| "We interpret one sense by another." | | | | taste will help to recall the name. The |
| | | | sensations are emotional and viewed with a |
| William Hazlitt"Although medicine has known | | | | sense of ecstasy, achievement and |
| about synaesthesia for three centuries, it | | | | satisfaction.Take a minute right now and try |
| keeps forgetting that it knows. | | | | this little experiment which will give you an |
| | | | idea of what synesthesia is like. Sit |
| Richard Cytowic, in "Synaesthesia: | | | | comfortably and press the heels of your hands |
| Phenomenology and Neuropsychology | | | | firmly into your eyelids for a couple of |
| | | | minutes (don't hurt yourself). You will begin |
| a Review of Current Knowledge"Could you | | | | to see patterns, bursts of light and colours |
| imagine going through life every day seeing | | | | . While you are doing this move your pupils |
| sound, hearing colour, tasting shapes, | | | | around and the patterns and colours will move |
| hearing smells or tasting colours. These are | | | | also. Do this in silence or listen to |
| some of the ways a synesthete experiences the | | | | music.In his 1966 autobiography "Speak, |
| world. One synesthete describes the | | | | Memory" Vladimir Nabokov, the Russian-born |
| experience of listening to a saxaphone as a | | | | novelist, tells stories of arguing with his |
| writhing mass of neon-purple snakes hovering | | | | mother about the proper colours of letters in |
| in the air another describes a mint as a | | | | the alphabet. His mother was a synesthete as |
| cool, smooth glass tube."A red rings louder | | | | well - it often runs in families. "The long |
| in your eye and a taste of blue lingers at | | | | 'a' of the English alphabet . . . has for me |
| your fingertips. You have a neighbor whose | | | | the tint of weathered wood, but a French 'a' |
| consistently green voice grates against his | | | | evokes polished ebony. . . . . there is |
| consistently deep blue suit. Nobody seems to | | | | steely 'x', thundercloud 'z' and huckleberry |
| understand. There are things you hear, things | | | | 'h'. ...Since a subtle interaction exists |
| that you touch - that you cannot talk about. | | | | between sound and shape, I see 'q' as browner |
| You don't believe yourself to be mad, or if | | | | than 'k', while 's' is not the light blue of |
| you are, you no longer believe in what the | | | | 'c', but a curious mixture of azure and |
| word implies. You don't believe you're | | | | mother-of-pearl.".Olivier Messiaen is a |
| hallucinating...hallucinations should make | | | | French avant-garde composer who attributed |
| less sense. This...this is an abundance of | | | | his success to synesthesia. "Whenever I hear |
| sense. " - Omar KamelScientists have known | | | | music, or even if I read music, I see colors |
| about synesthesia for centuries. There is now | | | | . . ." Alexander Scriabin was a Russian |
| a resurgence of interest in synesthesia and | | | | composer and pianist. He was one of the first |
| multi-disciplinary research into this unique | | | | synesthetes to thoroughly catalogue his |
| condition, which colours certain individuals | | | | colour-note associations. C# was violet and E |
| perceptions of the ordinary world, is now | | | | was "pearly white and shimmer of |
| being conducted. The word synesthesia comes | | | | moonlight."Wassily Kandinsky, the Russian |
| from the Greek words syn meaning together, | | | | born abstract artist, embraced synesthesia. |
| and aisthesis meaning perception. It | | | | Some historians maintain he was an invented |
| literally means a joining of sensations. | | | | synesthete who used it for self-promotion as |
| Researchers view it as a window into thought | | | | synesthetism was in vogue among the European |
| itself.Althought there is some dispute, the | | | | avant garde. "The violins, the deep tones of |
| first reference to synesthesia was probably | | | | the basses, and especially the wind |
| in John Locke's "Essay Concerning Human | | | | instruments at that time embodied for me all |
| Understanding". Locke shares with us the | | | | the power of that pre-nocturnal hour. I saw |
| story of a blind man who felt "betrayed" when | | | | all my colors in my mind; they stood before |
| he learned what the colour scarlet meant. | | | | my eyes. Wild, almost crazy lines were |
| When his friend asked what he had thought | | | | sketched in front of me."David Hockney is a |
| scarlet was, the man answered "like the sound | | | | British painter who designed sets for the New |
| of a trumpet." It is also credited to | | | | York Metropolitan Opera. "When it came time |
| Aristotle and Pythagoras. Pythagoras | | | | to paint the tree for Ravel, I put on the |
| considered synesthesis to be the union of the | | | | tree music from the opera, and it had a |
| illusory, constant, daily, repetitive, | | | | certain weight and colour. The music would |
| mundane world with the real, genuine world of | | | | dictate the shape."The paintings of Georgia |
| universal and abstract concepts and ideas | | | | O'Keeffe are felt by some to reflect her |
| and, as such, was the greatest philosophical | | | | synesthetic experience. She loved music and |
