I am 22 and I’ve hated reading my whole life until this year. I went from not reading anything besides school assignments to reading every day. I just figured out why I enjoy reading now. So most people when they read in their head can play it out and actually imagine the people what they look like what the setting looks like but I cannot. I have what they call aphantasia and I always suspected this is why I hated reading. This and that I do not have an internal monologue. As it turns out as much as having those things would make reading nice I realized I just needed to find a different way to connect to these books. Emotional connection. I may not be able to imagine the characters or narrate in my head like others but I do have a strong ability to connect to books on another level. Where I don’t see that I’m there but i emotionally feel like I’m there. I feel their pain and their happiness and I enjoy it so much. I’m really glad that I have found a way to enjoy reading even if I didn’t know I was doing it at the time. I’m curious how do you read? Is anyone here like me?
by Forward_Promise_5851
3 Comments
You don’t have an internal monologue? Are you sure? How do you think? Do you just act on pure instinct? Genuine question btw! I have no idea how it’s possible to function without an internal monologue – and it’s probably impossible to read without an internal monologue, I’d have thought. Even if you can’t visualise the scene, do not not ‘hear’ the words in your head as you read them?
I am the total opposite! I sometimes just zone out and imagine random things, there’s always music or internal monologue playing in my head, lol. I have always wondered how can someone think or understand things without being able to “see them” in their minds. Like, I can’t imagine understanding a text without having a voice telling it to me. You know how many internal discussions I have before making a decision or something? 😂 (Sometimes, I even speak aloud to myself!) I find it fascinating that people can be so different and I am glad you found a way to enjoy reading! “Feeling it” or emotional connection makes a lot of sense too!
Can you elaborate more on your condition, i can not coprehend how does it feel or function