How did humans process emotions before language…

@Amy B. I like that you mentioned pictures! So, I have this thing called “aphantasia”. I cannot see pictures or images in my head. I believe it’s called a mind’s eye, and I don’t have that. I don’t get intrusive images, they’re always strictly intrusive thoughts through words! Also, I think I’ve heard that people have an internal voice? like an audible voice you can hear in your head when you think? I don’t have that either. If that’s true, then I think that’s why it’s so hard for me to distinguish what my thoughts are vs what’s not my thoughts? idk

@ebpink Whoa, I had no idea that was a thing. You experience your inner-self-stuff so differently than me! So what do you have instead of pictures or words?

@Amy B. nothing 🙃 haha If you’re interested, here’s some definition’s I found online to explain it better than I can! “Aphantasia is the neurological condition where a person cannot voluntarily generate mental images or sensory experiences in their "mind's eye". When asked to picture something (like an apple), they do not see a picture; they simply "know" the concept of it without a visual display.” “People with aphantasia think using facts, ideas, and logic ("knowing" instead of "seeing"). For some, it extends to other senses, meaning they cannot mentally hear sounds, smell scents, or feel textures (such as a dog barking or the smell of coffee).” “Asking someone to close their eyes and picture an object is like opening a phone camera in selfie mode and covering the lens with a finger—there is only darkness.” It’s super interesting to me too because for 31 years I didn’t realize people actually could picture images in their minds, I always thought it was metaphorical 😂

@ebpink That is so interesting! Thanks for sharing all that info. I'm sitting here trying to wrap my brain around all of this, and it's helping me realize some stuff about myself and the way that I think when my OCD is kicked in (which is so much of the time). So glad you posted about this!! ❤️

@Amy B. I’m also glad I shared! I’m glad it was able to help you come to those realizations! You’ve also helped me realize some stuff about myself as well by sharing how your inner world operates. I was not expecting this from this question at all, but I went down a rabbit hole and realized why traditional treatment doesn’t work for me. It’s honestly been super helpful and I feel like it should be studied more because I feel like it can help tailor treatment to individuals so much better in the future! 🫶

@ebpink I think knowing about this stuff could help a lot of people with OCD! I'm feeling a little stunned by how much impact it might have on me and my OCD journey... I have this thing I do that I never thought of as a compusion, but I think it is but it just isn't visible physically or in my mind's eye so I could never see it before. It makes me super awkward in conversations, which makes connecting with people hard. But if it is a compulsion that means I can find a way to stop doing it, not wait for it to stop on it's own. i don't know if I'm making sense, but this is really big for me so thank you so much ❤️ I'm glad this post has been helpful for you too!