What If Your Mind’s Eye Was Blind? A Look Into Aphantasia

Let’s try something. Close your eyes for a moment and try to imagine a ripe mango on a tall mango tree.

Many people when asked to do this will instantly be able to “see” it in their mind from its bright colour, to its shape and even to its texture. However for some, nothing appears. No picture. No mental image. NOTHING. Just darkness.

This experience is what is referred to as Aphantasia.

So What Exactly Is Aphantasia? This is a condition where a person is unable to create mental images. Even though this sounds very unusual, researchers have estimated that about 2–5% of people worldwide actually live without a functioning “mind’s eye” [1]. People with aphantasia can think clearly, reason normally, and remember details .They just simply do not visualize things internally like most of us do.

The term was first coined in 2015 when neurologist Adam Zeman and colleagues described patients who were fully healthy but were unable to voluntarily summon mental images, even of familiar faces or objects [1].Certain brain imaging studies later revealed what was really happening. When people with aphantasia attempted to visualize something, the visual cortex remained far less active, unlike in people who could easily form mental pictures [2]. More recent research also has shown that aphantasia can in one way or the other affect one’s memory class, dreaming, and even how emotions are processed but does not affect intelligence or creativity [3].

Furthermore , some people are born with it (congenital aphantasia) whilst others develop it after brain injuries, psychological trauma, or during periods of severe depression. Many people with aphantasia may even go through life unaware of it. After all, we don’t usually compare how we ‘see’ things in our minds. Do we?

Some Fascinating Real Life Examples
Ed Catmull, co-founder of Pixar and former president of Walt Disney Animation Studios has revealed that he cannot visualize images at all yet he helped build one of the most visually creative companies in history [4]. Also, Blake Ross, co-creator of Mozilla Firefox, discovered his aphantasia in adulthood and wrote that he felt “blind in the mind” when he realised others literally could see images while reading or remembering [5]. Even closer to home in Ghana, Francis Nii Obodai Provençal, who is a renowned photographer and artist, does well to embody this experience beautifully through his works[6]. These stories make one thing very clear : imagination is more than just mental images or pictures. Some of us imagine through emotions, sounds, or simple ideas, and that doesn’t stop us from doing wonderful and meaningful things.

Why Does This Matter? In Ghana, awareness of aphantasia is extremely low. Many students and adults may be living with it without realising it is a recognised cognitive condition. Think about these common instructions in our classrooms: “Picture this…”, “Visualize the diagram…”, “Imagine the scene…”. For someone with aphantasia, these instructions do nothing at all. A student may struggle not because they are “not imaginative,” but because their brain simply doesn’t create mental images. A lack of awareness can lead to unnecessary frustration, self-doubt, or even anxiety disorders especially for young people who feel different but cannot explain why and as Ghana continues to improve mental health literacy, introducing concepts like aphantasia can help teachers, clinicians, and families better understand and appreciate the diverse ways people think and learn.

These are my final thoughts. Let us all be reminded that imagination doesn’t look the same for everyone. You don’t need mental pictures to learn well, to be creative, or to succeed. What we need in Ghana is simple awareness so people whose minds work differently can understand themselves without feeling inferior. Not visualising a sunset or a familiar face doesn’t mean your imagination is missing. No, it just means your mind uses other tools such as ideas, facts, emotions, sounds and those are just as powerful.

As we learn more about aphantasia, the goal as a people should be understanding and acceptance.

References
1.Zeman, A., Dewar, M., & Della Sala, S. (2015). Lives without imagery. Congenital aphantasia. Cortex, 73, 378–380. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2015.05.019

2. Keogh, R., & Pearson, J. (2018). The blind mind: No sensory visual imagery in aphantasia. Cortex, 105, 53–60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2018.05.019

3.Dawes, A. et al. (2020). Aphantasia: Characteristics, cognition, and perspective taking. Cognition, 204, 104395. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2020.104395

4.Gallagher, J. (2019). Aphantasia: Ex-Pixar chief Ed Catmull says “my mind’s eye is blind”. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/health-47830256

5.Ross, B. (2016). Aphantasia: “I can’t visualize images.” Personal blog. https://blog.blakeross.com/aphantasia

6.Nii Obodai , The Photographic Collective. (n.d.). About Nii Obodai. https://www.thephotographiccollective

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