Synesthesia, anyone?

Hello everyone,

I opened this thread to discuss about the phenomenon "synesthesia".
I expect not to be ridiculed and I do not think I am special. All I want is have a nice discussion here and see if there are some members on ATS who have that "condition".

Maybe someone reads this thread and understands her or himself better. That would be the best outcome


For those who have never heard that term, I will explain a bit in my own words and post a link.
Synesthesia is a condition where your senses and sometimes memory is connected in unusual ways.

The most known form is seeing tones as colors. Around 10-20% of people in the world seem to share similar senses connected.

The fun part is that it just proofes we all live in our own small worlds. For people that discover the term synesthesia, it is very overwhelming. Because it is just normal for the individual person. It is how they are.

Over the years it seems, most "check" that there is something off with them. I always thought others are just to lazy to remember, or not trying hard enough.

I then learned that for example feeling pain as taste is not normal. Sadly, I lost that somewhere when I was 12-13 years old. I am not completely sure because I was involved in a bad car/truck accident and have problems navigating my memories in that time.

Everything before and after is fine.

I guess everyone knows that feeling if something is very close, without visually seing it. That is how my chorelist in the right corner of my peripheral vision feels like. I can not see it, but it is there.


Here is a link that will take you to a wikipedia article (so you can kickstart from there if you are interested).
en.wikipedia.org...

Here is a link to an old ATS thread I found:
www.abovetopsecret.com...


Is anyone here that can relate to synesthesia? How and when did you find out? Has your synesthesia changed after that? For the better or worse? If someone has questions to me, that is okay, I try to answer them.

Please be civil and polite as always.

a reply to: Oleandra88

I experienced a very powerful night of synesthesia once upon a time when I was a teenager. It lasted all night.

Suffice to say I had a very "mind opening experience" and saw things from entirely new perspectives.

The most memorable part for me was that I became acutely aware of my own body and how it is a collection of water and flesh.

I also was able to hear colors, smell numbers, taste sounds, etc.

The next day I was sorta back to normal but I'll never forget that bizarre experience!

a reply to: muzzleflash

I am gonna go out on a Limb here and guess you might have been Tripping that Night ? Hmm... would Explain a lot .......

a reply to: muzzleflash

Were drugs involved or what kicked it off? Very interesting.

It is not that extreme with me so I am wondering how that would have been to me. It is a DNA thing though, if someone has it in your family, chances are higher.

In my case, it is even very similar to a relative. We both liked to listen to music. I had the music (progressive trance), he the pattern thing going on for a long time.

Together it was easier to figure it out. He was also on ATS but that is a nother story that does not belong here.

a reply to: Oleandra88

No comment about what led me to that experience, hahah!

In regards to it being a DNA thing, I'm not so sure.
I had never heard about it until it happened to me, and then I didn't find the formal information about it (or even know it had a name) until years later.

I have not had any synethesia relapses or anything, it was just a 1 time event for me.

You know what the number 8 tastes like? Purple Grapes.
At least it did for me!

a reply to: muzzleflash

Haha, 8 is my favorite number I got told my name is a slight purple and that happens to be my favorite color.

Synesthesia is not a one kind of thing. I know what you mean, you had the same experience but synesthesia is always present for those who have it.


With the DNA thing I ment it is passed down. That is what I think because I and my relative were sooo similar in many cases. The brother of my father who adopted me.

a reply to: Oleandra88

Could you, if you don't mind, describe what some of your more recent synesthetic experiences have been? You only listed a few in the OP so I'm curious exactly what you've been going through?

How often does it happen?

a reply to: muzzleflash

No problem.

I have what is deemed "space-time-memory" connected to all my senses.
That means if I remember something, I can recall all senses and also empthatic vibes I got that moment about others.

Space time because I can navigate it in a sort of clock/spiral/layer construct.

I love to listen to progressive trance with good audio equipment and I sort out the different beats. and the relations to each other pattern of beats. confined to one moment and over the whole course of the song.

