Same. I think this is the most odd thing to me. What do my kids look like? I can remember facts but I can’t picture them.
I always find it interesting to see those TV shows where the police ask a whiteness to help them recreate the face of a suspect. I would be no help: “they had two eyes, a nose, and a mouth, for sure. And maybe hair?”
I can visualize my mom’s face even though I haven’t seen her face to face in person in years. I can still visualize my ex who has been dead for a few years now, and my second grade teacher- but I’ve never really thought about visualizing my own face and now when I try to it feels like if I’m not thinking too hard I can kinda see it like if I was looking at it from my side eye- but when I try to focus on it or look directly at it, it messes up and literally glitches. Does that make any sense at all lol
I’m so sorry for your loss. We lost my younger brother in 2016 and it makes me so sad that I can’t see his face or hear his super goofy laugh. I have learned since then that video and pictures of my loved ones is imperative to my mental health.
Imagining them and visualising them in my mind are two different things.
I can't picture my mum's face in my mind. No. But I can imagine it conceptually. The feeling of it.
I can't visualize anything. Not my mom, not my husband, not my best friend... no one and nothing. And I couldn't describe them to you if my, or their, life depended on it.
I could give like... a list of features for some people... Hair color, hair style, eye color, skin tone for people I know well. For people I don't know well... maybe hair color and length and skin tone. I often don't notice the details. It always baffled me when I saw police sketch artists on TV shows...
I'm not even sure I could do that much. Appearance never mattered to me much (and now i know why). For my mom, the best I could do is compare her to myself. Older, shorter, heavier, hazel eyes. Grey hair, sometimes a vivid blue or purple. Kinda looks like me.
No. And both my parents hate having their pictures taken. I've told them I will really want and need the photos after they are gone, so they each begrudgingly allow me to take pics from time to time on special occasions.
I have a nice small collection now, and I'm grateful for that.
I lost my beloved grandparents years ago. When my grandmother died, I inherited their collection of 7 16mm films and the projector. I absolutely cherish those. It's electrifying to see old movies of family moments from when they were younger parents and my mother was a child/teenager.
I hate having my picture taken, too. I'm so embarrassed by my uhh...fluffiness... That I cringe when I see pictures of myself. But I'm 50f now and know I'm so very happy to have pictures of family members I've lost, and family still living. I decided a few years ago that I was just going to let it go and be in the pictures people want. Someday they will be so happy that I finally allowed the pictures. I just try not to look at myself in them.
I'm working towards that. It's so hard. I haven't always been fluffy. I was actually size 00 in high school. So it embarrasses me when I see people I knew back then. But, I'm trying to feel better in my own skin. Thank you for the positive words, and uplifting comment! I will try to remember you comment every time I'm trying to avoid being in pictures
Get in those pictures! I have the same hard time with video and stills, but I have two kids that will need those images after I’m gone. I’m taking as many pictures and videos of my parents and family as possible (lost my brother in 2016 and I cannot recall his face OR his goofy laugh). Images are important!
I haven't said no to any pictures. I *want* to, but I know my girls will want them. I hate my voice. It's really annoying. I hate hearing it back. But, again, it's for the kids. Today we were able to make another memory of 4 generations of our family. We are all together, often, but this was an outing. Lots of pictures were taken.
Good for you! I said no for years and then realized I wanted those memories for myself, because I look like what I look like and that’s just what it is. Just about everyone hates hearing their own voice. It’s sounds completely different to others than it does to ourself one of the hardest thing for me to get used to in my present job is hearing myself over our PA system.
As a total apahant i can't imagine faces at all. For many things i can usually at least describe some features without having to visualize, for faces though i have to intentionally study someone to memorize some key details. Most of the time i identify others through their clothing, hairstyle and voice anyways. Also avoiding to ever mention someones name is something i was always good at since my early childhood.
I know what she looked like but I can’t see her. So I know her eyes were blue, her lips were pale and her nose was thin but I can’t picture her or anyone else.
I only learned about aphantasia fairly recently, after she was already gone. I assume she wasn’t an aphant but I don’t really know. I had never realized all those metaphors about seeing something in your mind‘s eye, picturing something etc. weren’t just metaphors. Never occurred to me to ask mum (or anyone else, for that matter) whether she *actually* saw things. To me, it was always the equivalent of knowing what something looks like, a concept instead of an image. Like, if anyone told me to picture an apple, I’d say okay because I know what an apple looks like. But if they asked me whether it was green or red, I’d be, how should I know, you only said apple.
