Aphantasia: What is it?

I have a question for you guys. What do you do when you're reading? What experiences do you guys have?

I ask this question for a very specific reason: aphantasia. You know, this time last week I didn't even know that aphantasia existed. I bet a lot of you guys didn't either. You're probably asking, "how does this relate to books and reading?" Well, I'll tell you now.

Aphantasia is the inability to visualise mental images! I was bewildered when I heard about this from a friend for the first time. We were discussing Truthwitch by Susan Dennard when she revealed that she couldn't actually picture the characters or what was happening in the book in her mind. Whereas, when I read a book, I can see what's happening in the book as if there is a movie of it playing before my eyes. So, think of it this way okay:

Close your eyes and try to picture an apple in your mind. See the apple. Can you move it around and see it from all sides? Can you see the colour, the texture of the apple? Or can you not see anything at all? I know I can. In fact, I can do all of those things. However, my friend can't. Honestly, it's mad!

So many people go through life not knowing that this is an actual thing. Personally, I genuinely believed that everybody could see the events taking place within the book in their mind, as if watching a movie!

This is only one aspect of aphantasia, however. Many people who experience aphantasia are not able to visualise images in their mind, but they are also unable to recall sounds, smells or sensations of touch. Some people even have difficulty recognising faces.

So there you have it - a small piece of bewildering information for you all. The inability to visualise mental images is called aphantasia, and many people go through their lives not knowing about it at all.

Let me know your opinions in the comments! Can you see what's happening in a book in the comments?