Synesthesia- A condition in which one type of stimulation evokes the sensation of another, as when the hearing of a sound produces the visualization of a color. It is also defined as the involuntary physical experience of a cross-modal association. In other words, it is pretty much the confusion of the senses. For example, when a synaesthetes sees a letter, (A, for example) he/she visualizes and/or sees a color that he/she associates with that letter. I, for example, associate the color yellow with A. I see yellow. There are also many different types of Synesthesia. For example, the association of color with numbers, letters, voices, and music(which is the form I have), the shape of a voice, object, sound, etc, or the flavor of a letter, voice, song, object, sound, etc. A synesthete might describe the color, shape, and flavor of someone's voice, or music whose sound looks like "shards of glass," a scintillation of jagged, colored triangles moving in the visual field. Or, seeing the color red, a synesthete might detect the "scent" of red as well. About 1/25000 people have Synesthesia (I think that number is actually too low).
Features of Synesthesia:
The vast majority of synesthetes possess many strikingly similiar qualities. The qualities that I have are starred.
-Synesthesia is not the vision of a landscape, for example, when listening to Bach. Instead, it is the vision/sight of blobs, lines, spirals, and lattice shapes; feel smooth or rough textures; taste agreeable or disagreeable tastes such as salty, sweet, or metallic when listening to music, or the vision of blobs of color while reading.*
-Synesthetes are surprised to discover that others do not perceive words, numbers, or sounds as they do. *
- They recall having this perception as far back as they can remember *
- The condition is vivid and is irrepressible beyond control *
- Women synesthetes are predominant*
- Many are left handed (I am not)
- The stereotype that many are extremely artistic is not true *
- A synesthete’s memory is remarkable and conversation, prose passages, movie dialogue, and verbal instructions are typical subjects of detailed recall. *
- Synesthetes perform in the superior range of the Wechsler Memory Scale. (I do not know where I fall on the scale).
- Often times, a synesthete will tell you that he/she can remember a name, for example, because it was a “green name.” So for example, the name “Esther” looks green to me, or the name “Elaine.” (My name is blue) *
- The spatial location of objects is also strikingly remembered, such as the precise location of kitchen utensils, furniture arrangements and floor plans, books on shelves, or text blocks in a specific book. *
- There is a tendency to prefer neatness, order, symmetry, and balance *
- Work cannot begin until the desk is completely cleared and arranged perfectly *
- Generally have an overall high intelligence *
- Have uneven cognitive skills *
- Subtle math deficiencies *
- Right-left confusion*
- Deja vu, clairvoyance, precognitive dreams, a sense of portentousness, and the feeling of a presence are encountered very often *
- Synesthesia cannot be dismissed at any given time; it just happens and it is a passive experience. *
- The perceptions of color/taste do not change over happen. They are consistent. For example, the letter A will always be yellow to me, it will never be red, blue, or any other color. *
- Synesthesia is emotional. The condition is often accompanied by the “this is it” feeling. *
- “Although so similar to states of feeling, mystical states seem to those who experience them to be also states of knowledge. They are states of insight into depths of truth unplumbed by the discursive intellect. They are illuminations, revelations, full of significance and importance, all inarticulate though they remain; and as a rule they carry with them a curious sense of authority for after-time” *
My Experience
Many of the qualities that I stated above I do possess. When listening to songs, I visualize many colors and shapes with colors. I also associate every song with a certain color or visualization of different colors, and this is with EVERY SINGLE SONG I hear. I can also recall having this quality as far back as I can remember. This has just always been a part of how I perceive words, numbers, and songs. I remember being a young child and while putting together one of those alphabet puzzles that have the colored letters and I was thinking “But this can’t be right! These colors on the letters aren’t right!” I can also remember dialogues and conversations unusually well. I can remember word for word certain dialogues in certain movies, or the conversation I had with a friend at lunch. In addition, whenever I am working or doing homework at my desk, everything has to be symmetrical and perfect in order for me to start. If something is not in it’s “right place” then it will be nearly impossible for me to do anything. I also have to do the exact same routine every night before I go to bed or else I do not feel right and I therefore will not be able to fall asleep. Furthermore, I also have deficiencies in math. They are not huge deficiencies because I am in the most difficult math course offered to sophomores, but I do struggle with math and it is extremely difficult for me. It takes me quite a while before I finally understand what it is I am doing. But overall, synesthesia is an awesome experience and it’s funny that I never before realized it was an actual condition and that not many people have it, because I never previously thought about it because I always thought everyone associated colors with letters, words, or songs. But apparently they don’t.
