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I am aphantast, but I do not suffer from it. When I am fully conscious, I have no inner vision, but I have vivd and colorfull dreams. If I remember them, outsid

I am aphantast, but I do not suffer from it. When I am fully conscious, I have no inner vision, but I have vivd and colorfull dreams. If I remember them, outside that twilight zone shortly before full awakening. So I have an idea what it probably is like to have inner vision when fully awake. Allthough there are some disadvantages, of course. I admire people that are able to draw and paint based on their inner vision. Much more important for me was the realization that I can evoke images, scenes, etc. in other people that trigger feelings in them. Which in turn can trigger actions or omissions. Fear, joy, hate, love, disgust, lust. Which they can't do to me, at least not just by invoking visual images in my mind through words. Manipulative, but not manipulatable in this regard. With time, that came in handy. By the way, I am friends with a handful of people who suffer from schizophrenia. They say they envy me a little because in their worst phases they wished they didn't have this movie in their head. It repeats itself, over and over again. And aphantasia is a spectrum, I have known people who describe rather dull, colorless inner visions and others who can sustain them only for short periods of time. On the other hand, I met an artist who seemed to live in his own private vibrating Van Gogh painting. Judging by his descriptions. And of course, without DMT.

ThalesX 5y ago
> Much more important for me was the realization that I can evoke images, scenes, etc. in other people that trigger feelings in them. Which in turn can trigger actions or omissions. Fear, joy, hate, love, disgust, lust. Which they can't do to me, at least not just by invoking visual images in my mind through words. Manipulative, but not manipulatable in this regard. With time, that came in handy. I've also discovered this but I can only admit it to my closest friends else I'd be labeled a psychopath. There are things that trigger these kind of feelings in me, but it's more about situations than images and never in remembering something. I do have a feeling that we might be more susceptible to do really nasty deeds if push comes to shove (Nazi Germany?) so I think it's something we need to be careful about as we can be manipulated into doing things that other people might find gut wrenching just thinking about.
- Borrible 5y ago
  Which is the greater danger: the fearless few or the fearful masses? Who kills more, the ice-cold predator or the whipped-up herd of people? Of course, for hell on earth, you need both.
- kaba0 5y ago
  You can also reverse it and perhaps claim that doctors can benefit from less visceral reaction to seeing blood/internals. Though of course it is a learned behavior anyone can get better at.

ThalesX 5y ago

> Much more important for me was the realization that I can evoke images, scenes, etc. in other people that trigger feelings in them. Which in turn can trigger actions or omissions. Fear, joy, hate, love, disgust, lust. Which they can't do to me, at least not just by invoking visual images in my mind through words. Manipulative, but not manipulatable in this regard. With time, that came in handy. I've also discovered this but I can only admit it to my closest friends else I'd be labeled a psychopath. There are things that trigger these kind of feelings in me, but it's more about situations than images and never in remembering something. I do have a feeling that we might be more susceptible to do really nasty deeds if push comes to shove (Nazi Germany?) so I think it's something we need to be careful about as we can be manipulated into doing things that other people might find gut wrenching just thinking about.

Borrible 5y ago
Which is the greater danger: the fearless few or the fearful masses? Who kills more, the ice-cold predator or the whipped-up herd of people? Of course, for hell on earth, you need both.
kaba0 5y ago
You can also reverse it and perhaps claim that doctors can benefit from less visceral reaction to seeing blood/internals. Though of course it is a learned behavior anyone can get better at.