I’ve wanted to write a post on Nikola Tesla for a while. Perhaps the smartest person ever to walk this earth, Nikola Tesla was a well-known hyperphant. He could visualize his inventions, build them in his mind, test them and refine them all before he even put pen to paper.
However, few people know about Tesla’s obsession with learning to “turn off” his visualization ability. Tesla was convinced that he would benefit from having the ability to “switch” between hyperphantasia and aphantasia, and he practiced quieting his mind on command until he was able to do just that. He thought of this ability to switch between the two as a superpower.
Nikola Tesla and Aphantasia
His story should resonate with those of us on either end of the spectrum who believe we cannot achieve the opposite through mental effort alone. I know for a fact that individuals (like myself), with total aphantasia are able to visualize and hear sounds with enough practice.
If any hyperphants out there have been able to accomplish what Tesla achieved, please tell your story!
