Inner silence: living without inner voice or imagination

Inner silence: living without inner voice or imagination

Psychology

Close your eyes and imagine you are walking on a beach. Do you see the waves? Do you hear the roar of the sea? Do you feel the sand under your feet? Many people can conjure up images in their minds, hear sounds or feel the sensation of warmth and wind. But not everyone can do this. For some people, the mind remains still and empty. No images, no sounds, no inner voice guiding a stream of thoughts. The experience of “seeing something in your mind” or “having a song in your head” simply does not exist for them.

Many people with such a silent mental experience discover late that others do live with vivid images, sounds and internal conversations. Conversely, people with rich internal representation often do not realize that this is not a given. How does a silent mental world affect thinking, feeling and functioning? Is it a limitation, an advantage, or just a different way of “being”?

Different forms of inner silence

There are different ways in which inner silence can express itself. Some people cannot form images in their heads, while others cannot hear sounds or lack an inner voice. These forms of inner silence, such as aphantasia, anauralia and anendophasia, can affect how a person thinks, remembers and experiences the world. Each of these forms has its own specific characteristics, but they share the absence of sensory or cognitive perceptions that many people take for granted.

What is anendophasia?

Anendophasia means that a person has no inner voice. Many people experience their thoughts as a kind of inner conversation, asking themselves questions or thinking things through verbally. For people with anendophasia, this internal dialogue does not exist. They think, but not in words or audible sentences.

Diederik only realized this when a friend asked him, “What is your inner voice saying right now?” He smiled uneasily and shrugged. His thoughts were not silent, but they didn’t sound like words either. He just knew things without them being spoken in his head.

What is anauralia?

Anauralia lacks the ability to hear internal sounds. People with this trait cannot imagine voices, music or environmental sounds. If someone asks them to “play a familiar song in their head” or hear the voice of a loved one in their mind, they remain silent. This can affect how memories are experienced, how language is processed and how a person thinks.

Noah did not realize until later in life that others had an “inner ear. When his friend asked him if he could hear his mother’s voice when he thought about it, he looked at her in surprise. He could remember perfectly well what his mother often said, but recalling her voice in his mind? That was impossible. To him, memories consisted only of facts, not sounds.

What is aphantasia?

People with aphasia cannot imagine images. When they think of a person, a place or an object, they remain visually silent. They may know what something looks like, but don’t literally see it in front of them. This affects how they recall memories, fantasize and even dream. Some people do not discover until adulthood that others can play their thoughts like a movie.

When Thomas heard as a child that he was to represent “a red apple,” he nodded obediently. Everyone seemed to understand what the meaning was, so he pretended to see it too. Only years later did he discover that other people could actually picture it in front of him, while his head remained blank.

Although most people associate aphantasia with the inability to form visual images, other sensory experiences may also be missing from the internal world. In addition to the inability to create images in their minds, some people cannot remember tactile sensations, temperatures or pain. This type of aphasia can affect how they experience their environment and how they interact with sensory information.

Afantasy of sense of touch

People with aphantasia of touch cannot evoke feelings of touch or texture in their minds. For example, when they imagine what a soft pillow feels like, it remains an abstract idea without any physical sensation. They know that the pillow is soft, but they cannot imagine what it is like to actually touch it.

Sarah noticed it when she asked her friend to feel a soft cloud in her mind. Her friend closed her eyes and said, “It’s soft, like I can almost feel it.” Sarah replied, “I have no idea what that feels like. I just can’t imagine it.” For Sarah, the experience of texture in her mind was completely absent.

Afantasy of temperature

For some people, the inability to experience temperature in their minds is another form of aphantasia. When they imagine sitting in the sun, they don’t feel warmth. When they imagine snow, they don’t experience cold. This affects how they imagine certain environments and how they can prepare for different conditions.

Tom struggled to understand his friends’ warnings about the cold during a camping trip. They told him it would be freezing cold, but when he closed his eyes and imagined the cold, he felt nothing. To him, temperature remained a pure concept with no physical sensation.

Aphasia of pain

In some people with aphasia, there is also an absence of pain memories. They cannot imagine what pain feels like, even if they have experienced it in the past. This can make it difficult for them to empathize with others experiencing pain, or to be prepared for physical discomfort.

