Aphantasia is the inability to generate sensory images. Accordingly, those affected are unable to imagine what an apple looks like when it is not in their field of vision. Aphantasia occurs both monosensory and multisensory. In monosensory aphantasia, only individual sensory perceptions are affected, such as in visual aphantasia. Multisensory aphantasia, on the other hand, affects several or all sensory channels, meaning that those affected cannot imagine images, sounds, smells, tastes and/or touches. Aphantasia can be congenital or acquired later in life, for example through a traumatic event, a stroke or a head injury.

Aphantasia is not the absence of imagination. The term "phantasma", from which aphantasia is derived, describes only the form of sensory representation, not imagination in general. People with aphantasia can still generate non-sensory representation (= propositional thinking) in order to create imaginative stories. People with aphantasia "know" what an apple looks like without being able to imagine it. This is comparable to knowing what the symbol of Paris is without ever having seen the Eiffel Tower. Aphantasia is not a neurological disorder or disease. Rather, aphantasia describes a different way of thinking that can have both advantages and disadvantages (see: What impact does aphantasia have on daily life?). Aphantasia is therefore a component of natural neurodiversity.

Approximately 3.9% of all people report a severely limited visual imagination (= hypophantasia). 0.8% of all people report a completely absent visual imagination (= aphantasia). In research contexts, both categories are often combined.

Stell dir einen roten Apfel vor. Sind die Farben genauso lebendig wie in der Realität? Oder ist er eher matt und unscharf? Vielleicht kannst du auch gar kein Bild von einem Apfel erstellen. Dann hast du höchstwahrscheinlich Aphantasie. Ein solcher Selbsttest kann dir erste Hinweise darauf liefern, ob du Aphantasie hast. Niemand kann in den Kopf schauen und es kommt letztendlich auf deine eigenen Erfahrungen an. In der Forschung wird häufig der Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire angewendet, um den Selbstbericht von Betroffenen zu standardisieren und vergleichbar zu machen. Neben den Selbstberichtsverfahren gibt es objektive Messverfahren, die verhindern sollen, dass Betroffene ihren Selbstbericht absichtlich oder unabsichtlich verzerren, zum Beispiel weil sie unterschiedliche Kriterien für „lebendige“ Vorstellungsbilder anwenden. Diese Verfahren nutzen häufig physiologische und behaviorale Marker, wie zum Beispiel die Pupillenweitung oder die Beeinflussbarkeit der Wahrnehmung durch vorangegangene Vorstellungen, und können daher nur in einem Labor durchgeführt werden.

Imagery is a mental representation in the absence of a stimulus. People with aphantasia cannot create it on their own, but there are ways to induce such representations. An example of involuntary imagery is afterimages. To create an afterimage, stare at the point in the left image for about 30 seconds. Then switch to the point in the right image and see what happens. Afterimages are, of course, not genuine voluntary images (in fact, they are a perceptual phenomenon), but they can give aphantasists a sense of what “imagination” really means.

The causes of aphantasia are not yet fully understood. However, there are two prevailing neurological theories that allow initial predictions that are being tested in studies: The first theory assumes that in aphantasia, communication between the brain structures in the imagination network is disrupted, so that the imagination signals do not reach the visual cortex, where the signals are normally used to generate an image. The second theory assumes that the imaginative signals reach the visual cortex but cannot be interpreted there because the basic activation there is too high. This is comparable to a conversation in a club: due to the high ambient noise, the voice of the person you are talking to cannot always be understood. There is evidence for both theories and it is likely that both mechanisms work together. It is also possible that different mechanisms are responsible for the loss of imagination in different people. This can be illustrated using an electrical circuit: whether I cut a cable or smash a lightbulb, in the end the light doesn't come on.

Aphantasia tends to run in families, which has led some scientists to believe there is a genetic component. However, this may not be true, as families often share the same environmental stimuli (e.g. the same diet), which in turn may be responsible for the common occurrence of aphantasia. No "aphantasia genes" have yet been found.

So far, few effects on the everyday life of people with aphantasia have been identified. Many effects only appear in the laboratory, as the demands on the imagination can be artificially increased. In everyday life, people with aphantasia often manage to compensate for the lack of imagination with non-imagination-based strategies. People with aphantasia often report poorer autobiographical memory, as episodic details are linked to sensory impressions. However, this also has advantages, as negative events can be left behind more quickly. In line with these memory deficits, people with aphantasia repeatedly report problems with facial recognition. However, these are comparatively minor and probably only occur under difficult conditions (e.g. missing context information). In some studies, people with aphantasia show reduced emotional reactivity to non-visual stimuli (e.g., frightening narratives). Emotional reactivity to visual stimuli (e.g., frightening stimuli in the same room) is similar to that of people without aphantasia.

Laypeople often associate sensory imagination with the sense of orientation. However, studies have shown that spatial imagination is intact in people with aphantasia and therefore no limitations in the sense of orientation are to be expected. The same applies to the connection to creativity. Lay people often assume that sensory imagination is a prerequisite for creativity. However, studies show that aphantasists can also be creative. However, there may be differences in the forms of creativity. Most aphantasists also say that they can dream. There are some indications that dreams take a different form, but there does not seem to be a direct connection between sensory imagination and dream images.

Although aphantasia is not a neurological disorder or disease (see: What is aphantasia not?), some sufferers report considerable suffering. For those affected, we have listed the answers to a few other questions that we regularly receive by email. IS THERE A TREATMENT FOR APHANTASY? There are currently no treatment options for aphantasia. We therefore advise against using treatment offers on the Internet. However, it is possible to approach a therapist about the issue. However, you should bear in mind that the issue is not yet widespread and you will probably have to work on it together. The Aphantasia Network offers a guide for this purpose. I AM IN THERAPY FOR SOMETHING ELSE. CAN APHANTASY AFFECT THE SUCCESS OF THERAPY? Imagery-based methods are often used in therapy. If you feel that these do not work for you or that you cannot get involved with them, ask your therapist to use non-imagery-based alternative methods. However, an initial study has shown that aphantasics can also potentially benefit from imagery-based methods if they independently replace the imagery with alternative processes, such as mental repetition or retelling. CAN I GET COMPENSATION FOR APHANTASY? Since aphantasia is not an official diagnosis and there are hardly any restrictions in everyday life, no compensation for disadvantages can be expected for those affected. Regardless of why you are suffering from aphantasia, it can help to talk to like-minded people. Feel free to use our forum for this. We have also linked a few additional English-language resources here: Aphantasia Network Aphantasia (Non-Imager / Mental Blindness) Awareness Group on Facebook Aphantasia Support Group on Facebook The Aphantasia Artist (Art Group for Image Blind Creators) on Facebook Aphantasia! on Facebook Aphantasia on Reddit

If you would like to participate in studies on the topic of aphantasia, please register in the research database of the Aphantasia Research Project Bonn . You will be regularly informed about new studies and their results via the mailing list.