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Comment by toper-centage | Hacker News Reader

I realized some time ago when I learned of Aphantasia that it is a spectrum. From 0 to 10, 10 being perfect photographic memory and zero being total Aphantasia, I feel like I'm somewhere in the middle. I can recall images, sounds, memes, faces, but in terrible quality, with very little color or focus, more similar to fast paced dreams than photographs.

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I wonder if that's something that can be practiced and improved upon.

I've been wondering the same ever since I read that Nikola Tesla invented/designed the AC motor in his mind's eye.

Seems to be along the lines of lucid dreaming, with a vast difference in degree. Sometimes as I'm falling asleep I can see vivid scenes or objects that I can--to minor degrees--play with for a short time before I either fall asleep or wake up, then it's gone.

I would take something written about Tesla on such an intimate level with a grain of salt though. He is very very hyped and often elevated to a God-like level.

I don't doubt that some people have this ability and have no reason to think Tesla wasn't one of them.

His feats are perhaps even more remarkable if he didn't have any superpower abilities such as this.

also, consider somebody who is an expert already in the problem domain.

most of us here are programmers and do this on a daily basis. somebody describes "A GraphQL API driven by a clojure back end connected to a postgres database" and to a layperson that looks like either a bunch of nonsense words or maybe a few boxes, clouds, and arrows. but to you and me we can visualize the individual lines of code, configurations, functions, and infrastructural requirements behind that simple sentence.

same with an electrical engineer/inventor in their domain.

I wouldn't say that I exactly 'visualize' it. For me it's more of a bunch of formless even nameless things and connections that don't have specific shapes or places, only logical structures. The lines of code also flows freely but it feels more like synthesis from those ideas rather than copy-typing. Eventually the 'picture' or network in my mind gets complicated/unstable and I have to draw it out.

I've been trying for years to visualize. My SO is an artist and my mother a psychologist, so I've been trying to gets tips and tricks from them. I never managed to even get a hint of color.

You sound similar to me, girlfriend is an artist with an incredible visual imagination, mother is a therapist, and I was at a 0 on the scale before I met her. My gf and I have had some deep conversations, sometimes assisted by MDMA, and at times to the point of crying in front of her in a state of completely trusting her which uncovered some past trauma, social fears, and other discomforts I needed to work through. Anyway after each of these times it would get a little easier to visualize; simple colors at first, then colorful shapes, now small snippets of images that come in and out. Maybe a 2-3 on the scale. Also my memory has improved, not so much for technical stuff, but just remembering the details of my life which before had huge spans (in years) that I mostly didn't remember.

Anyway this might just be specific to me but something to think about.

I definitely think the ability is there and can be unlocked. Like the way you can sometimes figure out how to fire some random muscle on your body with practice.

While I was in jail I managed to imagine images in vivid color and detail several times, but never on demand. It would happen randomly when I was just lying, bored, thinking about stuff. Each time was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. It was like going from being a caveman looking at scratchings on a wall, to straight into a 3D IMAX movie. The quality was that spectacular, with bright colors and completely 3-dimensional. Since I left jail it hasn't happened again a single time.

I have to wonder if that's how others see inside their minds? If so, I am in awe.

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