How can I help someone with aphantasia?

Here’s how it works:

1. Close your eyes and describe what you see.
2. If you don’t see anything (which would exactly be the case if you have aphantasia) help your brain start seeing images.
3. Start by gently rubbing your closed eyes like a sleepy child.

Is aphantasia a mental illness?

It seems that aphantasia exists on a spectrum, because some people with the condition report a complete inability to create a mental image while other people have a greatly reduced ability. Many people with aphantasia are self-diagnosed since there are no agreed-upon criteria for diagnosis.

Is aphantasia a learning disability?

Aphantasia as a Disability Because so little is known about it, it is not recognized with other learning disabilities. Those that have aphantasia have other ways of learning and coping without mental images. People who are most affected are those who have acquired aphantasia because they know what they are missing.

What is the inability to visualize called?

Aphantasia: The inability to visualize images.

Does image streaming work for aphantasia?

Some people claim you can use image streaming for healing aphantasia (a state of the mind where you can’t produce mental images at will). Even if you’ve got a hard time imagining anything at all, you can learn image streaming. Practice increases your imagination, eloquence, and your creative thinking powers.

Is aphantasia a symptom of autism?

In Experiment 2, we asked whether aphantasics have traits associated with autism, an important question given that autism – like aphantasia – is linked to weak imagery. We found that aphantasics reported more autistic traits than controls, with weaknesses in imagination and social skills.

Can you be creative with aphantasia?

Cognitive tests and brain scans also indicate, however, that some people truly do lack the ability to form mental images. Aphantasia does not seem to impair creativity. Many aphantasics are successful in creative professions and have ways to compensate for their lack of a mind’s eye.

Can aphantasia be acquired?

ABSTRACT. Aphantasia, the loss of mental imagery, is a rare disorder and even more infrequent when acquired. No previous cases have been identified that were caused by transplant-related treatment.

Is aphantasia a Neurodiversity?

Though there are many commonly recognised neurodiverse conditions such as the Autism Spectrum, Dyslexia and ADHD, there are some conditions still under study which are not formally recognised by specialists. One of these conditions yet to be recognised is Aphantasia.

Does aphantasia affect artistic ability?

Aphantasia Doesn’t Mean You Can’t Be Creative Tragically, upon learning they have aphantasia, some artists think they should no longer make art.

Is aphantasia linked to IQ?

Pairwise comparisons indicated that the aphantasia group had a significantly elevated IQ compared with the hyperphantasia group (P = 0.002), but there were no other statistically significant differences.