ago. Temperatures, too, come to think of it. I can only remember the psychological effects vividly, not the physical sensation.
Anyway, I was looking for studies on that, or other people who can relate, when I found this website. Are there even any studies on people who have visuals and internal sound imagery, but have other forms of aphantasia? Am I even allowed here?
Huh, English is my native language so this turned out longer and more spontaneous than the German version I also posted. Go figure.