Can Aphantasia Be Cured?

My thoughts after working with aphantasic and hypophantasic individuals for 6 years.

Aphantasia, the inability to visualize mental images, has been gaining some massive attention since it's coining back in 2015 as more people discover and discuss their experiences with this phenomenon. The question that remains on many minds is, can aphantasia be cured? To attempt to answer this, we must not only dig deep into the nature of mental imagery and cognition, but also be willing to tread new ground. We have to be willing to explore and dissect the potential for enhancing or altering how our conscious minds perceive visual information within our thoughts.

This post isn't meant to be a definitive answer, rather, a starting point for an important line of inquiry.

Understanding Aphantasia

In order to begin attempting to answer the question "can aphantasia be cured?", We must first have a rock solid understanding of what aphantasia even is. Aphantasia, defined simply, is the inability to experience mental imagery at will. Unlike their phantasic counterparts, aphantasics are unable to generate (or more accurately: experience) visual details in memories or imagined scenarios in their thoughts. Instead of having an impression of a black cat and what it would look like in their mind, aphantasics would experience only the thought of the words "black cat". No sense of color. No shape. No perspective. Only descriptions. This condition can be complete, where no visual imagery is possible, or partial, with limited visualization ability.

Different Types of Visual Imagery

Next, let's take a brief look at a point of utmost importance: the reality that there exist different types of visual imagery experiences.

This is something I've worked tirelessly on for the past 6 years. Early on, I realized that there was a huge difference in experience in what we call mind's eye (visual imagery in thought alone. Not physically experienced), and what I termed "Prophantasia" (visual imagery experienced within one's physical field of view). The difference between the regular mind's eye and the experience of prophantasia lies in placement of the imagery.

In the mind's eye, images are typically internal and imagined, existing only in the mental space without being perceived in the external environment. You could say the mind's eye is the sense of visual elements, without ever actually seeing anything.

Prophantasia, however, takes this a step further, allowing individuals to project these mental images into their physical surroundings as if they were physical objects, like seeing a hologram. This externalized visualization presents a wholly unique experience when compared to the internal experience of the mind's eye. Prophantasia is an immersive experience that presents itself within one's environment.

That being said, over the past 6 years I have seen consistent confusion surrounding the differences between these two distinct experiences. This has inadvertently led many people who may not be aphantasic after all to believe they are full blown aphantasics. In other words, before deciding that you experience aphantasia, make sure to do everything you can to grasp the concepts of the differences between mind's eye and projected imagery. Just because one sees only black when they close their eyes does not necessarily mean they lack a mind's eye, but most certainly means they lack prophantasia.

Here's a visual representation of how each of these experiences occurs within our minds or visual field:

Okay, with all that out of the way, now we can look at whether or not aphantasia can be "cured".

The Neuroscience Behind Aphantasia

Research into the neurological basis of aphantasia is still in its early stages, and we need way more data to be able to make any hard conclusions. Studies so far suggest that differences in brain activity, particularly in the visual cortex and areas related to memory, might play a role. Functional MRI (fMRI) scans have shown that people with aphantasia often exhibit less activity in these regions when attempting to visualize. These findings indicate that the brain processes visual information differently in individuals with aphantasia. There also seems to be a reliance on a part of the brain associated with linguistic recall. This could help explain why most aphantasics experience their thoughts in primarily words and descriptors. So can this be changed?

The Plastic Brain

One fundamental concept which I delved into for years prior to exploring aphantasia was the concepts of "neuroplasticity" and "neurogenesis".

Neuroplasticity refers to the brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections, while neurogenesis is the process of generating new neurons. These concepts suggest that with targeted exercises and persistent effort, it might be possible to enhance the brain's visualization capabilities. Similar to the changes in the brain caused by learning a new skill or language. By consistently engaging in visualization practices, individuals with aphantasia could potentially stimulate these processes, creating new neural pathways, gradually improving their ability to form mental images.

What Seems to Be Working So Far

While I can't give a final answer yet to the question "can aphantasia be cured?", it does seem like, at the very least, aphantasia can be adjusted. Over the past 6 years I've worked with near 100 individuals 1:1, and the success rate of those students experience something new visually in their thoughts, even very slightly, is over 90%. So what exactly did we do to cause new thought types to begin to occur? Here are some of the through-lines.

Exploring Techniques

1. Words and Senses Exercises: Most of the exercises lean heavily on combining using words to describe sensory information. For instance, describing one's environment in detail. My thought upon starting this work in 2018 was if we can get those two areas of the brain firing simultaneously, maybe we can create some overlap in processing. This has proven a critical strategy as the years went on.

2. Metacognition: Somewhere along the line, I realized everything pivoted on this singular concept. Metacognition is defined as "the ability to analyze and dissect one's thoughts". I realized along the journey, that even if someone's brain was producing new neural activity associated with mental imagery, if they lacked the metacognition to be able to recognize it, it would be as if that experience was absent to their conscious mind. It's a really tricky, but ultimately crucial, piece to this puzzle.

3. The importance of Journaling/Logging Changes: Another odd thing that happens is this: if one doesn't make an effort to record the experiences which are outside of their norm, after some time it will be as if they never happened in the first place. I've seen it many times, initially a student wouldn't recall their breakthroughs, and would report nothing had changed, only for the memory of the breakthrough to come rushing back which turned out to be a game changing visual thought experience. They failed to record or write down this new experience, so the conscious mind defaulted back to what it was used to: not being able to visualize. The memory had almost slipped away for good. So journaling any tiny change whatsoever proves to be incredibly important.

So to put it simply, it seems that the experience of aphantasia does not necessarily have a cure (at least not yet), but one may be able to make progress in developing visual imagery, much like learning an instrument.

The Importance of Acceptance, Adaptation, and Persistence

Even without a definitive aphantasia cure, many people with aphantasia lead fulfilling lives by developing cognitive strategies and embracing their unique way of thinking. It's actually very helpful to approach attempting to alter the aphantasic experience with this as a foundation. You may want and desire change, but even without it you're okay. Approaching the growth process in this way removes much of the internal tension and frustration, which can impede progress and cloud perception. It's essential to recognize and respect neurodiversity, appreciating that different cognitive experiences contribute to the richness of human thought and creativity. For some, aphantasia can even be an advantage, providing a more focused cognitive environment free from distracting mental images. For those who are content, let them be more empowered in their experience. For those who desire a means to change, let them explore without hindrance!

The Road Ahead

The future of aphantasia research holds promise, as does the concept of being able to change one's experience. I personally have amassed enough anecdotal evidence that aphantasia can be at least slightly altered to warrant a deeper scientific exploration to that possibility. As scientists continue to explore the brain's workings, new techniques and therapies may emerge that can help enhance mental imagery for those who desire it. However, the claim of a definitive "cure" should be approached with caution, as we are no where near that point yet, even within my own work.

So, Can Aphantasia be Cured?

The answer is not so straightforward. While there is no definitive cure at present, various methods like visualization exercises, cognitive strategies, and technological interventions offer potential ways to improve mental imagery. Embracing the diversity of human cognition and understanding that aphantasia is a unique way of experiencing the world is crucial. By fostering an environment that values different cognitive styles, we can support each other in navigating the diverse landscape of human perception.

For those interested in learning more about this topic, and the techniques and exercises used in my coaching programs, my blog post here offers a vast amount of insights into visualization training and related experiences. My commitment to keep my information open-source remains steadfast!

And to explore working with me directly, please visit this page of my website.