Synaesthesia, anyone?

Mar 21, 2006 01:40

Does anyone here have or know someone who has synaesthesia? I believe I heard somewhere that there is a crossover between autism spectrum disorders and synaesthesia, although the latter is far more rare (and I can't place where I heard that; it may have just been "someone in a community somewhere ( Read more... )

synaesthesia

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intralimina March 21 2006, 07:06:49 UTC

My sister (very a-typical NT) and I both have synaestesia. I thought everyone had it until I was 26 and my sister told me it was supposed to be rare! I see sounds very strongly and have weaker color / shape things to days, months, numbers, and letters. I don't see them as colored in text though like some people do. You might want to check out the synaesthesis community.

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julierocket March 21 2006, 07:10:25 UTC
Wait, what do you mean about the days and months thing? That's something I forgot in my list... I see time laid out VERY visually and sort of "colored" or "shaded" in a way. I drew a map of the year once for a student (I'm a tutor for learning-disabled kids). It's hard to explain but it's very connected to lightness/darkness and colors, and it's laid out in a very specific shape and orientation.

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intralimina March 21 2006, 07:52:04 UTC

It gets a little difficult for me to separate out well enough to explain b/c I think in shapes in space so what is synaestesia and what is just thought itself gets blurry. What I know is synaestesia is that "February" is mostly lavender with a pale blue shimmer and some pale green specks, "Tuesday" is a dark yellow-ish brown that is textured better (although a little sharp) than "Thursday's" richer reddish brown which is unfortunately lumpy b/c the color is nice, etc. I know some people describe their numbers, months, etc. as corresponding to location which is a form of synaestesia. Mine do too, but so does anything I ever think, so I don't know if that qualifies.

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amanita_d March 21 2006, 13:30:40 UTC
Is that supposed to be unusual? I know most people in my family associate colours with days of the week, and did so independently. The topic came up one day and there was only one among a reasonably large group who did not do this. (We teased him good-humouredly about not doing that!)

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azalynn March 21 2006, 07:21:14 UTC
I've always had synaesthesia (what a beautiful word it is, too!). From a journal entry I wrote at the age of sixteen:

While the music is on, the physical surroundings fade. My entire consciousness becomes the sounds and harmony I am hearing: visual images are also present. Some songs are clearer than others as far as what colour they are -- the easiest ones to "see" are those of a yellowish hue. It is difficult to describe the manner in which I see this music. It is certainly not in the manner of traditional visual images, nor is it the stuff of hallucinations. It is more akin to strong feelings of "knowing" the precise colour of a certain piece.

Songs frequently contain more than one colour; classical music often looks like rainbows intertwining and braiding themselves. The particular Pink Floyd sond to which I was listening before, when the soft vocals signifying the verse came on, appeared as a small, thin spire of pure white smoke. When the guitars jumped in, their sound was of blue zigzags leaping inward and outward ( ... )

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julierocket March 21 2006, 07:27:43 UTC
I've never described music to myself as being a color before-- more of a mood or emotion that I associate with a set of colors, but I suppose I've never thought of it that consciously before-- but I know exactly what you mean about music videos being the wrong color! Literally, the wrong color, or figuratively and therefore literally, the wrong "color" in my mind, anyways. :)

I don't know if I have actual synaesthesia or not, since whatever I have is sort of different from what everyone else is describing-- it seems a bit less clear-cut-- but whatever it is, I love it. It's one of the best parts of my brain and I hope mine is genetic, too, so someday I can share it. :)

PS: Visualizations on Windows Media Player are just about the best thing ever :D

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lordalfredhenry March 21 2006, 10:01:13 UTC
I have emotional disturbances with dirty red things. For a while, spiderman was very scary to me. Probably made me cry a few times. Also, nothing says "abbattoir" louder than going into a target. I sometimes walk out feeling like one is in my back. Walmart makes me feel like I'm surrounded by keystone cops they way they patrol restrooms for shoplifters but pretty much "accomplish nothing ( ... )

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sabonai March 21 2006, 14:41:39 UTC
what do you mean by "dirty red"? I met someone recently who couldn't stand red because it made them think of blood. I have always been VERY drawn to red because it is "delicious". I think of candy. I don't even like candy but red to me is very jolly.

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sabonai March 21 2006, 15:42:05 UTC
Now that I think of it...there is that red color, Target red, fast food red...like yucky plastic red...It's not really orange red, it's bright and yet dull.

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writerwench March 21 2006, 10:33:09 UTC
Yes. I 'see' different musical notes and keys in different colours. E natural for me is a vivid yellow-green, A (below Middle C) is darkish red, etc.
And I 'see' time as a line - a weekly timeline starts high on Sunday, plunges abruptly down to Monday, then rises slowly to Wednesday, dips again on Friday, and then rises up to a high on Saturday.
Annual timelines seem to correspond to average air temperature records, but with sharp peaks at public holidays and different colours according to season and how busy I am. Green = leisure, red = very busy.
I don't regard synaesthesia as much more than an interesting cerebral crosswiring, but I'm always surprised that not everybody 'sees' music and time the way I do.

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loralienasa March 21 2006, 20:52:06 UTC
I'm synaesthetic, and I wouldn't want to be any other way. I'm one of those who didn't realize everyone isn't like this until recently, when someone showed me an article about it making mention of how odd it must be. :)

For me, words and letters and sounds have color and shape and texture. Sometimes smells do as well, but not usually. And feelings - emotions - have colors too. Sometimes, when I have had a strongly emotional experience, the memory of it is all cloudy in my mind and all I can recall with any clarity is the color of it.

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