[arowthway]

Isn't this 'pretend-and-perceive approach' what all aphantasics do by default when asked to imagine something? That is, until they know they're aphantasics AND choose to feel 'confusion, frustration, shame, and inadequacy' instead.

[vidarh]

I certainly think that is what I've done.

I've meditated, and experimented with self hypnosis (still on the fence on whether hypnosis works), and I simply always interpreted such "visualize" instructions as metaphorical, as I had no idea until a few years back that people meant them literally, so pretending was the only option I thought possible.

[t-3]

No. I can imagine just fine without visualizing. It's the same as "thinking". Posit a sphere of radius x. Why do I need to see to imagine that?