| gift and spiritual achievement.Synesthesia is | | | | it often inspired her work - she could see |
| clinically defined as an involuntary physical | | | | the music in her mind. She was an artist who |
| experience of a cross-modal association. This | | | | painted what she saw and loved vibrant |
| means an involuntary crossing of two or more | | | | colour, graceful curves and fluid movement |
| senses. If you stimulate one sense it causes | | | | which could very much speak to her being a |
| a stimulation in another sense as well. There | | | | synesthete or able to tap into that |
| are 31 possible combinations of the senses | | | | experience. Ms. O'Keefe was very structured |
| but usually there are only two senses which | | | | in her approach to her painting and her |
| cross, and this brings the number of | | | | colour palette. She was known to carefully |
| potential combinations down to 20. The | | | | chart all of her colours before beginning a |
| pairings are generally one way, sound may | | | | painting and her studio was very structured. |
| create colour but colour will not create | | | | She often said she couldn't paint until her |
| sound.Synesthesia is divided into two | | | | closets and drawers were in order.Synesthesia |
| categories, Two Sensory and Multiple Sensory. | | | | is very specific condition but |
| The most common type is the crossing of two | | | | pseudosynesthesia also occurs frequently. |
| sensory modalities, such as Coloured-Hearing | | | | Pseudosynesthesia can occur without |
| or Chromaesthesia (seeing sound, hearing | | | | intention, triggered by drug use or learned |
| colour, experiencing colour linked to words, | | | | associations, or as an act of creation |
| letters and numbers). Sound creating the | | | | expressed through literature, music, and art. |
| perception of a colour is the most common | | | | Hashish and opium are the most mentioned |
| form of synesthesia. Synesthetes of this type | | | | substances. A great many writers who used |
| experience both written and spoken words in a | | | | them wrote on and under the influence. |
| wonderfully vivid experience of colour | | | | Frequent references were made to hearing and |
| associations. They can see music, smell | | | | smelling colors, seeing sounds, and even |
| colors or taste words.Coloured-Olfaction | | | | seeing feelings while they were high. The |
| occurs when a smell creates the perception of | | | | Caterpillar and the hookah (a hashish water |
| a colour. Coloured-Gustation is a taste which | | | | pipe with four long stems to accommodate four |
| stimulates a specific colour. | | | | smokers at once) in "Alice in Wonderland" by |
| Tactile-Gustation is the taste of something | | | | Lewis Carroll is a perfect example.Mescaline, |
| experienced as a shape. Multiple Sensory | | | | peyote, LSD and magic mushrooms can produce |
| Synesthesia is the crossing of 3 or more | | | | pseudosynesthetic experiences. Peyote is |
| senses.Synesthesia may be idiopathic | | | | sacred to many Native tribes and is used in |
| (developmental), the person has always | | | | spiritual ceremonies. They generally produce |
| experienced synesthesia, or non-idiopathic, | | | | the coloured-hearing variety. Another |
| the result of a known event or condition | | | | possible cause of pseudosynesthesia is |
| which was acquired and created the | | | | thought to be learned association. This is |
| synesthesia.Ideopathic Synesthesia occurs in | | | | quite controversial as it has also been |
| an uninhibited natural state, has strong | | | | offered as an explanation of actual cases of |
| genetic factors and is felt to be a natural | | | | synesthesia. The theory suggests that the |
| state of development particularly within the | | | | repetition of pairing the sensations creates |
| first 4 months of life. There are three | | | | the automatic association of those two |
| theories which try to explain | | | | sensations, i.e. repetition becomes habit.The |
| Coloured-hearing; unity of the senses or | | | | Spanish mystic and Kaballist, Abraham |
| linkage theory, crosstalk theory or the | | | | Abulafia (1240-1291?), used a meditation on |
| theory which suggests it occurs at the higher | | | | the Name of God called Hokmah ha-Tseruf, The |
| cognitive/cortical level of the brain. Brain | | | | Science of the Combination of the Letters. |
| imaging tests show that words activate the | | | | The letters of the Divine Name were to be |
| synesthetes' brains' language, vision and | | | | studied in different combinations to break |
| colour processing centres. Non-Ideopathic | | | | the mind free of mundane understanding and |
| Synesthesia can be caused by seizures, drugs, | | | | enhance abstract perceptions. He compared the |
| neuron degeneration, brain damage, spinal | | | | resulting experience to the sensation of |
| cord damage and concussions. The only symptom | | | | listening to music with the letters of the |
| shared with a schizophrenic would be the | | | | alphabet becoming musical notes. It was meant |
| ability to see things others do not. The | | | | to break the seals of the soul and, in so |
| synesthetes experiences are not like a | | | | doing, one would discover the psychic |
| hallucination and it has not been considered | | | | resources of the mind and ease emotional |
