Aphantasia

I wasn't aware.You're a good forum member.You'll be missed.

I have a similar experience. I'm a musician, writer and actor, but I don't find thinking in images natural for me at all. I'm much more physical. I mainly write, compose and perform best when I'm in the moment and not thinking about it mentally. 

Ground control to Major Plastic. Ground control to Major Plastic. Planet Earth is blue and and there's nothing you can do...

Wow, this is an interesting post! I didn't know what this was until I read your post. I'm a musician, writer and actor, but I don't find thinking in images natural for me. I'm much more physical. I mainly write, compose and perform best when I'm in the moment and not thinking about it mentally. If I try to create images in my mind, it's a real struggle to maintain them and the effort required is exhausting and counter-productive. I'm okay with single objects, words or simple phrases, but not with whole images of places, memories etc. 

I'm trying - don't know if you're aware I have terminal cancer.    They stopped the chemo yesterday..     I'm a bit like an astronaut with a cut umbilical floating off into space.

Thanks. I hope you're  keeping as well as possible.

Welcome back!   Not seen your name on the forum in ages!

 I was hoping for more research findings about Aphantasia & ASD. I get the feeling it's been abandoned as an area of research.

I remember being in an online lecture about autism and one of the things that struck me is that autistic folks often either have aphantasia or hyperphantasia. I'm an artist, I have a very vivid imagination and vivid, fantastical dreams. But I do struggle a lot with 'theory of mind' and get annoyed when people act in illogical ways. So I may have a bit of aphantasia in certain aspects of life.

i have aphantasia and im autistic, id always wondered the link!! ive always presumed that my aphantasia was as bad as it is because of my autism (im completely aphantasiac) so :D 

I read this and the link when you originally posted it, and was fascinated.  I'm an artist and always have thought of myself as imaginative, creatively and practically.  When I first started to realise that ASD was at the root of my issues with life I thought that the general-isms of lack of empathy and lack of imagination did not apply to me, but now I wonder sometimes.

When I actually pause and think I have become aware that I can't visualise  anything much in my minds eye, I think there is a vague abstract hodge podge of the thing I am imagining, a bit Picasso cubist, but the more I examine this I'm not sure that is even there, I may just be 'seeing' what I know, not an image at all.

I am confused by this and find it quite hard to think about so I apologise if it doesn't make much sense.  I also wonder if it relates to my art as many people have asked me where my imagery comes from, to which the short answer is 'I don't know' and also if I work from an idea or a sketch which is completely alien to me and no I don't.  My work is like a dance or a conversation that has a random beginning and it's own energy and logic to be juggled along the way.

Certainly food for thought.

Sorry to repeat the same image but I wanted to include some work for context of what I'm talking about and it is the only one I have resized to post on here.   Is it possible that I can create that and have no imagination????

Just thought I'd add to this though I doubt anyone will reply.  Here is a small poll(so far)  I've done at wrong planet.

https://wrongplanet.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=332887

The % with aphantasia is currently 21% which is significantly higher than the 2% found in the general population.