Lee Foster

I didn't realise I had Aphantasia until I was over 60.  Before that I had passed all my School exams and got a place at University.  Back then only 2% (approx) of people in the UK went to University.  I also reached a fairly high level at playing the piano.  I have an uncanny knack of being able to place tunes in the right key without prompting. I am very good not only at navigating but also being able to describe journeys to people, all without being able to "see" what I am talking about. I never knew I was in any way different as a child, or as an adult, yet managed to get through it all and have a successful career in engineering and technology and was well known for knowing facts and figures others had forgotten. What does all this mean?  I have no idea other than there are processes going on in our heads that we really don't understand.  There is clearly a lot of research needed.

<p>That's interesting.  I too struggle to remember names or, more specifically, relate names to faces.  I suppose that people without aphantasia can link the picture in their minds eye to a name whereas we simply have two pieces of remembered data to link.</p>

I have tried imagining my favourite foods and songs and, just like the visual side of things, I "know" them but don't get any kind of sensory experience of them at all.

This sounds very like me, although I only believe I "see" in my dreams based on my waking memory of what happened when I was asleep. It could always be a false memory.