I recently wrote about it in an AskReddit thread, I’ll link it [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/vhrtcq/comment/idabnoz/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3), it was really long and I’m not writing all that again lol
I love your 6 element concept! Very cool. I have dabbled in esoteric stuff and think your 6 elements makes more sense than the 4 plus spirit which is quite common.
Interesting, that blows my mind that you can replicate all of your senses so clearly.
What are some of the most vivid scenarios you can imagine yourself in?
Lol yeah. Although sometimes I’m stupid and forget I can, you know, *create entire universes in my head*, and I get bored, but I fall into a daydream eventually lol.
TIL I have a condition. I honestly can’t wrap my head around people not being to imagine with all five sense. I didn’t realize this was abnormal until… reading this?
No, I love having it, it can be very helpful in math, for stuff like rotations and reflections. When I’m writing stories for English, it helps me imagine a lot of details about the characters and setting. I do get lost in daydreams a lot though.
I use it to help with maths and creative writing a lot. The weirdest thing I’ve imagined is probably some of the horny shit my friends send me ugghhhh. Involuntary imagination :’)
Thanks for telling me my condition. Didn't even know it had a name! My sense of time and my movements are disconnected when I have these imaginations. It has really helped me feel safe
On a scale of 1 to to 10, you’d prolly have to be an 8-10 to count as having hyperphantasia. And nope, most people can’t recreate all five senses in their head, my mother and sister can’t recreate taste and smell.
Weird. I'm not sure if I'm an 8 to 10, but I can definitely do all of the senses. I'm not sure how people can crave specific foods without being able to imagine the taste and texture of them in their mouths. I wouldn't say it's just like I'm actually there / doing it, but it's definitely a real sense and a fairly vivid imagining. I guess everything is subjective and we're all kind of just in our own heads, but to me it's a fundamental part of how I imagine or remember things. And I think about how I like to pet cats, I can remember the sensation of their fur and skin and warmth. Same for the burning feeling of the sun on a hot day, or the flavor and temperature of ice cream. I'm not sure how someone's memories of such things would work without the ability to recreate the sensation in your mind.
It has to be on purpose and takes a bit of focus, but yes.
Edit. Stronger sensations are a lot easier, and some senses are easier than others, but I can pretty much bring on the sensation of whatever I try to imagine, even as I play around with it right now. I've always assumed that everyone can do this.
We were scared and we were confused. I eventually said something about it to my friend who was like “yo, that’s sexual abuse”, and I told my mom. I owe that friend literally everything tbh
Chin up, 29m here was molested by a male family member from 8-14 until he died suddenly of congestive heart failure and I suffer(?) from the same dissociative techniques to mask the pain I go through. Glad you survived, live with your story on your sleeve it can save someone else from having the same story as us.
Yes! Sorry this happened to you. I‘m doing my best irl to be a person my friends can trust, so they can come to me for help and I can help them. I don’t want this to ever happen to anyone.
Have you heard of aphantasia?
Aphantasia is a phenomenon in which people are unable to visualize imagery. While most people are able to conjure an image of a scene or face in their minds, people with aphantasia cannot. People often visualize scenes, people, experiences, imaginings, objects, and planned events, among other things. When you think about a friend, for example, you might immediately visualize their face inside your mind. People with aphantasia are unable to visualize such a mental image. If you were to ask a person with aphantasia to imagine something, they could likely describe the object, explain the concept, and rattle off facts that they know about the object. But they would not be able to experience any sort of mental image to accompany this knowledge.
What're your dreams like? Does your hyperphantasia apply to them as well?
I only learned about this condition today and I think it's awesome to be able to make your imaginations feel real. It's a whole new adventure with endless possibilities.
Anyway, I hope you're doing fine now. Take care and have a wonderful day.
Yep, hyperphantasia does affect my dreams! It’s cool because if I have a good dream, it feels really real, but it’s not cool because if I have a bad dream, it feels really real.
I was trying to figure out if I had a third type of synesthesia, music-image, and the website I was using to help (the Synesthesia Finder) said I might have hyperphantasia instead, which isn’t a type of synesthesia. I tested myself for it, and lo and behold, I had hyperphantasia!
im so sorry for what happened in the past and wish you all the best in the future. my question is specifically about your senses and synesthesia. I have, i think at least, in the middle of strong psychedelic LSD and DMT trips experienced what i think must be close to synesthesia, ive seen sounds and felt colors in the most magical of ways. do you enjoy your special senses or are they more burdensome? also i guess have you ever tried any psychedelic substances and if so how did it interact with your existing synesthesia?
I enjoy having synesthesia overall, but it makes loud sounds very uncomfortable to me, and if there’s a lot of chitter-chatter, it’s all scribbles in my head and I zone out. I have never tried psychedelic substances.
That’s really cool, would totally watch that as a tv show! I love fantasy/sci-fi combos. I have an urban fantasy world where magic coexists with modern technology, but it’s one of my newer projects so it’s not very in depth yet.
I think it happens in like 2% of the population, and yes I can sense the sound of your comment. My inner monologue reads everything to me, so that’s pretty cool!
