Can you see pictures in your mind? A poll...

amother

cornflower

Thu, Jul 02 2020, 6:06 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

I like meditation and I think of the idea of the ocean. Meditation is nice with a video or just sounds. I can't imagine the ocean but I can remember the last time I was there and remember the feeling of the sun on my body, and sound of the waves.

I love the ocean but if I have to remember the ocean, it just makes me want to go back and swim in it for real. Makes me feel resentful that I am stuck in a city so nothing meditative about it for me!

paperflowers

Thu, Jul 02 2020, 7:25 pm

OP, I’m curious, do you see images when you dream?

I can visualize things in my mind, but not with all of the details and components of real life. It’s a mental image or representation, not the same as actually seeing with my eyes.

Thinking about it neurologically, if must be that the visual pathways don’t activate when recalling something.

amother

Peach

Thu, Jul 02 2020, 7:35 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Close your eyes. Block everything out. Picture an apple in your mind. Can you see it?

I just realized today that I can't.

It's called aphantasia. I can picture ideas, like an idea of an apple. I didn't realize people can actually SEE an apple. I thought like people can see - like as in theoretically, like a phrase like "see what I mean" but you can't see what someone means since they are talking about something not physical.

Anyone else experience this?

I have it. I didn't always have it. It's been around 18 months to two years and I am not sure how it happened.

amother

Magenta

Fri, Jul 03 2020, 2:30 am

help I only see black. I can think things in my head and imagine things but I can not see anything! like I can think apple and think of different properties of an apple but I can't see it! what does this mean? btw I also have a hard time with names of people and sometimes faces.

I recently heard some people don't have an "inner voice" like they can't think in words in their mind. how interesting!

WhatFor

Fri, Jul 03 2020, 2:35 am

So for the people who can't visualize an apple, what would happen if you tried to imagine a Granny Smith, Red Delicious, and Pink Lady apple? Would you not be imagining a difference? Are the differences only in words in your brain?

When I imagine them, I can also kind of taste/feel the difference in my brain. Can you do that even if you can't visualize them? (My mouth almost waters thinking of Granny Smith because it's more tart.)

chanchy123

Fri, Jul 03 2020, 2:47 am

amother [ Azure ] wrote:

I've got no problem visualizing things in color and with details. Was just mentally flipping through red apples, green ones, yellow ones with spots, dew wet ones on the tree, cut up ones and so on.

But I am suffering from a different condition, called prosopagnosia. I am almost unable to identify people by face or to remember faces. It makes for a socially awkward life.
I just tried, inspired by your question, to visualize the faces of my children in my mind. It doesn't work. I can only visualize bits of them, the eyes, the chin, the hair. But not the whole face in one piece.
Apples are much easier.

That’s so interesting because I’m like that too I can conjure up an image of a photo of someone’s face but not their actual face in real life. I do recognise people’s faces IRL not a lot of times I identify people but their walk or facial expressions rather than their facial features. Taken out of context I can be pretty bad at recognising faces.

FranticFrummie

Fri, Jul 03 2020, 9:52 am

amother [ Azure ] wrote:

Don't feel bad. A friend of mine once tried to take home the wrong kid from gan. They both had brown hair, and were wearing red shirts. Fortunately the dismissal monitor caught the mistake before she hustled the confused little boy into her car!

FranticFrummie

Fri, Jul 03 2020, 9:58 am

amother [ Magenta ] wrote:

How are you with writing and expressing yourself? I often think that I'm not a good writer. I have to constantly edit everything, double check spelling, and forget even the most common and simple words.

On the other hand, I'm an artist. I can find something sparkly on the sidewalk, and instantly know exactly how I could use it in a "found object" piece, complete with all the other components that are in my workshop. I can also find something, and know that it will never work with what I have and the direction I'm taking my work.

As a child I did a lot of embroidery, and I hated using pre-patterned muslin. I always bought blank canvas, and drew the design I had in my mind.

But please, don't ask me to balance a checkbook!

As I'm constantly telling my daughter who had learning differences "Everybody's brains work differently. It doesn't make you right or wrong, and it takes all kinds of brains to make the world work. Hashem designed just the right brain for YOU."

BH Yom Yom

Fri, Jul 03 2020, 10:57 am

batya315 wrote:

So interesting! It was also when I was doing mindfulness exercises that I discovered I could not visualize a thing.

I can visualize a scene when someone is guiding me through a visualization/ mindfulness exercise, but it does not come easily. My brain often thinks in words rather than images. I’m trying to practice visualizing things to strengthen my ability to do this, I’m not sure if it’ll work but figured it’s worth a try.

amother

cornflower

Fri, Jul 03 2020, 12:11 pm

WhatFor wrote:

I do it by memory. I remember what the apples look like in my fruit bowl.

If you told me to “visualise” being at the beach when I am stuck in a city I can’t. If you say “do you remember a time when you were at a nice beach” I can remember a specific date in time as I wish.

My mouth will only water if I see the real deal.

FranticFrummie

Fri, Jul 03 2020, 12:16 pm

"Thinking in Pictures" by Temple Grandin. https://www.amazon.com/Thinkin.....75655

I've always wanted to read this book. My ex, who has Asperger's, cannot think in pictures at all. (He also insists that he has never had a dream.)

Brains are weird! Silly

amother

Peach

Fri, Jul 03 2020, 12:58 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

I have aphantasia. I didn't always have it, that I know for sure. I used to be able to do guided meditations and find things by remembering where I had seen them. I.e. I could go in the room where we had bookshelves and find books by remembering where I had seen them. One day about 18 months or so I was trying to visualize something and realized that I just couldn't. Now I can't see anything when I close my eyes and if I try and conjure up an image of something, say a cupcake, I can't. I have the memory of a cupcake, but I can't visualize it. The same as if I look at something, say a flower arrangement. I can't duplicate it in my mind. I can sort of remember the shape and colors in it, but that is memory. I can't visualize it or recall details of it. I have worked with two "specialists" to try and get some clarity about this. But very little is known. Sometimes I think its because I use my phone too much, and my brain does more scanning than absorbing.

paperflowers

Fri, Jul 03 2020, 1:10 pm

FranticFrummie wrote:

It’s a really interesting read. In later writings, Grandin said that she was writing about her experience and thought all autistic people thought in pictures, but had since learned that that is not the case.

Interesting that your ex insists he never dreams. Usually my dreams are just images and language is implied but I don’t actually hear it, if that makes sense. If I couldn’t visualize things, I don’t know that I would recognize my dreams as dreams.