I (still) don’t see anything when I close my eyes
That’s right, I have no visualization ability.
I wrote a fair amount about it here back in 1999, and nothing really has changed. I’m mostly adding a pointer to it from my blog here because I often get email from people who discovered the page and I don’t have time to reply to it all, so I want people to be able to leave comments or talk to each other about it here.
One person did point me at the work of Stephen Kosslyn, which looks like it might be interesting (I haven’t checked it out myself). His book The Case for Mental Imagery seems like a good place to start.
February 16th, 2010 at 7:32 pm
I just wanted to say that you aren’t alone. I have suffered with this condition for 26 years of my life, becoming ‘aware’ of it during early childhood. I was diagnosed at age 13 by my specialist eye doctor with having a visual processing disability. All of the symptoms you describe are exactly the same, and are common in people with these type of disabilities. Generally it can make learning very difficult, though a good many children manage to overcome the issues by training their brain to process visual information in an auditory manner. For instance sound information (the sounds of words, numbers, people’s names and places) can help you replace and trigger retaining of your brain and lesson the difficulty trying to visualize can cause. My doctor described it as often seeing children in class with their eyes shut ”grimacing to see something they just can’t bring into focus. a blankness”. Most children struggle to learn, especially around those that cannot understand the condition. It can cause other issues later in life, such as the ability to have a good sense of direction, driving, telling right from left, reading, and mathematical skills. Those that were discovered to have this condition were often placed in a visual training program to assist children and ease the difficulty it provides. It may require glasses and other brain exercises. It was never reversable for me, but coping with it managed to help me be successful in education. The problem can be entirely related to how the eyes process information or relating to the learning disability itself with various degrees of severity. You have been successful in life, even with having visualization difficulties, but if you are ever very interested in what the cause of the problem is speaking with someone specializing in visual processing disorders would help.
February 20th, 2010 at 9:32 am
I too have never been able to visualise, just cant imagine. Am 40yrs old, found school and learning a breeze. I dream and often see things before I fall to sleep, just cant imagine. I dont think I was disadvantaged through lack of visualisation, more so frustrated at realizing the difference between others and myself and not understanding why.
March 2nd, 2010 at 12:39 am
So strange i stumbled upon this. I am the exact same way, which may seem odd considering I am a graphic design major. My drawing skills are terrible, but by drawing skills i mean my ability to render something accurately from memory. I do believe that I have other skills that are superior though, such as orientation, and being able to recall practically anyone I encounter. The part that has always bothered me is this. I grew up my whole life with a close family, seeing my parents almost everyday of my life. Yet, when i close my eyes and think, really, really hard, I cannot make out a face to my own parents. I mean, I can, but it comes and goes in and out of my mind. Another odd fact, I dream every night. vividly. I can recall my dreams every morning. crazy mind’s.
March 17th, 2010 at 3:53 am
Hi everyone. My name is Bob emailing from Corvallis Oregon.
I’ve had this problem all my life. It is comforting to know that I am not alone. Was so relieved to read Dan’s detailed account and my experience matches his exactly, as it does with the others who have commented here.
Some of the limitations of this affliction I notice the most include: Bad sense of direction (Thank God for navigation systems!!!!
) Unable to draw from memory. Unable to decribe well a physical description of someone.Would absolutely fail as an eyewitness to a crime. If I had to help police render a sketch of the criminal, I would do so poorly I would probably be viewed as a suspect!
What bothers me the most about this affliction is when I close my eyes at night, I can’t picture anyone or anything yet can dream just fine. It especially bothers me that I cannot see my wife or my cat when I close my eyes. I think this makes me more frustrated because when they are not around I miss them all the more because I can’t carry their image with me. Also very disorganzied with stuff. Maybe those who can remember where everything is in their house is, are more likely to care about organization and even neatness????
Not be able to store images makes me sometimes avoid sight seeing because I know that no matter how many great things I see, I won’t be able to see them later in my minds eye.
Now, there some advantages to this affliction. In the same sense that a blind man has a stronger sense of smell and touch, I think this is the case here as well. For example, I can recall conversations much better then most. Hear the voices of all the people I know in my mind. I’ve had to verbalize often to myself to substitute for the lack of visuals. For example I may say to myself when parking my car “Bob, your Blue Honda is parked in lot B-3 near a red car” This probably accounts for my verbal skills being strong since I have to use them so often.
On a lighter note, one additional benefit is the added joy of watching movies more then once: I love watching my favorite movies over and over and over again. While I may have the dialog down and recognize everything I see, there is that part of my brain due to this affliction that gets the thrill of seeing those visuals again and again since I can’t see them in my mind’s eye.
I could go on but I will stop now except to say this. I would give anything to find a cure for this affliction or a treatment. Would also love to chat perhaps on Facebook or something if anyone is interested. If you are, please email me at: bobm174@yahoo.com and I’ll send you an invite. Know it may be hard for many to share this, but I would find it very theraputic.
Thanks,
Bob
March 20th, 2010 at 7:08 pm
I can actually visualize stuff in my head when I think about it, but it’s hard to compare it to anything because I haven’t like, lived in anyone else’s head. If I close my eyes and think about, say, what my brother looks like, I can. I can’t actually SEE it because my eyes are closed, but I have a pretty good idea of how it would look.
As far as reading a novel and imagining how everything looks, it can actually get kind of annoying. When I read a book, I have to imagine what everything looks like, what the people look like, the scenery, etc. It’s great when you want to bring yourself into the text. However, whenever a movie remake of the book comes out, my memories of how everything looks are just shattered and replaced by the movie ones, so that’s a little bit frustrating.
I am left-brained though and have no artistic skills whatsoever. Like you said, I can draw kinda well when I’m looking right at something, but if I try to draw from memory, the lines get smudged together and I can only see one part of the object at a time without looking at the whole thing.
March 29th, 2010 at 11:24 am
i cant see anything when close my eyes.
i can imagine fine but can’t visualize.
i have very sharp and intelligente mind and have a phd degree in civil engineering, but nothing is in my closed eye.
i didnt know this was a problem till married. i known that my wife easely see every thing in her mind.
i think that it is somethg in our right hemisphere of mind.
March 31st, 2010 at 6:09 pm
I’m really excited to have found this thread. I have wondered for a long time about my inability to visualise and stumbled across this site during a bit of a google research.
I was always a bit of an over achiever at school and drove a few of my friends crazy because I never studied or really applied myself, but I think it was because I have a great memory for things I have heard or read, so the traditional “reading a text book, listening to a teacher” method of schooling is perfect for me. I am hopeless as far as anything visual is thrown into the mix.
The first time I realised something was a little different in my head was when I was about 7. I remember learning about estimation and I was really confused about why other kids in the class who I normally outdid were able to estimate things better than me. I guess it’s because I can’t visualise anything well enough to predict a logical estimate.
I have the worst sense of direction in the world. I have absolutely no comprehension of where north or south would be, and no ability to remember anything I have seen to get my bearings if I am lost. It’s not because I don’t pay attention, I have honestly devoted a whole lot of time and energy to learning how to get around easily – it is simply beyond me! It is bad to the point where if I go somewhere regularly I can learn by way by intellectualising it – that is, I can learn “turn right after the Mcdonalds, turn left at the third round-about, stop after the “40″ sign…” however my comprehension of anything I haven’t specifically identified as MY landmark is so bad that if one day I was going to the same place I’d driven to many times, and the “40″ sign had been removed since my last visit, I would probably drive on until I came to another sign or the end of the road! The first time I realised this was a problem for me was the day I got my license – I was driving to school, the same school I’d attended and been dropped-off at for almost two years, and realised that when I was driving there myself I didn’t know how to get there. Very strange!
I was really relieved to see that Thomas noted specifically that he can’t imagine his family. I’ve spent a lot of time feeling quite guilty at not being able to form a mental image of the people I really care about. I can recall the details like “green eyes, brown hair, button nose” and can obviously recognise people, or pictures of people… but to actually imagine what someone looks like without seeing a picture, even my partner who I see every day, is quite impossible for me.
I also had a chuckle about Bob’s comment that he would be a terrible police witness. I’ve often watched crime shows and thought “wow, I would get grilled so hard by the bad cop for my complete lack of helpful information. They would probably lock me up!”
