Synesthesia...?

[Bluelight]

So, I have what's called synesthesia. Contrary to what it may sound like, it's not a medical condition, but more like a psychological phenomenon.

Basically, it's when you associate letters and numbers with certain colors. For example, almost every number and letter of the alphabet have a different color for me. Whenever I see a text or anything that involves numbers, I see many different colors in my head. Physically, I see black, or whatever color the text is in, but my mental association of letters/numbers with color tends to override it and it's almost like I'm seeing many different colors whenever I read anything. It's actually really helpful with studying and memorizing, I can associate certain words with certain colors. I'm also really good with dates and centuries. For example, the XIX century appears blue to me, while the XX century appears green to me, the 1940's are purple, the 1950's are yellow, and so on.

For the longest time, I though everyone had this, but recently whenever I bring it up to my friends they ask me if I'm on hard drugs, which of course sounds ridiculous to me because this has been a reality for me since I was a small child.

So, given this confusion, I researched this and found out that it actually has a name: "Synesthesia". I really had no idea, ever since I was in kindergarten, I really thought this was normal. Do any GS users have this? I know it's not "normal" per sae, but I've met a few people who have the same thing, it doesn't seem too uncommon.

Any thoughts? It just really blows my mind that most people don't have a certain color for certain letters/numbers, as that's how I've known it to be since I can remember.

I'd really appreciate any feedback on this, this is really interesting for me and I'd like to know more about it.

[meridannight]

synesthesia is also when you associate musical pitch with certain forms, taste with color, taste with sound, sound with color, touch with color, touch with taste, etc. it can occur between any two senses and more than one of these translations can occur in one person.

i don't know that i have it physiologically-speaking, but it is easy for me to translate form into sound, for example, music/sound into form, music/sound into poetry, music/sound into color, music/sound into texture. in this sense i can understand that there is a connection between two different senses.

[Hardheaded1]

Fascinating. I have seen in mentioned in documentaries.

[Rareboy]

You lucky bastard.

[Steve]

I've never seen letters and numbers in terms of color. That's a visual cue from the brain that never occurred to me was possible. I see colors as my brain perceives them, which I believe is the majority of the way people see numbers and colors. Did an optometrist never give you a colorblind test involving numbers and letters? It must be unsettling to find this out after having this condition for so many years.

Moods are a different matter to me, perhaps because I am so overly attuned to my own. By this I don't mean the typical, blue when depressed, red when angry, green with jealousy. In joyful moods I associate a varying range of green, from dull to vivid depending on degree or excitement I think. Depression I associate with dull browns, again in varying shades and tones. In happier states I feel a range of blue colors, from very pale pastel blue, to indigo (almost black). Complex moods involving two or more feelings often are tinged with the color of the mood I associate that mixes with the complex feeling.

It isn't that I see these colors as if I had colored glasses, but I feel them and remember those feelings.

I also suffer Sensory Processing Disorder, which is when incoming stimuli, smell, vision, taste, hearing, is misinterpreted in the brain which results in inappropriate reactions. Mark will often make a harmless observation, directed at nothing in particular, and I immediately construe it as an attack, or as disinterest, and I either react defensively or astonished that he could be so blasé about something we both should care about. My threapist and neurologist both believe this has something to do with certain folds in my brain that were damaged when I had my brain injury.

There are eight sensory systems, did you know that?: Visual, Auditory, Tactile, Olfactory, Gustatory, Vestibular, Proprioception, Interoception. (I have to look up this info in files I have stored on neurological consultations, psychiatric evaluations, and therapist's notes.)

[Virge]

Have you had it all your life? I knew a guy in high school who developed it and found it was from a non malignant brain tumor. He's okay now except for telling people he once had visions from god.

[Cuddly]

I don't have this, so I remember numbers the old fashion way. Example being 2565, 2+5 = 7, 6+5 = 11. Thus 7eleven becomes my zip code, etc.

[LJay]

The great French composer Messiaen had this, too. He has written about it and you may want to look up his writings and his works.

[Bluelight]

Have you had it all your life? I knew a guy in high school who developed it and found it was from a non malignant brain tumor. He's okay now except for telling people he once had visions from god.

Yup, I've had it literally since forever. I had a CAT-scan for migraines when I was ten, if a tumor was behind it they would have known about it a long time ago.

[Bluelight]

synesthesia is also when you associate musical pitch with certain forms, taste with color, taste with sound, sound with color, touch with color, touch with taste, etc. it can occur between any two senses and more than one of these translations can occur in one person.

i don't know that i have it physiologically-speaking, but it is easy for me to translate form into sound, for example, music/sound into form, music/sound into poetry, music/sound into color, music/sound into texture. in this sense i can understand that there is a connection between two different senses.

That's really interesting, I sometimes have this with sound too, but it's weaker and easier to ignore than with letters and numbers.