A Marriage of Science & Mysticism

Update Feb 2025: There is now a dedicated space for this type of discussion off of my poetry blog and over over at: mentalimageryresistance.co.uk 

Hopefully this clarified advocacy paper makes more sense to people than my ramblings here: Locating Unifying Language: Multiple Intelligences, Mental Sensory Perception, and Mental Imagery.

For the Record: I am no authority on this matter. I am an independent researcher and advocate for more clarity in the language and definitions used in mental imagery research. Raising awareness of the need for more research into what those with multisensory aphantasia possess. 

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Dysikonesia, Aphantasia and a Sophisma

Uncovering a Key to the Minds Mental Mixing Deck

It occurred to me one day, that taken for their literal meaning only, the psychic concepts of the Seven Clair's and the Daimon, provide handy language framework for all the main mental senses. Clairvoyance, literally means 'clear seeing' or the 'foreseeing light of mind' - the minds vision. This understanding was a very helpful key for me in pondering the differences between people with regards to mental perceptions in the absence of defined language, even if it was not suitable for long-term use. 

Explaining Mental Perception with The Seven Clair's and The Daimon:

• Vision - Clairvoyance, clarity of thought in vision. 

• Sound - Clairaudience, clarity of thought in sound.

• Smell - Clairalience clarity of thought in smell.

• Taste - Clairgustance, clarity of thought in taste.
• Touch - Clairtangency, clarity of thought in physical sensation or touch.
• Emotions- Clairsentience, clarity of thought in feelings or emotion. 
• Knowing - Claircognizance, clarity of instant cognition (insight, instinct and intuition).
• Voice - The Daimon - A clarity of the verbalisation of thoughts and feelings.

'Total' Aphantasia and a Sophisma:

The reason why language was needed is because it is lacking. 'Total aphant' is a term used in the aphantasia community but total of what, I am not sure?

1) Does it mean lacking vision and other mental senses that are not vision? Are we only including the 5 physical senses in that and not the other mental senses? If not, why not? What if you lack one or more but not all, are you 'total aphant'? If not, what are you? What is the lack or excess of other senses called? What about those who have mental vision but lack all other mental senses, are they aphantic? 2) Is 'total aphant' 100% no vision? The word aphantasia literally means 'without mental vision', so is it used to define those with aphantasia from those with low mental vision? Why are we calling low visualizers 'aphant', we call high visualizers 'hyperphant', so why not 'hypophant' (low mental vision)? I have aphantasia (no mental vision), with SDAM (Severely Deficient Autobiographical Memory) and I am missing many other mental senses beyond vision. With this key I can list 8 of them with ease, but most importantly, it details what I have.

The term 'total aphantasia' is not useful to describe my experience, the key below, is.

Marrying Science and Mysticism and Finding Appropriate Language:

I discovered the other day that 'yeda' is the scientific word for 'to know', derived from the established psychology term Yedasentience, used to describe the knowing feeling mind. It is perfect for use in this key and it already means what I need it to, even if the current term is inclusive of knowing and feeling. 

The Journal of Social Theoretical Psychology; "As it turns out, the actual term “yedasentience” is a combination of the Hebrew word for knowledge or to know (yeda) and the Latin word for feel (sentire)". 

Researchers of abnormal psychology define yedasentience as; "A subjective feeling of knowing. An intuitive signal that you have thought enough, cleaned enough, or in other ways done what you should do to prevent chaos and danger.” 

And according to the interpretation by Reqtest; "Unsurprisingly, researchers have linked poorly developed yedasentience in humans with obsessive-compulsive disorder, which is typically characterised by repetitive behaviour fuelled by a sense of ‘unfinishedness’.

𝐃𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐤𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐚 is the scientific definition for a lack of collective mental senses (8 main senses are known, not all are scientifically defined, I suspect there are many more yet to be uncovered).

"Dysikonesia... [is when] weak or absent imagery occurs across multiple senses."

I will be using this word as the heading to denote all mental senses, in the interim of science getting the topic pinned (this word and its need is still debated within scientific communities).

The term 'mental imagery' denotes all the imaginary senses, including; 'visual imagery', 'auditory imagery', 'olfactory imagery' etc. This is an established scientific concept and while it is a little confusing, it is the term for the collective imaginary senses.

A Temporary Key to Mental Perception:

Vision/Eye: Visual Imagery - Yedavoyance

To know the sense of visual imagery, e.g. being able to imagine the vision of an apple.

• Aphantasia (absent/conceptual sense)
• Hypophantasia (lower than average or weak sense)
• Phantasia (median or average sense)
• Hyperphantasia (above average or strong sense)

Sound/Ear: Auditory Imagery - Yedaaudience

To know the sense of auditory imagery, e.g. being able to imagine the sound of your mothers voice.

• Anauralia (absent/conceptual sense)
• Hypoauralia (lower than average or weak sense)
• Auralia (median or average sense)
• Hyperauralia (above average or strong sense)

Smell/Nose: Olfactory Imagery - Yedaalience
To know the sense of olfactory imagery, e.g. being able to imagine the smell of perfume.

• Aphantosmia (absent/conceptual sense)
• Hypophantosmia (lower than average or weak sense)
• Phantosmia (median or average sense)
• Hyperphantosmia (above average or strong sense)

Taste/Tongue: Gustatory Imagery -Yedagustance
To know the sense of gustatory imagery, e.g. being able to imagine the taste of wine.

