4 ms·

Aphantasia is about the mind’s eye but I wonder about other senses as well such as “the mind’s ears” or “the mind’s nose” - being able to synthesize or realisti

Aphantasia is about the mind’s eye but I wonder about other senses as well such as “the mind’s ears” or “the mind’s nose” - being able to synthesize or realistically recall other senses. I can somewhat weakly visualize, but I can make music in my head, imagine what something would feel like to some extent, but I don’t think I can do that for smell or taste. What are other people’s experiences?

godDLL 5y ago
Well, there's the mind's fear. If you quiet it down and ask yourself "What am I afraid of happening?" you'll get an answer. It will usually be something you need to urgently attend to, or you'll regret it. It's like an inverse conscience.
cercatrova 5y ago
I can do that. I can create new music in my mind, and edit it at will, splicing it, mixing it with other instruments etc. In fact I use it to compose new music, then I just write it down as is on the page. I can also imagine smells and tastes, like if I ate popcorn I can vividly recall its sensory properties. I can also feel the tastes on my tongue and smells in my nose, it literally feels as if I experience them in real time.
ben_w 5y ago
I’ve been wondering the same since learning about aphantasia. I have once imagined music strongly enough it was the same subjective experience as if it was real (except for the conscious awareness it was internal, but that was literally the only difference). I can alter my sense of which way down is on a whim. I can’t imagine tastes or smells at all, merely recognise them when I experience them. I imagine thermoception more strongly than pain, but nowhere near as strongly as sound or gravity. I can imagine non-painful touch stimuli almost, but not quite, as strongly as gravity. I can imagine false proprioception with middling strength, including the perception of having a differently configured body.

godDLL 5y ago

Well, there's the mind's fear. If you quiet it down and ask yourself "What am I afraid of happening?" you'll get an answer. It will usually be something you need to urgently attend to, or you'll regret it. It's like an inverse conscience.

cercatrova 5y ago

I can do that. I can create new music in my mind, and edit it at will, splicing it, mixing it with other instruments etc. In fact I use it to compose new music, then I just write it down as is on the page. I can also imagine smells and tastes, like if I ate popcorn I can vividly recall its sensory properties. I can also feel the tastes on my tongue and smells in my nose, it literally feels as if I experience them in real time.

ben_w 5y ago

I’ve been wondering the same since learning about aphantasia. I have once imagined music strongly enough it was the same subjective experience as if it was real (except for the conscious awareness it was internal, but that was literally the only difference). I can alter my sense of which way down is on a whim. I can’t imagine tastes or smells at all, merely recognise them when I experience them. I imagine thermoception more strongly than pain, but nowhere near as strongly as sound or gravity. I can imagine non-painful touch stimuli almost, but not quite, as strongly as gravity. I can imagine false proprioception with middling strength, including the perception of having a differently configured body.