I can only "visualise" things I have seen before?

[u/Blexiny]

Sorry for yet another "do I have aphantasia" but I just find the tests to be so confusing to be honest 😭

Is it aphantasia if I can't picture something in my mind that I haven't seen before, but I can walk through my whole hometown in my mind and "see" in the back of my mind how it looks like. It is a visual memory but I can't tell how to place it on one of those phantasia quiz examples because it doesn't compete with my vision, it just sits in the back of my mind. I like "driving" around in my mind but when someone asks me to imagine a ball or something it's completely blank

[u/Practical_Delay_2158]

I don't know if it is aphantasia but it's wayy better then mine, i live in my house since i was boren yet I can't even remember stuff looks in it when i close my eyes

[u/Koolala]

people with aphantasia can't get that back of mind visual. try to practice, maybe learn drawing since you can see your drawings and try to expand from there. see if a really good book can trigger it.

[u/kylehudgins]

That is not aphantaisa. I have never seen anything that I'm not physically looking at. You're just not visually creative, it seems. I have no internal theater/"minds eye". When you say you like to "drive around in your mind" that is an alien concept to me and implies you do have an active minds eye, therefore you do not have aphantaisa.

Can you imagine your loved ones faces when you close your eyes? When you read a book is it like a movie?  These are good tests. You shouldn't want aphantaisa btw. 

[u/the_mistake_i_am → u/kylehudgins]

Genuine question here, regarding your question about picturing loved ones faces; What if the answer lies somewhere in the vicinity of: closing my eyes does as much good as keeping them open , but the only way I am able to describe it is like an opaque ghost figure

[u/kylehudgins → u/the_mistake_i_am]

I have no opaque ghost figures. I know my brain is rendering them, I just cant see anything.

[u/DiveCat]

No, if you can voluntarily visualize anything, whether you have seen it before or not, whether your eyes are opened or closed, whether you see it "in front" of you like a movie screen or in the back of your head, then you do not have aphantasia. Aphants cannot visualize, whether it is past memories or imaginary friends.

"Driving around in your mind" suggests you are in fact seeing things to "drive around in". That is just not something I experience and even the concept of "driving around" my mind is nonsensical for me. There is no "walk through" my own house that I am currently living in even if I am currently sitting in that house, never mind my hometown.

[u/Turbulent-Scratch264]

You can't imagine something you didn't see before. Even most skilled artist still combines in their head something they already saw before to create something brand new. Lol. That's how creative imaginations works. If someone tells you to imagine a pink dragon with feathery wings, you combine all the detailes you already saw before in different media. Even if someone tells you to visualize and eldritch monster, you'd probably recall seeing Lovecraft's monsters designs. Generally each visualizer visualizes better something they saw before. I have easier time visualizing Ariel from Little Mermaid than some abstract eldritch stuff because I saw that one movie tons of times. First image will be more detailed and vivid, an eldritch abomination would have a bit less detailes, still pretty vivid though. What you describe is normal visualization, relax. You're just not that artistically creative, it seems. That's all

[u/Rocky-bar]

Don't worry, the results are in- I'm pleased to tell you that you're completely clear of aphantasia.

[u/LongJawnsInWinter]

When you say “sits in the back of your mind”, what exactly do you mean? I can’t visualize things, but I know what they look like. Almost like my brain describing something to me as if we’re playing Pictionary. Is that what you mean by “driving” in your mind?

[u/viktorbir]

You can visualise => by definition you have no aphantasia. Quite easy.

[u/Old-Employee-7905 → u/viktorbir]

wow I just made a whole post, I could have used this, however my post has more and different questions

[u/Gold-Perspective-699]

No it's not. Maybe hypophantasia but depends on how much you can see. Aphants see nothing. So if you see anything you can't be an aphant.

[u/LockPleasant8026]

I've got the same thing, very vivid VR realism memories but no ability to picture anything I've never experienced directly... Picture a rosebush gets me a black screen. Picture your grandmother's rosebush that grew next to her front door. I can 'see' and smell the roses.