I was reading an article https://www.newscientist.com/articl...campaign=hoot&cmpid=SOC|NSNS|2016-GLOBAL-hoot about the above condition recently and it got me thinking about how it would effect magic use. It is quite a common theme in fantasy that mental visualisation or imagining the effects of a spell is essential to making magic work correctly. For example, in Harry Potter the Patronus requires one to think of a happy memory, whilst occulemency requires the clearing of the mind.

That being the case, do you think that being unable to visualise things would make magic use impossible, or is comprehension of the concepts involved in the spell and its action sufficient?

 

It would certainly make Apparition impossible, as that requires you to hold a strong picture/sense of your destination in your head.

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It definitely would affect some aspects.

The Patronus comes to mind immediately, as that spell requires heavy visualization, forget about affecting it, it would make spells like Patronus and Apparition impossible. Maybe even Portus, which may require visualization of the place you're traveling to.

Other spells like 'Incendio' or 'Diffindo' may be partially affected, weakening the spell and the likes. Transfiguration may prove to be either incomplete or effective, depending on how much visualization is required, like charms and the likes.

I don't believe subjects like 'History of Magic', 'Potions', 'Ancient Runes' and 'Arithmancy' will be affected.

TL;DR, some aspects will definitely be affected, some spells may just prove for the afflicted to be unable for them to cast, and some, those more dependent on theory will probably not be affected much or at all.

 

Perhaps those of us with aphantasia would be gifted at occlumency. After all a legilimens accesses visual memories inside of a person's mind. What if they can't access ours because of our inability to visualize the memory they're trying to see? What if all they see is blackness?


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