I’ve so far agreed with more or less everything that all the posters here have said, except for the comments about dreams. I can’t visualise when I’m dreaming either. It’s kind of strange, but I might be having a dream about my family for instance, and when I wake up and can still remember it clearly, I will have been dreaming about a whole range of people, and been completely aware of who each person in my dream was, however when I think about the actual visual of them, all of the people were just kind of like crash-test dummies. Just blank human shaped blobs, who all look pretty much the same, only I know exactly who each of the blobs represented.
Anyway, sorry if I’ve gone on a bit… I’m just fascinated to have read about other peoples’ experiences of this as I thought it was a pretty rare thing. So much so that I thought I may have broken an entire section of my brain at some point!
If anyone knows how to improve whatever seems to be failing for us all, I’d be really interested!
April 5th, 2010 at 6:45 pm
Just read your post Kate. As I said in my previous posting, I too would love to find a way to
treat/improve this condition. Some of my goals include:
1) Finding a cure if that is possible.
2) Finding an expert in the field who has the expertise to diagnose, counsel, treat, cure etc.
3) Finding more websites like these to communicate with others who share this affliction.
4) Having a chat/conversation with those who share in this.
I will share one more self-observation. I find myself to be an extremely talkative person. May even so far as to say I’m a “talkoholic!”
I think it is because I rely on my strong verbal side to make up for my lack of visual recall that I always feel starved for conversation.
Bob
April 15th, 2010 at 8:00 pm
I’m like this, too. I’m 37, and it makes me sad that I can’t remember my late mother’s face without looking at a picture of her.
April 29th, 2010 at 7:39 pm
I have wondered for a long time if there were other people out there that had the same affliction I had. Described in Dan’s blog is quite an accurate account of how my minds eye has been working all these years too.
I have attempted to visualise with my eyes closed, and all I see is black empty space, however, with my eyes open and trying to visualise things, I have these fleeting spectres of images what you could call silhouettes of shapes. Never in colour and always black with no discernible detail. The silhouettes are so vague it’s frustrating.
I remember the first time I became aware of this inability to visualise was back at university and I was struggling as a student to retain the copious amounts of information being dished out. I started talking to other students and
It’s funny, how sometimes when I dream – which is not very often – I can see everything so clearly, but when awake, the ability disappears like the reality of the dream itself.
It’s comforting in the thought that I’m not the only one out there that is unable to visualise, and to be able to not only share but to understand what someone else has been going through.
April 29th, 2010 at 8:21 pm
Take two
I have wondered for a long time if there were other people out there that had the same affliction I had. Described in Dan’s blog is quite an accurate account of how my minds eye has been working all these years too.
I have attempted to visualise with my eyes closed, and all I see is black empty space, however, with my eyes open and trying to visualise things, I have these fleeting spectres of images, what you could call silhouettes of shapes. Never in colour and always black with no discernible detail. The silhouettes are so vague it’s frustrating.
I remember the first time I became aware of this inability to visualise was back at university and I was struggling as a student to retain the copious amounts of information being dished out. I started talking to other students and they all described to me that they were able to visualise, and so I spoke with some lecturers, because surely they would have come across someone with this situation before.
One lecturer did say that not all people could visualise in colour, but sometimes in black and white. She recommended a learning therapist, but he was no use, as he suggested a way to improve my learning was to use visual stimuli, so things had to be written down and in colour. What an irony that was.
Also, when I dream – which is not very often – I can see everything so clearly, but when awake, the ability disappears like the reality of the dream itself.
On a funny note: I have been a police witness and I had to identify a mug shot of the culprit… Let’s just say I identified incorrectly. They all looked the same to me. However, I reckon if they were in a line up then I could have identified the person accurately.
It’s comforting in the thought that I’m not the only one out there that is unable to visualise, and to be able to not only share but to understand what someone else has been going through.
Like Bob, I would love find a cure for this…Not being able to picture your friends an family seems to be unjust.
May 18th, 2010 at 4:20 pm
Dan,
Wanted to say that I clicked on the suggested link to Doctor Stephen Kosslyn at Harvard and ended up sending him an email. I made reference to this blog and shared my experiences. He ended up emailing me back and included 4 test questions to help determine whether one has some sort of visual ability.
I’ve decided to cut and past this below. I ended up getting the first 3 questions wrong but was able to answer the last question. I did point out to the good Doctor that in answering the last question, at no time did I feel I was engaged in visualizing.
Bob
————-
From Doctor Kosslyn:
Greetings..
Thank you for contacting me. I’ve received such letters from time to time, and have even had some people come into the lab to be tested. I have yet to find anyone who does not have any form of imagery. Try answering the following, if you will:
What shape are Mickey Mouse’s ears?
Which is darker green, iceberg lettuce or spinach?
In which hand does the Statue of Liberty hold the torch?
Using imagery to answer each of these questions draws on a different brain system, and some people can answer the second two but not the first (which relies on the sort of imagery that most people think of as “imagery”). Could you answer any of them? Or, can you decide what letter an upper case version of “n” is when rotated 90 deg clockwise? That requires yet another form of imagery.
So.. Could you do any of these?
Thanks for your interest.
June 24th, 2010 at 3:16 am
I’m so glad I found this thread!!
I’m 16 and have been starting to realize that I can’t draw upon my memories right. I can retain information about events in my life (who/what/when/where) but I can’t see it. I can’t see faces when I close my eyes. I can’t relive the happy or sad moments I’ve had. I don’t even remember much about anything longer than a year ago.
I’m just glad to know that I’m not alone, and that I can figure this out.
It’s the saddest thing to sit with your friends while they talk about years past while you just kinda shrug, not really remembering what they’re talking about. People, Places, Happy Times. If they happened, I didn’t know about it..
July 27th, 2010 at 6:04 am
So glad I found this thread. I too have very low visualisation and learning skills. Actually educational theorists know about the different styles of learning and that people have different levels of each learning style – but I think I am unusually low on the visual learning.
From memory, the differen learning styles are:
Visual – people see pictures and use visual clues in their language – yes I can see that, I can see your point of view, I get the picture etc
Aural – can hear what has been said, good at memorising conversations/lectures. Tend to be slower at reading as silently vocalises the words in their head. Learn to read by phonetics rather than whole word recognition. Speech patterns would include I hear what you are saying, I think I know what you are saying …
Kinesthetic – learn by doing, physical action learning – learn better if can move around, touch feel, repeat (repeating physical action, not rote learning). Can’t remember the speech patterns for this.
Certainly in the UK all of this is taught on education courses (or the ones I have been on) and teachers are encouraged to include methods suitable for all learning styles in their lessons, but I’m not sure how much of that gets put through into the classroom.
I can remember birthdays, anniversaries, to do lists but could never rote learn – failed abysmally at things like learning French and Latin vocabulary and verb structures but did well at aural French. In drama I could not learn lines but I could improvise. I have really good logical and analytical skills but don’t remember details (I would term it trivial details but that is just my bias). I have a degree in English but can’t quote from any of the texts I have read – I just excelled at literary criticism and at creative writing. Interestingly, I do find things like mind maps help, but only because I remember the patterns and relationships in them and therefore can recreate them, not because I picture them. I can also think around problems very easily “out of the box” , I think creatively and therefore find problem solving and innovation easy. I can draw quite well if something is right in front of me, though I find perspective difficult. I can’t draw from memory at all.
Now for slight controversy. I don’t think I was always like this. As a small child I learned visually but was damaged by a measles vaccine (old dirty type – one of the first ones that actually gave you measles) – this damaged my eyesight so I find it difficult to use both eyes together, it also damaged my nervous system. This isn’t me saying this by the way and I didn’t know it as a child, I just got clumsy and forgot how to do things (throwing and catching a ball and skipping for instance) – I have been told this by opticians and also by a psychiatrist (I have a nervous tick and so was sent for analysis to see if I had nervous problems – they said I hadn’t it was physical and is caused by measles – my Mum and I both stated categorically that I hadn’t had measles – we went through the history of when the “symptoms” first appeared in fine detail and finally we said it was just after I had my measles jab – that led to an “I told you so” moment from them). The reason we hadn’t linked things properly in our minds was that within a couple of days of having the jab I came down with mumps and then immediately after that Glandular Fever and we had always thought it was the Glandular Fever.
Sorry this is so long!
