Some neurodivergent individuals, especially autistic folks, may experience aphantasia, an inability to visualise something in one’s mind. For these folks, mindfulness exercises that rely on visualisation aren’t really effective.
I can think about the idea of a red triangle. But it’s blackness behind my eyes. Blackness next to my ears. Blackness in every nook and cranny of my brain.
Imagine a dog. Got it? I don’t. Here’s what it’s like to be unable to visualize anything. – Vox
To be aphantasic is to have a capacity for subjective pseudo-sensory visualisation well below the average range of reported functionality. This of course impacts on our capacity for visual recall, however many of us still retain vivid memories absent of a strong (or any) visual element. Other senses, emotions & so on may be retained & recalled, though the traditional stimulation of a photograph or a visual description may not be appropriate or sufficient stimulus, however sounds, sentences or smells may trigger said memories. Sometimes such recollections include sensory data such as smells or vibrations which contradict the visual memories of others present, and can lead to disputes.
Whilst aphantasic people may experience difficulty recalling visual memories, it is not to be confused with memory disorders or traumatic responses such as PTSD, cPTSD or “SDAM” which may or may not also be present. Whilst many autistic people suffer from stress related illnesses and there is a higher prevalence of aphantasia in autistic folks, no causative correlation between hypo/aphantasia & memory deficits or stress-related memory lapses has yet been determined at the time of publication.
I’m aphantasic and hyperlexic with Severely Deficient Autobiographical Memory (SDAM). This is a common combination. I think in words, not pictures.
Aphantasia and SDAM
SDAM stands for Severely Deficient Autobiographical Memory and is often characterized by a lifelong inability to vividly recollect or re-experience past personal events.
Mental imagery has been described as having a fundamental role in episodic memories, and some early research shows SDAM overlapping with visual aphantasia. Current estimates are that 51% of people with SDAM also have aphantasia, but this overlap is still being investigated.
