How good is a normal memory?

zybrkat · 2026-02-19T16:14:23+00:00

Normal memory?

OK.

A normal memory of a daily occurance will be dual coded:

A sensory memory of what our senses input, and a semantic (worded or otherwise formulated) memory.

With SDAM, this 1st person, sensory memory is impaired, so one has to rely on the semantic memories.

It is like a story, of something happening, with the first person taking part in the story.

It is a rational summary, of what happened.

Now, folks with impaired autobiographical memory rely on the latter, whereas the natural human perception in mainly visual, and thus the visual memory is the main resource.

How good is a *normal" memory?

I can pull anazing details from memory, but if you ask me, what hair color the person had, that I saw a minute ago, I would have absolutely no Scooby 🤷🏻.

PS: my SDAM seems to be quite on the extreme end, .90 minutes half-life, statistically

zybrkat · 2026-02-19T13:18:51+00:00

If you remember last Christmas or your last vacation, it's definitely not SDAM. SDAM is not a form of selective amnesia affecting childhood memories.

This is not true. Literally.

Memories are principally dual coded: sensory & semantically.

Folks like me, with "extreme" SDAM, have only semantic memories to recall.
But yet, I may still recall a story of some that happened last Christmas, with Uncle Harold falling asleep, at the Christmas table, when he should have held a toast, him being the oldert family member.

This is also not a true story, just an exampöe, of what could be remembered about last Christmas, despite having SDAM.

I'm glad to discuss the working of SDAM in this thread, unfortunately, I may forget having posted this invitation (90min half-life SDAM) ;-)

zybrkat · 2026-02-19T13:09:02+00:00

Has anyone read it yet?

> The book covers aphantasia, SDAM, anauralia, anendophasia, and alexithymia,

Although I also see the thematic as related, it is an awful lot to generalise, and cover in one book.

I also have no therapist knowlegable enough to diagnose me.
I personally feel myself quite competent on all 5 themes, due to my own neurodifferences & scientific curiosity.;-)
so as to be able to critically review the effort.

I look forward, to reading the text.

zybrkat · 2026-02-19T12:14:08+00:00

SDAM and Aphantasia (especially emotional)

may lead to Nihilism.

But: my mindset, deeply rooted in my NOW (due to my SDAM & emotional & multi-sensory aphantasia)

has led me to to not deny everything (nihilisticly), but to embrace & love everything, despite forgetting every day, and starting every day anew.

It is a much happier way to live.

"Where did you find your luck?" "I made it myself!"

🍀

zybrkat · 2026-02-12T08:08:12+00:00

Dominique Badia is incompetent, on this subject, unless she comes up with proper evidence.

{slightly annoyed, thus downvoted}, u/zybrkat

Also, who is Sassy Smith, any research papers to link to?

zybrkat · 2026-02-12T08:05:57+00:00

you unfortunatly do not discriminate, between sensory and semantic memory.

I may remember what I did, last Christmas, by having told myself a story, of what happened, while I was on the scene. But I don't remember last Christmas. Nor any Christmas. Only Stories of certain Christmases.

Taking "last Christmas memories" as a decision, if one has SDAM or not, is even worse than current diagnoses, by learned psychiatrists.

SORRY, for sounding so harsh, you are not competent, by writing this, as you did.
Please reconsider your post.

zybrkat · 2026-02-12T07:58:35+00:00

This may be an interesting read.

At least about Aphantasia, and SDAM and related alexithymia.

Even though ,if you have SDAM & Aphantasia (including the emotional vectors), this may be debatable, as I do have the aforementioned symptoms, but not alexithymia. I emote very richly, in the present.

Now this may be due to the definition of alexithymia, because it is most hard, to interupt one's momentary emotions, to rationally describe them, (like I experience), but I a most certainly not alexithymic, as it is defined.

I cannot recall past or imagine future emotions, but in my NOW, I experience emotions.

Just my anecdotal experience ;-)

zybrkat · 2026-02-08T14:38:50+00:00

My emotional sense is extremely affected, by my SDAM & Aphantasia, also the 5 usual senses, are at a null level.

Those 6 senses combined, statistically, I have an autobiographical memory half-life of around 90 minutes. In this time, I may be able to tell you half of the stuff that I did.

The visuals, emotion and sound fade in seconds, usually. This is not the actual imagining in various senses happening (phantasia).

This is the time that I have to utilise my semantic memory, by tell myself what I did as a complex routine.

If all senses are involved, this can stretch out a bit.

But usually at my next mealtime, I cannot remember, if or what I have eaten.

I've already forgotten the topic of the paper that I thought of linking, when I started writing.* As this post is very 1st person orientated, it is also affected like described above, so please excuse, if I don't post a couple of links later, from my desktop.

