Do people with aphantasia dream?
What studies report about dreams without a mind’s eye
Contents
Yes, most do, and often even in pictures. In the largest survey, 63.4% of people with aphantasia reported dreaming visually (Zeman et al. 2020). Dreams without images and absent dream recall are, however, more common with aphantasia than in other people.
The short answer
People with aphantasia cannot voluntarily picture images while awake. During sleep, things often look different. A review summarises: the majority of people with aphantasia have dreams with visual qualities. Dreams without images and absent dream recall are, however, described more often than by people with typical or very vivid imagery (Zeman 2024).
The first aphantasia study already noticed this: most participants described involuntary imagery, while awake usually as brief “flashes” (10 of 21) and/or in dreams (17 of 21). Of 11 people who reported no imagery at all when completing the VVIQ questionnaire, 10 reported involuntary imagery while awake and/or in dreams (Zeman et al. 2015).
What research shows
The largest survey to date comes from Zeman et al. (2020), with 2,000 people with aphantasia (VVIQ 16–23):
- dream visually
- 63.4%
- people with aphantasia
- dream without images
- 20.7%
- people with aphantasia
- do not dream at all
- 7.5%
- by their own account
Do not add these up
The three figures come from different analyses of the same study and do not add up to 100%. They therefore cannot be combined with one another.
| Report | Aphantasia | Comparison group | Hyperphantasia |
|---|---|---|---|
| dreams visually | 63.4% | 89% | 98.5% |
| dreams without images | 20.7% | 6.5% | 0.5% |
| does not dream at all | 7.5% | 0.5% | 0% |
Comparison group: for visual dreaming, people with mid-range imagery vividness; for the other two reports, the study’s control group. Source: Zeman et al. (2020).
A second study compared 267 people with aphantasia with 203 comparison participants. The aphantasia group reported significantly fewer night dreams. Their dreams were less sensory in all senses, including smell, touch, taste and hearing, and less often lucid. The authors sum it up: fewer dreams that are also poorer in impressions (Dawes et al. 2020).
What do dreams without images feel like?
Dreaming without images does not necessarily mean dreaming “empty”. Participants with non-visual dreams described their dream content as narrative, as text, as thoughts and meanings, as sounds and as emotions (Zeman et al. 2020).
- Plot and story
- Text and words
- Thoughts and meanings
- Sounds
- Emotions
A new study finds that the sensory content of dreams in people with aphantasia usually matches what they can voluntarily imagine while awake. The differences between individuals are large, however (Arnold, Bouyer & Monzel 2026).
How can you see in dreams but not visualise while awake?
One explanation: two different routes
Zeman et al. (2020) suggest that dreaming is a “bottom-up” process orchestrated from the brain stem. Voluntary imagining, by contrast, runs “top-down”. If only the second route is weaker, dream images can still arise. This is a hypothesis, not proof.
A counter-position
Krempel and Monzel (2024) point out that some studies find involuntary imagery to be affected in aphantasia as well, including dream imagery. They propose understanding aphantasia as a limited ability to form mental images, whether voluntary or not.
Limits of the research
- All figures are based on self-reports. We did not find studies using dream diaries or sleep laboratories.
- The shares from Zeman et al. (2020) come from different analyses and must not be added up to 100%.
- Dreams differ greatly between individual people with aphantasia (Arnold, Bouyer & Monzel 2026).
- Why many people with aphantasia dream in pictures has not been settled; there are only explanatory approaches.
Lifelong aphantasia is not considered a disorder (Zeman et al. 2020). Whether or not you dream in pictures says nothing about your health.
Frequently asked questions about dreams and aphantasia
Do people with aphantasia dream in pictures?
Most do. In the largest survey, 63.4% of people with aphantasia reported dreaming visually (Zeman et al. 2020). Already in the first study, 17 of 21 participants reported images in dreams (Zeman et al. 2015).
How many people with aphantasia do not dream at all or dream without images?
In the survey by Zeman et al. (2020), 20.7% reported dreaming without images and 7.5% reported not dreaming at all. In the control group the figures were 6.5% and 0.5%.
How can you see in dreams but not visualise while awake?
One hypothesis: dreams arise “bottom-up” from the brain stem, voluntary imagining works “top-down” (Zeman et al. 2020). Other researchers consider involuntary imagery in aphantasia to be limited as well (Krempel & Monzel 2024). The question has not been settled.
What do dreams without images feel like?
People with non-visual dreams describe them as narrative, text, thoughts, sounds and emotions (Zeman et al. 2020). Overall, people with aphantasia report dreams that are less sensory in all senses (Dawes et al. 2020).
Do people with aphantasia dream less often?
By their own account, yes: in a study with 267 people with aphantasia and 203 comparison participants, the aphantasia group reported significantly fewer night dreams (Dawes et al. 2020). Absent dream recall is also described more often with aphantasia (Zeman 2024).
Scientific Sources
- Zeman, A., Dewar, M. & Della Sala, S. (2015). Lives without imagery – Congenital aphantasia. Cortex, 73, 378–380. doi:10.1016/j.cortex.2015.05.019
- Zeman, A., Milton, F., Della Sala, S. et al. (2020). Phantasia – The psychological significance of lifelong visual imagery vividness extremes. Cortex, 130, 426–440. doi:10.1016/j.cortex.2020.04.003
- Dawes, A. J., Keogh, R., Andrillon, T. & Pearson, J. (2020). A cognitive profile of multi-sensory imagery, memory and dreaming in aphantasia. Scientific Reports, 10, 10022. doi:10.1038/s41598-020-65705-7
- Zeman, A. (2024). Aphantasia and hyperphantasia: exploring imagery vividness extremes. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 28(5), 467–480. doi:10.1016/j.tics.2024.02.007
- Arnold, D. H., Bouyer, L. N. & Monzel, M. (2026). Heterogeneous relationships between the multisensory content of aphantasics' dreams and their volitional waking imagined experiences. Scientific Reports. doi:10.1038/s41598-026-56386-9
- Krempel, R. & Monzel, M. (2024). Aphantasia and involuntary imagery. Consciousness and Cognition, 120, 103679. doi:10.1016/j.concog.2024.103679
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How vivid is your imagery while awake?
The VST-16 measures how vividly you can voluntarily picture scenes. It is meant for orientation and is not a diagnosis.