I have multi sensory aphantasia. [I do have an internal monologue that never shuts up, but I cannot make myself imagine a sound such as a siren, birds, or my husband’s voice. When I “hear” a song in my head it lacks music and all of the vocals are my own voice. Even in my own head I cannot carry a tune.]
When I experience a flashback of my own trauma, there are no visuals, but there is an intense sense of panic and fear. The intensity is the same as if I was experiencing the event all over again. Even without a visual component, every flashback is devastating and affects my mood and sleep afterwards— usually for weeks on end.
I don’t doubt that if my trauma was caused by merely witnessing something bad then my aphantasia would be protective. That only makes sense. But my trauma was not related to a visual experience. I don’t care to discuss the details online, but I know that even though 50 years have passed, certain seemingly trivial things put me right back into those moments of terror and that panic. Aphantasia may be protective in some/many circumstances, but there are traumas so unspeakably horrific that a blind mind’s eye can’t diminish.
I have total multi sensory aphantasia, and chronic PTSD as well as cPTSD, that is treatment resistant to all trauma based modalities as they require some level of sensory memory recall and/or imagination. Pete Walker explains emotional flashbacks well; our body and nervous system are both back in the trauma, despite not having any sensory clues as to where we are, what is happening, how old we are, etc.
Also, studies show aphantasia does NOT protect against PTSD.
Already commented elsewhere but will here too. I have multisensory complete aphantasia as well, and also have very severe treatment-resistant long-term PTSD primarily from a gang-rape long ago. Visual flashbacks are only one form of the category of "re-experiencing" symptoms that are part of a PTSD diagnosis. Nightmares and other forms of flashbacks (such as physical flashbacks...feeling the event happening to your body all over again...think "the Body Keeps the Score") are all also part of the "reexperiencing" category of symptoms. There are other life-altering categories of symptoms as well as part of the PTSD diagnosis. I am more than happy to share how PTSD has presented for me with aphantasia.
I do not think PTSD should be diagnosed differently for aphantasia (since as I noted above visual flashbacks are only one example of the re-experiencing category of symptoms) and PTSD with aphantasia is every bit as disturbing with or without the visual component. There have been occasions where I have had visual flashbacks accompany my symptoms. They were very disturbing true but overall helpful because they added context for what was happening, and the other symptoms of PTSD that I deal with every day are no less disturbing than the images. What we really need is better education of therapists and psychologists and the aphantasia community that the absence of images does not preclude the presence of PTSD, and we need more research and education into therapeutic approaches for PTSD in people with aphantasia.
I was told a long time ago by a psychiatrist that I shouldn’t mention I have no visual cues while initially discussing my cptsd as it may keep me from being diagnosed and treated. I have strong auditory, smell, and touch flashbacks that are short but loop often enough.
I’ve always felt as if reading a book is less emotionally involved for me than watching movies are because I am even further removed from the story and can separate it as such. With a movie, it seems easier for me to get my own experiences and emotions involved with the story.
I am a full aphant(multisensory) have No inner monologue and have sdam. I suspect that unlike some aphants who are not multisesensory I would be fairly immune to ptsd and I would expect that sdam would provide and extra layer of protection.
I have multi sensory aphantasia. [I do have an internal monologue that never shuts up, but I cannot make myself imagine a sound such as a siren, birds, or my husband’s voice. When I “hear” a song in my head it lacks music and all of the vocals are my own voice. Even in my own head I cannot carry a tune.]
When I experience a flashback of my own trauma, there are no visuals, but there is an intense sense of panic and fear. The intensity is the same as if I was experiencing the event all over again. Even without a visual component, every flashback is devastating and affects my mood and sleep afterwards— usually for weeks on end.
I don’t doubt that if my trauma was caused by merely witnessing something bad then my aphantasia would be protective. That only makes sense. But my trauma was not related to a visual experience. I don’t care to discuss the details online, but I know that even though 50 years have passed, certain seemingly trivial things put me right back into those moments of terror and that panic. Aphantasia may be protective in some/many circumstances, but there are traumas so unspeakably horrific that a blind mind’s eye can’t diminish.
I have total multi sensory aphantasia, and chronic PTSD as well as cPTSD, that is treatment resistant to all trauma based modalities as they require some level of sensory memory recall and/or imagination. Pete Walker explains emotional flashbacks well; our body and nervous system are both back in the trauma, despite not having any sensory clues as to where we are, what is happening, how old we are, etc.
Also, studies show aphantasia does NOT protect against PTSD.
https://aphantasia.com/article/mental-imagery-ptsd-neurodiversity-treatment/?srsltid=AfmBOoqXoO2pU0noH2xqt1EyvRsPklnRCoza_3fLgBoylTJ8URKa_o9r
and
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7308278/
and
https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/kj5d3_v1
and
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-65705-7
Here is a thread on reddit that has some anecdata to support these studies
https://www.reddit.com/r/Aphantasia/comments/7zkzbh/ptsd_and_aphantasia/
Already commented elsewhere but will here too. I have multisensory complete aphantasia as well, and also have very severe treatment-resistant long-term PTSD primarily from a gang-rape long ago. Visual flashbacks are only one form of the category of "re-experiencing" symptoms that are part of a PTSD diagnosis. Nightmares and other forms of flashbacks (such as physical flashbacks...feeling the event happening to your body all over again...think "the Body Keeps the Score") are all also part of the "reexperiencing" category of symptoms. There are other life-altering categories of symptoms as well as part of the PTSD diagnosis. I am more than happy to share how PTSD has presented for me with aphantasia.
I do not think PTSD should be diagnosed differently for aphantasia (since as I noted above visual flashbacks are only one example of the re-experiencing category of symptoms) and PTSD with aphantasia is every bit as disturbing with or without the visual component. There have been occasions where I have had visual flashbacks accompany my symptoms. They were very disturbing true but overall helpful because they added context for what was happening, and the other symptoms of PTSD that I deal with every day are no less disturbing than the images. What we really need is better education of therapists and psychologists and the aphantasia community that the absence of images does not preclude the presence of PTSD, and we need more research and education into therapeutic approaches for PTSD in people with aphantasia.
I was told a long time ago by a psychiatrist that I shouldn’t mention I have no visual cues while initially discussing my cptsd as it may keep me from being diagnosed and treated. I have strong auditory, smell, and touch flashbacks that are short but loop often enough.
I’ve always felt as if reading a book is less emotionally involved for me than watching movies are because I am even further removed from the story and can separate it as such. With a movie, it seems easier for me to get my own experiences and emotions involved with the story.
I am a full aphant(multisensory) have No inner monologue and have sdam. I suspect that unlike some aphants who are not multisesensory I would be fairly immune to ptsd and I would expect that sdam would provide and extra layer of protection.