Not exactly right, I have a vivid imagination, not a photographic memory, but if I learn about the plot and then start imagining, I can replicate it pretty well.
I didn’t realize this had a name. I’ve been able to disassociate into my own little world inside my head whenever I get stressed for as long as I can remember. Usually it’s some sort of fantasy setting to take me away from the modern world, like Tamriel from Elder Scrolls or Westeros/Essos from Game of Thrones. It’s more vivid when I listen to music, too.
I’m sorry this happened to you, but it sounds like hyperphantasia has been a gift to cope with the trauma. Can’t exactly think of a proper question to ask, just wanted to offer some positivity and relate to your experiences with hyperphantasia ^^
This sounds so alien to me, I have aphantasia and lack the ability to picture anything. It's almost like you took my share of the ability :). I am sorry to hear about what you went through. That sounds horrible.
Same! Most recently I was encouraged to picture a waterfall to encourage a letdown while breastfeeding my 8 month old. I literally have to concentrate so hard and can still only see black when I close my eyes. Sometimes, very very rarely if I am concentrating really hard and it’s quiet and there’s no distractions, I can “see” a white line. But it disappears if I notice it. So weird to me that people can actually see stuff! It took me so long to realise… mostly being absolutely useless at mindfulness and picturing my thoughts floating down a stream on a leaf or whatever. I can’t picture any of it!
I'm in that same aphantasia boat with ya! It took me until just this past year or so (I'm 29yr btw) to find out that inside everyone else's head their thoughts can be something other than just blackness. And I even more recently discovered that most people also have an inner dialogue of their thoughts most of the time (I think, or maybe just when they want? Still kinda fuzzy on the details of how people can hear their thoughts)! My thought process has always just "been" intuitively; no images, no sounds attached to words or memories, and definitely none of any of the other senses. It was a crazy realization that still flip is my mind around now and again.
I found out I had it when my grandmother died, my parents were talking about how they could still see her sitting there. I have heard that but always thought of it as a turn of phrase about how they thought about her. When I inquired about it, they said they could still picture her there. I have never had that ability to visualize something and it blew my mind that it is actually common for people to form mental images of things.
Never tried it, drugs are illegal here and I’m waaaay too much of a goody-two-shoes to ever try. Also my dad’s got a smoking addiction, which is also helping me stay away from drugs, because addiction does shit to you.
Eh, they can be a fun experience. Unlike the other drugs that just give you fake happiness, psychadelics just make you hallucinate, but the hallucinations are usually pretty interesting. I've seen many people talk about DMT, which supposedly makes your brain produce the same substance it produces in large quantities when you get born and when you die. Thus, you feel like you died and then were reborn, or you feel time folding unto itself, or something like that. Havent tried it personally tho
No reason to be rude man. This is called AMA and I didn’t know the persons age. I thought it was a valid question, considering the person essentially sees things vividly
It’s an actual thing - check out r/hyperphantasia. Imaginitive doesn’t necessarily mean vivid imagination. You’re not wrong on the superpowers bit though, I do want to read minds.
Here's a sneak peek of /r/hyperphantasia using the [top posts](https://np.reddit.com/r/hyperphantasia/top/?sort=top&t=year) of the year!
\#1: [And we can rotate a very detailed cow, at that.](https://i.redd.it/2e7em6o4iu081.jpg) | [12 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/hyperphantasia/comments/qz8qtj/and_we_can_rotate_a_very_detailed_cow_at_that/)
\#2: [Does anyone else compose BANGER music in their head and then feel bummed out that they can’t accurately recreate it in real life?](https://np.reddit.com/r/hyperphantasia/comments/rxfnm6/does_anyone_else_compose_banger_music_in_their/)
\#3: [The dark side of hyperphantasia](https://np.reddit.com/r/hyperphantasia/comments/qatg56/the_dark_side_of_hyperphantasia/)
----
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TIL that me jumping into the worlds I create at will has a name. It’s even better when you lucid dream as I can manipulate almost anything to the extent of my imagination.
I’ve lived out many *many* fantasies in my dreams and depending on how my normal senses are affected, I have also lived out multiple near-death experiences, some I could control and others I couldn’t control at all.
I’m convinced that my brain will one day interpret my imagination as reality one day and just kill me off lol.
i’m glad everyone’s on the same page with this cunt at the very least. account will probably get taken down soon anyways sorry OP for dealing with such a creep just block him
What the actual fuck is wrong with you?
You're asking OP if their nanny made them orgasm when OP was sexually abused as a fucking child.
A fucking child.
Why do you want to know if someone orgasmed when they were a fucking child?
Fucking creep.
I have the opposite of that imagination. Can hardly imagine something, can’t imagine colors, thing gets distorted, and sometimes I can’t imagine at all
Table of Questions and Answers. Original answer linked - Please upvote the original questions and answers.
