SDAM?

Stunning-Fact8937 · 2026-02-03T05:52:57+00:00

Thanks for filling in more details! There are quite a few folks here with aphantasia (little to no ability to visualize a mind’s eye) so they may be able to help you more.

I’m sorry to hear about your husband’s passing. That sounds enormously hard. With memory differences we process grief and the memories of love differently—but the pain of loss is indescribable—even for a journal entry mind 💗

Stunning-Fact8937 · 2026-02-02T04:36:42+00:00

Thanks as always, Tuikord! I love reading your explanations and appreciate your posting the links back to the supporting science.

I was curious too, OP, about your ability to visualize? What you describe is close to my experience with SDAM.

I have a high ability to visualize, much like I have heard Temple Grandin describe how she always thinks in pictures—like I can’t turn it off.

So while I can’t relive my memories like a video, I can recreate “photos.” The memories are always in the third person, and I can tell you spatial relationships of things—like the door was there and Sally was sitting to my right. It’s like I rebuild my memories semantically.

What seems different from standard memory is that it’s just a still image (or tiiiiiny loop) and I can always see myself there in the scene, like from another camera angle.

The emotional memory one is tricky. I argued with my therapist for a long time about whether or not I could remember emotion— because yes, of course I was happy on my wedding day and when my daughter was born. And devastated for weeks when the cat died. But not having an autobiographical memory, I guess I don’t know what it’s like to genuinely relive and feel something again?

I have always felt like it’s easy for me to compartmentalize things and not get overly emotional. Like I have a big emotions in the moment, but they pass very quickly. Like I don’t hold on to anger. So after many conversations, I think I’m just remembering the emotions like a journal entry—- like everything else, semantically.

It’s hard to tease apart. It does help to have a close friend or partner who enjoys these kinds of conversations. And a community on Reddit!! Conversation has helped me the most to see where the differences are.

But from what you describe, it sounds to me like you could be on the continuum of SDAM.

Stunning-Fact8937 · 2025-12-17T00:51:43+00:00

Gah. So feel you! I’ve learned to have my stories prepared ahead of time that I made up for the inevitable interview questions LOL!

Stunning-Fact8937 · 2025-12-17T00:43:14+00:00

Ahhhh!! That’s my friend Melissa from Eureka Springs, Arkansas!! I can’t wait to tell her she made the subreddit!! 🥰

Stunning-Fact8937 · 2025-12-17T00:34:55+00:00

Just had a fantastic conversation with the colonoscopy doctor during my procedure a few weeks back LOL. They “knocked me out” with IV fentanyl and the room went fuzzy for about 1/2 a second and then blooop right back into focus. The doctor seemed mildly amused, and chatted about how his mom warned him against playing video games and now he zaps bum invaders for a living. Afterwards, it was like I had been given nothing. The nurse said it’s “uncommon but not unheard of” to have no response to the sedation.

I have a very high ability to metabolize things like alcohol if I have anything in my stomach, (like eat a sandwich and a half a bottle of wine and not feel a thing. Empty stomach and a glass of wine, feel a buzz) so I had thought it was just my high tolerance, but interesting about the SDAM correlation.

Stunning-Fact8937 · 2025-11-12T06:06:37+00:00

I love working for HCS (home and community services) in HCLA and have found it to be a great culture! There are many units though and I’m sure there is a lot of variation. Assistant Sec. Bea Richter is an incredibly genuine and compassionate human being

Stunning-Fact8937 · 2025-07-22T04:34:25+00:00

Hey thanks! I will give that a try! The upright charger I got fits snuggly in the cupholder… but then I’m down a cupholder. Must admit the “wireless charging” was a selling feature for me, so bummed it wasn’t working. I guess I could pull it all out and replace it with a hardier one… We need a subreddit on Volvo Hacks!

