This is a quick guide to visualisation and problems with visualisation and/or memory. It may be helpful for sufferers and their friends, family and work colleagues. It is a project of this blog to uncover the extent to which visualisation and memory problems relate. For ease of writing I have called this “PEVA”; Persistent Episodic Visual Amnesia. This is descriptive of the problems I and others have, but is not a medical diagnosis or current medical term. On this page you will find links to:
- Information about how visualisation varies,
- Information about PEVA,
- Information about how to help or get help,
- Online support groups for sufferers,
- Other help websites that may be of interest.
How does Visualisation Vary? What is PEVA?
Visualisation is the ability to “picture” something, a memory or an abstract image, in your “mind’s eye”. There is a lot of ignorance generally about how this can vary in the population. I have been unable to find much in the way of scientific study available to the general public. One study I did find that looks at how visualisation varies, but which does not deal with it relationship to memory, I write about in Part Two of a three part series: Cannot Visualise Part Two
This study proves objectively that there is variation among the population in their ability to visualise. This runs contrary to what seems to be a generally held view that everyone is capable of visualisation. Though it does not investigate whether visualisation changes in a person’s lifetime, whether it can change, or whether a person can improve his or her ability to visualise. My own experience is that it can change dramatically.
I, along with a number of readers of this blog now, have reported a problem with visualisation that seems to be linked to episodic memory. Episodic memory is a class of memory that deals with life events. (Another, separate class, is memory of facts for example.) Although I am not sure whether it is medically a form of amnesia, I have used the term “persistent episodic visual amnesia” to describe the problem we have reported. For convenience I have shortened this to “PEVA”.
It is persistent. It lasts, possibly permanently, but certainly for months or years. None who has commented reporting PEVA so far has said it had gone away. I myself have had this problem for many years.
It affects episodic memory. Those who have commented have said that memory recall of life events is hard and not detailed, at least visually. I have described my own experience as like having had a photograph album of my life. Now all the photos are missing. Instead I only have simple factual memory remaining.
It is primarily visual and related to an inability to visualise generally. Along with the problem recalling life events memory is a problem to visualise at all now.
Whether it is medically a form of amnesia is open to question. But until medically investigated, it includes a form of memory recall problem.
There is a threaded discussion on this, which you can find in the comments at the end of Part Three: Cannot Visualise Part Three
Please contribute to the discussion if you:
- Have or have had PEVA,
- Have or have had a problem with visualisation but not with memory recall,
- If you are a qualified researcher investigating these phenomena.
Please note that I moderate all comments.
The science of visualisation and PEVA is covered more fully in these Saturday Series posts:
The links to the scientific sources are at the end of Part One.
Help with Visualisation & PEVA
At present I know of no help for these problems.
Online Support Groups
At present I know of no online support groups for these problems. But I do have a threaded discussion on the comments of Part Three: Cannot Visualise Part Three
If you know of other online forums, please contact me at nospamporillion@hotmail.co.uk Remove ‘nospam’ first!
Other Websites
At present I know of no websites looking specifically at these problems.
July 5, 2009 at 6:07 am
It’s 2:00am and I’m on the computer trying to locate info about my inability to recall. I’m thrilled to know there is someone, and others, who also have this problem. It’s frustrating. I feel that I come across as ignorant to people. I cannot close my eyes and visualize my husband’s face. I can’t remember my children’s first steps or the first time they said “mama”. I’ll watch a television program that I’ve kept up with for years and can’t tell you any of the character’s names ten minutes after the show is done. I hate feeling inept. My husband can tell you in which order each state in the union was purchased. He can also tell you not only TV character’s names but their real life names and what TV shows they were on prior to the one we’re watching. I can’t be asked a random quiz question and come up with the answer – even though I KNOW IT. Give me a multiple question test and I’ll whiz through it. Thanks for this site. I appreciate the information and the feeling of not being alone. Barb
July 8, 2009 at 4:57 pm
Hi, Barb,
My apologies for the delay in approving your messages. I’ve been away from my computer. I’ll reply to both your comments from your later one.
Take care.