Lately, I have gone through a hard time, one of the reasons I am here. After I got myself together with the help of a member here (thank you again if you read this, you know who you are), I got a new job in data analysis. A jump into the cold water from working in a bakery, doing cakes.

I got what is deemed "college" in the US with focus on math. Since I solve problems everyday my way of thinking has changed. Everything has changed since.

I am also very good at predicting the future of a pattern as long as it is human made I sort of get the idea in the music.

The feeling you get when you feel something very close to you but not seeing it.

This is the base feeling I have for things I drop in my spatial vision.

I am aware it sounds crazy but it is how my synesthesia works for me. It is hard to explain in a nother language, even more.

I have deficits too, that I know about, too.

Very late editing around:
Added the picture, hope it helps?

a reply to: Oleandra88

A musician, in college...before I knew the synesthesia definition...I designed a 13 color light tower (2-lr/rt)..to coincide flashing color gels to go with each of 13 musical notes, octave to octave.

One could then "play" green, or "see" yellow"...then combinations of 10 fingered notes, chords and scales...new colors not seen before would produce.

Not at all the same as "synesthesia"...but your op reminded me! Best!

M.S.

a reply to: mysterioustranger

I think it comes very close to what the term means. I would not focus too much on the term. It looks like it is a fairly new topic to research.

Have seen people on a nother forum argue about that. If it is synesthesia or just internal color coding (your example). Where does one stop and end?

I do not need that tag but it helps looking for people with similar experiences. It even goes so far that some read so much into it they start to question themselfes if they "fake it". This is why I do not orientate myself that much around the term. But the changes I go through with that synesthesia, kind of utilizing it now, helps me.

a reply to: muzzleflash

To be Honest , I did once Experience this Condition when I was about 6 Years Old . A Day when I kept seeing the Number 3 in Everything I looked at for about 5 or 10 Minutes , and seemed to Perceive the Color Deep Blue . A Child's Imagination , or a Real Explainable Experience ? I do not Know ..

It's fun to think in colors...

Red is losing this round
Purple leads the next round
Green is affraid of purples past errors
Yellow is undecided.
Cyan is new to the game.

Even Games of pure Chance have rounds and rules

Beautiful thread, thank you for sharing, these one time experiences can lead you down a deep rabbit hole.
was your experience induced through any vibrational technique or chemically? If not did you try vibrational techniques, to get into that state again?

Sincerely Blue Yellow

a reply to: Zanti Misfit

Both

There were some famous composers/musical directors (i forget all the names) that used to see music in colour. Apparently he used to confuse the orchestra by shouting for more 'blue' (or whatever colour). I have also heard of someone who thought they dimmed the light at musical concerts (classical) so you could see the colours better and was amazed when he found out most of us can't actually see the colours.
Each musical note seems to have its own colour but not everybody sees the same colour for the same note either

Fascinating subject.

a reply to: johnb

I have also heard of someone who thought they dimmed the light at musical concerts (classical) so you could see the colours better and was amazed when he found out most of us can't actually see the colours.

Haha that moment, yes. But as I wrote there are many other forms, the tones as color seeing is the most popular because it is easy to imagine I guess.

There are people with synesthesia that get a physical feedback in their body with tones and music.
Some get a feeling of taste or smell with numbers or words.


taste, smell, seeing, hearing, tactile feeling
Those can be connected in different ways.

I once hurt myself and I got asked if I am okay and my answer was "It hurts like a mint cracker tastes".
It was the first time, thinking back, that I got confused because the other got the confused look. I wish I still had that, pain as taste thing.

My personal favourite is heavy metal guitar tasting like crunchie bars...

a reply to: AnalyticalDreamer

Not sure if you are serious or making fun of me / othgers who have it..

a reply to: Oleandra88

A born "sensitive", terms don't mean much to me either. And I do sense black, red, gold, purple, yellows etc around certain people, places and situations!

Hey, God Bless

a reply to: mysterioustranger

Fascinating . You mean like around the people/places, like a glow?