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So ive just learnt that some people dont have an internal monologue/narrator........

INC

Member
This literally blows my mind, how some people dont have this? I have more than 1 monologue/narrstor at any 1 time, discussing shit 24/7

Also some people don't Visually see music within their own mind, it conjures nothing Visually at all.......I picture it in full colour and 3d, almost like a film playing out

Isn't the narrator where the devil and angel on your shoulder comes from, apparently its not as common as I thought....ie, everyone has it
 
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Maiden Voyage

Gold™ Member
This literally blows my mind, how don't some people have this? I have more than 1 narrator at any 1 time, discussing shit 24/7

Also some people don't Visually see music within their own mind, it conjures nothing Visually at all.......I picture it in full colour and 3d, almost like a film playing out

Isn't the narrator where the devil and angel on your shoulder comes from, apparently its not as common as I thought....ie, everyone has it

I have internal dialog but don't have much of a visual component to my thinking. I would love to be able to see things in my mind's eye when listening to music. Sounds lovely.

I learned a little while ago that some people can't hold an object in their mind and visualize it. Blew me away

This is me unfortunately. When I was younger it was there but now that I'm old and senile, it's gone. :(
 
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Con_Z_ǝdʇ

Live from NeoGAF, it's Friday Night!
This is me unfortunately. When I was younger it was there but now that I'm old and senile, it's gone. :(
Third Eye White Guy Blinking GIF by Alex Bedder
 

INC

Member
The inner monologue one I find interesting. Surprised some people don't have that.

Visualizing music .. what? Yea I just hear the sound.

Yeh music conjures imagery to me, for instance I can see the midi pattern, a wave form, and a scenario playing out that matches the music. for example dubstep I see robots arguing, like a edm versions of fantasia, it's basically like a film playing out, all in full colour, 3d etc etc

I get this with all music, just the imagery changes depending on the style or genre of music
 

AJUMP23

Parody of actual AJUMP23
Sometimes it would be nice if my internal monologue would go away. Many times it just tells me what I should have focused on in a meeting instead of what I did focus on.

Also if there is an object to picture in my mind, I can see it clear as day. It isn't distracting but I can see it.


I would love to be able to see things in my mind's eye when listening to music. Sounds lovely.

I don't know that I have ever pictured music when I listen to it. But music is meant to relax and ease in many cases and it just helps me concentrate on what I am doing. I do use it to clear thoughts or open up new thoughts, but I don't really ever see the music.
 

Maiden Voyage

Gold™ Member
Sometimes it would be nice if my internal monologue would go away. Many times it just tells me what I should have focused on in a meeting instead of what I did focus on.

Also if there is an object to picture in my mind, I can see it clear as day. It isn't distracting but I can see it.




I don't know that I have ever pictured music when I listen to it. But music is meant to relax and ease in many cases and it just helps me concentrate on what I am doing. I do use it to clear thoughts or open up new thoughts, but I don't really ever see the music.
I've got 2 modes when listening to music. Casual and critical listening. Casual is just having it on and not paying 100% attention. Critical is giving 100% focus to the music, listening very intently. I use music to set a pace for myself (chill to pumped up) or to explore artistic intentions and the like.

The closest I get to synesthesia is when I think back to certain events or time periods, specific albums or songs come into my mind.

I can make my peepee go hard with my mind! Check mate scientists.
Big Viagra hates him for this 1 simple trick!
 

Punished Miku

Human Rights Subscription Service
I don't ever "see" anything with my eyes closed. I don't picture colors or objects. It's just black. Close your eyes, black. Period.

I can conceptualize things, but I don't actually see them. I don't see colors when listening to music, or ever. I honestly don't even really believe that other people do. I think they like to romanticize what they're thinking about. It's just thoughts. Sounds like new age mumbo jumbo that can't be tested by anyone else beyond "trust me."
 
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INC

Member
I don't ever "see" anything with my eyes closed. I don't picture colors or objects. It's just black. Close your eyes, black. Period.

I can conceptualize things, but I don't actually see them. I don't see colors when listening to music, or ever. I honestly don't even really believe that other people do. I think they like to romanticize what they're thinking about. It's just thoughts. Sounds like new age mumbo jumbo that can't be tested by anyone else beyond "trust me."
Whereas I think people who see nothing but black and void of anything visual, are just saying it to sound edgy.....(not singling you out here)
For example I asked my house mate to visualise a simple object in his mind, like an orange, he just couldn't get his head around it, that people can not only see it, but in different plains and context (2d, 3d, on tree, being peeled, scenarios with an orange in it)

Him saying that to make me, makes me feel the same way you do about people that can. Must mean he has 0 imagination at all.
 
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NeoIkaruGAF

Gold Member
I was thinking about this just yesterday.
I wish I could shut up my inner monologue for a while. I also absolutely have to make sounds inside my head even for silent activities. If I, say, shift my weight from one foot to the other or turn my head sideways, my mind makes up a sound effect to account for it, like in those old dialogueless movies. This also happens when I’m reading a comic book and a completely silent panel turns up. My mind just has to make up a sound to represent that silent action - a character just stands there open-mouthed? A gasp immediately plays in my mind.

