Aphantasia: What it is and why it matters in the therapy context
What is Aphantasia?
If you ask a group of people to “picture a beach,” many will describe an actual inner image: blue water, bright sand, maybe even the angle of the sun. But for some of us, there’s no picture at all—just the idea of a beach. No images of white sand, palm trees, or blue skies. For me, there’s just a somewhat splotchy black background and words that describe what I know about beaches.
That experience has a name: aphantasia. Aphantasia is the absence or near absence of voluntary mental imagery, especially visual imagery.
Aphantasia and neurodivergence: where it fits
Aphantasia isn’t what people usually think of when they think of “neurodivergence.” That being said, Aphantasia fits comfortably under the broader neurodivergent umbrella as a meaningful difference from the neurotypical norm in how a person’s mind works that stems from a brain-based variation. There’s another reason it’s showing up more in neurodivergent conversations: research suggests aphantasia is more common in autistic people. According to some estimates, up to 20% of autistic people could be aphantasic, as compared to roughly 1-5% of non-autistic folks.
Functional implications
Aphantasia isn’t automatically a problem, but it can shape functioning in specific areas. When you start to pay attention, you might realize how many parts of our world assume mental imagery to be a universal experience.
Among other differences, aphantasic people may have less detailed and less emotionally vivid autobiographical memories than visualizers. We may need to rely on more external supports like lists, maps, and photos for planning, orientation and organization. We also often need to adapt our learning styles and strategies as many approaches to teaching assume an ability to conjure up and manipulate mental images.
Why aphantasia matters in therapy
Many techniques commonly used across psychotherapeutic modalities rely on visualization as a channel for change, which assumes that the client is capable of generating and manipulating mental imagery. For example: imaginal exposure, guided visualization or guided meditation practices, several variations on parts work, and various forms of structured memory re-imagining or re-scripting.
When clients don’t have the words to explain their lack of mental imagery, they may feel confused or ashamed to be “failing” at therapy. Many clients who discover that they are aphantasic tell me they’ve given up on therapy before because of this.
Naming the difference is part of good care
Aphantasia is one of those differences that can hide in plain sight. It’s not always impairing, but it can be profoundly validating to recognize. Naming it can allow therapists and clients to select alternative approaches to the therapeutic work that fit with a person’s way of experiencing the world, setting them up for success.
If you’re a therapist, it’s worth adding one simple question to your toolkit:
“If I ask you to ‘picture this’ in your mind, what happens for you? Does an image (literally) forms in your mind?”
At Accord Psychology
We recognize and acknowledge that every mind is different, and that therapy should be flexible enough to meet those differences. Meet our team of passionate therapists or contact us for personalized support.
Want to learn more about aphantasia?
The Aphantasia Network is the most complete resource we know for all things related to aphantasia. Radiolab’s episode on aphantasia also serves as a great introduction to the human spectrum of visualization ability.