Jessica had no idea what it was like to feel a burn, although she had once suffered one. When a friend told her about a painful experience, she said she couldn’t imagine it. She knew what pain was, but it was as if her memory of physical pain consisted of dry facts, without evoking an actual sensation in her mind.

What is anorthosmia?

Anorthosmia means that a person cannot recall smell or taste memories. Whereas many people can remember the smell of freshly baked bread or the perfume of a loved one, for people with anorthosmia it remains an abstract idea. They know what something smells like, but cannot relive it in their minds.

When Mark heard his friends talk about how the smell of soap instantly took them back to their childhood, he didn’t understand. He knew what soap smelled like, but he couldn’t recall the smell. It seemed as if his memories of smells and tastes consisted only of words, not real sensations.

What is asomathesion?

Asomathesia is the inability to experience an inner body sensation. Most people feel their body even without physically touching it. For example, they know where their hand is even with their eyes closed. People with asomathesia have little or no such internal sensation.

Emma lay in bed and tried to relax, but as soon as she closed her eyes, her body seemed to disappear. She knew rationally that her arms and legs were there, but she didn’t feel them without paying conscious attention to them. It was as if her body ceased to exist as soon as she didn’t see it or move it.

Other forms of inner silence

In addition to these main forms, there are some other ways in which inner experiences can be missing.

  • Anemosia – no internal music memory. Whereas most people can hear a song “in their head,” for people with anemosia it remains silent. They can remember a tune, but not play it internally.
  • Atactophasia – no inner speech when planning movements. People with atactophasia perform actions intuitively, without thinking in their heads step by step: “First I take the key, then I turn the door.”
  • Alexithymia – difficulty recognizing and verbalizing emotions internally. This does not mean that a person has no emotions, but that they are difficult to consciously experience or formulate. Read more about Alexithymia
  • Adysphoria – no internal experience of emotions. Whereas most people feel emotions, people with adysphoria experience them mostly rationally. They may say “I am angry,” but feel little about it.

How do people think without inner representations?

For most people, thoughts are more than abstract concepts. They see images, hear an inner voice and often experience sounds in their heads that accompany their thoughts. But for people without inner representations, all of this is missing. How do they process information and think if they have no visual or auditory representations?

People without inner images often think conceptually. For example, instead of seeing an apple in their mind, they understand the idea of an apple through its characteristics. They can remember the color, shape and taste, but this is not done through a visual image, but through abstract knowledge. This sometimes makes their thinking more logical and direct, without distraction by images. They understand what an apple is without literally seeing it in front of them.

In addition to conceptual thinking, many people without inner representation also think linguistically. Instead of talking to themselves in complete sentences in their heads, they work with a kind of mental notes that move through their minds like concepts. These people process their thoughts in a more abstract way, without the thoughts being spoken aloud in their heads.

Some people think associatively. This means that their thoughts are often not linear and are not always tied to one fixed image or idea. Instead, thoughts come spontaneously and are often associated with other memories or ideas without actually evoking the images or sounds of these memories.

For them, the auditory or visual aspect of thinking has been replaced by a more sensitive, conceptual approach to what they know. This does not mean that they have no thoughts, but rather that the way these thoughts form and express themselves is very different from that of people who do have images or sounds in their minds.

David was asked to imagine a moment when he was walking on the beach. While his friends describe the smell of salt water and the sound of the waves, David cannot imagine any of it. No image of the beach comes to his mind, no smell of the sea, and no sound of the waves washing ashore. For him, the idea of the beach is purely abstract: he knows what a beach is and can remember its physical properties, such as sand and water, but this remains abstract.

When he thinks of the sand beneath his feet, he feels no physical sensation. When asked about the colors of the sky or the sea, he has no visual image to fall back on. Instead, he understands the concept of a beach without it coming into his mind as a vivid image. It is like a list of facts: a place with sand, water and sky, but no sensory experience that he evokes.

How does inner silence affect daily life?

Advantages

Less distraction

One of the greatest benefits of a quiet inner world is that there are fewer distractions. People who do not have a constant stream of thoughts, images or sounds often find it easier to stay focused on the task at hand. They experience less mental noise, which helps them focus better on their work or studies. Because they are not reliving events or forming images in their heads, they can fully focus on the reality around them.

Other forms of focus

Instead of being distracted by thoughts that arise in the form of images or sounds, people with a quiet inner world can often develop other forms of focus. They rely on abstract and conceptual ways of thinking that allow them to concentrate on the logic or process of the work without visual or auditory distractions. This often makes their focus more purposeful, even though they lack the sensory experiences that others have.