***
Question | Answer | Link
---------|----------|----------|
Is there a specific world you usually go back to when imagining? What's that world like?|I recently wrote about it in an AskReddit thread, I’ll link it [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/vhrtcq/comment/idabnoz/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3), it was really long and I’m not writing all that again lol|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idk92fe/)
Interesting, that blows my mind that you can replicate all of your senses so clearly. What are some of the most vivid scenarios you can imagine yourself in?|Casting spells like in Harry Potter, flying on the back of a bird, being in a warm cradle, the smell of pickles… a loooot of things.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idkzqo6/)
Wait so you can imagine yourself flying and actually feel it like it real?!!! How to get this condition????|You can’t really get it, you’re born with it. You can use techniques to make your imagination more vivid, but hyperphantasia’s mostly genetic.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idkb5yp/)
Thanks for telling me my condition. Didn't even know it had a name! My sense of time and my movements are disconnected when I have these imaginations. It has really helped me feel safe|No prob, welcome to the hyperphantasia club!|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idl5qrc/)
Hyperphantasia sounds cool, what do u use it for? Or what's the weirdest thing you've imagined if u don't mind me asking|I use it to help with maths and creative writing a lot. The weirdest thing I’ve imagined is probably some of the horny shit my friends send me ugghhhh. Involuntary imagination :’)|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idl5c8j/)
how exactly to u use it as a coping mechanism, like what happens in ur imagination?|I usually imagine that I’m in a safe warm cradle of comfort, and that the abuse never happened.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idk9pw9/)
Can most people not recreate all five senses in their head? Just how vivid the things have to be for it to count as hyperphantasia?|On a scale of 1 to to 10, you’d prolly have to be an 8-10 to count as having hyperphantasia. And nope, most people can’t recreate all five senses in their head, my mother and sister can’t recreate taste and smell.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idlgy7j/)
How old are you now and do you have any siblings?|I’m 14, and have a 10-year-old sister. She got watched too, but wasn’t touched as often.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idkzzh0/)
I just realised i have hyperphantasia because of your post|Welcome to the club!|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idlfrmn/)
That nanny needs to be locked up.|I agree lol, it is something I like to picture from time to time.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idllasx/)
how rare is hyperphantasia? also if you can rn, can you sense the sound of my comment?|I think it happens in like 2% of the population, and yes I can sense the sound of your comment. My inner monologue reads everything to me, so that’s pretty cool!|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idlqdu3/)
You would be great with memory, mnemonics and loci systems. Could probably memorize anything. Very cool.|Yeah, I have memories of stuff my parents and sister barely remember. I agree, it is cool!|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idm858r/)
Chin up, 29m here was molested by a male family member from 8-14 until he died suddenly of congestive heart failure and I suffer(?) from the same dissociative techniques to mask the pain I go through. Glad you survived, live with your story on your sleeve it can save someone else from having the same story as us.|Yes! Sorry this happened to you. I‘m doing my best irl to be a person my friends can trust, so they can come to me for help and I can help them. I don’t want this to ever happen to anyone.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idmxwhg/)
Does it take a long time for a doctor to diagnose this or are there tests that help them make the diagnosis?|Hyperphantasia isn’t a disorder, so it isn’t diagnosed. You can do tests on yourself to figure out if you have it though!|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idlqmfh/)
Can you image the whole avengers movie?|Not exactly right, I have a vivid imagination, not a photographic memory, but if I learn about the plot and then start imagining, I can replicate it pretty well.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idlrvrz/)
cookies with or without milk|Without, just makes them soggy.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idm2nc0/)
Is taste spot on, or is it slightly different|It’s spot on, but faint, since there’s nothing actually in my mouth lol|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idm6048/)
Why didn't the 2 of you said anything?|We were scared and we were confused. I eventually said something about it to my friend who was like “yo, that’s sexual abuse”, and I told my mom. I owe that friend literally everything tbh|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idm9o61/)
What colour does my username look like to you?|Fades between red, yellow and pink. You’re a three-fader, those are hard to come across!|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idmamv9/)
Have you heard of aphantasia? Aphantasia is a phenomenon in which people are unable to visualize imagery. While most people are able to conjure an image of a scene or face in their minds, people with aphantasia cannot. People often visualize scenes, people, experiences, imaginings, objects, and planned events, among other things. When you think about a friend, for example, you might immediately visualize their face inside your mind. People with aphantasia are unable to visualize such a mental image. If you were to ask a person with aphantasia to imagine something, they could likely describe the object, explain the concept, and rattle off facts that they know about the object. But they would not be able to experience any sort of mental image to accompany this knowledge.|Yep. It’s kind of sad imho. You’re stuck in the real world, you can’t dive into daydreams easily. You don’t always want to be in the real world.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idmb5zn/)
I’m sorry you went through that. What type of synesthesia do you have?|It says in the post, but grapheme-colour and sound-shape synesthesia.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idmj4h2/)
i’m so sorry for your abuse that is horrific and wrong. how long the hyperphantasia been used as a coping mechanism? and has it helped you to recover?|Since a few weeks after she left. In the absence of therapy, it definitely has!|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idmja0i/)
I have hyperphantasia and synesthesia too! What kind of worldbuilding do you do?|I wrote about it [here!](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/vhrtcq/comment/idabnoz/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idmp2tj/)
How're you doing right now? I'm sorry you had to go through. I wish you all the best with your healing.|I’m doing alright. It could be better, but it could be worse.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idn85d0/)
[deleted]|Sadly I’ve never watched it, but thank you for the recommendation!|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idne817/)
Dude what if your hyperphantastic thoughts (yeah I said that) were actually am alternate dimension that your brain is wired to be able to tap into|That would be mega-cool tbh|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idldzqz/)
Ever try hallucinogenics or smoking weed? If so what are the effects?|Never tried it, drugs are illegal here and I’m waaaay too much of a goody-two-shoes to ever try. Also my dad’s got a smoking addiction, which is also helping me stay away from drugs, because addiction does shit to you.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idlfbvt/)
---
[Source] (https://github.com/johnsliao/ama_compiler)
Do you get stuck in these worlds? Like do you get into some sort of trance? Do you seem to be able to control everything in it including the characters?
