Discovering Your Mind - Aphantasia and Beyond

Send us Fan Mail In this episode I talk with Kristen Erickson who has aphantasia but her experiences with it seem very different than mine. In fact, based on the way she describes her experiences, I would never guess she had aphantasia. We talk about how words are a tricky obstacle when trying to describe our experience, how important it is to try and understand others experiences, how visualizing...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we have several guests from many different backgrounds and experience to explore how aphantasia and visualization interplay with the education system. Join Sarah, Dawn, Chantelle, Stacey, Marika, Lindsay, Kristin, and myself as we discuss the challenges associated with spreading awareness, implementing change, and other interesting issues surrounding aphantasia, v...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we discover how Celeste's mind's eye works using the Discovering Your Mind Protocol. Celeste has aphantasia but believes she may have been able to visualize as a child. She also has very vivid dreams and nightmares where she experiences what visualizing while awake might be like. She can hear and touch in her mind which helps her remember things, but if i...

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Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we are very excited and fortunate to have a discussion with Adam Zeman. Adam tells us his story about how he was involved in coining the term "aphantasia" and how his research and articles got picked up by the media, resulting in the large interest in this phenomenon that we see today. He shares with us where he falls in all of this including all of his...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we discover how Nikki O'Connor's mind's eye works using the Discovering Your Mind Protocol. Nikki is a Creative Arts Therapist with aphantasia. She shares some very unique experiences such as musical hallucinations and auditory tactile synesthesia. Although she has aphantasia, she ranks very high on the senses of hearing and touch in her mind, which...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Rebecca McHale, Therapeutic Coach, takes us through many interesting topics surrounding aphantasia and therapy, including the internal experience spectrum, modalities, curiosity, validation, trust, language, and flexibility. We also talk about spreading awareness, grieving, trauma, and the feeling of wasted time that some people with aphantasia may experience. We a...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we discover how Jan Nichols' mind's eye works using the Discovering Your Mind Protocol. Jan has aphantasia and used to worry that if one of her children was kidnapped, she wouldn't be able to describe them to the police. She feels like having aphantasia both helps and hinders in dealing with grief, and at first, she found it hard to believe that peop...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we discover how Dana Swindell's mind's eye works using the Discovering Your Mind Protocol. Dana describes her thoughts as an invisible moving marquee that moves very quickly. She struggles with memory but has found many different ways to help with that including speaking things out loud. Her memories and imagination are strongly tied to feelings and emoti...

Send us Fan Mail In part 2, Shane, Stacy, Donna, Stacey, Garret, Matthew, and Cole talk about the inherent difficulty in delving into our individual differences and the importance of having those conversations and spreading the word. We discuss how we might get the aphantasia discussion more integrated into education, and how visualization may or may not influence decision making... like whether o...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we bring back several guests from previous episodes to further explore the different experiences people are having in their minds. We have Shane Williams and Stacy Fahrion with aphantasia. Donna with hypophantasia. Stacey Williams, Garret Sudweeks, and Matthew Bockholt with hyperphantasia. As well as Cole Williams in the middle with phantasia. In part 1 we take so...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Kate Jenkinson shares her love of poetry and explains how having aphantasia affects the way she writes, performs, and enjoys poetry in many different ways. We talk about "imagery" in poetry and how it can be overemphasized at times. We also discuss how aphantasia affects the world of coaching and we react to the words of a guru who dismisses the idea tha...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we discover how Brandon Lincoln's mind's eye works using the Discovering Your Mind Protocol. Brandon used to think that people who could visualize were super rare. He explains how he doesn't have any senses in his mind, except he can sometimes feel the sensation of pain. However, his dreams feel like reality... he experiences all the senses, and is u...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we explore whether or not people with aphantasia struggle with memory more than those who can visualize. We discuss a study that found that aphantastic folks have weaker object memories but strong spacial memories. We play some memory games, try and remember Cole's high school graduation and discuss some intriguing brain research involving aphantasia and memor...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we explore the topic of memory from the perspective of superior memory and memory improvement. We discuss HSAM, Hyperthymesia, Photographic Memory, Synesthesia, and more. We talk about how mood and mindset can affect our memories and we also have a lot of fun discussing supposed ways to improve memory. https://lithub.com/the-man-who-remembered-everything-and-though...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we explore the topic of memory from the perspective of memory deficiency and specific conditions, situations, and disorders that play a role. We spend much of the episode trying to figure out exactly what SDAM is. I have never had a good handle on it, and it seems to get more confusing the deeper you go. In the end, we get a little closer to understanding the reaso...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Drew Lamm shares beautiful insights about aphantasia and writing and life. We talk about following the pen, some shortcomings of education, delighting in quietness, and more. Drew shares a beautiful piece that she wrote about her experiences with aphantasia that I think deserves to be heard by every person on the planet. Even though she has aphantasia, Drew perfec...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we discover how Elena DeLisle's mind's eye works using the Discovering Your Mind Protocol. Elena is a musician and music teacher. She has Aphantasia and SDAM and can't remember if she could visualize as a child. She can't tell if her dreams are visual, and she wonders if it's harder for people with Aphantasia to grieve. Check out some of th...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we discover how Caitlyn's mind's eye works using the Discovering Your Mind Protocol. Caitlyn can't visualize with her eyes closed nor can she hear other people's voices in her mind. It's always just her own voice... unless it's a song for some reason.... yeah, her mind is very selective about what it will and will not do.  Support the...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we discover how Stacy Fahrion's mind's eye works using the Discovering Your Mind Protocol. Stacy is a very talented and accomplished musician. She has aphantasia, SDAM, and is face blind. In addition, she doesn't have an inner voice, nor can she experience any of the other senses in her mind. She hardly ever remembers dreaming and is quite good at ch...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Shane and Cole attempt to discuss everything, old and new, about aphantasia and give a basic overview of the phenomenon. They discuss why it took so long for research and interest in aphantasia to gain momentum, the latest research on areas of the brain that may contribute to aphantasia, the VVIQ, and much more! Purchase the book, Aphantasia and Beyond, here: http...

Send us Fan Mail In part 2 we discover more about how Brett Kelley's mind's eye works using the Discovering Your Mind Protocol. Brett talks about how imagining a mouse playing the violin worked better than counting sheep, how his mind serves up memories like orders at a deli, and how he used his imagination to help him memorize things in school. Check out Brett's work on Instagram,...

Send us Fan Mail In part 1 we discover how Brett Kelley's mind's eye works using the Discovering Your Mind Protocol. Brett can imagine what it's like to be a chicken. He discusses how he used to use alcohol to calm his mind to fall asleep, as well as his "Calvin & Hobbes moments" as a kid. Check out Brett's work on Instagram, Ko-Fi (online shop) and Reddit, all un...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we discover how Paula Puffer's mind's eye works using the Discovering Your Mind Protocol. The second guest in a row describes seeing images on the back of her eyelids which is separate and different from her mind's eye. But this time, it looks like old movies. Paula describes how she can feel popcorn in her mouth but not in her hands in her mind, and...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we discover how Daniel Faust's mind's eye works using the Discovering Your Mind Protocol. Daniel explains that what sees with his eyes closed and what he sees in his mind's eye are two separate things. He also has trouble experiencing audio and visuals at the same time in his mind, and when he imagines flying, he follows driving routes and traffic ru...