Comment by dannygreer

As a kid, I had vivid mental images. That completely changed after a head injury in my early twenties. Now I can’t picture anything in my mind.

I believe the same injury also left me with anendophasia, meaning I don’t have an inner monologue.

Neither has negatively affected my work or daily life. I’ve just become what I’d call a 'generative thinker': I figure things out by doing. Ideas take shape as I speak, write, build, or work through them. Over time I've gotten increasingly better/faster at this. In some instances I believe it even makes me more productive..I don't overthink.

Here’s a helpful overview of anendophasia:

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/anendophasia

And a few active communities for anyone interested:

Aphantasia: https://www.reddit.com/r/Aphantasia/

Anendophasia: https://www.reddit.com/r/Anendophasia/ https://www.reddit.com/r/silentminds/

I’ve lived with and without both mental imagery and an inner monologue, so for me, there’s no question that these differences are real.