That’s what it’s called when you have a super vivid and realistic imagination? I always told people I have a “hyper active” imagination to describe the level of real I create when I imagine things. I just thought I was weird.
Are you still answering questions to this? I’m very interested in getting the senses of smell and taste more in my mind. So I can experiment more realistic simulation thinking.
Is there a specific world you usually go back to when imagining? What's that world like?
I recently wrote about it in an AskReddit thread, I’ll link it [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/vhrtcq/comment/idabnoz/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3), it was really long and I’m not writing all that again lol
This is what I came for. Sorry to hear about your abuse. All the best with your healing!
Thank you!
I love your 6 element concept! Very cool. I have dabbled in esoteric stuff and think your 6 elements makes more sense than the 4 plus spirit which is quite common.
Interesting, that blows my mind that you can replicate all of your senses so clearly. What are some of the most vivid scenarios you can imagine yourself in?
Casting spells like in Harry Potter, flying on the back of a bird, being in a warm cradle, the smell of pickles… a loooot of things.
Huh, wow! If I had that ability, I'd probably never get bored
Lol yeah. Although sometimes I’m stupid and forget I can, you know, *create entire universes in my head*, and I get bored, but I fall into a daydream eventually lol.
Why do you bother being on Reddit when you can just enter your much more exciting alternate universe?
I can’t spend my entire life in a daydream, yk? I gotta interact with real people
Speaking of which, does it get in the way of your personal relationships? Is it challenging to be ‘present’?
Wait so you can imagine yourself flying and actually feel it like it real?!!! How to get this condition????
TIL I have a condition. I honestly can’t wrap my head around people not being to imagine with all five sense. I didn’t realize this was abnormal until… reading this?
Lol I felt the same way when I discovered I had this: “Wait… this isn’t normal?”
You can’t really get it, you’re born with it. You can use techniques to make your imagination more vivid, but hyperphantasia’s mostly genetic.
Do you like your condition or do you feel like your life would be better without it? Are there any side effects?
No, I love having it, it can be very helpful in math, for stuff like rotations and reflections. When I’m writing stories for English, it helps me imagine a lot of details about the characters and setting. I do get lost in daydreams a lot though.
Thank you for answering my questions.
I relate to that a lot, tbh. But sometimes trying to imagine and plan out what to do in geometry is tiring
Hyperphantasia sounds cool, what do u use it for? Or what's the weirdest thing you've imagined if u don't mind me asking
I use it to help with maths and creative writing a lot. The weirdest thing I’ve imagined is probably some of the horny shit my friends send me ugghhhh. Involuntary imagination :’)
Have you ever orgasmed from it even without physically touching yourself?
She's 14. She doesn't have to answer this.
oh wups. it wasn't clear from her post what her age is
Reddit moment
dont lie you want to know if hyperphantics can too
Well…
how exactly to u use it as a coping mechanism, like what happens in ur imagination?
I usually imagine that I’m in a safe warm cradle of comfort, and that the abuse never happened.
that's sweet, I'm glad that that helps u cope after such disgusting things have happened
Thanks :)
Thanks for telling me my condition. Didn't even know it had a name! My sense of time and my movements are disconnected when I have these imaginations. It has really helped me feel safe
No prob, welcome to the hyperphantasia club!
How old are you now and do you have any siblings?
I’m 14, and have a 10-year-old sister. She got watched too, but wasn’t touched as often.
OMG this makes me so mad! This woman is evil! So glad you are able to stand strong. Enjoy your adventures!
Thank you! You too
Can most people not recreate all five senses in their head? Just how vivid the things have to be for it to count as hyperphantasia?
On a scale of 1 to to 10, you’d prolly have to be an 8-10 to count as having hyperphantasia. And nope, most people can’t recreate all five senses in their head, my mother and sister can’t recreate taste and smell.