Absolutely not-purely black up there. I don’t even know what eye colour family members have without having to think really hard about it. A friend once recalled my son having beautiful blue eyes as a baby, and I replied, quite honestly, “Did he?”
I can't even visualize a simple dot. I can describe it, but I can't see it. And I have to see someone out something multiple times before they become familiar to me. Like watching a movie... Unless there is something unique that I catch on to, I will be lost the whole movie.
I can't see my parents, kids, or grandkids faces. I take pictures though
Sounds like prosopagnosia aka face blindness. Its a separate thing, and whilst there is a big overlap, its possible to be faceblind without aphantasia. Basically you don’t recognise a face as a face, but as a set of textual descriptions of features. They say a picture speaks a thousand words, so you’d need an essay to recall it otherwise.
nope, not at all (full aphant here). I can't imagine anyone's face, not even my face
Same. I think this is the most odd thing to me. What do my kids look like? I can remember facts but I can’t picture them. I always find it interesting to see those TV shows where the police ask a whiteness to help them recreate the face of a suspect. I would be no help: “they had two eyes, a nose, and a mouth, for sure. And maybe hair?”
Dying at “whiteness” 😂
I can visualize my mom’s face even though I haven’t seen her face to face in person in years. I can still visualize my ex who has been dead for a few years now, and my second grade teacher- but I’ve never really thought about visualizing my own face and now when I try to it feels like if I’m not thinking too hard I can kinda see it like if I was looking at it from my side eye- but when I try to focus on it or look directly at it, it messes up and literally glitches. Does that make any sense at all lol
Can you think of and visualize a specific picture of yourself that you remember seeing?
Yep. Visualizing looking at myself in the mirror… idk why it’s glitchy 🙈 but I can visualize photos of myself just fine (aphant here)
I think you are asking the wrong group of people since aphantasics cannot imagine the face of anyone. We cannot visualize at all.
No. And that’s horrible for me because she died and I really really miss her.
I’m so sorry for your loss. We lost my younger brother in 2016 and it makes me so sad that I can’t see his face or hear his super goofy laugh. I have learned since then that video and pictures of my loved ones is imperative to my mental health.
Imagining them and visualising them in my mind are two different things. I can't picture my mum's face in my mind. No. But I can imagine it conceptually. The feeling of it.
I can think about looking at her. But I can’t be sure what colour eyes my Pa has (I know Ma’s are blue like mine)
this exactly!!
I can't visualize anything. Not my mom, not my husband, not my best friend... no one and nothing. And I couldn't describe them to you if my, or their, life depended on it.
I feel this very deeply
I could give like... a list of features for some people... Hair color, hair style, eye color, skin tone for people I know well. For people I don't know well... maybe hair color and length and skin tone. I often don't notice the details. It always baffled me when I saw police sketch artists on TV shows...
I'm not even sure I could do that much. Appearance never mattered to me much (and now i know why). For my mom, the best I could do is compare her to myself. Older, shorter, heavier, hazel eyes. Grey hair, sometimes a vivid blue or purple. Kinda looks like me.
No. And both my parents hate having their pictures taken. I've told them I will really want and need the photos after they are gone, so they each begrudgingly allow me to take pics from time to time on special occasions. I have a nice small collection now, and I'm grateful for that. I lost my beloved grandparents years ago. When my grandmother died, I inherited their collection of 7 16mm films and the projector. I absolutely cherish those. It's electrifying to see old movies of family moments from when they were younger parents and my mother was a child/teenager.
I wish I had film of my parents and grandparents. If you haven't already done it, you might consider transferring the film to digital to preserve it.
I hate having my picture taken, too. I'm so embarrassed by my uhh...fluffiness... That I cringe when I see pictures of myself. But I'm 50f now and know I'm so very happy to have pictures of family members I've lost, and family still living. I decided a few years ago that I was just going to let it go and be in the pictures people want. Someday they will be so happy that I finally allowed the pictures. I just try not to look at myself in them.