Joy
July 27th, 2010 at 6:10 am
Oh by the way – I can answer all of the Doctor’s “visual” questions above but through logic not through visualisation. Of course I “know” the difference in colours and the shape of things, but that is because I remember the logical relationships between them – shapes, different shades. I never said I couldn’t see, just I can’t visualise when it isn’t in front of me. Don’t get his logic at all!
July 28th, 2010 at 5:54 am
About 6 months ago I reached a milestone in my work. I was meditating using vibrations. For the first time in my life I visualised and stepped up to a higher level. Anyway since then I have been trying to recreate this phenomenon. One thing is missing though the day after this experience I went down with a really bad cold/flu. Now we know that as children when we run a temperature we are prone to bad nightmares. The sickness seems to break down a barrier. This mean that by using drugs I would be able to visualise. My question is Do I have the ability to visualise and only need practice or do I need assistance to visualise. I don`t believe in drugs They are pseudo so it only remains to keep working. I would love to be able to find a solution since not visualising is the wall between Nirvana and I.
July 30th, 2010 at 12:54 pm
A lack of visualization ability is often associated with NVLD: http://www.med.umich.edu/yourchild/topics/nld.htm
August 1st, 2010 at 3:22 pm
Mmmm, looking at the site Kyle H recommends
What are the signs of NLD?
* Great vocabulary and verbal expression – OK I have good verbal expression but actually not that great a vocabulary
* Excellent memory skills – not particularly – see my post above.
* Attention to detail, but misses the big picture – no – not me – I am very much a big picture person
* Trouble understanding reading – nope – no problems understanding reading
* Difficulty with math, especially word problems – nope – in fact I find word problems a lot easier than maths requiring mental arithmatic.
* Poor abstract reasoning – no I have excellent abstract reasoning.
* Physically awkward; poor coordination – true
* Messy and laborious handwriting – true
* Concrete thinking; taking things very literally – no – think very much in abstract terms a lot of the time.
* Trouble with nonverbal communication, like body language, facial expression and tone of voice – not really.
* Poor social skills; difficulty making and keeping friends – yes and no – I do have lots of friends but don’t find it that easy, though very easy to make casual friends.
* Fear of new situations – definately not.
* Trouble adjusting to changes – definately not
* May be very naïve and lack common sense – sometimes – especially when younger.
* Anxiety, depression, low self-esteem – sometimes – especially when younger
* May withdraw, becoming agoraphobic (abnormal fear of open spaces) – definatel not
So where does that leave us – and how does everyone else here judge themselves against this list?
August 1st, 2010 at 9:06 pm
I thought it was normal to NOT be able to visualize, until recently. (I’m 51) Both my sister and I can’t see images at all. Her sons thought we were both lying, as did we when they stated that they could. My sister and I both dream in vivid and elaborate detail but see nothing but black with our eyes closed, while awake.
I am very good at both following and giving directions but I use my excellent memory. My nephews who see images easily have what I consider a poor memory. (although one is worse than the other) Like Bridget, I cannot see my mothers image in my minds eye. I know what she looks like, just fine….bu tI have to rely on a picture of her while awake. I can see both of my parents in my dreams and all kinds of people that I’ve never met, in vivid detail. While awake, with eyes closed…nothing but blackness.
August 2nd, 2010 at 5:26 pm
Wow! Glad I found this. At 52, I am in the same boat. While unable to “see” my mother’s face in my mind, I know or…have a sense…of what she looks like. But it is by no means an image. My dreams are as real as life but, when I close my eyes and try to “picture” someone or something, I see darkness. No picture. No image. Just black…sometimes with swirls of gray…on the black background. Upon finding some ideas on the Internet, I am trying an exercise designed to develop my ability to visualize. My computer no displays a simple b&w image every ten minutes. When it pops-up, I focus on it for 10-15 seconds and then close my eyes and try to “see” it. Today is my first day and I have already had some success! You can be sure that I will return to report any further progress. Glad I found you guys! I think we can beat this!
August 8th, 2010 at 9:49 am
I am 41 years old and have never met anyone who, like myself only sees black and white when they close their eyes. This became glaringly obvious when in my early 20′s I took a yoga class and was asked by the instructor to visualize different colors in different areas of my body. It really bums me out. All of your entries have been really thought provoking. I have a great imagination and like one person mentioned above, I am an avid reader and refuse to see a movie that has been made from a book due to images I have already in my mind of the characters. Wig that said,I don’t see them as I can’t see anything when I close my eyes
Only black and white…….the difference between imagination and visualization is really interesting . Does being an ARIES make a difference?
September 1st, 2010 at 8:18 am
When I was ten years old, I was sent away to a boarding school, from which I used to come home twice a year for school holidays. I recall very well feeling apprehensive as the time came to meet my mother again after an absence of four or five months that I would not recognise her, because I could not summon up a mental image of what she looked like. However, I always recognized her the moment I saw her, and my feelings of apprehension disappeared after a few such reunions.
I can recall a photographic image of someone’s face far better than I can recall a living image; the recalled photographic image is by no means clear and precise, but it is better than the almost nothing I have in the case of a living image. Also, the better I know someone, the less precisely am I able to visualise what he or she looks like. I have described this by saying that when I get to know someone well, that person “disappears into me”. What I am meaning by this is that I feel that I cannot recall the visual appearance of a person for whom I have strong emotional feelings because there is so much else about that person that I know, and so much else about what I know that is much more important than the outward appearance of that person, that the superficial outward aspect is lost beneath the weight and volume of all else I know.
I would love to be able to bring to mind and play with clear, vivid images and I have been thinking about the matter on and off over the past few months. I’ve been experimenting by looking very carefully at familiar objects in my immediate environment and then looking away and trying to recall a picture of the object in my mind. For instance, I tried to recall what our dining room chairs look like. Yes, they are wooden, dark wood, yes, they have padded seats that I can visualise, but what do the back-rests of the chairs look like? I had no idea at all. So I went to have a look, then I studied them very carefully; looked away, tried to recall the image; studied the back-rests of the chairs again; looked away …. And, after many tries, I thought I had the image of the design of the back-rests of the chairs firmly memorised. Well, that was about a week ago. As I sit here now at the computer, the dining room chairs and table are right behind me. I am in fact sitting on one of the chairs. And I cannot recall what the backrest looks like!
This morning, having woken up very early, I was lying in bed in the dark and experimenting with trying to visualise things. I have recently downloaded some information on Image Streaming – http://www.winwenger.com/imstream.htm – and was trying some of the techniques recommended there, which Wenger says will help almost anyone develop an ability to create and use vivid images. Well, when I deliberately try to visualise an object or person, then I get a blurry, vague, ghostly monochrome image; and when I just close my eyes and wait for an image to appear, I get nothing to break the darkness in front of my mental eyes!
But then I stopped trying and suddenly, while I was in that hypnogogic state, a sudden very clear, bright 3D image of a section of a cobbled path flashed into my mind, and then was gone. I tried to recreate it, but I couldn’t. Still, there and then I decided that I am going to make a concerted effort to learn to visualise at will such quality images. I am telling myself that it has got to be something like learning to whistle (a sad comparison, because, alas, I have never succeeded in learning to whistle) or, come to think of it, to play the bugle (another sad comparison, because I spent two years in the school cadet band trying unsuccessfully to learn to play the bugle!) and that if I succeed I will have at my disposal a marvellous tool!
“Here is my secret. It is very simple. It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; What is essential is invisible to the eye.” – The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupery
October 10th, 2010 at 8:42 am
I have much the same problem and am astounded by the comments and how much I can relate to them. I hate not being able to see the faces of the people I love unless I look at a photo. If I have seen an image lots of times recently (e.g. several times a day), I can muster up some kind of similar idea but nowhere near as detailed, and very… blurry and soft, not concrete.
***********************
If anybody else has twitter and would like to chat about it, twitter.com/theveganone
and maybe we could use a hashtag like #cantvisualise (even with the lack of apostrophe :[ heh).
As for NLD/NVLD, I do have a good vocab and verbal expression, I do *not* have excellent memory skills at all (my memory is rubbish, I forget conversations, appointements etc. BUT I could learn 6 scenes for a play in 4 days perfectly), I am good with words & word problems but rubbish at maths, I am fab with body language, do have some low self-esteem and tend to withdraw sometimes.