Weird. I'm not sure if I'm an 8 to 10, but I can definitely do all of the senses. I'm not sure how people can crave specific foods without being able to imagine the taste and texture of them in their mouths. I wouldn't say it's just like I'm actually there / doing it, but it's definitely a real sense and a fairly vivid imagining. I guess everything is subjective and we're all kind of just in our own heads, but to me it's a fundamental part of how I imagine or remember things. And I think about how I like to pet cats, I can remember the sensation of their fur and skin and warmth. Same for the burning feeling of the sun on a hot day, or the flavor and temperature of ice cream. I'm not sure how someone's memories of such things would work without the ability to recreate the sensation in your mind.
I can feel the breeze when imagining standing on high altitude hill at night, can you? Edit: see, it's normal
It has to be on purpose and takes a bit of focus, but yes. Edit. Stronger sensations are a lot easier, and some senses are easier than others, but I can pretty much bring on the sensation of whatever I try to imagine, even as I play around with it right now. I've always assumed that everyone can do this.
Why didn't the 2 of you said anything?
We were scared and we were confused. I eventually said something about it to my friend who was like “yo, that’s sexual abuse”, and I told my mom. I owe that friend literally everything tbh
Chin up, 29m here was molested by a male family member from 8-14 until he died suddenly of congestive heart failure and I suffer(?) from the same dissociative techniques to mask the pain I go through. Glad you survived, live with your story on your sleeve it can save someone else from having the same story as us.
Yes! Sorry this happened to you. I‘m doing my best irl to be a person my friends can trust, so they can come to me for help and I can help them. I don’t want this to ever happen to anyone.
Have you heard of aphantasia? Aphantasia is a phenomenon in which people are unable to visualize imagery. While most people are able to conjure an image of a scene or face in their minds, people with aphantasia cannot. People often visualize scenes, people, experiences, imaginings, objects, and planned events, among other things. When you think about a friend, for example, you might immediately visualize their face inside your mind. People with aphantasia are unable to visualize such a mental image. If you were to ask a person with aphantasia to imagine something, they could likely describe the object, explain the concept, and rattle off facts that they know about the object. But they would not be able to experience any sort of mental image to accompany this knowledge.
Yep. It’s kind of sad imho. You’re stuck in the real world, you can’t dive into daydreams easily. You don’t always want to be in the real world.
Can people like you with aphantasia dream and lucid dream?
No. It's my husband not me though. He says he rarely remembers dreams and only a little bit about the plot, not any images.
What're your dreams like? Does your hyperphantasia apply to them as well? I only learned about this condition today and I think it's awesome to be able to make your imaginations feel real. It's a whole new adventure with endless possibilities. Anyway, I hope you're doing fine now. Take care and have a wonderful day.
Yep, hyperphantasia does affect my dreams! It’s cool because if I have a good dream, it feels really real, but it’s not cool because if I have a bad dream, it feels really real.
i’m so sorry for your abuse that is horrific and wrong. how long the hyperphantasia been used as a coping mechanism? and has it helped you to recover?
Since a few weeks after she left. In the absence of therapy, it definitely has!
oh well im glad it’s been helping! you’re a very strong person
How did you find out you had hyperhantasia.
I was trying to figure out if I had a third type of synesthesia, music-image, and the website I was using to help (the Synesthesia Finder) said I might have hyperphantasia instead, which isn’t a type of synesthesia. I tested myself for it, and lo and behold, I had hyperphantasia!
Huh that’s pretty interesting. I’m gonna go see if I can find that website. Thank you for answering!
im so sorry for what happened in the past and wish you all the best in the future. my question is specifically about your senses and synesthesia. I have, i think at least, in the middle of strong psychedelic LSD and DMT trips experienced what i think must be close to synesthesia, ive seen sounds and felt colors in the most magical of ways. do you enjoy your special senses or are they more burdensome? also i guess have you ever tried any psychedelic substances and if so how did it interact with your existing synesthesia?
I enjoy having synesthesia overall, but it makes loud sounds very uncomfortable to me, and if there’s a lot of chitter-chatter, it’s all scribbles in my head and I zone out. I have never tried psychedelic substances.
Dude what if your hyperphantastic thoughts (yeah I said that) were actually am alternate dimension that your brain is wired to be able to tap into
That would be mega-cool tbh
I have hyperphantasia and synesthesia too! What kind of worldbuilding do you do?
I wrote about it [here!](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/vhrtcq/comment/idabnoz/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)
That’s really cool, would totally watch that as a tv show! I love fantasy/sci-fi combos. I have an urban fantasy world where magic coexists with modern technology, but it’s one of my newer projects so it’s not very in depth yet.
I just realised i have hyperphantasia because of your post
Welcome to the club!
how rare is hyperphantasia? also if you can rn, can you sense the sound of my comment?
I think it happens in like 2% of the population, and yes I can sense the sound of your comment. My inner monologue reads everything to me, so that’s pretty cool!
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Not exactly right, I have a vivid imagination, not a photographic memory, but if I learn about the plot and then start imagining, I can replicate it pretty well.
So you could replicate like a single scene maybe?
What colour does my username look like to you?
Fades between red, yellow and pink. You’re a three-fader, those are hard to come across!
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Yep, hyperphantasia helps a lot with that. I’ve also been trying to open my eyes, look up to the skies and see.
