Do any other aphantasia folks have the experience of like, that one time they saw a very vivid image, but it only ever happened once for a short time?
That happened to me a few years ago. It was a very interesting experience.
It’s surefire subjective proof that aphantasia is real - the image I saw was so vivid and colorful, even animated. I can say for sure that I almost never have that experience.
At the same time, my one experience was surely in many ways much more limited than some others normal visual thoughts.
The mind is an interesting place.
I distinctly remember as a child watching Garfield the cartoon cat walking on the sofa. I remember explaining to my mother how cool that was that I could actually see him as real as anything.
I don't know when that ability faded. I think it was early because didn't really notice until people started talking about it recently. I can paint and draw. I can think about how things look. But, I don't see them. If I'm on the edge between awake and asleep I can force visualization as a lightweight lucid dreaming.
When I code, I think about data structures and algorithms using a mental proprioception. Putting things in space, moving them around. But, I have to remember where they are. Like playing the shell game with your eyes closed.
People have commented this a few times in this rather long thread.
Sometimes in the first few minutes after waking up I experience images though I wouldn't call them vivid