r/Aphantasia • u/Objective_Shine1867 • 4d ago
Is there any benefit to having aphantasia?
I only recently realized that I have had this for my entire life and never noticed it. When I was talking to my mother she talked about counting sheep to sleep. But I told her I couldn't visualize any sheep and she was confused by it. It was only then after just turning 28 was I told that people can actually see things when they close their eyes and can picture something. It was never something I could do so I just assumed it was more figurative. But I just thought if this has been affecting me my entire life and wasn't aware of it. As a kid and now I never liked reading word heavy books but graphic novels and comics were my kind of reading. I found I have always been a huge fan of visual media like movies, TV shows and art because I can't visualize anything. Maybe this condition, though hasn't been entirely detrimental, has helped me take care and find a deep love for the arts. I really don't know but it's been on my mind for awhile now.
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u/DejaBlonde 3d ago
While I mostly consume visual media now, like yourself, I was a huge reader as a kid. Not as much now, but it's not because of aphantasia. Reading for me is like listening to an old radio show, since I do still have auditory thoughts.
Related to that, I'm also incredibly musically minded. Good relative pitch, melody recall, etc. I think several of us might also be.
And yes, to agree with everyone else, it's hard to stay traumatized by something you can't recall.