Less overstimulation

For people prone to overstimulation, a quiet inner world can be a blessing. They are less likely to be distracted by internal sounds or images, which allows them to navigate busy or stressful environments more calmly. This can help them stay calm in situations that overwhelm other people, such as in crowded cities, at busy meetings or during emotionally charged moments.

Cons

Harder to recall memories

One of the disadvantages of a silent inner world is that it can be more difficult to recall memories. Without visual or auditory representations of memories, people may recall only abstract details. They may be able to remember the feeling of an experience, but not the specific images or sounds associated with it. This can make it difficult to recall certain moments or situations vividly, which can be a challenge when preparing a presentation or retrieving past memories, for example.

Challenges in creative work

Creative work such as writing, painting or making music can be more difficult for people without inner images or sounds. Whereas many people draw inspiration from visual or auditory representations in their heads, people with quiet inner worlds must find other sources of inspiration. They must focus more on abstract concepts, facts or structures. This can make creative work more difficult, although some people find ways to turn this challenge into an advantage, working with text or ideas instead of visual images.

Difficulty planning or envisioning the future

Being able to visualize the future is an important tool for many people when planning and making decisions. However, people without inner images do not have a visual representation of what might happen. This can make it difficult to imagine future situations, such as a vacation, a move or a career move. They must rely on abstract concepts such as dates, facts and logic to make decisions, without being able to prepare for the emotional or sensory aspects of what is to come.

How people with quiet inner worlds learn to cope with these differences

People with a quiet inner world have developed ways of dealing with these differences. They often rely on structures and systems to organize their thoughts and plan their tasks. Because they have no visual or auditory memories, they often have a strong tendency to write things down, organize and work on schedules. This helps them keep a mental overview of what needs to be done, even if the internal representation of events is missing.

In addition, they can learn to apply abstract thinking techniques in their creative work. For example, instead of seeing images or sounds in front of them, they may use language, concepts or structures to express their ideas. This often makes them more theoretical or conceptual in their approach, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be creative.

People with a quiet inner world often develop coping mechanisms that help them cope with their challenges in daily life. For example, they learn how to concentrate without visual distractions, and how to use their abstract thinking to plan and solve problems effectively.

The science behind inner silence

Aphasia and neurological processes

Aphantasia (aphantasia) is the inability to form mental images – one does not have a “mind’s eye.” Neurological research shows that the brains of people with aphantasia function differently than those of people with normal visualization. For example, an fMRI study showed that in persons with aphasia, certain brain networks are less strongly connected and become less active during imagination tasks. In particular, the connection between frontal cortex and visual areas was weaker in aphantasia compared with people with highly vivid imagery(link).

Researchers also saw less activation in the anterior parietal cortex (an area related to attention/visualization) when scanning while trying to visualize, compared with control subjects (link).

A recent case study with identical twins – one brother of whom had aphasia and the other did not – confirmed such findings. The twin with aphasia showed less visual information in memory representations and had lower connectivity between frontoparietal and occipito-temporal brain regions, compared with his brother. These neurological abnormalities support that aphantasia is a real, biologically anchored phenomenon and not a mere subjective perception.(link)

Anauralia and processing of sound without inner representation

In addition to visual depictions, some people are also unable to hear sounds or voices in their minds. This phenomenon is represented as anauralia, the lack of auditory imagination (a “mind’s ear”). In 2021, scientists introduced this term after noting that many aphasics also do not experience an inner voice or music.

A study of 128 subjects (including 34 aphantasizers) found a strong correlation between visual and auditory imagery: those with no visual imagery often also had weak or no auditory imagery (Spearman’s rho = 0.83) . In other words, most people with aphasia also reported (virtually) silent inner hearing – no inner voice talking along or melodies playing in the head. And vice versa: participants without inner auditory imagery were almost all found to have aphasia. There are exceptions (some individuals with only visual or only auditory images), but they are rare.(link)

People with anauralia describe their thoughts as completely silent: they do not “hear” inner monologue and read in their heads without a voice. This is striking because inner speech (auditory imagination) normally plays an important role in cognitive functions such as working memory, language comprehension, reading, planning and self-regulation. Therefore, the lack of inner voice raises questions about how these people accomplish such tasks without the usual auditory support. Research on anauralia is still in its infancy, but it highlights how diverse inner experiences can be and that both the “mind’s eye” and the “mind’s ear” seem to be crucial for information processing.(link)