—Things I relate to:
“Unable to decribe well a physical description of someone.Would absolutely fail as an eyewitness to a crime. If I had to help police render a sketch of the criminal, I would do so poorly I would probably be viewed as a suspect!”
“I can’t picture anyone or anything yet can dream just fine. ”
“Also very disorganzied with stuff.”
“I was really relieved to see that Thomas noted specifically that he can’t imagine his family. I’ve spent a lot of time feeling quite guilty at not being able to form a mental image of the people I really care about.”
“I can’t see faces when I close my eyes. I can’t relive the happy or sad moments I’ve had. I don’t even remember much about anything longer than a year ago.”
“I can recall a photographic image of someone’s face far better than I can recall a living image; the recalled photographic image is by no means clear and precise, but it is better than the almost nothing I have in the case of a living image. “
November 11th, 2010 at 3:35 pm
Hi Everyone,
I used to be the same, from as long as I can remember up until I was 25 I couldn’t see anything when I closed my eyes. However last year I started playing around with a couple of techniques that I had heard can improve your ability to visualise.
It took about a month paccticing these for about 5-10 minutes a day before I started to notice some improvmenets, but now (9 months later) my ability to see images with my eyes closed is dramatically better. Because of the success i started a website to share the techniques I’d learned.
Here’s the first one to start off with:
http://www.infiniteminds.info/Problem-Solving-and-Creativity/Visual-Thinking-The-Afterimage-Technique.html
Let me know how you get on!
December 2nd, 2010 at 5:00 am
Early on in Daniel Dennet’s book “Conciousness Explained” he asks the reader to close their eyes and imagine a purple cow. I did that and the results are still something I’m trying to explain today. I didn’t see purple. I didn’t see a cow. Yet there was something in my conciousness that resembled a purple cow. If I switched to “think of a yellow cow” there was then something distinctly different from the purple cow from a few seconds ago but I still wasn’t seeing the colour yellow nor was I seeing a cow. This is not surprising since I had my eyes shut and no one can see anything when they have their eyes shut. So what is it that I ‘experience’ when I shut my eyes and think “purple cow”? Well, obviously, I don’t have a good answer which is why I keep on thinking about the problem. However, my current thinking is that what my mind does is construct something drawn from memories of purple and cow. I have experienced both and my mind has memories of those experiences and can construct something similar. As a test, I tried thinking of a blenchumatic-coloured cow. At first I couldn’t. I have no experience of what blenchume colour is so my mind could not fabricate one for me. However, after a while of trying, I found that I could imagine a blemchumatic-coloured cow because my mind filled in the gap with a colour it did know – muddy brown in this case. I had created a purely fictional image in my mind just like my memories of me going fishing as a small boy, leaning too far forward and falling in the river – but this memory is from a third-person viewpoint. I don’t have the memory of the water rushing up to hit my face, my memory is what someone else would have seen if they were watching me. Purely fictional.
Returning to the purple cow, I tried to imagine the same cow but with my eyes open. Sure enough, I get exactly the same result so it isn’t anything to do with one’s eyes being open or shut; it seems to be all about being able to construct a thought about some object. Think about a square, divide it up diagonally then divide it horizantally and vertically. Now count the triangles. You can do that, right? But you don’t see anything. All you do is think something.
December 5th, 2010 at 4:16 am
I’ve been thinking about this further since my first post above and my question to the author of this thread and everyone else who has commented that they cannot see anything when their eyes are shut is: “Given that no one can see anything when their eyes are shut, what exactly is the mind experience that you were expecting?”
December 5th, 2010 at 11:44 am
“Given that no one can see anything when their eyes are shut, what exactly is the mind experience that you were expecting?”
If I imagine someone I know well talking to me, I can hear their voice in my “mind’s ear” very distinctly; it’s not abstract at all. So the mind experience I am “expecting” when I imagine looking at them is a similar one, that there would be some sort of image in my mind, analogous to the very concrete aural image I perceive when I replay in my head someone’s voice or a piece of music.
December 18th, 2010 at 3:41 pm
Hey, I have this too, and as far as I can remember, I’ve always had it!
Does anyone actually know what the condition is called?! I’ve told some people about my condition and many think I’m making it up. They can’t understand NOT seeing anything that’s not infront of you, where I can’t understand SEEING it!!! It’s so frustrating!
If I knew what the condition was called, I may be able to research it to back up what I’ve said!
Any ideas? x
December 23rd, 2010 at 2:52 pm
I have this too – this is so fascinating! I’ve never had a problem learning though, and I don’t really consider this a disability. Though I do lack spatial intelligence!
“Given that no one can see anything when their eyes are shut, what exactly is the mind experience that you were expecting?”
Well, I’m not exactly sure, but, let me say this. My general memories ARE fuzzy visual snapshots and my dreams are as well. But I am not able to create new visuals. I would expect that when trying to create new visuals, it would be similar to what I “see” with my memories, but it’s not and I can’t create that. If I try to, for example, “picture you’re walking down a path, what do you see?” the best I can do is tell you logically what I know might be down a path, such as trees or animals. I can get more creative since I remember someone else once telling me they saw a little cottage, so there ya go, a cottage. There is also a quick, fuzzy picture of a trail that I’ve been down before, that pops into my head, but there is nothing new or in general, no prototype. Everything is worked out either conceptually or logically based on prior experiences or outside information.
When you describe the purple cow situation, I think much of what you are describing is conceptual learning – you create a “feel” for a purple cow and attach it to something and therefore you know it’s a purple cow. The opposite of this would be perceptual, with sensory, and I imagine many of us lack perceptual learning.
“Think about a square, divide it up diagonally then divide it horizantally and vertically. Now count the triangles. You can do that, right? But you don’t see anything. All you do is think something.”
Well, I actually have a bit of trouble doing this. I can’t picture it and I lack spatial intelligence, so I have a hard time in general figuring it out. But, what I can do is “draw” the picture in the air with my finger and then “see” the result in front of me that way – that’s how I compensate. I also do this with math in my head, I draw out the math problem. Or, if trying to spell a word that I don’t know instantly, I draw it. I don’t think this is the same as visualizing though.
“If I imagine someone I know well talking to me, I can hear their voice in my “mind’s ear” very distinctly; it’s not abstract at all. ”
I can’t do this either, actually. I recall conversations by my own internal voice telling me what was said. I remember the conversations initially by attaching them to concepts, almost mini summaries of them, what I’d describe as having a “feel” for the conversation, and then recalling that verbally. There is no sensory at all in my brain, except internal dialogue (all my own voice).
What I find interesting is that despite this, I am a visual learner. (But, not bad with auditory learning.) If I don’t know what someone is talking about instantly (which isn’t terribly often), I need them to show me. I think this is compensation for the fact that I can’t create a picture of what they’re talking about. If they don’t show me and when I can’t create the picture, I sort it out with internal dialogue based on concepts, related experiences and logic.
“I have the worst sense of direction in the world. I have absolutely no comprehension of where north or south would be, and no ability to remember anything I have seen to get my bearings if I am lost. It’s not because I don’t pay attention, I have honestly devoted a whole lot of time and energy to learning how to get around easily – it is simply beyond me! It is bad to the point where if I go somewhere regularly I can learn by way by intellectualising it – that is, I can learn “turn right after the Mcdonalds, turn left at the third round-about, stop after the “40″ sign…” however my comprehension of anything I haven’t specifically identified as MY landmark is so bad that if one day I was going to the same place I’d driven to many times, and the “40″ sign had been removed since my last visit, I would probably drive on until I came to another sign or the end of the road! The first time I realised this was a problem for me was the day I got my license – I was driving to school, the same school I’d attended and been dropped-off at for almost two years, and realised that when I was driving there myself I didn’t know how to get there. Very strange!”
I can relate to this very much! If I haven’t driven to the place before, but I’ve been there with someone else or as a passenger in the car, I will need directions. Once I’ve driven it myself though, I’m fine. I had the exact same experience with school.
People constantly accuse me of not paying attention or being spacey. So, I describe the place I need to go with great detail to them! haha. I mean, I can do that, but I can’t figure out how to get from where I am to the place. 
Oh!! And I need directions to AND from. I can’t reverse what I just did, unless I have the directions written down and I just read them in reverse. 
