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.

While working as a nurse, I opened a drawer and found a photo of a baby I didn’t recognize—until I realized it was my own. That’s how I learned I was face blind.