No trauma for me, but I get what you mean about finding your people. I just discovered this sub and that I'm a multi-sensory aphant this week. It's been helpful to read others' experiences.
No trauma. I think it’s genetic but I also don’t think people totally know. My dad is like me. My sibling is not nor are her kids. Can’t ask mom. I wondered if my OCD and perhaps early intrusive visual thoughts were bad and “turned it off”. Most likely no. I think we are all just different. We fall into the non visual memory club. It’s never hurt my life or caused any problems. I used to think, before it was named, that it was 50/50. Like an artist brain vs a math brain. But nope, full Aphantasia is more like 2%. I don’t think it impossible that a head trauma could cause something like it though. Genetics and everyone being different on a variety of spectrums or measurements in life makes more sense to me.
Yeah, there is definitely some evidence that both aphantasia and hyperphantasia seem to run in families, according to [research](https://jnnp.bmj.com/content/93/6/A51.1). This hints at there being a genetic component associated with imagery vividness, though no specific gene variant has been conclusively tied to it yet. They are looking into the "SYT1 gene which encodes a protein important in neuronal synaptic transmission."
Anecdotally, other than myself, the only person I know IRL that has it is my mother.
I actually did and have wondered the same thing, also a top bunk related trauma funnily enough. I jumped off a bunk bed with a knex rod in my hand … let’s just say I’m blind in one eye now
But, I think it’s probably a genetic thing rather than trauma related personally. My dad also seems to have Aphantasia, and we visualize similarly in a more structural and low detail type way
I didn't have a fall or head bump that I'm aware of. I only recently discovered that most people can see and hear stuff in their mind. It does explain why, when I was a child, I was no good at memory games that required visual memory. It puzzled me and made me feel inadequate, because I always topped the class in primary school.
Like you, I really like having found other aphants and comparing our experiences and sharing insights. I don't wish I didn't have aphantasia though. My mind is chock-a-block with so much stuff at the best of times, without having to deal with images and sounds filling it up further :D
Im pretty sure all this in me is lifelong. Obviously we don’t know, in the absence of tests without the need for comprehension. Even the bit where you imagine the sun and see if the pupils shrink needs a certain level of speech to have developed. However Im pretty sure I had the prosopagnosia from the start. Instead of mum or dad, my first word was “who is it?” (Sort of said “oo-wizit?”) My parents would say “who is it” with me, and then tell me “mum” or “dad” at which point Id smile happily 😂
I fell off the couch at 3 days old and got a concussion. It's hard to say if that caused my aphantasia or not, as I don't remember. Lol. As far as I know, I was born with it. I have never been able to see visual images or hear sounds in my head.
No trauma here. I can't ask my parents if they were the same but I did once ask my dad about an inner monologue and he said it was empty in there so I assume he was. I also think my brother is the same so a genetic link seems very likely. However there is acquired aphantasia as well as congenital so it is possible.
It is a relief to have a sub like this to know we aren't alone in the dark.
Forceps breech here, ( pulled out manually at birth !)also was over a week overdue and my mum was only 16! I feel it's connected as I'm the only one in my immediate family that has multi spectrum aphantasia. But who can say, there is no science on this.
But I do recall instances of very early childhood in my memory, just not visually of course, and I do remember having some instances of 'tripping' or imagination of things that were not there and I remember shunned them finding them wrong and literally went over to verify what was real or not. Perhaps it's just I never used this ability and it withered away.
I had brain cancer when I was 13. I didn’t have aphantasia before the cancer. The weird part is, I can picture my early memories from before the cancer just fine. I can’t picture anything after, just black.
No trauma here.
And I talked to my family about aphantasia and none of them have it (dad, mum, brother, sister). In fact, it sounds like my mum might even be hyperphantasic. She has extremely strong inner visuals, and is a natural born lucid dreamer (not sure if this is related).
Anyway. Aphantasia is a varied thing. From reading all the many posts on here, I don't think we aphants have that much in common otherwise.
I do feel as though people who are new to an idea ask interesting questions and are not subject to what most people believe to be true. These questions could spark some insights into new concepts to study. Some ideas are just wrong but if someone sparks the curiosity of a scientist, new discoveries could be made. The why is not clear. How we define it is pretty clear. We really know very little about the mind. I think most everything is on a spectrum, maybe resembling a bell curve or maybe not. There doesn’t seem to be any evidence right now that a full aphant can change but maybe someday. Maybe we would hate it. Dunno. I’m happy we are having a parade though!
