I’m 58 years old, and last Monday, I found out about this condition. Until Monday at 1 p.m., I thought I was a visual person who could see in my mind. As the cords began to unravel, I realized that I was blind and only using cognitive skills to recall the past. All at once, my life began to make sense: why school was so hard, why I can’t remember details, why creativity is so difficult for me, why certain things people said seemed like metaphors and not reality, and why I could not close my eyes and relax. My first reaction was that I’d been cheated. Then I felt relief that it was a somewhat normal thing for some. It’s not going to change my life, but only how I look at it. I’m going to have an easier time explaining to people why I do the things I do. I have been successful by society’s standards. I have a college degree, am the CIO of a large school district, have a wife and two kids, and three grandchildren, but it did not come without very hard work. My thoughts after a week are that this has made me who I am today, and I’m not sure I would change if I could go back.
I have always told people I have a "bad memory." Before they could respond I would say no really much much worse than yours. Before I discovered Aphantasia and SDAM I could not articulate what I meant. Now I can. Terrifying indeed. Before I had heard about Aphantasia and SDAM I told my wife many times that I would never know if I was going senile. Now I know I am not alone. Is it still scary? Yes, but knowing I am not a lone and having terms for these things makes it a little easier to deal with.
This video having so few views highlights how bad the generational divide on certain topics like psychology and neurodiversity really is... which is a shame tbh
I’m 58 years old, and last Monday, I found out about this condition. Until Monday at 1 p.m., I thought I was a visual person who could see in my mind. As the cords began to unravel, I realized that I was blind and only using cognitive skills to recall the past. All at once, my life began to make sense: why school was so hard, why I can’t remember details, why creativity is so difficult for me, why certain things people said seemed like metaphors and not reality, and why I could not close my eyes and relax. My first reaction was that I’d been cheated. Then I felt relief that it was a somewhat normal thing for some. It’s not going to change my life, but only how I look at it. I’m going to have an easier time explaining to people why I do the things I do. I have been successful by society’s standards. I have a college degree, am the CIO of a large school district, have a wife and two kids, and three grandchildren, but it did not come without very hard work. My thoughts after a week are that this has made me who I am today, and I’m not sure I would change if I could go back.
Actually, we are the normal ones. The others have superpowers. We have achieved a lot despite our disability. We should be proud of ourselves. 🙂
@@mehmeteminbalc I agree, and I am proud of what we have achieved.
I have always told people I have a "bad memory." Before they could respond I would say no really much much worse than yours. Before I discovered Aphantasia and SDAM I could not articulate what I meant. Now I can. Terrifying indeed. Before I had heard about Aphantasia and SDAM I told my wife many times that I would never know if I was going senile. Now I know I am not alone. Is it still scary? Yes, but knowing I am not a lone and having terms for these things makes it a little easier to deal with.
This video having so few views highlights how bad the generational divide on certain topics like psychology and neurodiversity really is... which is a shame tbh