Let’s see..
- My dreams are quite intense, but they also lack sensory. I mostly “feel” that this person is a certain person, but I don’t see their faces. I don’t smell anything, hear anything (but I “know” what they’re saying), feel or taste anything. I don’t see colors (but I “know” which thing is colored what). I relate to what Kate said.
- I can’t describe people unless I’ve already memorized some facts I can list off, like their eye color. I don’t see faces, but I can recall a picture much easier than the actual person.
- I have a good memory, better than most people, actually. I’m a fast reader. I retain information easily.
- I can’t draw based on memory, only if it’s in front of me. I’m not a very good academic drawer either, but I am artistic in other ways – very good at abstract art, or cartoon-like images, I’m good at photography, I have a good sense of fashion, color and design. I’m not good with my hands.
- I’m 50/50 left and right brained.
- I’ve always been accused of lacking common sense, mostly because of the lack of spatial intelligence I think!
- I’ve never been able to visualize while reading either, but if I see the movie and then read the book, I can see the images from the movie while reading.
Anyway, sorry for the long note, but this is really interesting to me!
December 27th, 2010 at 7:58 am
Wonder if there is a correlation between this and bi-polar?
January 4th, 2011 at 4:26 am
I have never been able to visualize while awake. I remember mental notes made in dreams, like events and the fact that I visualized in a dream. However, I can’t consciously recall the pictures displayed in my dream state.
I performed well in high school, graduating salutatorian of my class, but my major flaw was my memory…I could pick up certain things easily, such as board games, math, etc., but I struggled in memorizing names and history facts (I only survived history class because I went out of my way to study way more than the average person). I have no trouble in remembering data related to videogames or The Beatles, both topics I consider myself an expert in (I’ve spent much of my childhood reading up on the topics). I can also effortlessly recall the release dates of just about every movie I’ve seen, but I can’t remember any character names. If I’m not interested in a subject, I have to go out of my way to jam the data in (but I still have recall difficulties).
I go to RPI now, and I have no trouble with my math or computer science classes (I skip lectures and often learn a test’s material the night before it takes place). I’m glad I’m at a school that doesn’t emphasize humanities.
I’m getting fed up with my crappy memory for names, though…I constantly struggle from the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon with actors’ names such as “Patrick Swayze” or “Emilio Estevez”. I also space out a lot, which doesn’t help…People who don’t know me well treat me like I’m mentally retarded (which…in a way, I am), and they talk condescendingly to me. I’ve researched memory techniques, but most sources suggest using visual cues, which doesn’t work out well with a person who can’t visualize at all. And people keep telling me I’m just “not using my imagination enough”! T_T
January 10th, 2011 at 1:43 am
I’m not alone! I can’t visualize worth spit, but I also have no sense of direction. I can hear things in my head quite well and have perfect pitch; I compose as a hobby and I can compose in my head or play back music I know in my head, but pictures? Nope. I have learned to skim very visually-oriented descriptive passages in books because I just can’t follow what’s going on; I write sf/f short stories but general fake my way through visuals (long practice). I see very clearly when I am dreaming, and I dream vividly in full color, but once I wake up it’s gone.
Curiously, I’m fine at math, and generally did very well academically; I majored in math, and provided that you let me draw diagrams when it’s sensible to do so, I can conceptualize things, but it must be shunted through some other something because I’m not manipulating mathematical objects pictorially.
January 10th, 2011 at 11:29 am
YHL, you match me exactly. I’d love to read one of your sci fi stories. I love to read but hate reading visual descriptive things as well. In my earlier posts on this blog I also give an open door to anyone who wants to email, yahoo chat or facebook about this. Would really benefit from some form of dialog about this. My email is: bobm174@yahoo.com. Drop me a line if you want.
Take care,
Bob
February 2nd, 2011 at 2:59 pm
Spiritually Ive been lost I finally found shamanism to only feel even more lost because I cannot practice what I love due to not being able to visualize. I’ve searched the internet to only find this one site. I was hoping I would find out that I could, one day, visualize. Its heartbreaking finding out there is nothing I can do about it. It kills me that I cannot see the faces of my loved ones who have passed… knowing one day when my parents are gone the only way I will be able to see them in a picture or dream….
I also have the problem that once I do something and its over I feel like it never happened. Be it going to the store, concert, friends house, list goes one…
February 19th, 2011 at 1:11 pm
I think it’s like PhysX – some tasks are easier with it, but if you can’t use it your brain just works around it, builds abstractions directly instead of hooking it into this shared imaging logic.
It’s still weird though. If I hadn’t read your entire blog entry, I’d say “I’m sure you have the hardware, you just can’t access it directly. ” Blindsight, maybe?
March 10th, 2011 at 12:38 am
i thought it was humorous that you fat fingered your name and used it for your site. i am a dan as well, and in your honor have fat fingered my name on purpose in the other direction. i have 2 items for you.
first, while i don’t have perfect pitch as you have for individual notes, i can listen to guitar chords and tell what they are. i think it has more to do with the way the chord sounds together, or the arrangement of the notes. i’ve been playing for quite a while, so familiarity may play a part.
second, i have difficulty with spoken and written language, as you may be able to tell from this post. i think almost all in images. i draw as well, and have composed many drawings in my head first. before i build anything i build it first in my mind’s eye, going through each of the steps with pictures like an instructable. i’ve read thinking in pictures is faster, but it is really the more uncommon of the two modes of thinking. from what i understand your mode is the most common, and even more common in women than men. oh, and i don’t have to close my eyes to picture something, the image from my eyes is dimmed, so to speak, and the image in my head becomes the focus of attention, much like turning your head.
March 22nd, 2011 at 3:37 am
Having read some interesting stories here, I thought I’d share mine. It maybe quite long though. If you wish to share stories like these or know someone else who might benefit or find solace, you can visit my fan page on facebook on the above url. created specifically for those in our position (unable to visualise).
Visualising in the common sense is seeing using the minds eye. Most self help techniques involve visualising one way or another. I discovered in my early adult life I was unable to visualise in that sense. I can conceptualise. I know what things look like if I’ve seen them, but I can not reproduce anything in my minds eye. I see either the back of my eyelids (if the environment is bright), or I see a kaleidoscope of blacks mild dark blue’s and white’s, which form into faint landscapes or faces for no more than a split second. I always thought there was something wrong with me. Getting weird looks from people when I told them I can’t visualise. The most common answer I used to get was “Man, your weird. I don’t know anyone who can’t visualise”. There went my self esteem. Well, of course it pissed me off when I found self help programs to aid me in my life, I discovered to my dismay that they all involve visualising. I have searched high and low for ways around this problem, and low and behold………..NOTHING. I still can’t visualise to this day (I’m a month shy of 31). I can dream perfectly (just as if it’s real life), but I do have a memory problem (I love foreign languages, but damn, they are hard to learn when your short term memory is so bad). I can memorise songs I like (albeit with a bit of patience and persistence). I don’t know why we are unable to visualise when the rest of the world has no problem, but it doesn’t stop me from creating the life I want. Most people (and guru’s) say to achieve what you want, you need to visualise it or it won’t happen…..I got news for you…….BULLSHIT! I never thought I’d see half of my own country, learn more in life than I did at school, learn how to utilise my intuition to my benefit, network with some VERY successful people, feel good about myself, have the kind of knowledge that even blows my therapists away……..but I did it. And I didn’t visualise any of it. I can’t meditate either. Though I am learning to relax a bit more, I have general anxiety disorder. I was abused as child by my own mother, I went through most of the crap kids go through until they leave school………but I overcame all my obstacles, not from visualising (can’t do that), but from persistence and a sheer determination to achieve. I will be financially free within the next 6-12 months, not because of visualising (can’t do that), but from educating myself, networking with the right people, and having a support network around me of people who want to see me succeed. I have nearly every self help program under the sun..All involve visualising. I only hold on to them because one day I may meet someone who can benefit from them. Life is not all about visualising. I have managed to move on from it and focus on things I can do rather than what I can’t do. As long as you keep working toward your goal, using affirmations, having a positive attitude, surrounding yourself with those who want to see you succeed, you don’t need to visualise to achieve anything, just the perseverance and determination. I hope this helps those caught in a bind. Oh, and if your wondering, Im a male Australian.
