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.