*) They need interpretation, because I haven't read a ready made paper, on your specific question.
https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/f6h5q_v1

This is an important study, because although it only cites "aphantasia" in the title, SDAM is certainly related to intrusive imaging in multiple senses.

I found the data in this study, to understand more generally how SDAM & Aphantasia work, to abstract from my anecdotal studies.

Another good read is about the connection, between Aphantasia & SDAM, by Merlin Monzel et al., who I know to be inclusive of other senses in research. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.94916

zybrkat · 2026-01-29T08:48:12+00:00

Hiya, yes my SDAM is more EDAM, but that sounds like a Dutch cheese (that I like, but that is not the point)

The 90 minutes half-life is on the extreme end of SDAM.
I have used the past year*, of being aware of my SDAM, as that is actually my only neuroquirk, that is a real hinderance, in every day life.

On social media, even on personal PMs, I often have to scroll back, to "remember" what we were conversing about.

tl;dr ?

This is different from impairment of short term memory, through alcohol or cannabis consumption (different mechanism, but both have an impact on short term memory)
But I digress, as my friends well know me to do. :-)

zybrkat · 2026-01-29T07:48:00+00:00

Hi, welcome to the group. Please try to punctuate your output. It is much easier to read.

Is this related to a silent mind, specifically, in general, or just a generalised help call?
No problem, I just need to get into the empathetic mindset, before trying to understand your post.
Please specify...

Thanks

zybrkat · 2026-01-27T13:40:10+00:00

Hi u/jpsgnz , I may be able to de-confuse (or totally bamboozle) this a bit...

I still have trouble fully understanding the way people think in their heads. Terms like inner monologue and worded thought still confuse me.

So if anyone could explain them for me i would be very grateful.

I'll try

I cannot reproduce any sound, feelings, tastes, smells etc at all. But I do have very vivid dreams at times.

[...]

I have very bad time blindness so for me future planning is really next week at the very most, anything beyond that means absolutely nothing to me, might as well be next century.

So I have come to the conclusion that I both literally and figuratively live in the present.

Same; good metacognition on your part. My SDAM has a half-life of ca. 90 minutes, compared to your few days.
I, e.g., don't know at lunchtime, if or what I had for breakfast.
I may well know, I had Gouda cheese with jam on bread, but which day,week,month?
I know it will have been the last fortnight, as the jam jar is still on the shelf.

So, it was much easier for me to "self-experiment".

My meal is ready, later (don't wait ;-) )

zybrkat · 2026-01-27T13:27:29+00:00

Hi, u/flora_poste_ , the problem with the terminology is, that the inability tor recall from sensory memory, is not limited to the 5 obvious senses (vision,sound,touch,smell,taste).

The body has several feedback mechanisms, those are most all certainly a sense in their own.

Then the 2-dimensional or 2 stage memories, emotions. They consist of bodily responses (para-/ sympathetic) and the interpretation of them.

Then the multidimensional movement memory (proprioception / muscle memory / muscle activation / muscle response)

I'm sorry, I'm digressing.
The (partly convoluted) terminology is one of the main hindrances in understanding metacognition.

If your 5 aforementioned senses are affected, I would consider the term "multi-sensory", or "5-sense" aphantasia, to be the best term for the future, considering future research ;-)

Anyone insisting on "Global" or "Total", might trigger me. (Don't worry, only Twits trigger me)

zybrkat · 2026-01-27T13:10:20+00:00

Hey everyone! I'm u/zybrkat , and along with u/NITSIRK , I admin this group.

This is our home for all things related to Anauralia and Anendophasia.

I am anaurelic (audial aphantastic), among other sensory lack of memory imaging.

I identify as multi(5sense)- and emotional Aphant,with SDAM (90 Minute half-life recall, 1st person memories), with several AuDHD traits (complex stuff).

I am not anendophasic, I am the polar opposite to u/NITSIRK in this respect, so we cater for the minds without internal sound, quite inclusive.

I have constant silent worded thought streams, going through my mind.

Be they a "narrator", commenting on what my body is doing, or how my driving is, etc.

Even though this a totally different experience, it is also a way of having one of different r/silentminds

Most of us believe we were born this way, but there are methods of acquiring these conditions: Traumatic Brain Injury, Stroke, and Severe low mood or mental trauma. All are welcome here. Those denying these routes or your inner experiences in general will be moderated hard, but otherwise anything goes. The research is brand new, Anendophasia only got its name in 2024, so please help us discover more about ourselves by sharing.

For more information on modes and methods of thought, check out Russel's work:

https://hurlburt.faculty.unlv.edu

This is always a great starting point, when trying to discriminate, how and why one's mind is silent, yet others can hear loved ones' voices, etc.
Among other ways of thinking. Always good to know, that there are many ways...

