Aphantasia - when the minds eye is blind

[MiM]

Hi,

Aphantasia is a newly coined term for people who have a blind minds eye <http://www.bbc.com/news/health-34039054>. People with aphantasia do not see any mental images, when recalling memories, or when they are imagining things.

I believe it might have been someone from Everyday Mindfulness who posted a link about aphantasia on facebook about a month ago. If so, I would like to thank that person, I have learned a lot about how my mind might differ from others during this month. I am not 100% aphantasiac myself, but when I compare my subjective experience to what others tell, it seems like I have a really weak ability to see images in my mind. I can create something alike an image in my mind, but it is never clear and I have to do a lot of mental work to create it. In my daily thinking, I almost never use mental images.

When meditating, I can create somewhat clearer images than normally, if I consciously try to. But images never distract my meditation by springing into my mind by themselves, like thoughts do. When I meditate with my eyes closed, I see black, and only black.

And here comes my questions (after this rather lengthy introduction, sorry):

During meditation, do you see images in your minds eye?

never / sometimes / often / all the time

If you see images, can you describe how clear they are?

E.g. are they as clear as looking at a picture or seeing a movie, or are they very dim, or something in between.

I would be very interested in knowing how people experience mental images during meditation. If I get good answers, I might also add some information, to what a group of self describing aphantasiacs is trying to gather at a newly started aphantasia forum <aphant.asia>. I think this could important information, as meditation is a special form of activity and because people who are practicing mindfulness already have some training in evaluating their own experience.

Please feel free to discuss the topic of creating mental images more generally here too.

[JonW]

Interesting post.
For my own part, I do see images in my mind's eye during meditation, usually when I call them up. eg. Picturing my thoughts as passing clouds.
The images are very clear. Like a movie in HD.
All best,
Jon

[FeeHutch]

If I am finding myself distracted by monkey mind on or off the mat I find seeing them as clouds very helpful. When I get caught up in the thoughts allowing them to float away makes a lot more sense then telling myself not to think.

[Annie]

This is the first time I have posted anything on this site, despite browsing and reading about other people's experiences since January! This subject refers to something that has happened to me many times over the years, so I felt I had to add my own experience of visual images during meditation. I often see images totally unrelated to any thoughts I might have been having. These images are not clear in the way that you see things normally, and not clear as you might think of a photograph or picture. However, they are clear in that they are quite detailed. Often they are people's faces - and not faces of people I know, just faces. I also "hear" conversations and pieces of unrelated speech. These things used to worry me terribly, but now I just let them come and go. I have no idea at all why it happens.
It does seem to occur when I am in a peaceful or quiet part of a meditation, maybe when I have been breathing mindfully for a time and my own thoughts have calmed down.
Hope this is of interest.

[JonW]

Hi Annie,
Welcome to the forum.
Please feel free to join in any of the other threads here and to generally make yourself at home.
All best wishes,
Jon

[KathleenH]

Hi Annie and welcome to the forum

I sometimes get similar images and sounds, it's never really worried me as I've not seen them as unusual or something I should be worried about.

Strange how one person can be concerned about something yet another doesn't even give a second thought about it. Maybe this is something we can use in our meditations when troubling thoughts arise, just be the person who doesn't give them a second thought.