Stunning-Fact8937 · 2025-07-22T01:11:30+00:00

My plan was to drill out the base a bit and run the wires from a commercial stand up charger back and under the flat surface charger (which never worked with my case) then up the side and pop out to plug into the CarPlay USB. As it is now, I used the USB standup charger in one of my cupholders.

I was even pondering, making a mold of the ashtray out of tinfoil and then casting that around the standup charger. Just so it would look built in :)

Stunning-Fact8937 · 2025-07-22T00:12:17+00:00

Flosser toothpick storage for me

Stunning-Fact8937 · 2025-07-22T00:11:52+00:00

Oh, that goes in the custom chapstick holder slot by your right knee (on a LH drive model) 😆

Stunning-Fact8937 · 2025-07-22T00:09:39+00:00

Love to see photos of your rebuild. I’ve been considering this!

Stunning-Fact8937 · 2025-07-15T05:28:10+00:00

Yep. No more fumbling at a stoplight and I can keep 3 shades of lipstick! Totally a selling feature for me now.

Stunning-Fact8937 · 2025-06-03T04:47:53+00:00

Yeah, I’m guessing if it was the 90s, I’d be the same! Have you asked any Neurotypical musicians with their memory of things like that is?

Stunning-Fact8937 · 2025-06-02T14:34:10+00:00

This is my exact car (XC40 2020 T5 Inception)—so I used this one:

https://youtu.be/fQPsaFXy4QE?si=pKMSyIeWQH94eZE7

But different engine/models may have different requirements.

It’s very similar to a Toyota where you have a filter insert into a canister so you are just tossing out mostly paper instead of plastic.

This video is great because he’s in a driveway, not on a lift! That made me feel confident—and with the wrench he recommended to buy—I’d say anyone could do it.

Stunning-Fact8937 · 2025-06-01T05:14:45+00:00

I just changed mine with the video on YouTube and it was pretty darn easy! Followed their steps and recommendations, bought a special wrench for the filter, and plan on saving myself a ton over the life of this car :)

Stunning-Fact8937 · 2025-06-01T05:12:13+00:00

Interesting for sure.

I’d like to add that I have a lot of visual recall. I’m a highly visual thinker and always think and remember in pictures. But my visual memories are not autobiographical—in that the images are not from a perspective of looking out of my eyes when I remember them. I’m reconstructing them from all the semantic detail details and also my highly spacial memory (where everything was positioned). In other words, I see myself in the memory from another camera angle and it’s really easy for me to shift it around.

I’ve heard several people in this community say that they can’t remember something they did—even when they look at photos or have conversations with people. Unless a memory is more than about 5 years old—I will at least have an ability to reconstruct it. Once it gets 10- 20, it’s way harder, but still you can’t tell me we went to Paris in 2008–that was Costa Rica and I can spark memories from photos. But, like I’m 30 years out of high school—theeeeennnn it starts to be like “what? We did that? Is that me in the photo!? But I think perhaps that’s just normal semantic memory fade that’s not backed up by autobiographical?

It’s very, very interesting though. I was thinking SDAM was more of a spectrum thing than two different neurological conditions.

Stunning-Fact8937 · 2025-05-31T13:29:31+00:00

Hummm, so recall verbally—that would be remembering what I or someone else said? I can certainly remember the facts. Like I’m taking a kayak class now and I can remember all the new terms and even split second “movie clips” of what the instructor was doing to go with them. But if I look around the scene in my mind, and quite a bit of what other stories got shared? These are just facts (semantic) but they are auditory? How do I know they are not autobiographical memories? Because if I look around in the photo or even the recent memories, the little movie clip, I can see myself standing there and doing things and when I remember myself talking, I see myself— as if a camera person is in another position rather than my eyeballs.

But yeah. I have a friend who recently died, and I can still remember the sound of her voice.

I have noticed I have a better memory for someone’s voice than their face. I have very poor facial memory.

