Aphantasia Academy

01/10/2026

This week, Peaky Blinders actor Emmett J. Scanlan spoke to Joe Marler about discovering he had aphantasia in his forties. Last week, Richard Herring discussed it on the Pottery Throwdown. Listen to Emmett on BBC Sounds here https://lnkd.in/eb7hb3sR

Our inner worlds are reaching a wider audience, and I am here for it!

Like Emmett, I didn’t discover my aphantasia until my forties. You can spend decades assuming “picture yourself on a beach” is a figure of speech, without realising other people experience a mental image.

That matters in therapy and coaching. A client may have attended sessions for years without either person realising that an exercise assumes an internal experience they don’t have. We can’t rely on clients to tell us about a difference they don’t yet know exists so professionals need the knowledge and curiosity to ask: “When I invite you to do that, what actually happens for you?”

The wider picture includes multisensory aphantasia, SDAM, anauralia, anendophasia and alexithymia. These can occur in different combinations; knowing about one doesn’t reveal someone’s whole inner world. Recent research found that 13.9% of nearly 2,000 UK adults aged 18–30 met the QMI questionnaire threshold for aphantasia in at least one of eight imagery modalities. That’s specific to the sample and measure, but gives us another reason to look beyond visual imagery.

This understanding is shaping the next evolution of Unseen Minds Practitioner® training for therapists, bringing together current research, lived experience and practical adaptation. Unseen Minds Practitioner® training for coaches is coming in early 2027 and my new book, Unseen Minds – A Coach’s Guide to Multisensory Aphantasia and Invisible Cognitive Differences, is in its final editing stages, due before Christmas.

On the point of bringing this to a wider audience, on 13th October, I’ll be delivering a keynote at Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust’s Psychology & Psychological Therapies 4th Annual Conference.

I’m excited to take this conversation into that room because, for people like me, meeting a professional who understands that minds work differently can mean having less to explain before the work begins.

If you’d like to begin exploring this now, my current book, Unseen Minds – A Therapist’s Guide to Multisensory Aphantasia and Invisible Cognitive Differences, offers an accessible, practical starting point and you can find that on Amazon

18/09/2026

Your client is engaged and wants to make progress, but a familiar exercise doesn’t seem to connect. How do you explore what’s happening?

One useful starting point is to ask what the exercise requires them to experience internally, and whether that experience is available to them.

Unseen Minds: A Therapist’s Guide to Multisensory Aphantasia and Invisible Cognitive Differences, by Aphantasia Academy founder Sassy Smith, explores that often overlooked part of therapeutic practice.

Covering multisensory aphantasia, SDAM, anauralia, anendophasia and alexithymia, the book brings together research, lived experience and practical suggestions for adapting your work collaboratively.

It’s now been updated following recent research and reader feedback, with particular attention to the language used around SDAM.

The revised discussion makes more room for the distinction between vividly reliving an event, knowing what happened, and feeling something about it now. These experiences can differ, and understanding that distinction helps us ask more useful questions.

For therapists, counsellors and trainees, the book offers a starting point for recognising assumptions about imagery, memory, inner experience and emotion, then exploring what works for the individual client.

If you’ve ever wondered what else might help you understand a client’s experience, this is a conversation worth bringing into your practice.

Unseen Minds: A Therapist's Guide to Multisensory Aphantasia and Invisible Cognitive Differences

22/06/2026

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "A must-read for all therapists."

It's humbling to see feedback like this. When I wrote UNSEEN MINDS, my goal was to create a resource that would genuinely support therapists and fill a critical gap in training.

If you've ever felt like you're missing something with a client, or want to deepen your understanding of the diverse ways minds can work, this is for you.

Available now as an ebook, or paperback. Link in bio.

21/06/2026

I was delighted to speak to LadBible about aphantasia and what it really means to live without mental imagery.

So many people still don’t realise that not everyone can picture things in their mind. For some of us, thinking is more conceptual, factual, sensory, emotional or knowing-based, rather than image-based.

The more we talk about this, the more people can finally recognise their own experience.

You can read the interview here: https://www.ladbible.com/news/science/aphantasia-mind-brain-thinking-images-466026-20260612

There a people out their who live with a condition called Aphantasia, which affects them on a daily basis and they don't even know it.

15/06/2026

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Everyone should read this."

While written as a guide for therapists, the message of UNSEEN MINDS is for everyone. It's for managers, teachers, parents, partners, and anyone who wants to better understand the people in their lives.

Understanding that we all experience the world differently is the first step towards better communication and deeper connection.

Paperback and ebook versions available on Amazon now.

08/06/2026

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Essential training material."

Beyond a simple read, I designed UNSEEN MINDS to be a practical, foundational text for professional development. I'm delighted to see it being recognised as essential material for therapists, coaches, and supervisors.

Use it in your study groups, for your CPD, and to build a more inclusive, neurodiversity-affirming practice.

Buy your copy from Amazon now.

01/06/2026

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Told my therapist to read it."

I love this! This is empowerment in action. It’s clients advocating for their needs and helping to educate the professionals who support them.

If you're a therapist, your clients are learning about this. If you're a client, this book can give you the language to start the conversation.

Let's get everyone on the same page. Grab your copy from Amazon now.

25/05/2026

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "I felt seen."

This is the most powerful feedback a writer can receive. To every person with aphantasia, SDAM, or any other invisible cognitive difference – I see you. Your experience is real, and you are not alone.

This book was written to build a bridge of understanding. Thank you for letting me know it reached you.

Unseen Minds is available in paperback or ebook on Amazon now.

20/05/2026

Starting counselling can feel daunting, especially if you’ve tried it before and felt like it just didn’t fit.

Neurodiversity counselling can feel a little different. You might laugh more than you expected, feel able to talk about things you never thought you’d say out loud, or finally feel able to relax enough to be yourself. Building trust and connection always comes first.

There’s no pressure to get things “right”. It’s simply a space to explore who you are, how you experience the world, and what you need.

If you’d like to learn more, visit meadowbrookcounselling.co.uk or send me a message to arrange an initial session or a free phone call.

18/05/2026

Today is the closing date for the government's SEND consultation, Every Child Achieving and Thriving.

I submitted a formal response and I also wrote to the Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson, directly.

Why? Because buried in the conversation about SEND reform is something that almost nobody is talking about: children with aphantasia, SDAM, anendophasia, and anauralia are not classified as having special educational needs, despite the fact that their cognitive differences have direct and significant implications for how they learn, how they process information, and how they experience school.

They are not seen, not in the data, not in the policy and not in the classroom.

A child who can't visualise will struggle with every teacher who uses mental imagery to explain an idea. A child with no inner voice will find silent reading comprehension tasks functionally different to every neurotypical peer. A child with SDAM will not be able to access memories in the way exam recall demands.

None of this appears in current SEND frameworks. None of it is in initial teacher training and because these differences are invisible and the children themselves rarely have language for what is different about them, it goes unnoticed.

I will share the outcome of the consultation when it is published. In the meantime, if you work in education and any of this resonates, I would love to hear from you in the comments.

If you're interested in finding out how we can support your school to understand what this means for your students, drop me a line and let's talk.