"We can’t see the images in our heads" - Valkyrae opens up about living with aphantasia, claims OTV member Sydeon has same brain phenomenon

During her recent livestream, popular YouTube streamer Rachell "Valkyrae" spoke about experiencing a rare condition called aphantasia, inspired by an OfflineTV (OTV) video featuring fellow streamer Sydney "Sydeon," who also deals with the same phenomenon in her brain. The streamer delved into how aphantasia functions and the challenges it presents. She also said she had a meaningful conversation with Sydney about this uncommon phenomenon, given its rarity.

Speaking of the two, Rachell said:

"We can’t see the images in our heads."

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What is aphantasia? Valkyrae opens up about rare brain process

YouTube streamer Valkyrae shared a lesser-known face of herself and fellow streamer and OTV member Sydeon - they both have a rare brain phenomenon called aphantasia. Given its rarity, many people are unfamiliar with what it entails.

Aphantasia refers to the inability to form mental images. In other words, people with aphantasia have difficulty picturing things in their minds. It's worth noting that it is not classified as a condition or disability but rather as a characteristic of the brain.

Speaking about this, Valkyrae said:

"For those of you who don't know, Sydney and I both have aphantasia and yesterday while we were filming, it was the first time we got to talk about it, just the two of us. It was awesome talking about it. It will be in the video when it comes out. It's just so cool. I feel seen. I feel valid."

She added:

"My aphantasia is not as bad as Sydney's. Sydney's sounds just crazy. Like, she doesn't even have an inner monologue. I do. I talk to my head all the time but she doesn't have that. She says she's a straight-up zero when it comes to imagining things. I can faintly kind of see things sometimes. I gave myself a one or two out of 10."

Describing the phenomenon, she said that she lives her life with "conceptions" of things, as opposed to having a ready-made image in her mind. She said:

"The way that we decided is the best way to describe it is that we pretty much live life with conceptions of things."

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Recently, Valkyrae announced that she has signed a contract extension with YouTube. The streamer transitioned from Twitch to the Google-owned platform back in 2020 and has since become one of the most prominent figures in the YouTube gaming community.