Aphantasics - Those Who Can’t See Mental Images
Huh, so I’ve had this thing in the back of my mind for a lifetime where I have little interest in seeing things in real life such as going on safari as I know what an elephant looks like, and can picture it in its context.
As soon as I close my eyes, what I see are not everyday objects, animals, and vehicles, but the dark underside of my eyelids. I can’t willingly form the faintest of images in my mind.
Larissa MacFarquhar wrote a fascinating article about aphantasia (and its opposite, hyperphantasia) for the New Yorker: Some People Can’t See Mental Images. The Consequences Are Profound.