April 5th, 2011 at 2:05 pm
Hi there. Again, like everyone else here, I’m fascinated to find this thread. I do have the ability to visualize rudimentary images. I do dream in color and see objects, but I cannot see faces, for the most part. I can draw, but not to be a photo-likeness, unless I have a picture before me. I read Kyle H.’s post, and like Joy, every one of my answers matched hers. I have seen 5 people’s faces in my dreams in my life time (I am 35). I always attributed this to my early childhood, which was not kind. I am interested in seeing if there are ways to increase this ability, since I seem to have some. I don’t feel like it’s limited me, per se, but I do feel that it would be a perk to develop the ability more. I makes me sad to think there are people I will never be able to see again, or call to mind as anything other than a collection of feelings and abstracts.
April 10th, 2011 at 11:35 am
Hello, I used to think that when people said “picture something” that they meant to just “think” about something. It wasn’t until I was 17 or 18 (I’m 22) that I realized people could actually see images in their head while they were conscious. I can dream in colour/sound but can not picture anything once I am awake. I can also draw, but if I’m supposed to draw an actual house or person, I need a picture to look at. I easily recognize people when I see them but usually can’t describe them to someone else. When people describe something (ex. a layout of a house), I just go along with them as if I can visualize it but I really have no clue what they are describing unless I really concentrate. I did fine in school and am currently in an industrial engineering program, so it hasn’t really affected me negatively.
April 17th, 2011 at 4:48 pm
Hi guys,
I’m 19. I would be really grateful I anyone could describe their condition.:)
I know this question may sound weird but I’m a bit confused here. When you say you can’t see with your eyes closed do you mean that you can’t visualise or can’t see anything? I for one , can’t visualise but neither can I see any black space or any spots, for that matter. I’ve realised it over a month ago. It may sound weird but it seems like there is not a thing in front of my eyes.At least nothing I can focus on. I can compare it to seeing with a corner of your eye. I guess there are some spots or some blackness but I can’t take a close look. What is more, about a week ago when I closed my eyes I saw a total blackness but then I opened my eyes closed them and couldn’t see it again
Sorry about any mistakes I may have made . I’m not a native speaker.
hugs from Europe
Agata
April 21st, 2011 at 12:47 am
Thanks for this thread. I’m 62 and realized my TOTAL lack of visualization in 5th grade. I was horribile at spelling and a friend said “close your eyes and see the word.” I saw only a black. Childhood friends knew baseball team rosters and batting averages. I barely knew the names of the stars. I was a late speaker (2 years old) and until college I could hardly speak a sentence. *** Exceptions to my visualization deficit: I have an amazing sense of direction (I can return to nearly any place — even yrs later) and CAN visually walk through almost any building I’ve ever been in. *** I have studied self-improvement materials fanatically. My verbal skills improved dramatically (508 verbal SAT in HS to 740 verbal on GRE). EVERY DAY for the past 10 yrs or so, I have worked on visualizing (e.g, staring carefully at a person’s face and noticing shapes of ears, eyebrows, etc, then looking away and trying to see the detail) I can now vaguely see images with my eyes open, but still see practically nothing with my eyes closed. I have a PhD (finance and accounting) and most people in my circle of friends can easily quote research studies and text such as Biblical passages. I wish I could do the same. I will continue trying and thank those who have posted links with suggestions.
May 4th, 2011 at 3:01 pm
Although my memory in fine, the impossibility of consciously picturing anything with open or closed eyes has hounded me all my life. Life would become much richer if I could visualize
I have been a strong chess player for the past 45 years even though I lacked the even the most basic ability to visualize. I simply imagine moving the pieces and remembering their new location but without visualizing. Only once in my life did I have a total visualization while playing chess, it was immediately after receiving a “spiritual” treatment. I looked at the board and began calculating a combination, i.e., a series of moves, leading to the win of the opponent’s queen. It was like viewing a magical movie of the pieces moving on their own. It was at that moment that I realized why Masters and Grandmasters were able to play with such accuracy: they could visualize dynamically all the time! And since I experienced it, I feel that it is possible to cultivate it.
Also, when I meditate static and moving images (“thought forms”) sometimes appear spontaneously but they have a life of their own. Here, also, I need to be able to consciously visualize and to control the imagery.
Frank
May 4th, 2011 at 3:43 pm
Hello, I am a senior in high school, and I have a similar problem, but it seems to be an even further extreme.
Do you see things in dreams?
When I do dream, it’s very blurry, and I can almost never make out what is going on. I lucid dream maybe once every few years. The last lucid dream I had was when I took some Melatonin,(I have insomnia) but I heard this is supposed to make you dream. I rarely dream at all as it is, or it may be that I just can’t remember the dreams at all.
Can you draw?
No, not at all. I’ve been harassed by art teachers in the past for not giving effort, among other things, but the fact of the matter is I just have no imagination. There has to be something in front of me that I can physically see in order to recreate it. Other than stick figures, I can’t draw anything.
Can you imagine the faces of people you know?
No, I remember what they look like of course, because when I see them I remember who they are, but I can’t visualize what they look like in my head, nor could I explain what they looked like to someone else unless using very simple terms such as skin color, hair length, height(somewhat).
How do you read books if you can’t picture anything?
I rarely read books any more, but not because of the visualization part, but because I have ADD as well, making it very hard to concentrate.
How can you remember what things look like if you can’t see them?
Things that I see often, I can remember very well, because of repetition, however I can only say very vague details of what they look like, not exactly. It’s hard to explain, but it’s almost as if I’m feeling what they look like, instead of seeing. If I can associate things with a feeling then it’s more easily remembered.
You must have awful spatial relations skills!
Yes, I always joke that I could never find anything without a GPS, which is 100% true. I have no sense of direction, and I wouldn’t make it past down the street without getting lost. When someone asks me where something is, I just respond “I don’t know”, and they look at me weird since I’ve lived in the same town my whole life. If someone asked me how to get to my house from a certain place, I would never be able to tell them that either.
Do your memories have any visual component?
No. I have only a couple childhood memories, but they were all of very traumatic events. Again, I can only recall what was going on, and remember some sounds, but nothing else.
Can you hear things in your head?
Yes, hearing is probably my best sense and I find music more enjoyable than anything else. I can recreate sounds and voices perfectly in my head. I have a great sense of rhythm. I remember quite a few things through sound.
Other notes:
My memory is extremely bad when it comes to daily things. For example if I put something down and then remember that I needed to do something else as well, when I come back to pick up the thing that I put down, I can never remember where I had placed it. However, when I hear something in class and write it down, I will almost always remember what was said, but I don’t actually know how I remember things. I’ve never had to study for a test because of this. It’s very odd. I score very high on standardized tests, especially math, science, english, and social studies, but score very average on the writing portion(I couldn’t think of anything to write). I found geometry to be very difficult.
Reading some of these other posts have been very helpful, and I’m glad there are more people with this gift out there.
May 12th, 2011 at 5:19 pm
Hi All. Your description is me 100%. I alive in the UK, not that matters, and have been trying to meditate. I have been attending a class fortnightly for a month and practice nightly for many months, and simply cannot visualise, imagine or sense anything the lead asks the class. The rest of the class can and often go into deep states of meditiation and feel and sense wonderful things. Me, all I can do is struggle to retain anything however vague for a millisecond. I cannot even see myself in my mind never mind a tree. However; if there is something emotionally important or something I am connected to emotionally and want to happen, I can see scenarios of those instances in my mind even with my eyes open.
It is frustrating as I so much want to evolve in my meditation but cant get past the first stage. What I end up doing is simply blanking my mind (IE seeing black) then letting my mind wonder and let images come in. This actually is quite good as I often then see images and scenarios as described above for example things I want to happen “Manifest” or are emotionally connected or important to me.
Any ideas or help?
Best Wishes
May 17th, 2011 at 11:04 pm
I also have this dissabilty and it is just as described.For years now I have been fustrated in my attempts to even talk about it with other people unless they are 80% capable.
Recently a television program called 60 minutes (tv 3 New Zealand) showed a short documentary called wiped clean which described 2 people who became ill with ENCEPHALITIS caused by a herpies complex virus affecting the brain.
This affliction can also be caused by chicken pox and measles.
It is my belief that millions of people have varying degrees of this illness.