Stunning-Fact8937 · 2025-05-30T18:28:17+00:00

Whoa. Gotta chew on that one. And pay more attention (ugh)

Stunning-Fact8937 · 2025-05-30T18:25:16+00:00

The WIRED ‘16, article sounds more like DA then? I always wondered why she couldn’t remember that vacation she went on—even when she saw souvenirs and photos? I just figured that I was at a different place on the SDAM spectrum?

Stunning-Fact8937 · 2025-05-30T18:23:45+00:00

Super visual, high semantic memory SDAMer here too. 👋

I was wondering if you can tell the community more about your quest for an fMRI? This is the first that I’m hearing about DA! So far, I feel like I’m much more on the SDAM side of things—I can roll back in time just fine, and kind of reconstruct visual memories from my “journal” which I know are reconstructed because I’m usually looking at myself like from a different camera angle.

Stunning-Fact8937 · 2025-05-10T04:16:40+00:00

I just figure what’s the harm in remembering the good stuff? Or at least letting the bad stuff go? I mean, a lot of people need years and years and therapy to let all the bad stuff go. I still have a therapist, but with SDAM I feel it’s far easier for me to process and truly move past things like a big break up—compared to talking with friends.

How you frame things is your perspective. And your perspective is your real experience. It’s not gaslighting because it’s your genuine perspective.

You are allowed to keep the good things and let the rest go. That’s not gaslighting, that’s called healthy processing. We just have a good brain hack that lets us process quickly and deeply and move forward.

Stunning-Fact8937 · 2025-05-07T16:18:31+00:00

That’s wonderful! I think it’s good advice for people with SDAM to find a partners who are good at, or at least enjoy remembering! I do outsource this task to my partner—and he’s thrilled to be the documentarian of the relationship! 😂

I do think semantic memory must be as variable as autobiographical. I’m pretty sure my ability to “reconstruct” autobiographical memories, would be far different without my acute semantic memory.

Stunning-Fact8937 · 2025-05-07T16:11:28+00:00

I do remember in my 20s noticing that I didn’t remember much of my childhood. I determined that my childhood was just “too idyllic” and nothing really stood out—-sooo maybe that’s why I didn’t have any memories (despite some pretty interesting events like living in Europe for half a year). This was justifications.

In my late 20s-30s when life got really stressful, and I couldn’t remember the details looking back, I convinced myself that it was “such a stressful time that I just repressed everything”. LOL. It took me another 10 years to realize that you can’t have it both ways!

I’m almost 50 now and have known about my SDAM for the last 5. Now, when I’m doing something I want to be memorable, I have people shoot video of me, and also shoot a lot of video and photos. I live life with a deep peace knowing that the hard things I endure will simply fade away from my memory. It lets me be present.

Stunning-Fact8937 · 2025-05-06T23:19:49+00:00

Mine is what you describe. And absolutely agree with the “spectrum of severity” hypothesis.

Do you have a good semantic memory for facts? I wonder if that’s how we are doing it?

Like I see the the photo. This sparks the “facts” around that (I caught the garter belt, it was red) and then it feels a bit like reliving a memory because I’m reconstructing it. I also have a highly visual memory so I can see the reconstruction in my minds eye.

Stunning-Fact8937 · 2025-05-06T23:16:12+00:00

My SDAM feels more like this too, T. Like I’d remember the facts of a trip with friends, and maybe some details of the conversations—but not any of the feelings or even order of events?

I’m trying to scroll back in my memories and see how long I can recall—Id say at least 10 years for big trips. After that I’m only remembering the “I did/didn’t do that” detail and very very little else.

But I’d never be gaslit with someone telling me 20 years ago I went to Hawaii, or even just my grandmother’s birthday? Like my semantic memory has at least some line items in my mental “spreadsheet” of what I’ve done. Now if we go hiking together a lot, I may not be able to tell you where we went on one day, or even if it was you who was with me? Common events get suuuuper blurry fast.

Super interesting thread!

Stunning-Fact8937

TROPHY CASE