Malinda Seppala

I just turned 40 a few days ago, an only found out recently that my mind is blind. My daughter wanted to play a game where I laid down, with my head in her lap, she asked me to visualize 3 doors that were blue,red and yellow. I always thought the phrase, picture this in your head, was a metaphor.. so I just pretended their was 3 doors, she told me to go in one of the doors, and asked me which color door I went in. I was like, uh you want me to just pick a color? She said, no.. what color was it? I didn't understand so just said yellow.. she then asked me to describe what I see inside the room I went into... I was like, what do you mean?? Just start making stuff up? She gets frustrated and says MOM, what do you see?? I said.. I see black! We quit the game.. I didn't think anything of it, I was just confused about what she wanted me to do, and forgot all about it.. until I seen an article on fb. I had no idea people seen actual images in their head. I  asked my daughter yesterday,  if I tell her to picture a white fluffy cat in her head, does she actually see a picture of it? She said yea, you don't? So then I asked my son.. he said he can play out movies in his head, like he is watching an actual movie!! My friend said he can picture the red ball as if it's right in front of him!  I thought everyone seen black when they close their eyes.. and I can't grasp the fact they see images, but it seems they can't grasp the fact I don't.  

I'm just learning, that I have aphantasia.. I didn't know people seen actual images in their head. I also do not hear, taste, or smell with my mind, I was also not aware others could do that! 

I dream vividly with bright colors, and occasionally I can lucid dream. I forget that shortly after waking up of course, but if I write it down I can remember it, but not visually.