I thought maybe it’s the result of reading too many comics as a kid. You get used to people thinking complete sentences in their thought balloons and start doing that yourself.
 

Trogdor1123

Member
Multiple voices in your head talking? Uh… might want to talk to someone about that.

I’m sure most people actually have internal thoughts processes but wouldn’t call it that or don’t want to say as the way the question is posed is odd.

Surely people… think… right?
 

INC

Member
I was thinking about this just yesterday.
I wish I could shut up my inner monologue for a while. I also absolutely have to make sounds inside my head even for silent activities. If I, say, shift my weight from one foot to the other or turn my head sideways, my mind makes up a sound effect to account for it, like in those old dialogueless movies. This also happens when I’m reading a comic book and a completely silent panel turns up. My mind just has to make up a sound to represent that silent action - a character just stands there open-mouthed? A gasp immediately plays in my mind.

I thought maybe it’s the result of reading too many comics as a kid. You get used to people thinking complete sentences in their thought balloons and start doing that yourself.

So I have a similar issue, especially when trying to sleep, voices and imagery flood my brain, and since my eyes are closed, it's free for all.
One trick I've found that works slightly, and this is going to sound weird, is focus on staring forward with my eye shut, this stops my eyes access my left and right part of my brain (memory and creative parts of my brain). It works for line 5mins 🤣🤣
 

Punished Miku

Human Rights Subscription Service
Whereas I think people who see nothing but black and void of anything visual, are just saying it to sound edgy.....(not singling you out here)
For example I asked my house mate to visualise a simple object in his mind, like an orange, he had couldn't get his head around, that people can not only see it, but in different plains and context

Him saying that to make me, makes me feel the same way you do about people that can. Must mean he has 0 imagination at all.
Fair enough lol. It's not a lack of imagination. It's just how eyeballs work. I don't think anyone sees anything with their eyes closed. Maybe it's that I've actually experimented with things in my party days, but I know what it's like to see things that are unusual, and to watch people exaggerate what they see.

I was thinking about this just yesterday.
I wish I could shut up my inner monologue for a while.
The "inner monologue" in my opinion is just random thoughts firing off in a brain not used to self-reflection. Sam Harris is pretty much the best at describing this. Most people have never tried meditation. But when you actually slow yourself down to that point and observe how your brain works, you can get a better sense of how unstructured thoughts "pop" in your head, out of your subconscious basically. If you have low self-awareness in calm states you'll be less likely to notice this and it can feel like a "monologue." In reality, it's just you and your subconsciousness. Someone that meditates regularly will likely notice different emotions creep in to their mind and be aware of it, rather than it feeling like another person talking to you.

I only meditated for like a year, but I actually think it was invaluable.
 
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INC

Member
Multiple voices in your head talking? Uh… might want to talk to someone about that.

I’m sure most people actually have internal thoughts processes but wouldn’t call it that or don’t want to say as the way the question is posed is odd.

Surely people… think… right?

They're all my voice, but the different parts of my Personality all mapping out every possible outcome, like a board meeting me (self/consciousness) at the head of the table, the parts of my personality all putting their opinion across on the possible outcomes 1-10 steps down the line.......again I presumed this is how everyone navigates life........right......😬
 

NeoIkaruGAF

Gold Member
Multiple voices in your head talking? Uh… might want to talk to someone about that.

I’m sure most people actually have internal thoughts processes but wouldn’t call it that or don’t want to say as the way the question is posed is odd.

Surely people… think… right?
It’s not like voices coming from other people outside of you (which would be schizofrenia).

It’s, as I said, like you’re thinking like people in comic books, forming complete sentences in your mind to comment on stuff when your mind can easily do that without the words.
 

H4ze

Banned
People can picture music while listening to it?
wtf?!
I just hear the music, but there is like absolute no picture attached to it, more like different feelings I get. This some witchcraft to me
 

INC

Member
People can picture music while listening to it?
wtf?!
I just hear the music, but there is like absolute no picture attached to it, more like different feelings I get. This some witchcraft to me

Feeling as well, the feeling can also affect the imagery

Here's a a good example for visualizing music

Here's describing the music with a visual interpretation of sheet music.
Add to that I can see the choir and all the orchestra playing, as if on stage. Then I also picture people on a boat rowing into battle, for the trombone parts, and the female choir, like its the wives looking out to sea thinking of them going into battle. Thats how the music would be playing in the back ground like film



Then on top I can see the midi pattern playing and the wave forms as if it's on a spectrum.

Like this




This make any sense 🤣🤣🤣
 
It’s not like voices coming from other people outside of you (which would be schizofrenia).

It’s, as I said, like you’re thinking like people in comic books, forming complete sentences in your mind to comment on stuff when your mind can easily do that without the words.

Yeah. Have had some crazy inner arguments and chastising when the "devil on the shoulder" decides to monologue and mentally telling it to "stop".

It's also why at times I have a hard time keeping attention on something I'm not really interested in as the mind brings up things and I start zoning out for what's brought forth.
 