If you google 60 minutes you can watch the documentary!!!!!
There appears to be no cure but I have had a 6 month episode of being able to visualize at will after mediction for an ulcer on my eye.This leds me to believe that maybe the brain is not permanatly affected…
May 21st, 2011 at 4:15 pm
My name is Dean and yes, I too cannot visualize a darn thing when I close my eyes.
I’m interested in two things I’ve read here. A) Dr. K’s response seemed to allude to a ‘non visual’ visualization, in that if one can recall shapes and colors, there is some kind of visualization occurring, albeit non-visual. So, if that’s the case, is there just a lack of communication with the area of the brain that stores visual memories? Is that area more accessible when dreaming or when on certain meds? That brings me to B) Pete, what medication were you taking for your eye ulcer? I’d like to find out the specifics, as it sounds like it may be one way to bridge the gap, if in fact it can be crossed.
June 17th, 2011 at 8:31 pm
Same thing. I’m pretty good at drawing things if I’m looking at them, terrible if it’s from memory. Can’t see people’s faces in my head, usually (except for the way you described it). I’m way better with words and can usually remember words to songs and things people have said almost verbatim. I really realized that I lacked this capacity, though, while trying to learn to self hypnotize. The instruction almost invariably involve visualizing something or other. Can’t do it! Is there another way to self hypnotize, I wonder?
June 25th, 2011 at 7:43 pm
For the males who have posted here, I am interested to know how your inability to visualize has affected your sex life, since visual stimuli and fantasy is a huge part of the male arousal response. I am unable to visualize, too, and have found that as a result, my arousal response has been rerouted by my brain to correspond more strongly with touch and emotion. I am unaffected by sexual imagery per se, though certain sexual ideas excite me, and can even cause an erection without arousing me psychologically. I have read about an experiment in which women were made to watch a video of monkeys mating, and though they were not sexually aroused in the slightest, their bodies responded as if they were. I am certainly not like that, but I am prompted to think that my arousal response seems rather feminine, though in every other aspect of my psychology I am male, to say the least. I have never had the slightest mental image in my waking state that I can remember, and I think that a great many things are frustrating for me consequently, though the sexual aspect has given me the most anxiety. I would love to know your thoughts and experiences, since information and commiseration on this condition is virtually impossible to find.
June 28th, 2011 at 12:44 pm
Conscious, deliberate, “concrete” visualization is innate and cannot be taught-it’s like like trying to hear musical tones if you tone deaf. But we all possess another type that we can label “abstract” visualization and it deals with qualities such as color or sensations which is probably superior to the former. I have played chess for most of my life where “seeing” pictures of possible scenarios is essential for success. I am in the upper 12% of tournament players without ever being able to “see” anything ahead-I just use my memory and long experience. All of the chessplayers that I have known, can “picture” positions with ease and play chess accurately without a board for at least a few moves, “concrete” is natural for chessplayers but, in my experience, not essential. Culitivate your approach, read books, improve your memory, and above all: Persist!
July 1st, 2011 at 9:35 pm
Hi all,
Like mostly everyone else who has posted here, I completely lack the ability to visualize images in my mind. Today, I felt bored and, out of chance, decided to look this up, and I am relieved to discover that I am not alone.
I too cannot “see” the scenes when I’m reading a novel, but I do sort of “know” the general atmosphere – it is exactly like what some have described. I empathize entirely with those who said they were once told to visualize something, but never really knew the point of it because no matter how hard I tried to imagine something (say, the beautiful beach with fine white sand, or the image of the soldiers who fought during WWII,…), all I got was a black, empty picture.
I find it very interesting that this “condition” seems to have never been researched by psychologists/cognitive scientists/etc. It seems, as others have said, that the people who can visualize take it for granted that everyone else can, and those who can’t (us) assume that this is the extent of “visualization”. Strangely enough, I enjoy and do well in physics (my major), chemistry, and math, although I always found it necessary to actually draw out molecular shapes in chemistry while my friends seemed to be able to mentally manipulate objects easily.
July 18th, 2011 at 8:24 am
Hi there,I,ve been seeking answers to my inability to visualize for years now.To make a long story short my symtoms are the same as everyone elses in this site.
It would appear that most people who realize that they cant visualize have read self help books about visualization or have been told about it.
So how many millions of people who struggled to read and learn by the picture word association just ignored the visualisation word ,and conseqently dont know that they have a dissabilty.
Perhaps only 20% of intellectuals cant visualize, and the majority of the rest of the human race cant either.
So my logically minded freinds now we need to find a common illness.The only thing I could think of was varying degrees of encephalitis (short term inflamation of the brain)caused by measles etc as mentioned above.Also perhaps being a blue baby (lack of oxygen when born)or maybe something as ridiculas as holding your breath when you sneezed.
To answer DEANs Question about what meds I was on when able to visualize for six months,I had a herpies zoster ulcer on my eye and I cant recall the ointment I used, but can assume it was aciclovir based.Gotta be honest and mention that I was a heavy pot smoker at the time and I may have been set up with some laced stuff.I didn,t know that it was normal to be able to visualize at will and thought I was going through something special. I daydreamed about some mystical stuff and as I had an imagination it went pretty wild.
Now I,m back to being unable to recall images,see things in my minds eye or recollect smells,colours feelings but know! that these things happend.
Sorry about any spelling mistakes ,I had to learn using phonics.
Please excuse my spelling,I have a dissabilty!
July 27th, 2011 at 5:11 pm
I had an odd dream last night and, I was trying to remember everything that happened in it. Unfortunately, I find myself able to recall everything that happened in it, but the visuals got blurrier and blurrier until it was no longer the ghost image in my head. I can remember so much about what everything looks like, and where it is, colors, positioning, ect. But it’s just impossible for me to “see it.” Then I realized I have this problem when i’m awake all day. I am 19 and just realized people can actually “see” things projected from their brain. Very interesting to discover this. I will be doing a little digging into the whys, perhaps i’ll check out that book. Thanks for the article from 1999!
July 30th, 2011 at 1:04 am
Like everyone else, I agree with basically everything everyone is saying.
Peter, during birth, my umbilical chord was wrapped around my neck, so your blue baby idea may be valid.
I posted here to encourage everyone to email a specific doctor. Dr. Oliver Sacks wrote a book called “The Mind’s Eye.” He seems to be the perfect person to contact about this, and I feel that if enough of us contact him, MAYBE he’ll actually try and figure it out. He is a neurologist and an author.
His contact information is here: http://www.oliversacks.com/contact/medical-consultation/ .
Also, you may want to pick up his book, “The Mind’s Eye” It won’t help with anything, but it’s a good read about different people adapt to trauma, specifically, trauma to their eyes.
August 4th, 2011 at 9:19 pm
I’m a complete non-imager, and am writing a book about mental blindness. I’ve created a research survey to collect information from others who are non-imagers or nearly so.
To take the survey, click on this link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RQXHZZQ
You are invited to participate in this survey if you fall into one of the following categories:
1. Non-Imager: you never experience any visual mental imagery in a waking state of consciousness; your mind is always dark, there is nothing picture-like that happens in your mind, either willed or unwilled. You have no sense of having a “mind’s eye.”
2. Weak-Imager: if there is any visual imagery, it is so vague or fleeting that you do not make use of it in purposeful, constructive thought processes: you do not use imagery for problem solving, memories are not visual, there is no visual component to imagining or daydreaming or planning. You experience a “mind’s eye,” but yours is more or less “legally blind.”
many thanks
Linda
August 28th, 2011 at 8:27 pm
I am EXACTLY like you! want to visualize my kids who live far away and must look at photos. frustrating. can’t draw anything from my head but can from a picture. (not well) and wish I could. I am 64 years old and never have been able to SEE things in my minds eye. I am a writer…no problem with words. Wish I could really SEE in my mind’s eye
also.. I TEACH meditation/relaxation… yoga… and I suggest different things but cannot see them myself. ! ie blue star???in your mind’s eye. I can visualize it if I LOOK at a photo of earth from a distance…but don’t really SEE it. On one hand. who cares! on the other. Lots more to worry about than this. Imagine if you couldn’t THINK it!