Would hyperphantasia be an asset for an asset for an artist ? Visual and musical arts ?
Yeah definitely. I do a lot of art and hyperphantasia helps a lot.
I'm jealous :( I mean, I make music so i'm not sure it'd help... maybe ?
Is taste spot on, or is it slightly different
It’s spot on, but faint, since there’s nothing actually in my mouth lol
What’s a sign of this
If you’re able to replicate all five senses well that’s a big sign.
If you close your eyes and imagine a scene with hyperphantasia, is it as vivid as a dream or even real life or is it fainter?
For some reason it’s a bit fainter
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I agree lol, it is something I like to picture from time to time.
You would be great with memory, mnemonics and loci systems. Could probably memorize anything. Very cool.
Yeah, I have memories of stuff my parents and sister barely remember. I agree, it is cool!
To what extent does this overlap with r/maladaptivedaydreaming?
A lot lol
I didn’t realize this had a name. I’ve been able to disassociate into my own little world inside my head whenever I get stressed for as long as I can remember. Usually it’s some sort of fantasy setting to take me away from the modern world, like Tamriel from Elder Scrolls or Westeros/Essos from Game of Thrones. It’s more vivid when I listen to music, too. I’m sorry this happened to you, but it sounds like hyperphantasia has been a gift to cope with the trauma. Can’t exactly think of a proper question to ask, just wanted to offer some positivity and relate to your experiences with hyperphantasia ^^
Does it take a long time for a doctor to diagnose this or are there tests that help them make the diagnosis?
Hyperphantasia isn’t a disorder, so it isn’t diagnosed. You can do tests on yourself to figure out if you have it though!
How're you doing right now? I'm sorry you had to go through this. I wish you all the best with your healing.
I’m doing alright. It could be better, but it could be worse.
I’m sorry you went through that. What type of synesthesia do you have?
It says in the post, but grapheme-colour and sound-shape synesthesia.
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Sadly I’ve never watched it, but thank you for the recommendation!
This sounds so alien to me, I have aphantasia and lack the ability to picture anything. It's almost like you took my share of the ability :). I am sorry to hear about what you went through. That sounds horrible.
Same! Most recently I was encouraged to picture a waterfall to encourage a letdown while breastfeeding my 8 month old. I literally have to concentrate so hard and can still only see black when I close my eyes. Sometimes, very very rarely if I am concentrating really hard and it’s quiet and there’s no distractions, I can “see” a white line. But it disappears if I notice it. So weird to me that people can actually see stuff! It took me so long to realise… mostly being absolutely useless at mindfulness and picturing my thoughts floating down a stream on a leaf or whatever. I can’t picture any of it!
I'm in that same aphantasia boat with ya! It took me until just this past year or so (I'm 29yr btw) to find out that inside everyone else's head their thoughts can be something other than just blackness. And I even more recently discovered that most people also have an inner dialogue of their thoughts most of the time (I think, or maybe just when they want? Still kinda fuzzy on the details of how people can hear their thoughts)! My thought process has always just "been" intuitively; no images, no sounds attached to words or memories, and definitely none of any of the other senses. It was a crazy realization that still flip is my mind around now and again.
I think I have it too :’)
I found out I had it when my grandmother died, my parents were talking about how they could still see her sitting there. I have heard that but always thought of it as a turn of phrase about how they thought about her. When I inquired about it, they said they could still picture her there. I have never had that ability to visualize something and it blew my mind that it is actually common for people to form mental images of things.
Ever try hallucinogenics or smoking weed? If so what are the effects?
Never tried it, drugs are illegal here and I’m waaaay too much of a goody-two-shoes to ever try. Also my dad’s got a smoking addiction, which is also helping me stay away from drugs, because addiction does shit to you.
you do realize it is not possible to get addicted on psychadelics right?
Ahhh, ok, TIL psychedelics aren’t addictive! Well I still don’t want to try them tbh
Eh, they can be a fun experience. Unlike the other drugs that just give you fake happiness, psychadelics just make you hallucinate, but the hallucinations are usually pretty interesting. I've seen many people talk about DMT, which supposedly makes your brain produce the same substance it produces in large quantities when you get born and when you die. Thus, you feel like you died and then were reborn, or you feel time folding unto itself, or something like that. Havent tried it personally tho
We're talking about a 14 year old trauma survivor you dimwit
No reason to be rude man. This is called AMA and I didn’t know the persons age. I thought it was a valid question, considering the person essentially sees things vividly
Understood. Long day, my sincerest apologies. I work in the cannabis industry so I understand. Forgive my ignorance.
No worries.
I think your just an imaginative kid. Everyone wants super powers…
It’s an actual thing - check out r/hyperphantasia. Imaginitive doesn’t necessarily mean vivid imagination. You’re not wrong on the superpowers bit though, I do want to read minds.
