Today's episode is all about Aphantasia, also known as mind’s eye blindness. Those with Aphantasia can't visualize scenes, people, experiences, objects, and memories, and it can impact other senses as well. This lack of mental imagery was described as early as the late 1800s, yet it has remained a relatively unstudied phenomenon until 2015, when a study first introduced the term, Aphantasia. Since then, the amount of research about Aphantasia has continued to grow.
Our two guests today, who both experience Aphantasia, include Tom Ebeyer who is the founder of the Aphantasia Network, and Jana O’Connor, writer of the upcoming feature film, PICTURE IT, probably the first long-form film highlighting the experience of having Aphantasia!
The key moments in this episode are:
- 00:00:34 - Understanding Aphantasia
- 00:01:04 - Interview with Tommy Ebeyer
- 00:01:44 - Aphantasia Network and Community
- 00:04:55 - Impact of Aphantasia on Daily Life
- 00:13:51 - The Relationship between Imagination and Body Response
- 00:14:22 - Research on Aphantasia
- 00:16:37 - Personal Experiences and Unique Imagery Profile
- 00:21:00 - Resources for Aphantasia from Tom
- 00:24:42 - Jana discovering Aphantasia and Writing "Picture It"
- 00:28:27 - Impact on Daily Life
- 00:32:04 - Grief and Aphantasia
- 00:36:24 - Creative Professions and Aphantasia
- 00:39:11 - Aversion to Descriptive Passages
- 00:40:10 - Childhood Horror Experience
- 00:41:25 - Approach to Writing and Performing
- 00:43:21 - Visualization and Learning
- 00:45:14 - Challenges of Standardized Testing
- 00:49:44 - Representation of Aphantasia in Film and Writing
- 00:53:01 - Writing and Visual Imagination
- 00:53:40 - Evolution of Television and Writing
- 00:54:35 - Aphantasia Resources from Jana
DOWNLOAD TRANSCRIPT: https://braaainspodcast.com/s/Braaains-Podcast-Episode-011-Aphantasia-Transcript.pdf
Contact us: BraaainsPodcast.com
Follow: @BraaainsPodcast
Music: @_Deppisch_
Design: Perpetualnotion.ca
Mixing/ Mastering: Tony Bao
Support this show: Patreon.com/BraaainsPodcast
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.