what is synaesthesia?

Synaesthesia (or sometimes Synesthesia) is the term given to a complex set of cognitive phenomena, in which stimulus to the senses elicits a simultaneous response in one or more other senses. In other words, a person with synaesthesia on percieving sound may also experience sensations of taste, colour, smell etc in addition to the percieved sounds. The word synaesthesia comes from the Greek "Syn"="union" and "aesthesis"="sensation".

The most common form of synaesthesia involves percieving written letters (graphemes) as being of a specific colour, regardless of the ink in which they are printed. So, for instance, a person may always see the letter "A" as red. Estimates of the number of people with this form of synaesthesia ranges from 1:20,000 to 1:300. The majority of reported synaesthesia cases appear to be female, with a tendency also towards lef-thandedness or ambidexterousness. Perhaps a much larger number of people have a very basic form of synaesthesia in which high sounds are "bright" while low sounds are "dull". Or where certain colours are "warm" or "cool". It has been speculated that synaesthesia is a natural phenomenon experienced by everyone during early infancy but which most people "grow out of" as we age. In synaesthetes (people with synaesthesia), the ability is retained.

The majority of synaesthetes experience the phenomena all their lives and they generally regard it as a gift rather than a disability. Most say that, given the choice, they would not give up synaesthesia.

my synaesthesia

I experience sound (phonemes, words, and components of music) as colour. When I listen to a sound I also see a coloured field in my mind's eye; the colours change as the sounds change and it is most noticeable when I am relaxed, with my eyes closed. I sometimes also get a sensation of texture as well. When I look at people I also experience the same sensations but I'm not sure if that's because I'm picking up on such things as their voice, or the sound of their name. I don't experience the commonest form of synaesthesia, which is the association of written letters with colour; it only works for me if I hear the letters aloud, or imagine I'm hearing them. The colours appear in my mind's eye rather than on the page.

For a long time I thought I was "psychic" and able to "read auras". Maybe this is true, and Synaesthesia is merely the mechanism by which aura-reading operates.

I also have a rather odd habit of ascribing gender and personality to places.

My synaesthesia web-page, including some syn-spired artwork, is here.