Cathy Penney

Like you Paul I find my memory  consists in colour only in photographs and struggle putting names to faces and clearly remembering places I have been.  I recently started writing my "history" but although I remember where I have been and certain eventful incidents I am only able to remember dates and places accurately by referring to my pilot logbooks and passport visas.  Fortunately I have never been attacked or robbed but stressful incidents I have been involved in don't affect me when I remember these. Although I was injured when a friend rolled her car it skidded along the road which a resulted in a stay in hospital, I could recall the events afterwards without it affecting me at all. 

I was 80 when I first discovered that when people said - you see what I am saying - that they actually were expecting me to see whatever they were describing. Being aphantasic hadn't stopped me becoming a pilot and teaching people to fly although since I found out others have wondered how I managed without being able to "see" in my "mind's eye".  However, having been injured in a car accident as a passenger and in a  mishap with a helicopter as a pilot I agree with Paul that the inability to visualise these and other upsetting events has meant that they did not affect me afterwards either.