Aphantasia: A Coaching Case Study

In 1880, Sir Francis Galton was the first to describe a condition where individuals were unable to create mental images. This condition, aphantasia, has many different definitions including as a total congenital absence of visual imagery. There is debate about whether it is a visual processing impairment only or a cluster of broader cognitive ones. This structured composite case study describes a senior executive with aphantasia who came to coaching wanting to improve her self discipline. It presents the client and coaches reflections on the utility of coaching and contains implications for coaching practice in this unusual area.