| a mental illness or disorder for a long | | | | suffering.Synesthetes are "wired" a little |
| time.The synesthetic experience is a left | | | | differently than a "normal" person - although |
| brain response and has been associated with a | | | | the only normal people I know are people I |
| decreased blood supply to the neocortex. | | | | don't know very well yet. It certainly sounds |
| Researchers have found an increased blood | | | | like an enriched experience. My vivid |
| flow in the parts of the brain that handle | | | | imagination seems pale now when I try to |
| colour perception when synesthetes are | | | | picture what images and sounds a concert, an |
| listening to words. Control subjects did not | | | | art exhibit or a child's laugh might evoke |
| show the same pattern. This supports | | | | for a synesthete. Psychologists, neurologists |
| synesthesia as genuinely taking place in the | | | | and neuro-scientists are all hopeful that |
| brain. It may be that synesthetes have extra | | | | studying this unusual and extraordinary gift |
| dense neural connections between areas | | | | may shed some light on the amazing |
| dealing with hearing and vision. Some ongoing | | | | capabilities of the human brain and the |
| research is focusing studies away from | | | | mysteries of our consciousness."There are no |
| Coloured-hearing in the direction of | | | | limits to the mind unless we acknowledge |
| Coloured-smell and are working with children | | | | them.""The most beautiful thing we can |
| to see how synesthesia may affect learning to | | | | experience is the mysterious. It is the |
| read.The estimates of the number of people | | | | source of all true art and all science. He to |
| who are synesthetes vary greatly, from one in | | | | whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no |
| 2,000 to one in every 25,000 people. Studies | | | | longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, |
| have indicated that women are more likely to | | | | is as good as dead: his eyes are closed." |
| be synesthetic - again the ratio varies from | | | | |
| 3:1 in the United States to 8:1 in the United | | | | Albert EinsteinSources |
| Kingdom. It occurs most frequently in | | | | |
| left-handed and ambidextrous individuals. It | | | | Richard Cytowic, MDRichard Cytowic, in |
| is a unique brain experience which gets | | | | "Synaesthesia: Phenomenology and |
| frequently linked to artistic genius. It is | | | | Neuropsychology |
| considered a source of inspiration for | | | | |
| creative brilliance but sources disagree that | | | | a Review of Current Knowledge"Maclester |
| it is more common in creative people or | | | | UniversitySam Scott, Carleton UniversityA |
| artists.Most synesthetes function at a very | | | | History of God |
| high level, are highly intelligent and | | | | |
| typically have excellent memories. Trouble | | | | The 4,000 Year Quest of |
| telling left from right and a poor sense of | | | | |
| direction are also common with synesthetes. | | | | Judaism, Christianity and Islam |
| Difficulties with math are not unusual, | | | | |
| although noted Physicist Richard Feynman is | | | | by Karen Armstrong 1993 |
| synesthetic. It is also quite common for | | | | |
| synesthetes to report frequent experiences of | | | | Ballantine Books |
| deja vu, clairvoyance, premonitions, the | | | | |
| feeling of a presence and precognitive | | | | ISBN 0-345-38456-3"Ah, the Blue Smell of It" |
| dreams. Fifteen percent of people with | | | | |
| synesthesia have someone in their immediate | | | | by Unmesh Kher |
| family with autism, dyslexia or attention | | | | |
| deficit disorder. The experience is different | | | | TIME Magazine, May 28, 2001, page 42 |
| for every individual. Those people who see | | | | |
| letters as coloured will see different | | | | Canadian EditionDo you see what they see? by |
| colours than another person with the same | | | | Brad Lemley |
| condition. Most initially self-reference and | | | | |
| assume that everyone experiences the world as | | | | Discover, December 1999Omar |
| they do.These sensations are involuntary and | | | | KamelSynaesthesiaBibliographia Studiorum |
| cannot be held back or brought on, although | | | | PsychelicorumAn Entheogen |
| their level and intensity may vary. The | | | | ChrestomathyButterflies & Zebras Slide Show. |
| sensation is not in the persons imagination | | | | Norm is a synestheteWhat is |
| but is projected into their environment. One | | | | Synaesthesia?Georgia O'Keeffe - biography and |
| woman describes it as somewhat like a | | | | imagesCheryl Lynne Bradley is a mother, |
| television screen about 6 inches in front of | | | | photographer, writer, internationally |
| her face. The sensations are durable and | | | | respected professional Tarot reader and the |
| generic. If red means "a" to you, it will | | | | President of Tarot Canada. She writes |
| always mean "a". The sensations are memorable | | | | extensively on Tarot, Divination, Omens, |
| - if you met someone and their name evoked | | | | Superstitions, Dreams and Reviews on Books, |
| the taste of chocolate, it is easier to | | | | Tarot Decks and Music. |
| remember the taste than the name, but the | | | | |