I can see shapes and colors when listening to music. Music sometimes plays in my mind. But it's random songs and only part of it. I can't conjure songs like I can do with images.

I have simulated conversations with people I know, in my mind. I think it's one of the reasons why I never feel lonely.
 

Sleepwalker

Member
I wish I could visualize music, sounds like an incredible experience.

I always process my internal thoughts as speech but it comes out as talking to myself inside my head, it's not like I have someone else speaking to me, it's my own voice if that makes sense, sometimes I catch myself actually talking to myself irl though. I zone out a lot and can get lost in my thoughts in easily. The devil/angel in my shoulder thing doesn't play out like 2 different voices, but rather thoughts of my own about how what I'm doing is right or wrong and pondering on the consequences of said things.

As for visualizing objects like in the orange example, if you tell me to visualize it, I will start by evoking a memory of an orange so the background would be a supermarket or a grocery store or someplace else where I've been in contact with an orange, then I can zoom in on it on 3D and take a look etc, I can see the orange clearly, just my brain will populate all the details by taking me to a specific memory.
 
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HUELEN10

Member
This literally blows my mind, how don't some people have this? I have more than 1 narrator at any 1 time, discussing shit 24/7

Also some people don't Visually see music within their own mind, it conjures nothing Visually at all.......I picture it in full colour and 3d, almost like a film playing out

Isn't the narrator where the devil and angel on your shoulder comes from, apparently its not as common as I thought....ie, everyone has it
I mean no disrespect by this, but have you ruled out having DiD? Not that there's anything wrong with that or nothing.
 
Aphantasia is curable through practice. I reckon it is a more recent phenomena, and is likely one significantly effected by screen time in modern man.

The lack of internal monologue is interesting. I alternate between periods of language based thought and periods of non language based thought, and have multiple modes of dialogue based thought as well. Some are more useful than others, and some are baseline negative thought patterns.

Part of the study of Grammar in Rome was the subject of the four internal senses. Those senses were
A) The sensory memory
B) The synthesizing or common sense
C) The imagination
D) The instinct

Of course, what we have now as Grammar is a hollow shell of Grammar in its previous incarnations. I personally find that the labeling of the four internal senses is worth more than anything I was ever taught in school.
 
I mean no disrespect by this, but have you ruled out having DiD? Not that there's anything wrong with that or nothing.
I reckon they dont have DID, they are just more apt at observing different strains of internal dialogue. Most, if not all, people have different modalities of thinking that exist within them. Judging by the statements re: audio visualization, INC probably has a better grasp on the inner workings of their mind than many.

edit: DID = dissociative identity disorder, what people have traditionally mislabelled as schizophrenia.
 
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cormack12

Gold Member
Ironically this means you have a lack of imagination.........😬

Enjoy your void 🙈🙉🙊

/jk
Some guy in our work said he doesn't have an inner voice. He also seeks attention. Unless he can explain it then I consider it fake news
 

H4ze

Banned
Feeling as well, the feeling can also affect the imagery

Here's a a good example for visualizing music

Here's describing the music with a visual interpretation of sheet music.
Add to that I can see the choir and all the orchestra playing, as if on stage. Then I also picture people on a boat rowing into battle, for the trombone parts, and the female choir, like its the wives looking out to sea thinking of them going into battle. Thats how the music would be playing in the back ground like film



Then on top I can see the midi pattern playing and the wave forms as if it's on a spectrum.

Like this




This make any sense 🤣🤣🤣


Yeah it makes (some) sense, I can understand that there is a different way of perception. Just like I am able to picture stuff in my mind with no problems at all. I assume it's just the same way around for people who cant.

Thank you for educating me here :D
 

ssringo

Member
So...catching up on Castle Super Beast clips like me? Or just a coincidence and you've no clue what that is?
 

DeafTourette

Perpetually Offended
I don't ever "see" anything with my eyes closed. I don't picture colors or objects. It's just black. Close your eyes, black. Period.

I can conceptualize things, but I don't actually see them. I don't see colors when listening to music, or ever. I honestly don't even really believe that other people do. I think they like to romanticize what they're thinking about. It's just thoughts. Sounds like new age mumbo jumbo that can't be tested by anyone else beyond "trust me."

In my mind's eye, I can "see" an object in any number of ways. When I imagine something, I don't even need to close my eyes... It's there in my mind, but closing my eyes helps me see them clearer. I also "hear" and "see" my thoughts, memories and imagination.
 
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Moneal

Member
I can visualize music, it's rarely happens with my eyes open. Its usually just shapes lines and colors. If i like the music I like is much easier to visualize and can domso with my eyes open as well.

As for internal dialog, mine is always talking. It makes it harder to concentrate on conversations, and I can hear someone better with my eyes closed. This usually makes them think I am not listening to them though.
 

ssringo

Member
No idea what you're on about, link?


FYI this is just a couple of guys that play video games chatting on their podcast and being ridiculous. No experts here; especially not Pat. They were 2 members of Super Best Friends years ago (a Let's Play YouTube channel).
 
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