How the Mind Works

“This is my mother’s arm, I thought, staring at the torn skin on the side of the road. Except it was me. And in that moment, I realized my body had crossed into a different stage of life—without warning.”

As a young mother, I didn’t know that most people can see images in their minds. Decades later, learning about aphantasia finally explained a conversation I never forgot.

When I close my eyes, I don’t see my mother’s face—or anything at all. Years later, learning about aphantasia explained why visualization never worked for me.