I grew up dancing and never really had this issue. It might have been because I was already used to mirroring what I was being taught, but I did find it difficult to remember what I was doing every week. I had to store it as muscle memory rather than visual memory. However, I feel that way for setting up lab equipment. I'm an undergrad working in a lab this year at my university, and I need to be shown multiple times how to set up the equipment properly, especially if we don't use it very often. I often don't have a picture to go by. So I guess it depends on your visual memory, but also what you're used to doing?
I feel that. I've found it very difficult to try to go to therapy to talk about my own issues because I just can't seem to remember instances of trauma, either. I haven't really found a good way to overcome this barrier, and it's why I gave up trying cognitive behavoural therapy. The one thing from CBT that I liked and I'm trying to get back into are thought diaries. There's an app on my phone that I use that I can write down my thoughts and the situation they came from, and I can challenge the negative thoughts that come with it. At the time of finding the app, I didn't exactly know why I preferred writing it down rather than doing it mentally, but then found out I have no internal voice. So it feels downright impossible to stay on task in my head and challenge negative thoughts when I can't even hear myself think. I can also use it as a written down memory to talk about certain things to the therapist. Maybe it's not as helpful now because you can't remember trauma from your past, but it might be a good idea to start logging instances now that might relate to your past trauma to try to help you heal from them. i.e. you may not remember the trauma from your past, but can log and remember how it affects your life now. If that makes sense?
I feel like graphic novels are a good bet as well; I read V for Vendetta in high school as a graphic novel and loved it. Also, in that same class, my teacher put on the movie version of Hamlet while we read through the actual play, and it also was very fun but also helped. I'm not sure what grade you're teaching, but using (good) book movies was effective for me.
I know EXACTLY what you mean. I've realized my sexual attraction just isn't the same as other people; I can't fantasize about being with that person. I can't see myself protecting them from danger, being intimate with them, etc. So I've personally never dated anyone or really felt any attraction towards anyone (and I'm turning 20 tomorrow). I've wondered if I'm on the aro/ace/demi spectrum. I have other ace friends I talk to them about stuff, but none have aphantasia either, so it isn't fully the same. However, I have heard other aphants being married and being in relationships and such, so having aphantasia doesn't automatically mean being asexual. It is possible though asexuality is more common in aphants? One of my friends is a lesbian and is also asexual. She always talks about longing to be with girls, but I have never felt that longing before to relate to her. It's overwhelming for her, but it's something I've never felt, and I don't think I ever could feel. It's strange, feeling that disconnect for love. But Hannah, you're not alone. You can also DM me if you want to talk more about things.
I'm a hobby artist and no, you don't need an inner eye to learn how to draw. I learned how to draw long before I even realized I couldn't visualize. It makes drawing harder, sure, but it isn't impossible. I'm kind of able to 'feel' where an object might be in space and be able to position it properly on the page how I want it. I find posing humans is harder without a reference and visualizing skills, but that's also what references are for. I find designing characters and clothes is hard, though, because I can't see them in my head, or compare in my head types of clothing I've seen in the past to mix and match what I want the character to look like. I did end up drawing a little elephant to try, and yeah, it LOOKS like an elephant, but not a very good one lol
I'm a self taught hobby artist and writer. I've never had issues of putting words on paper; I have never needed to "translate" images to words for a story. However, that doesn't necessarily make writing absolutely easy for me either. Because I'm not actually able to see the scene in my head, it's easy for me to miss things I need, or character blocking etc. that a non-aphant wouldn't have issues with. Further, with drawing, I never formally had much art lessons, I just took it up one day and relied on the internet for a lot of tutorials. Drawing from memory is a near disaster, but easier with references, or if I'm used to drawing a specific character. I can usually "feel" how I want the character to be posed, or what their expression is, as it is a physical feeling. Backgrounds? Forget it.
I know exactly what you're talking about Aimee. I took dance lessons growing up as well, and a "physical" imagination was all I had to remember what we were doing. I could never visualize what the dance moves were, I just knew what they felt like in my head and body, and that's how I rememebred them. I rely on physical memory a decent amount, but mostly for dance. I don't do it anymore now because of school, but when I realized I had aphantasia almost a year ago, I realized a physical memory wasn't "normal" for others. When I write, sometimes instead of visualizing what characters are doing, I will 'use' my body instead. Like instead of visualizing a character vaulting over a fence, I'd use my own muscles to try to imitate that feeling to get a sense of what is going on in that scene.
I don't dream in images, and I don't think I ever have. Usually I barely remember my dreams. I'm not sure if that's a side effect of not having visual dreams. I may dream in images, but if I realize I'm dreaming (through lucid dreaming, for example, or I'm just starting to wake up) I don't see the images. I feel like the possible images just fall apart as I become aware of them. It's really hard to explain.