September 17th, 2011 at 9:56 am
I am 23 years and until about a year ago I had a superb ability to visualize with my eyes closed, boy was it so good that it can be likened to dreaming. Now when I close my eyes, all I see is pitch black. How I ended up this way is however something I am not sure off. About a year ago I was listening to a programme on the BBC (I don’t remember which), the host for the programme invited people to phone in and make their contributions. As I listened several people where saying just about the same thingv(ie there where supporting the same opinion( I don’t remember what either, but I remember I liked the sound of it) it was a sought of norm shared by the caller. Then a man phoned in and supported the exact opposite of what everyone who phone into the programme had be saying. I think this act shocked me so much that I guess I couldn’t have imagined in my wildest nightmare that someone could actually do this (ie go against the norm with such passion) that it probably “messed up” my ability to visualize. Currently I can visualize with my eyes open, but this is not clear enough, like day dreaming in a fuzzy way, and furthermore when I visualize this way(which is the only way I can now) I am not able to see clearly, ie My mind has to choose between seeing with my eyes opened and using my mind’s eyes with my eyes also opened-and since I can do one at a time, which is not to say that when I visualize with my eyes open I can not see my environment at all, I do see my environment quiet well, with what it is that I am visualizing being somewhat blurry. Can this be revited
October 7th, 2011 at 9:57 am
Dan: I about fell out of my chair when I read your “About” page. Unfortunately, it appears you have little time for commenters, so I will not be so intrusive as to try to send you a direct e-mail. If nothing else, I want to thank you for writing about this characteristic that I also share.
The reasons I almost fell out of my chair are: I attributed my failure at computer programming to my inability to visualize (once I realized that it was not very common); yet I see you are a programmer. And not JUST a programmer, but helped build my favorite games. I tried learning how to play a real guitar after blowing away all of my friends on GH, but that didn’t take. Years later, I’m a huge RB fan, and at 38 have just started taking drum lessons.
(And I’m having a BLAST!) This too, deserves thanks.
I am also a “gamer” in the sense that I play some video games but I also regularly play strategy board games (the kind that take 2-6 hours for one game). I usually come in last place, and sometimes I can’t help but blame it my relative inability to visualize, but keep trying anyway.
Which brings us back to the topic; as much as I can list the things I have difficulty doing, I try to identify things that are beneficial from not being able to visualize. One such example is something I just realized today after reading a friend’s (frustrated) post on his meditation practice. He explained that his teacher initially told people to try meditating with their eyes open because mental imagery (of the breath and so on) might be a distraction. I don’t have that problem.
So, it was nice to kinda meet you, and I hope you receive my message of thanks.
October 27th, 2011 at 11:51 pm
i too can’t visualize and i also can’t hear things in my mind….have never had a song stuck in my head…would love to know if there is a name for this condition and want to thank everyone who has posted here….feels good knowing i’m not the only one…….would love to hear from anyone with suggestions or just wanting to chat about not have a “mind’s eye”……thanks……..jan
November 12th, 2011 at 12:08 pm
Dan: This page is interesting. I have a similar problem. I am good at auditory things, but I stink at visualization. I like logic, problem solving, algebra, strategy games (like chess), etc. I do not like visual tasks like drawing, and I also don’t like it when people make jokes about someone’s face or the clothes they wear. I don’t laugh at those jokes, and people say I’m boring because of that. But I tell them, “I really don’t care that someone’s face reminds you of a celebrity” or something like that.
I don’t have any handicap conditions, I’m just a logical person. I can see “flashes” of images, and I can make them move, but the movement is just a sequence of still images I guess (like a cartoon).
I am trying to use the memory techniques described in books from authors like Domonic O’brian; Jerry Lucas; and Scott Hagwood; But I am having trouble because they require visualization. I think it’s all in my head, though, because sometimes my memory works well, and sometimes it doesn’t.
.
I will be watching this space
~~Lance
November 15th, 2011 at 12:39 am
If I close my eyes and try to imagine a red square, no matter how hard I concentrate, all I see is blackness.
I have a horrible memory and it’s really hard for me to learn. People think I’m stupid.
But I love to draw, and people say I’m a good artist. When I draw, I don’t really think about it, or have any vision in my head. I just start, and end up with something totally random.
I thought it was totally normal, and that everyone was like this. But I started to question it a few years back when my teacher told everyone to close their eyes and imagine a rain forest.
I didn’t see no rain forest. lol
I asked the teacher what we were looking at, because all I saw was the inside of my eyelids.
November 21st, 2011 at 10:05 pm
Well, Amy, it’s hard to talk about what people see inside their heads, but I’m gonna give it a try.
We have five senses: sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch. Any memory we make uses one or more of those senses. When people imagine something, they are using their past experiences to make a scene. If my teacher told me to imagine a rain forest, I would “see” raindrops falling from the sky; trees standing in the rain; and raindrops hitting the dirt and making it soggy. I would also hear the quiet “pitter-patter” of rain hitting the ground. I would feel the raindrops hitting my hands and making them wet (assuming I am in the rain forest). I would smell the dense watery air of the forest. If I stick my tongue out, I can get a raindrop to fall on it and I cna taste that watery raindrop a little.
Did you “see” any of those images? Did you hear anything or feel anything? If you did not sense anything, that is okay. As you konw, some people in this article have the same problem.
When I “see” something in my head, all I do is remember what that thing looked like. The same thing goes for the other senses. When I hear something (like the pitter-patter of rainrops) I just use my closest memory of what raindrops sound like.
My advice to you , Amy, is to use your memories from your past when you try to imagine something. Everyone has different memories, and that’s why we all imagine things differently. I bet everyone saw a different rain forest when the teacher asked them about it. That’s because they all have different memories of a rain forest from their past.
So, if someone asks you to imagine biting an apple, think about the memories you have of biting an apple. Ask yourself questions if you need to. What does an apple look like? What color is it? What shape is it? Does it have a stem? Think about the details one-by-one.
ok, those were the sights, now let’s think of the sounds. What does the bite sound like?
Think about the feelings. What does it feel like to hold an apple?
Most importantly, think about the taste. What does it taste like to bite an apple?
If you can answer these questions, you should have imagined an apple. That is how I would think of it, anyway. Let me know if this exercise helped you.
November 22nd, 2011 at 6:37 pm
I am happy to have stumbled upon this blog. I can not visualize anything in my head. I first relized that it was unusaual when my sister and I had a heated conversation about reading. She claimed it was like a movie in my head and I couldn’t comprehend that idea. She finally asked me a series of questions and these “syptoms” became apparent….
~I have an awful sense of direction. North, South, East, West? All the same to me.
~I can not dream in pictures. I dream in concepts, sounds and feelings. (Apparently that is strange)
~I can not draw to save my life.
~I can remember general things, my mother has dark hair and is taller but I couldn’t for the life of me describe her in detail unless I had a photograph.
~Reading is all about emotions and sounds for me.
~Estimation and depth perception are difficult for me. I have no concept of what things are.
Anyway, it was just nice to read that I am not alone. That it is more common then I thought.
November 24th, 2011 at 2:12 am
Hi, i’m 40 years old and until last night i had no problems at all, i’ve just got over a bad case of sickness and diarrhea , and i couldn’t work out why i couldn’t sleep properly, then i realised when i clossed my eyes there was nothing there just black i was scared so i jumped on the internet and found this page, will my dreams/images come back?
December 6th, 2011 at 12:57 pm
I don’t see anything when I close my eyes TOO
January 29th, 2012 at 10:59 am
Something I feel every day .. it feels bit boring to see only black in your mind but I have started experiencing some kind of visualization. I tried some memory techniques wich are based on visualization. Well .. kinda intresting results.. Sometimes I see random images in my head that just floats away quickly but this is rare. I use the techniques quite often .. numbers, places, languages.. school work. I have come to conclusion that even if I dont see anything in my head the visualization ability still exist but isnt connected to right place. I was quite happy when I found out that the techniquest actually work because it means that there is still hope for me.
February 2nd, 2012 at 2:13 pm
f*ck me, I thought I was the only one with this problem.
Found your site http://dfan.org/visual.html after searching for ‘I can’t see anything with my mind’, its been bugging me for the last 3 months (since I discovered that other people, literally everyone I asked, can ‘see’ in their mind).
I wish there was some kind of medicine/drug that would help me.
On a side note, I can’t really ‘hear’ anything either. My mind is blind and deaf… scumbag brain.