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I have a bad visual memory. But when I remember things, instead of seeing things, it’s a general sense of knowing, and at times a sense of feeling. If you aske

I have a bad visual memory. But when I remember things, instead of seeing things, it’s a general sense of knowing, and at times a sense of feeling. If you asked me what it was like on the beach last weekend, I could tell you it was sandy, there was a vivid sunset, and there were a lot of people. I don’t see these things, I just know them. If you asked me to describe the sunset in more detail, I might recall moments that stood out to me (there was this moment when the sun was creating this mile-long reflection from a building on the other side of the water), but that highlight is separate from the general recollection of the experience, i.e. it doesn’t come from looking back at the sunset itself, it’s an independent thing that stands out in my mind about the experience. I don’t believe I actually “hear” sounds/my inner dialog, but sounds are easier to work with in my head. I’m musically inclined, and good at improvising on the piano. But I think the sounds I “hear” are closer to a reflection of the feelings I feel when hearing those sounds. This is hard to describe, but if I wanted to intentionally imagine a melody, I can almost feel it in the back of my throat, as if my imagination of the sound is the feeling of what it’d be like to make that sound with my own voice. I do get songs stuck in my head, but within this framework of imagining the feelings associated with the sounds. I used to think I could hear these sounds, but closer observation over the years since I realized I have visual Aphantasia has revealed that it’s not so clear-cut. In the same way I thought I was “visualizing” by bringing feelings/knowledge about something to the surface. I have an over-active internal dialog, but this also seems to manifest as some kind of reflection of the feelings associated with the thoughts. I understand the thoughts I’m thinking, but they’re more ephemeral than a voice.

reportgunner 3y ago
I have this thing when often I recall a visual representation of something I have somewhere randomly seen looking at it subconsciously after someone is looking for it. Just today a colleague was looking for AA batteries and told me we have none. An image of a 20 pack of green AA batteries laying on a white-grey shelf popped up in my head, I had no idea where or when I saw it but I knew it was real. I checked three shelves of similar color with similar light conditions and there it was, a 20 pack of green AA batteries. It's hard to describe the "image" I "see", it is very focused on the center of the image and the information is progressively "lost" towards the edges of the image, as if there was no edge to it like in real photos or virtual pictures. (kinda like vignette but with information)
- vidarh 3y ago
  The thing is, I tend to remember very specific details of what things look like even though I can't see them at all. In fact, I pointed out on another thread that I'm very fuzzy about the layout of code and things like syntax highlighting because my memory of code is largely driven by remember "visual" shapes of methods etc., even though I can't actually see them when they're not in front of me. So the recall appears to be largely decoupled from actually seeing the images. Interestingly, my recall appears to be more "abstract" and "cleaned up". E.g. I remember vividly (notice how often these words pop up, and I use them all the time myself, but just remember when I use them I use them in a more abstract sense) an exercise in art class at school where we were given the task of first drawing our shoes without looking under the desk, and then we were told to take a shoe off and put it in front of us and draw it. I can remember clearly how the two drawings looked, but can't see them. The one I drew from memory had clear, firm lines, and was very precise, and the shading and shadows were idealised. It looked like a cartoon-shoe in a way - it was too tidy and clean to be the "real thing". The one I drew with my shoe in front of me had messy lines and shadows that reflected the light of the room at the time, and was far closer to an impressionist drawing. It was marginally closer to the real thing, but it wasn't "better" as art, just a very different style. But the important bit to me is that in retrospect it's a demonstration that my recall of visual memories is there, and I can access them even if I can't see them.

reportgunner 3y ago

I have this thing when often I recall a visual representation of something I have somewhere randomly seen looking at it subconsciously after someone is looking for it. Just today a colleague was looking for AA batteries and told me we have none. An image of a 20 pack of green AA batteries laying on a white-grey shelf popped up in my head, I had no idea where or when I saw it but I knew it was real. I checked three shelves of similar color with similar light conditions and there it was, a 20 pack of green AA batteries. It's hard to describe the "image" I "see", it is very focused on the center of the image and the information is progressively "lost" towards the edges of the image, as if there was no edge to it like in real photos or virtual pictures. (kinda like vignette but with information)

vidarh 3y ago
The thing is, I tend to remember very specific details of what things look like even though I can't see them at all. In fact, I pointed out on another thread that I'm very fuzzy about the layout of code and things like syntax highlighting because my memory of code is largely driven by remember "visual" shapes of methods etc., even though I can't actually see them when they're not in front of me. So the recall appears to be largely decoupled from actually seeing the images. Interestingly, my recall appears to be more "abstract" and "cleaned up". E.g. I remember vividly (notice how often these words pop up, and I use them all the time myself, but just remember when I use them I use them in a more abstract sense) an exercise in art class at school where we were given the task of first drawing our shoes without looking under the desk, and then we were told to take a shoe off and put it in front of us and draw it. I can remember clearly how the two drawings looked, but can't see them. The one I drew from memory had clear, firm lines, and was very precise, and the shading and shadows were idealised. It looked like a cartoon-shoe in a way - it was too tidy and clean to be the "real thing". The one I drew with my shoe in front of me had messy lines and shadows that reflected the light of the room at the time, and was far closer to an impressionist drawing. It was marginally closer to the real thing, but it wasn't "better" as art, just a very different style. But the important bit to me is that in retrospect it's a demonstration that my recall of visual memories is there, and I can access them even if I can't see them.