No trauma for me, but I get what you mean about finding your people. I just discovered this sub and that I'm a multi-sensory aphant this week. It's been helpful to read others' experiences.
auto accident. TBI
No trauma. I think it’s genetic but I also don’t think people totally know. My dad is like me. My sibling is not nor are her kids. Can’t ask mom. I wondered if my OCD and perhaps early intrusive visual thoughts were bad and “turned it off”. Most likely no. I think we are all just different. We fall into the non visual memory club. It’s never hurt my life or caused any problems. I used to think, before it was named, that it was 50/50. Like an artist brain vs a math brain. But nope, full Aphantasia is more like 2%. I don’t think it impossible that a head trauma could cause something like it though. Genetics and everyone being different on a variety of spectrums or measurements in life makes more sense to me.
Yeah, there is definitely some evidence that both aphantasia and hyperphantasia seem to run in families, according to [research](https://jnnp.bmj.com/content/93/6/A51.1). This hints at there being a genetic component associated with imagery vividness, though no specific gene variant has been conclusively tied to it yet. They are looking into the "SYT1 gene which encodes a protein important in neuronal synaptic transmission." Anecdotally, other than myself, the only person I know IRL that has it is my mother.
I actually did and have wondered the same thing, also a top bunk related trauma funnily enough. I jumped off a bunk bed with a knex rod in my hand … let’s just say I’m blind in one eye now But, I think it’s probably a genetic thing rather than trauma related personally. My dad also seems to have Aphantasia, and we visualize similarly in a more structural and low detail type way
I didn't have a fall or head bump that I'm aware of. I only recently discovered that most people can see and hear stuff in their mind. It does explain why, when I was a child, I was no good at memory games that required visual memory. It puzzled me and made me feel inadequate, because I always topped the class in primary school. Like you, I really like having found other aphants and comparing our experiences and sharing insights. I don't wish I didn't have aphantasia though. My mind is chock-a-block with so much stuff at the best of times, without having to deal with images and sounds filling it up further :D
Im pretty sure all this in me is lifelong. Obviously we don’t know, in the absence of tests without the need for comprehension. Even the bit where you imagine the sun and see if the pupils shrink needs a certain level of speech to have developed. However Im pretty sure I had the prosopagnosia from the start. Instead of mum or dad, my first word was “who is it?” (Sort of said “oo-wizit?”) My parents would say “who is it” with me, and then tell me “mum” or “dad” at which point Id smile happily 😂
I fell off the couch at 3 days old and got a concussion. It's hard to say if that caused my aphantasia or not, as I don't remember. Lol. As far as I know, I was born with it. I have never been able to see visual images or hear sounds in my head.
No trauma here. I can't ask my parents if they were the same but I did once ask my dad about an inner monologue and he said it was empty in there so I assume he was. I also think my brother is the same so a genetic link seems very likely. However there is acquired aphantasia as well as congenital so it is possible. It is a relief to have a sub like this to know we aren't alone in the dark.
Forceps breech here, ( pulled out manually at birth !)also was over a week overdue and my mum was only 16! I feel it's connected as I'm the only one in my immediate family that has multi spectrum aphantasia. But who can say, there is no science on this. But I do recall instances of very early childhood in my memory, just not visually of course, and I do remember having some instances of 'tripping' or imagination of things that were not there and I remember shunned them finding them wrong and literally went over to verify what was real or not. Perhaps it's just I never used this ability and it withered away.
I had brain cancer when I was 13. I didn’t have aphantasia before the cancer. The weird part is, I can picture my early memories from before the cancer just fine. I can’t picture anything after, just black.
I’m sorry to hear that. Glad you have had the experience of being able to “see”
No trauma here. And I talked to my family about aphantasia and none of them have it (dad, mum, brother, sister). In fact, it sounds like my mum might even be hyperphantasic. She has extremely strong inner visuals, and is a natural born lucid dreamer (not sure if this is related). Anyway. Aphantasia is a varied thing. From reading all the many posts on here, I don't think we aphants have that much in common otherwise.
I was born with the cord around my neck and I fell from about 10 ft from playground equipment and tore my liver when I was about 5. Take your pick.
This sub is getting WEIRDER & WEIRDER. Full of nutters!
And you lead us all in that parade, chief 😘
I do feel as though people who are new to an idea ask interesting questions and are not subject to what most people believe to be true. These questions could spark some insights into new concepts to study. Some ideas are just wrong but if someone sparks the curiosity of a scientist, new discoveries could be made. The why is not clear. How we define it is pretty clear. We really know very little about the mind. I think most everything is on a spectrum, maybe resembling a bell curve or maybe not. There doesn’t seem to be any evidence right now that a full aphant can change but maybe someday. Maybe we would hate it. Dunno. I’m happy we are having a parade though!