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Comment by GhettoComputers | Hacker News Reader

As someone who thought they had aphantasia, nobody truly has it. Can you think of what a McDonald’s/Apple logo looks like? Can you think of what a computer/phone looks like? What is the shape of Italy?

If you think you have, it your visualization likely just isn’t strong, you are able to visualize weakly, and you probably lost stronger visualization and imagination over lack of its use. Use it or lose it. You can get it back if you want.

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This doesn’t seem like a very useful characterization. To the best of my knowledge, visualization ability falls on a spectrum, and some are better than others. Aphantasia is a useful word to describe a low ability to visualize. Just because you aren’t at zero doesn’t mean you’re average. (Also, for the record, I find the things you describe very difficult. McDonald’s/Apple logos are borderline doable, but the other things you listed are not happening for me.)

> Use it or lose it. You can get it back if you want.

I genuinely really hope you’re right. As someone with subpar visualization skills, gaining them would be wonderful. If you have advice for how to achieve this it would be much appreciated.

I think the problem I had was that they told me it was defined as no visualization. Its discoraging and most people think that is what it means, zero.

Do you not have the ability to think of what shape a laptop is? I used peptides to change my brain, cerebrolysin for instance may really help, but you need to do more to visualize since its like a muscle.

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