• Caesium@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    I mean, it’s a pretty hard thing to understand if you don’t know about aphantasia. Since we can’t know what other people experience in their mind, what we perceive is considered ‘normal’ because that’s all we know.

    I didn’t realize I had aphantasia until I was 18. Doesn’t mean I suddenly became aphantasic at that same time.

    • drone678@piefed.social
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      3 months ago

      I was 48 when I discovered that I had Aphantasia. I was blown away that when I learned that people could imagine pictures in their mind’s eye.

      • blargh513@sh.itjust.works
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        3 months ago

        Same here. I think it was actually this meme that did it. I saw people commenting that they could not and I’m like “ha yeah, of course you can’t, who can do that?”. The lots of people are like, yeah, I can create a complex 3d shape in my mind and manipulate it, turn it, get closer, etc. I’m like WTF who are these megamind savants who can do this. Turns out, most people.

        I felt very alone and very incapable after that realization.

        • Dzheyk@sh.itjust.works
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          3 months ago

          Man…same. Had no idea people could actually picture something in their mind until I was well into my 20s. Wasn’t until that point where I felt like I was at such a major disability at work compared to everyone else…the amount of times I was told, “picture this…” not realizing they meant literally.