• Aphantogeusia (absent/conceptual sense)
• Hypophantogeusia (lower than average or weak sense)
• Phantogeusia (median or average sense)
• Hyperphantogeusia (above average or strong sense)

Touch/Skin: Tactile Imagery -Yedatangency

To know the sense of tactile imagery, e.g. being able to imagine the sense of being touched.

• Apsychosomatosensation (absent/conceptual sense)
• Hypopsychosomatosensation (lower than average or weak sense)
• Psychosomatosensation (median or average sense)
• Hyperpsychosomatosensation (above average or strong sense)

Emotion/Heart: Emotional Imagery -Yedasentience
To know the sense of emotional imagery, e.g. being able to imagine the feeling of emotions.

• Alexithymia (absent/conceptual sense)
• Apathy (lower than average or weak sense)
• Empathy (median or average sense)
• Hyperempathy (above average or strong sense)

Intuition/Gut: Intuitive Imagery - Yedacognizance

To know the sense of intuition and instant cognition, e.g. "ah-ha" moments, when you "just know".

• Ametacognition (absent/conceptual sense)
• Hypometacognition (lower than average or weak sense)
• Metacognition (median or average sense)
• Hypermetacognition (above average or strong sense)

Voice/Voicebox: Intraphonic Imagery - Yedaphonation
To know the sense of intraphonic imagery, e.g. being able to hear your inner voice.

• Anendophasia (absent/conceptual sense - updated June 2024 for new definition. Originally listed in this key as intraphonation and its variants)
• Hypoendophasia (lower than average or weak sense)
• Endophasia (median or average sense)
• Hyperendophasia (above average or strong sense)

Seems like the logical conclusion that, if you have some sense (low, median or strong), it can be conditioned to be inhibited or enhanced, but if you lack any ability, there is nothing to condition. Senses lost, reduced or increased through illness or injury, may potentially heal.

I think it is safe to now assume that we all have different combinations for the mental senses - 1,020 different combinations, given 4 sets and 8 mental senses, (AI says my math is wrong and it is actually 65,536 combinations for the 4 variations of the 8 listed senses), let alone the variation of strength and all the other possible senses.  

Click the image below for an interactive link (updated 08/12/24):

To use the key, what are you for the 8? Do you have a conceptual sense, a low sense, an average sense or a strong sense?

Could we also have; to create language and bring the potential total of mental senses up to 42?

• Yedachronoception - To know the sense of time?
• Yedaspatial - To know the sense of space and scale (spatial awareness)?
• Yedathermoception - To know the sense of temperature?
• Yedanociception - To know the sense of pain? 
• Yedaproprioception - To know a sense of the body and its state (body awareness)?
• Yedavis - To know the sense of forces and vibration? 
• Yedamagnetorecpetion - To know the sense of electromagnetic frequencies? 
• Yedamacci - To know the sense of fun and humour?
• Yedaius - To know the sense of justice, duty, integrity and responsibility?
• Yedaipsi - To know the sense of self, identity and being (self awareness)?
• Yedaagentia - To know the sense of freedom and agency? 
• Yedaloci - To know the sense of direction, place and home?
• Yedapericuli - To know the sense of danger and disaster (survival sense)? 
• Yedaunitas - To know the sense of community, connection and belonging? 
• Yedamelodia - To know the sense of rhythm, melody and music?
• Yedasensus - To know the sense of being seen and perceived?
• Yedavita - To know the sense of perceiving creation, nature and life?
• Yedacuriositas - To know the sense of curiosity?
• Yedacreare - To know the sense of creativity (artistic sense)?
• Yedacordia - To know the sense of compassion and care? 
• Yedacoriolis - To know the sense of earth and its rotation (sense of season)?
• Yedaultraterra - To know the sense of objects beyond earth (e.g. lunar sense)?
• Yedadeus - To know the sense of god, divinity, spirituality or mysticism?
• Yedanumerus - To know the sense of number and quantity (number sense)? 
• Yedacaverna - To know the sense of dimension, boundaries and mathematical space?
• Yedanecessitas - To know the sense of urgency, need and compulsion?
• Yedaprioritas - To know the sense of importance, priority and rank?
• Yedalibidnous - To know the sense of sexual desire and attraction?
• Yedabellitas - To know the sense of beauty, perfection, totality and completion?
• Yedalinguia - To know the sense of communication and transmission of language?
• Yedapropositas - To know the sense of achievement, meaning and purpose? 
• Yedaveritas - To know the sense of reality?
• Yedacausalis - To know the sense of strategy, logic and consequences (sense of causality)?
• Yedaion - To know the sense of transformation and ion exchange (chemical sense)?

Is the above how 'the meaning of life, the universe and everything' is perceived?

Note: Green text denotes hyperlinks to studies. Orange text denotes words related to psychic abilities. Crimson text denotes invented language. Blue text denotes existing scientifically-defined language.

If you are wondering why I made this key, it wasn't an intent, it started with a poem about aphantasia, and grew from there. I have no inner sound at all, but a very strong inner monologue, so I know the voice and ear are different systems. This key exists because aphantasia opened the door to my ignorance and it's not enough to name the lack of 2 senses for me. It doesn't explain all the things I experience, the key does a better job.