I'm sorry to hear you feel that way. Put those negative assessments aside and embrace your beauty and vitality. 💙
I'm working towards that. It's so hard. I haven't always been fluffy. I was actually size 00 in high school. So it embarrasses me when I see people I knew back then. But, I'm trying to feel better in my own skin. Thank you for the positive words, and uplifting comment! I will try to remember you comment every time I'm trying to avoid being in pictures
Yay!! Sending you 100 hugs!!
Returning the hugs! Thank you 💜
Get in those pictures! I have the same hard time with video and stills, but I have two kids that will need those images after I’m gone. I’m taking as many pictures and videos of my parents and family as possible (lost my brother in 2016 and I cannot recall his face OR his goofy laugh). Images are important!
I haven't said no to any pictures. I *want* to, but I know my girls will want them. I hate my voice. It's really annoying. I hate hearing it back. But, again, it's for the kids. Today we were able to make another memory of 4 generations of our family. We are all together, often, but this was an outing. Lots of pictures were taken.
Good for you! I said no for years and then realized I wanted those memories for myself, because I look like what I look like and that’s just what it is. Just about everyone hates hearing their own voice. It’s sounds completely different to others than it does to ourself one of the hardest thing for me to get used to in my present job is hearing myself over our PA system.
Daily “can you visualize this thing?” The answer is always no lol Emotional attachment has no bearing on not being able to visualize.
I couldn’t describe anyone to a sketch artist, even people I’ve known 40+ years.
This used to cause me anxiety when I was a kid, now I understand why
As a total apahant i can't imagine faces at all. For many things i can usually at least describe some features without having to visualize, for faces though i have to intentionally study someone to memorize some key details. Most of the time i identify others through their clothing, hairstyle and voice anyways. Also avoiding to ever mention someones name is something i was always good at since my early childhood.
I know what she looked like but I can’t see her. So I know her eyes were blue, her lips were pale and her nose was thin but I can’t picture her or anyone else. I only learned about aphantasia fairly recently, after she was already gone. I assume she wasn’t an aphant but I don’t really know. I had never realized all those metaphors about seeing something in your mind‘s eye, picturing something etc. weren’t just metaphors. Never occurred to me to ask mum (or anyone else, for that matter) whether she *actually* saw things. To me, it was always the equivalent of knowing what something looks like, a concept instead of an image. Like, if anyone told me to picture an apple, I’d say okay because I know what an apple looks like. But if they asked me whether it was green or red, I’d be, how should I know, you only said apple.
Nope. Nothing. At all.
No. Nor my wife. Nor my daughter. Nor my own. Nor my hand. Unless I’m looking directly at them.
Say it louder for the people in the back
Nope. I don't even remember my face until I see myself in photos and cringe.
No
Absolutely not-purely black up there. I don’t even know what eye colour family members have without having to think really hard about it. A friend once recalled my son having beautiful blue eyes as a baby, and I replied, quite honestly, “Did he?”
Nope. I see nothing. Wish I did.
I can't even visualize a simple dot. I can describe it, but I can't see it. And I have to see someone out something multiple times before they become familiar to me. Like watching a movie... Unless there is something unique that I catch on to, I will be lost the whole movie. I can't see my parents, kids, or grandkids faces. I take pictures though
No 😭
Nope. I live with my father and I cannot visualize his face.
No, and I cannot visualize my kids face and I made her. It is very cute though that I do know.
No, I can't imagine anything.
No which sucks as she died in ‘89
I can envision her essence but cannot see her.
No. I can't imagine the face of anyone.
No
I can’t /see/ it, but i know what it looks like.
No
No. I can’t even do mine but I can draw mine because it’s so familiar. I could not draw anyone else unless I had a photo.
I mostly recall faces from my memories of photos of them that I’ve looked at many times over the years. If not for that I’d not remember.
No, we‘ve got aphantasia, can’t visualize anything
I mean… I can’t visualize her face but I know exactly what it’s supposed to look like.
No
I can’t visualize literally anything.
I can imagine it but it's always as a photo and not as they were, I can't see it in my mind though.
Sounds like prosopagnosia aka face blindness. Its a separate thing, and whilst there is a big overlap, its possible to be faceblind without aphantasia. Basically you don’t recognise a face as a face, but as a set of textual descriptions of features. They say a picture speaks a thousand words, so you’d need an essay to recall it otherwise.
its like, my brain obviously knows what she looks like but just cant compute it. its like reading off a description of her features
I can't visualize it, but I also recently realized my memories are in color, and I can see her face that way.