What Is Aphantasia?

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see is blackness. No matter how hard I try or concentrate, I cannot change that blackness in any way, shape or form.</p><p id="df4d">The minimal research that has been conducted on this issue, suggests that people who have Aphantasia exhibit different brain patterns, when trying to picture in their head, than those who can form clear mental images.</p><h2 id="f50c">Is there a cure?</h2><p id="e1e6">There is currently no known cure for Aphantasia but there are also very few scientific studies conducted at this time. Therefore there may or may not be a cure further down the track.</p><p id="8a1b">It is a known fact that many people may never know that they are different and live a normal life without this knowledge. I was 52 years of age when I discovered I suffer from this condition and only found out then by sheer accident. (I will leave a link below that tells my story of how I discovered this at the age of 52).</p><h2 id="a9d2">Is Aphantasia treatable?</h2><p id="22ad">Along the same lines as a possible cure, treatment is not yet known due to the limited studies completed.</p><p id="a378">Some studies have discovered that a person suffering from this condition, can still vividly dream while asleep. The difference being that dreaming is an involuntary action whereas picturing in your head is a voluntary action.</p><p id="1a9a">There is some suggestion that playing memory games or picture recognition games, may help but I’ve tried on many occasions and found they have not helped me in any way.</p><h2 id="c68e">Symptoms</h2><p id="79c3">The symptoms are the inability or severely limited ability to picture images in the mind.</p><p id="10be">Other symptoms may incl

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ude less vivid memories; the inability to imagine future scenarios; a poor sense of direction, as an internal image of local maps of well-known areas cannot be pictured in the mind and the inability to draw from memory or picture the end result of a project.</p><h2 id="ce35">What causes Aphantasia?</h2><p id="6b6f">Aphantasia is either congenital and present from birth or due to a brain injury or trauma. This could be from an accident or due to a stroke, just to name a few possibilities.</p><h2 id="7a01">Conclusion</h2><p id="2275">Aphantasia has not been scientifically studied to any great degree and therefore there is very little known about this condition. Scientists do believe there are approximately 2.7% of the population that is affected. This is not a hard and fast figure as it is known that many people can go their entire lives without knowing that the term “picture in your head”, is actually more than just a saying.</p><p id="4beb"><i>Thank you for reading.</i></p><p id="d399"><i>If you enjoyed this piece, you may also enjoy this one.</i></p><div id="8893" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/how-i-found-out-i-have-aphantasia-at-the-age-of-52-9001042a1b6a"> <div> <div> <h2>How I Found Out I Have Aphantasia At The Age Of 52</h2> <div><h3>I thought it was normal</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*em2yM7O91wfYYrQrTf3hmw.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div></article></body>

What is Aphantasia?

It is the inability to form mental pictures in your head voluntarily. If you suffer from Aphantasia you would not be able to picture a person, scene, object or vivid memory, even if the picture, you are trying to see in your head, is about someone or something close to your heart.

For example, when I close my eyes and attempt to picture or imagine an image in my head, all I can see is blackness. No matter how hard I try or concentrate, I cannot change that blackness in any way, shape or form.

The minimal research that has been conducted on this issue, suggests that people who have Aphantasia exhibit different brain patterns, when trying to picture in their head, than those who can form clear mental images.

Is there a cure?

There is currently no known cure for Aphantasia but there are also very few scientific studies conducted at this time. Therefore there may or may not be a cure further down the track.

It is a known fact that many people may never know that they are different and live a normal life without this knowledge. I was 52 years of age when I discovered I suffer from this condition and only found out then by sheer accident. (I will leave a link below that tells my story of how I discovered this at the age of 52).

Is Aphantasia treatable?

Along the same lines as a possible cure, treatment is not yet known due to the limited studies completed.

Some studies have discovered that a person suffering from this condition, can still vividly dream while asleep. The difference being that dreaming is an involuntary action whereas picturing in your head is a voluntary action.

There is some suggestion that playing memory games or picture recognition games, may help but I’ve tried on many occasions and found they have not helped me in any way.

Symptoms

The symptoms are the inability or severely limited ability to picture images in the mind.

Other symptoms may include less vivid memories; the inability to imagine future scenarios; a poor sense of direction, as an internal image of local maps of well-known areas cannot be pictured in the mind and the inability to draw from memory or picture the end result of a project.

Conclusion

Aphantasia has not been scientifically studied to any great degree and therefore there is very little known about this condition. Scientists do believe there are approximately 2.7% of the population that is affected. This is not a hard and fast figure as it is known that many people can go their entire lives without knowing that the term “picture in your head”, is actually more than just a saying.

Thank you for reading.

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What Is Aphantasia?

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