[Tosspot]

Does anyone here have synesthesia?
I'm the only one I know and I find it very intriguing.
Personally I am blessed with the most common form of color-grapheme, color-time, color-sounds, color-tamber, color-letter, etc. Lots of colors in my world!
I also have smell-sensation (When I smell certain things I perceive different sensations in my body)

Of course I wonder if synesthesia is more prevalent in those with different "mental orders"

[MandiePoo]

I am fascinated by this concept. I think its incredible myself and quite a gift. Maybe it is the next step in evolution!

Can you tell me more (if you are so inclined) about what the experience is like for you?

*sits interested*

[Tosspot]

Haha, it could be the next step in evolution although most of what I read says its an under-developed brain. Its commonly associated with autism.
Basicly it's a cross-wiring of the brain, studies show that when I hear something, my visual cortex lights up on a brain scan. Its fun
I'm not sure how to describe it. The easiest one to describe is that letters and numbers have colors. For example T's are always green, M's are always red.
Your name to me is
M- red
A-blue
N-orange (except for some reason lowercase is brown)
D- Yellow
I- Mustard yellow
E- red
P-bright Yellow
oo- these go together like a periwinkle blue- very vague

That's what I see if I read your name and pay attention. I can tune my synesthesia out
when reading because text is black and white but if I think about what I read it's in color.
Days of the week and months and times and seasons are colored separately, haha. I don't like Saturdays because the are grayish all day. Also November is chronically brown.

But my personal favorite form I have is color-sound. When I listen to music I essentially experience my own personal light show. The colors come and go with varying sounds. Different intruments have their own color and shape, different notes on the same instrument have different shades, and or colors, and certain scales of music have different colors. I used to experience all these colors at once but since I have been on psych meds I only experience the ones I "tune into" or choose to focus on. Its much less on psych meds (I take anti-seizure meds Lamictal/Trileptal)
The only downside is I find myself listening to a lot of music that a lot of people find to be trashy like Britney Spears - Three is this awesome vibrant red, pink, orange, candle-flame type ribbons of color that are super fun!
Classical music is tough to hear because there is just so much going on to process that I'm exhausted afterwards. I've been known to go into sensory overload easily if there is too much noise, "Tv, radio, people talking all at once"
What's interesting is that these colors haven't changed since birth and I dont think they will. I thought it may have been from watching too much fantasia as a kid but it's not.

Its good until its bad. Sometimes the smell of my boyfriend if he hasn't showered isn't regular B.O. its these sharp orange needles in the back of my throat. Vanilla is always a ribbon that wraps around my like a fuzzy blanket. Kind of like the febreze commercials.

These colors don't obstruct my actual vision, they kind of hang out in the front of my mind. Because I'm hearing them so they arent processed along with whats actually in front of me.

I started having these weird hallucinations back in february after starting risperdal. But they weren't real because I knew the objects I saw were fake and my reality testing remained intact. At the hospital they couldn't classify me as anything but the attending had a theory that because of synesthesia these things I was experiencing was not a far stretch of the mind. Clearly some wires were obviously crossed combined with bipolar mania equalled madness!

Sorry this was really long but I just get so excited about it.

[Elysium]

Well...I don't hear colors, but when I see a number, I get flashes of color in my mind. The colors are always consistent for the most part, and I never intentionally made up colors for numbers...it's just something that started happening when I was in my late teens.

For example....the number 5 is blue. Any increment of the number 5, like 10 or 35, etc. will be blue, just a different shade. It's really fascinating!! I have never been diagnosed with any type of synesthesia, but I have heard of it and always wondered if this is what I am experiencing.

[Tosspot]

YAY!! that sounds about right- its not something generally diagnosed because its not really a problem. I just found out it wasn't "normal" last summer. I was 24 at the time. although I disagree 5's are always pink!!!

[Lauru]

Originally Posted by Tosspot

Does anyone here have synesthesia?
I'm the only one I know and I find it very intriguing.
Personally I am blessed with the most common form of color-grapheme, color-time, color-sounds, color-tamber, color-letter, etc. Lots of colors in my world!
I also have smell-sensation (When I smell certain things I perceive different sensations in my body)

Of course I wonder if synesthesia is more prevalent in those with different "mental orders"

I am sooooooo jealous. I love the idea of this. It sounds beautiful and exciting. It's like everything has it's own inherent poetry, but most people can't sense it. You are one of the lucky few that can. I'm happy for you

[Elli-Beth]

Music is like a color/light show for me. I had trouble explaining it to people until the "visualizers" that come with computer music programs like iTunes came along, then I could show them something similiar.

[Fresia]

I never knew this had a name and that others experienced it too. I stopped trying to talk about it with people due to the response that I would get so it has become a secret. The colored images can be beautiful at times. However, as mentioned also with music and too with city sounds, overwhelming and exhausting at times. I have sound and sent sensitivity as well, so combined and I see colors with these as well, it is why I have moved to a smaller town and into the country to prevent sensory overload.

Will start researching now. Thanks SO much for posting, Tosspot!

Wow! I'm jealous and fascinated. I typed in synethesia for a definition and found American Synesthesia Association. Check it out.

[Beholden]

synethesia is fascinating to me. I just have regular senses. darn

Though I get extra sensitive with smelling things stronger sometimes. I think it comes right before I get a headache or have a sinus thing coming on. not the same at all.

I had a friend who had a boyfriend with synethesia. at least she thought he did. He wouldn't talk about it. He was the guy who sold our home way back in the 80's. He had great sensitivity to sounds and prefered to work 'alone' to block out so much from invading his mind.