r/silentminds

I'm researching listening. The kind that makes you feel like you actually exist in the room.

I think there is something profound that happens when someone truly listens to us. And in this busy world of constant distractions it feels like we are increasingly making less time to really connect.

A couple of things I'd love to hear from this community if it feels safe:

Do you feel heard — and if so, by whom? And who in your life listens the least?

Has anyone ever listened to you in a way that genuinely changed something?

I'm gathering opinions from all ages for a short anonymous research survey — five minutes, no right or wrong answers, just honest experience:

🔗 https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdpxyabWEa8enyuTZGt3rJysbp5_Dsj5OiYpJzlu0UpQ5wxSQ/viewform

Only share what feels safe. Your words here matter just as much. 👇

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Hi everyone! I've got ethical approval from my university to launch a new study, on auditory aphantasia in musicians! Please see the flyer for details. You can scan the QR code below, or follow this link:

https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/salford/survey-of-auditory-aphantasia-in-musicians

I'm a PhD researcher supported by the Leverhulme Trust Aural Diversity Doctoral Research Hub (LAURA). I myself am a musician (violist) with total aphantasia. This study has passed ethical approval from the University of Salford near Manchester, UK.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me at n.s.sunar@edu.salford.ac.uk.

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Hi everyone,

I’m new to Reddit, so I wanted to introduce myself properly rather than quietly lurking in the background.

I’m Sassy Smith. I live with anendophasia, anauralia, aphantasia, and related cognitive differences, and I’ve spent the last few years writing, teaching and speaking about the gap between how many of us experience our inner world and what therapy, coaching, education and personal development often assume.

Earlier this year, I published Unseen Minds: A Therapist’s Guide to Multisensory Aphantasia and Invisible Cognitive Differences. It includes chapters on anendophasia and anauralia. Although it was written primarily for therapists, counsellors, coaches and support professionals, it is very much rooted in lived experience.

I also wanted to say thank you. I’ve already seen some incredibly thoughtful posts and comments from people who have read Unseen Minds, shared it, recommended it, or reflected on what it brought up for them. That has meant more to me than I can properly put into words.

One of the reasons I wrote it is because I’ve heard so many stories from people who haven’t been believed, have been misunderstood, or have been made to feel as though they were the problem because standard approaches didn’t work for them in the expected way.

My view is simple: we’re not broken. A lot of the tools just weren’t designed with minds like ours in mind.

I’m not here to diagnose anyone or speak over anyone else’s experience. I’m here to listen, learn, contribute where I can, and hopefully help bridge the gap between lived experience and professional understanding.

I’d love to know:

What’s one thing you wish therapists, teachers, coaches, partners or family members understood better about your experience?