Maggie Badior

I dream vividly and can only remember my dreams if I turn them into words very quickly when I wake up. I've never had a lucid dream...no matter how fantastical my dreams are, I believe them completely. I rarely dream about people I know, and when I do, I'm not sure if it's accurate. I don't think I've ever dreamt about a real life location. A lot of my dreams are about being at a party with a lot of friends, but when I wake up I realize that I made everything up, the house, the friends, their names, etc. The rest of my dreams are usually about having to go to the bathroom or having to get somewhere, but there are always weird, strange problems. I had one dream that I can barely describe in words cause it involved trying to go to the bathroom in a wide hallway with sort of porta potties, but every time I tried to go in to a one, they changed into backpacks hanging on hooks. There were a lot of other people that had no problem going in and out, and I finally figured that if I went into the one that my late husband had gone in and out of (he was six feet tall, so I thought if he could do it, I'd be able to), but as soon as I tried, they all turned into backpacks and I couldn't get in. I described that dream because it's a very typical type of dream that I often have, but never with the same situation or the same people.  

I have congenital visual aphantasia. I found out about it nearly a year ago, just after I turned 61. I find it surprising and fun to think about. I can't imagine pictures, smells or tastes, however, my sound, warm childhood feelings, and muscle memories are extremely strong. I have a lot of fun because of these of these memories, but I think having a visual memory would be more useful for practical purposes. Maggie Badior

I just found out in the last few weeks that I have aphantasia, and I'm going to be 61 in May 2022. I've been asking friends and family if they can see things in their minds...and they can. I'm still having trouble believing that people can picture things. All I can do is describe things with words. I have lots of memories of my life, but they aren't pictures...they're more of a feeling...along with words to describe them. I have ear worms pretty much all the time unless I'm watching TV or listening to music. I've even occasionally had two songs stuck in my head at the same time. I know the tune and lyrics of nearly every song I've heard more than a few times. I'm wondering if that's instead of pictures. It doesn't seem to be as useful. I have extreme issues recognizing people, even my family. I generally recognize people by hair colour, hair type, hair style, height, whether they wear glasses, but again, these are all just words. I've only figured out one bonus: every movie I've ever watched that was based on a book I had read looked exactly right. Maggie Badior