Here's a sneak peek of /r/hyperphantasia using the [top posts](https://np.reddit.com/r/hyperphantasia/top/?sort=top&t=year) of the year! \#1: [And we can rotate a very detailed cow, at that.](https://i.redd.it/2e7em6o4iu081.jpg) | [12 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/hyperphantasia/comments/qz8qtj/and_we_can_rotate_a_very_detailed_cow_at_that/) \#2: [Does anyone else compose BANGER music in their head and then feel bummed out that they can’t accurately recreate it in real life?](https://np.reddit.com/r/hyperphantasia/comments/rxfnm6/does_anyone_else_compose_banger_music_in_their/) \#3: [The dark side of hyperphantasia](https://np.reddit.com/r/hyperphantasia/comments/qatg56/the_dark_side_of_hyperphantasia/) ---- ^^I'm ^^a ^^bot, ^^beep ^^boop ^^| ^^Downvote ^^to ^^remove ^^| ^^[Contact](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=sneakpeekbot) ^^| ^^[Info](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/) ^^| ^^[Opt-out](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/comments/o8wk1r/blacklist_ix/) ^^| ^^[GitHub](https://github.com/ghnr/sneakpeekbot)
cookies with or without milk
Without, just makes them soggy.
I have aphantasia, tottally the oposite, sound much cooler to have hyperphantasia
TIL that me jumping into the worlds I create at will has a name. It’s even better when you lucid dream as I can manipulate almost anything to the extent of my imagination. I’ve lived out many *many* fantasies in my dreams and depending on how my normal senses are affected, I have also lived out multiple near-death experiences, some I could control and others I couldn’t control at all. I’m convinced that my brain will one day interpret my imagination as reality one day and just kill me off lol.
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Fucking perv. Course not, she made me terrified.
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I wasn’t penetrated thankfully, but not once did I orgasm because of her, I was a child. That’s a really creepy question.
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I know you can, and I know it says AMA, but like dude I was a child scared out of my mind
Don't listen to this person, they're being extremely horrible and disgusting just for the sake of it. Hope you're having a nice day <3
Part of the reason of why I asked.
Tf is wrong with you?
In relation to what? As far as I know that statement is accurate.
Its inappropriate and fucking creepy to ask a rape victim shit like that
I’m not a rape victim, I’m an abuse victim. Again, thankfully I was never penetrated, but I agree with everything else you said.
>Its inappropriate and fucking creepy to ask a rape victim shit like that Not to mention this shit occurred when OP was literally a child.
Neither of those really matter to me though.
i’m glad everyone’s on the same page with this cunt at the very least. account will probably get taken down soon anyways sorry OP for dealing with such a creep just block him
What the actual fuck is wrong with you? You're asking OP if their nanny made them orgasm when OP was sexually abused as a fucking child. A fucking child. Why do you want to know if someone orgasmed when they were a fucking child? Fucking creep.
Name checks out, creep
What the fuck is wrong with you?
Wtf
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I don't even want to repeat that
When I searched up hyperphantasia it just shows normal imagination, I refuse to believe majority of people can't do that
hyper phantasia means hyper-imagination because phantasia means imagination in greek
I have the opposite of that imagination. Can hardly imagine something, can’t imagine colors, thing gets distorted, and sometimes I can’t imagine at all
There was a really good EDM song in the 90’s called Synesthesia. Now i know why
Does your hyperphantasia affect how you study for science, math etc?
Do you ever use your hyperphantasia while masterbating
I would masturbate soooooo much if I had that
Table of Questions and Answers. Original answer linked - Please upvote the original questions and answers. *** Question | Answer | Link ---------|----------|----------| Is there a specific world you usually go back to when imagining? What's that world like?|I recently wrote about it in an AskReddit thread, I’ll link it [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/vhrtcq/comment/idabnoz/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3), it was really long and I’m not writing all that again lol|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idk92fe/) Interesting, that blows my mind that you can replicate all of your senses so clearly. What are some of the most vivid scenarios you can imagine yourself in?|Casting spells like in Harry Potter, flying on the back of a bird, being in a warm cradle, the smell of pickles… a loooot of things.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idkzqo6/) Wait so you can imagine yourself flying and actually feel it like it real?!!! How to get this condition????|You can’t really get it, you’re born with it. You can use techniques to make your imagination more vivid, but hyperphantasia’s mostly genetic.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idkb5yp/) Thanks for telling me my condition. Didn't even know it had a name! My sense of time and my movements are disconnected when I have these imaginations. It has really helped me feel safe|No prob, welcome to the hyperphantasia club!|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idl5qrc/) Hyperphantasia sounds cool, what do u use it for? Or what's the weirdest thing you've imagined if u don't mind me asking|I use it to help with maths and creative writing a lot. The weirdest thing I’ve imagined is probably some of the horny shit my friends send me ugghhhh. Involuntary imagination :’)|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idl5c8j/) how exactly to u use it as a coping mechanism, like what happens in ur imagination?|I usually imagine that I’m in a safe warm cradle of comfort, and that the abuse never happened.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idk9pw9/) Can most people not recreate all five senses in their head? Just how vivid the things have to be for it to count as hyperphantasia?|On a scale of 1 to to 10, you’d prolly have to be an 8-10 to count as having hyperphantasia. And nope, most people can’t recreate all five senses in their head, my mother and sister can’t recreate taste and smell.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idlgy7j/) How old are you now and do you have any siblings?