If you were told to close your eyes and picture a red apple, what do you “see?” For some, the image of an apple is relatively easily conjured. For others, nothing appears at all. This inability to generate mental images is called aphantasia. People with aphantasia describe being unable to “see” images in their mind, even when trying to imagine something familiar, like a loved one’s face or their childhood home.
It’s estimated that roughly four percent of people experience aphantasia. Mental imagery is known to exist on a spectrum. Some individuals score at the opposite extreme, known as hyperphantasia, where mental pictures are unusually vivid. (If you’re curious, the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire is a classic test used to assess where someone falls on this scale – I actually scored as hyperphantasic!)
Scale of mental visual imagery ( image source )
From a neuroscience perspective, aphantasia is fascinating. It involves key processes like memory, perception, and imagination. Studies suggest that when people visualize mental images, areas such as the secondary visual cortex (V2), the parietal cortex, and other top-down control networks become active. In individuals with aphantasia, these circuits may be disrupted or underactive, limiting the brain’s ability to generate internal imagery.
Given that psychedelics are known to cause visual hallucinations and increase neural connectivity between visual regions and higher-order brain areas, it’s interesting to examine how they might compensate for this deficit.
One especially interesting case study describes a woman with severe aphantasia who reported that after taking psilocybin mushrooms, for the first time in her life, she was able to form mental images. She even dreamed in pictures – something she had never experienced before. Although the effect faded over time, her description of the experience is remarkable:
“I found it incredible because it was the first time I had images in my mind, and I realized that you can play with images, zoom in, zoom out, break down colors. The possibilities with mental images are endless… it’s an experience of pure mind. It opened up incredible possibilities for me… Being able to intensely live this experience for a day makes you want to revolutionize the world.”
A similar case was reported in a man with severe aphantasia who took ayahuasca, which is a brew containing the potent psychedelic DMT. Following the experience, he noted:
“I can now bring forth faint pictures in my mind. They fade quickly but they are there. When dreaming I now see faint, quickly fading images. It feels like this experience with ayahuasca has slightly opened up my mind’s eye and allowed me to experience internal images like I have never had before.”
These accounts highlight just how dramatically psychedelics can shift perception. Psychedelics also promote neuroplasticity and synaptic growth, which could further explain why some users experience changes in imagination and perception.
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