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While reading the article, I closed my eyes an imagined an apple in 3d, with accurate colors to that of the image in the post. Then I remembered the image was p

by mod 5y ago

While reading the article, I closed my eyes an imagined an apple in 3d, with accurate colors to that of the image in the post. Then I remembered the image was pretty flat and almost 2D, and so I corrected my visualization to try to match the apple. I also kept the surrounding space very limited, since the apple is framed so closely in the image. I double-checked my color accuracy after opening my eyes, and felt like I was pretty on-point. I'm not sure I ever realized that people couldn't imagine images before. I just assumed some people weren't very good at it, or weren't good at remembering details, or something along those lines. I want to ask someone with aphantasia what happens when they imagine the consequences of something? For me, I frequently imagine the consequences of a car crash--like if I narrowly avoid a crash, I might imagine slightly different circumstances. I can imagine the impact, what the cars look like after. I can imagine police cars showing up and where they would park, and what vehicle they'd arrive in. I think everyone can think through the consequences of their actions, but do you have no visual representation of them at all? The more I think about it, the more I realize that basically all of my thoughts have a visual representation while I think about them. Even while coding (ex web dev)--not a very visual task--I get fuzzy visual representations of code & maybe data flow and program structure and things like that.

Waterluvian 5y ago
Thanks for sharing. That’s so fascinating. I just tried to imagine a car crash. I can see it. Rolling down a hill. But it’s a fuzzy outline, almost perpetually ephemeral. No colour or texture. Almost not there. But I do see it. When I do software dev I “feel” more than I see the abstract metaphors. I can look at code and find it to be as beautiful as a Bach cantata. Almost emotionally so sometimes. But I don’t “see” anything. This might be part of why I’m so horribly bad at UI design. I can’t see it. But when I take THC pills for sleep, my ability to see things becomes so enriched for the 20 mins or so where I’m “high” but not asleep that I actually enjoy just laying in bed daydreaming.
- mod 5y ago
  > I just tried to imagine a car crash. I can see it. Rolling down a hill. But it’s a fuzzy outline, almost perpetually ephemeral. No colour or texture. Almost not there. But I do see it. I would say I'm in the middle of that, and reality. My imagination (and also my memories) is fuzzy unless I "zoom in" on some details. I can think about a car crash without caring what make & model the other vehicle was--or, I can think about it and get a very specific idea. But by default, it's fuzzy. The details can easily change (when imagining), too, and usually do, which results in a sort of idea that has fuzzy details, because the specifics weren't even locked in. I do notice, however, that my vision in my imagination seems a lot like vision in real life. With your eye, you can only focus on a tiny point, and the peripheral is always fuzzy. You see it and you have a sense of its shape and color, etc. That's how my imagination feels--I can focus where I want, and the rest is a little vague. My imaginations can never match reality, though. Always way fuzzier, even when focused. I also have a much more vivid imagination when using THC. It's my favorite part about it.

by mod 5y ago

Waterluvian 5y ago

Thanks for sharing. That’s so fascinating. I just tried to imagine a car crash. I can see it. Rolling down a hill. But it’s a fuzzy outline, almost perpetually ephemeral. No colour or texture. Almost not there. But I do see it. When I do software dev I “feel” more than I see the abstract metaphors. I can look at code and find it to be as beautiful as a Bach cantata. Almost emotionally so sometimes. But I don’t “see” anything. This might be part of why I’m so horribly bad at UI design. I can’t see it. But when I take THC pills for sleep, my ability to see things becomes so enriched for the 20 mins or so where I’m “high” but not asleep that I actually enjoy just laying in bed daydreaming.

mod 5y ago
> I just tried to imagine a car crash. I can see it. Rolling down a hill. But it’s a fuzzy outline, almost perpetually ephemeral. No colour or texture. Almost not there. But I do see it. I would say I'm in the middle of that, and reality. My imagination (and also my memories) is fuzzy unless I "zoom in" on some details. I can think about a car crash without caring what make & model the other vehicle was--or, I can think about it and get a very specific idea. But by default, it's fuzzy. The details can easily change (when imagining), too, and usually do, which results in a sort of idea that has fuzzy details, because the specifics weren't even locked in. I do notice, however, that my vision in my imagination seems a lot like vision in real life. With your eye, you can only focus on a tiny point, and the peripheral is always fuzzy. You see it and you have a sense of its shape and color, etc. That's how my imagination feels--I can focus where I want, and the rest is a little vague. My imaginations can never match reality, though. Always way fuzzier, even when focused. I also have a much more vivid imagination when using THC. It's my favorite part about it.