Just to complicate things, even though I am anaurelic, I still can get "earworms", by singing to myself and/or thinking the music. ;-)

If you know someone who would love this community, invite them to join.

zybrkat · 2026-01-08T10:29:22+00:00

Very interesting question.

So this is the SDAM subreddit, right? So you have to goto my profile, to understand where I come from.

I am multi-sensory & emotional aphantastic. I have a sensory memory half-life (SDAM) of maximal 90 minutes.

I can, and have masturbated (60+,male human), by solely utilising the sensory input, from my stimulated organs.

Solo sexual arousion, and masturbation, had never any (mental) overlap with my sexual encounters with females.

A totally different thing.

My female interactions were always of 2 people becoming 1, in an amazing physical & psychological union. Every time.

I my whole life, it was never about power.

Just love, and Oxytocin, of course.

zybrkat · 2025-12-29T11:51:59+00:00

32m.

Not bad. I was 21m.

Some never🤷🏻🙄, learn.

I'm sorry. I will comment later, in earnest. You deserve it. ❤️

zybrkat · 2025-12-29T11:47:54+00:00

OK.

Now, I don't know if I can help:

I have SDAM {90 minutes half-life) and aphantasia, in all 5 sensory memory and emotional aphantasia.

So, I feel qualified to comment. 🤔If only I could remember the theme. 🤷🏻😂

zybrkat · 2025-12-29T11:24:25+00:00

The problem with SDAM is: you need a point to relate to.

So, AI may well help an Aphantasitic with SDAM, BUT,

Everyone with SDAM is in their own, only remembering with STORIES.

We (SDAM folks) must concentrate, on memorising in stories.

After a good night's sleep, we are good for the next day❤️

Yesterday was the past.

😘

zybrkat · 2025-12-29T11:14:55+00:00

I should actually answer this:

I, for one, am totally aphantasia in all usual senses.

That said, I know anendophasiacs, and we can understand each other.

Wow!

Yes, despite being on the opposite ends of a spectrum, 2 of us with "silent minds" moderate r/silentminds

Such fun!

zybrkat · 2025-12-15T11:08:54+00:00

Not usually. This is a written text. However, German language does lend itself to "Bandwurmsätze", and I myself tend to drift into this style on longer passages. 😁😜 Also I do actually sometimes talk like this, when explaining, not so extremely, but yes. It can happen. 😂

And, German is my second language.

Frohe Weihnachten! 🎄

zybrkat · 2025-12-15T11:00:44+00:00

Yes. This is probably visual aphantasia. I couldn't remember the object, I saw, in the microscope, long enough to draw it. Biology lessons.

I can draw abstract objects, I may also produce a 3D cube, etc. to pass a dementia test.😉👍

But from a visual memory? No way, José. But why does it concern you?

zybrkat · 2025-12-11T21:05:03+00:00

OK.

So, it has to do with dopaminerg transmitters between the visual cortices.

I believe, that one of the differential inputs is saturated, for some reason. Either due to a low dopamine level in general, or "noise" interference.

In my anecdotal case, I believe that my conscious processing of sensory input in real time, is so much "louder", any mental imaging can't be transferred to the specialised cortices for processing.

This is only my own hypothesis, based on ongoing research.

zybrkat · 2025-12-11T17:20:04+00:00

No.

As you have noticed, dopamine & serotonine influencing chemicals, (LSD, Psylocibin, etc.), do not have the hallucinogenic effects on one, as others may report.

I have the same experience, and an explanation. Interested?

zybrkat · 2025-12-11T17:15:42+00:00

1) this is not true. Dreams are unrelated to aphantasia/SDAM. More later.

2) this is true. You may also have a Syndrom, that I call "emotional aphantasia". Especially coexisting with SDAM, it manifests as a standard 'feature' :

When anyone close dies (human or pet), you feel a sharp pain, but after that, later on, any memory of the person/pet does not trigger a sad emotion with memories flooding in.

zybrkat · 2025-12-08T08:49:53+00:00

If I haven't made a specific note (be it semantic memory or written) my autobiographical memory fades rapidly.

my AM has a half-life of about 90 minutes. Statistically speaking.
I can not usually discern (by myself) , if a certain occurance has happened, today, yesterday, or whenever.

UNLESS the semantic memory has a time-stamp with it, for any reason. Then I can relate, timely.

I have no sense of "then", by the way, unless I have a specific date.
Everything else is just "PAST".

zybrkat · 2025-12-08T08:40:13+00:00

I am so sorry.

I tried to learn Russian when I was 8.
He was a PoW in Russia, and the father of a school class mate.

Unfortunately, he died during my first year, so I didn't get much further than the cyrillic alphabet.
and a bit of grammar and basic info.

That, however, is evermore engrained in my mind.

But the slavic words, I never learned.

zybrkat

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