Aphasia and neurodiversity (autism/ADHD)

There is evidence that aphasia overlaps with certain neurodivergent profiles, particularly autism. A large-scale study found that autistic traits were more common in people with aphasia. Aphantic participants scored higher on average on the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) – a questionnaire for autistic traits – compared with control subjects. Many subjects with aphasia also spontaneously reported themselves to be “on the autistic spectrum.” This connection makes sense, as limited imagination has historically been considered a hallmark of autism. Scientists therefore suspect a shared basis: for example, that both aphasia and autism may be associated with abnormal networks in the brain (autism is associated with less long-range connectivity between brain regions). Although more research is needed, these findings support the idea that aphasia may be part of the neurodiversity spectrum.(Link)

For ADHD, the relationship with aphasia is less clear. As yet, no scientific evidence has been found that aphasia is related to ADHD. Although some people with ADHD anecdotally report difficulty forming images in their minds, so far there is no clinical study confirming a direct link. The term “aphantasia” has only been around since 2015, so it may take time for any connections to ADHD (or other neurodivergent conditions) to be well researched. At present, however, aphantasia appears to be independent of ADHD symptoms, despite some overlap in experiences (e.g., difficulty visualizing details may also occur in ADHD, but due to distraction or memory problems rather than permanent imaging blindness)(link)

Information processing without inner representations

People without inner images or sounds often develop alternative strategies to process information. Cognitive-psychological research on aphantasia reveals interesting differences in memory and thinking style. One study had subjects make drawings from memory of previously shown images. People with aphantasia drew significantly fewer objects and details from memory compared with those with normal visualization. For example, their drawings contained little color and detail, and aphasics more often added words or labels – a sign that they were using verbal descriptions (verbal “scaffolding”) to remember the scene This indicates that they store information more in words or concepts rather than images. Yet their spatial memory was intact: scaners were able to reproduce the overall layout and proportions of the scene as well as others Remarkably, they also made fewer memory errors. Whereas visual thinkers sometimes “remember” false details that were not there, aphasizers stayed closer to actual features (possibly because they are not seduced by living mental pictures)(link)

We also see differences in processing emotional information. Emotional response seems to depend in part on mental imagery. In an experiment, participants were asked to read frightening scenarios (e.g., being attacked by a shark or ending up in a plane crash) while their physical fear response was measured via skin conductance (sweating). The results showed that people with aphasia showed significantly less fear response to such stories – the “scary” descriptions hardly evoked any physical tension in them. Without the ability to vividly envision gruesome scenes, threatening stories lose their emotional charge. This confirms that mental imagery has a strong link to emotion: when one cannot imagine something, the emotional stimulus also remains limited.(link)

In summary, these findings show that people without inner representations process information differently, but certainly not less effectively. They lean more on verbal, logical and factual strategies rather than visual or auditory imagination. The brain seems to take different routes to accomplish the same tasks in aphantics and anauralists – for example, by storing memory content more conceptually and approaching emotions more rationally. Ongoing research on aphasia and anauralia thus sheds new light on the plasticity of our cognitive system: even without a “mind’s eye” or “mind’s ear,” the brain manages to find ways to make sense of the world and remember it.

Experiences and recognition

Many people with a silent inner world do not discover until late that others do have a rich inner world. This is because there is little awareness or openness about the subject. People often do not realize until they are adults that their experience of thinking is different from that of others because it has never been explained to them before.

The rise of social media and online communities has allowed those with a silent inner world to gain more recognition. Many people discover through forums and online conversations that they are not alone in their experience of an empty or silent inner world. These platforms provide a space for people to share their experiences and support each other. This raises awareness about how different people think and can help dispel misconceptions about these phenomena.

Conclusion

The various forms of inner silence, from afantasia to anauralia and anendophasia, offer insight into the vast variety of human experiences. Understanding these phenomena can help us be more compassionate to the diversity in how people experience the world around them. This insight offers not only self-insight for those who live with it, but also a better understanding for others who experience the world differently. It is important to become aware of how different people think and how we can embrace and support these differences.

Also read: fantasy as a defense mechanism

Read more about: Psychology

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