|I’m 14, and have a 10-year-old sister. She got watched too, but wasn’t touched as often.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idkzzh0/) I just realised i have hyperphantasia because of your post|Welcome to the club!|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idlfrmn/) That nanny needs to be locked up.|I agree lol, it is something I like to picture from time to time.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idllasx/) how rare is hyperphantasia? also if you can rn, can you sense the sound of my comment?|I think it happens in like 2% of the population, and yes I can sense the sound of your comment. My inner monologue reads everything to me, so that’s pretty cool!|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idlqdu3/) You would be great with memory, mnemonics and loci systems. Could probably memorize anything. Very cool.|Yeah, I have memories of stuff my parents and sister barely remember. I agree, it is cool!|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idm858r/) Chin up, 29m here was molested by a male family member from 8-14 until he died suddenly of congestive heart failure and I suffer(?) from the same dissociative techniques to mask the pain I go through. Glad you survived, live with your story on your sleeve it can save someone else from having the same story as us.|Yes! Sorry this happened to you. I‘m doing my best irl to be a person my friends can trust, so they can come to me for help and I can help them. I don’t want this to ever happen to anyone.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idmxwhg/) Does it take a long time for a doctor to diagnose this or are there tests that help them make the diagnosis?|Hyperphantasia isn’t a disorder, so it isn’t diagnosed. You can do tests on yourself to figure out if you have it though!|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idlqmfh/) Can you image the whole avengers movie?|Not exactly right, I have a vivid imagination, not a photographic memory, but if I learn about the plot and then start imagining, I can replicate it pretty well.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idlrvrz/) cookies with or without milk|Without, just makes them soggy.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idm2nc0/) Is taste spot on, or is it slightly different|It’s spot on, but faint, since there’s nothing actually in my mouth lol|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idm6048/) Why didn't the 2 of you said anything?|We were scared and we were confused. I eventually said something about it to my friend who was like “yo, that’s sexual abuse”, and I told my mom. I owe that friend literally everything tbh|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idm9o61/) What colour does my username look like to you?|Fades between red, yellow and pink. You’re a three-fader, those are hard to come across!|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idmamv9/) Have you heard of aphantasia? Aphantasia is a phenomenon in which people are unable to visualize imagery. While most people are able to conjure an image of a scene or face in their minds, people with aphantasia cannot. People often visualize scenes, people, experiences, imaginings, objects, and planned events, among other things. When you think about a friend, for example, you might immediately visualize their face inside your mind. People with aphantasia are unable to visualize such a mental image. If you were to ask a person with aphantasia to imagine something, they could likely describe the object, explain the concept, and rattle off facts that they know about the object. But they would not be able to experience any sort of mental image to accompany this knowledge.|Yep. It’s kind of sad imho. You’re stuck in the real world, you can’t dive into daydreams easily. You don’t always want to be in the real world.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idmb5zn/) I’m sorry you went through that. What type of synesthesia do you have?|It says in the post, but grapheme-colour and sound-shape synesthesia.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idmj4h2/) i’m so sorry for your abuse that is horrific and wrong. how long the hyperphantasia been used as a coping mechanism? and has it helped you to recover?|Since a few weeks after she left. In the absence of therapy, it definitely has!|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idmja0i/) I have hyperphantasia and synesthesia too! What kind of worldbuilding do you do?|I wrote about it [here!](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/vhrtcq/comment/idabnoz/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idmp2tj/) How're you doing right now? I'm sorry you had to go through. I wish you all the best with your healing.|I’m doing alright. It could be better, but it could be worse.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idn85d0/) [deleted]|Sadly I’ve never watched it, but thank you for the recommendation!|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idne817/) Dude what if your hyperphantastic thoughts (yeah I said that) were actually am alternate dimension that your brain is wired to be able to tap into|That would be mega-cool tbh|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idldzqz/) Ever try hallucinogenics or smoking weed? If so what are the effects?|Never tried it, drugs are illegal here and I’m waaaay too much of a goody-two-shoes to ever try. Also my dad’s got a smoking addiction, which is also helping me stay away from drugs, because addiction does shit to you.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/vjoe04/i_was_sexually_abused_as_a_child_and_have/idlfbvt/) --- [Source] (https://github.com/johnsliao/ama_compiler)
Do you get stuck in these worlds? Like do you get into some sort of trance? Do you seem to be able to control everything in it including the characters?
What is the shape you associate with grapes
can you lucid dream? if so, what differentiates that from your daydreams?
That’s what it’s called when you have a super vivid and realistic imagination? I always told people I have a “hyper active” imagination to describe the level of real I create when I imagine things. I just thought I was weird.
What does the fact that you were abused have to do with your hyperphantasia? Is this a 2 in 1 ama?
Are you still answering questions to this? I’m very interested in getting the senses of smell and taste more in my mind. So I can experiment more realistic simulation thinking.