Synesthesia

Hi, I'm new here, so just came across this thread, but it's totally fascinating. Am I allowed to reply? Sorry if I'm way out of date.

I have synesthesia very strongly. I only discovered it when my psychology professor covered it. I sat in the back of the class thinking: Doesn't EVERYONE do this? What IS she talking about?! I called my mother and mentioned it, and she immediately said: "Doesn't EVERYONE do that?" (Apparently it runs in families!)
I've always seen numbers as colours, as sounds, as shapes. Days of the week, months of the year, people... everything is sound and colour and motion, shapes and texture. Everything is linked in my head. Now I'm older and a teacher, I spend a lot of time in the music department, since the music teacher has discovered notes, chords and music have taste and colour and emotion to me. I often discuss this with the music students: a few of them are also synesthesiac, and we spend hours discussing the shape of a certain piece of music, or the images and emotions it evokes. As an English and Drama teacher I frequently ask students to describe the sound of a cloud, the taste of boredom, the movement of blue; they love doing it and it inspires fantastic creative writing and engagement in the topic.
I was interested in what you said about setting things out in zig zags; emotion has always been shapes and movement to me. So much so, that even though the emotion may not have a name, I identify it to myself in that way. Um, that wasn't clear. Let me try to explain. A certain type of happiness will be round and gold and glowing. Another type may be sharp and cold and glassy smooth. Another type is rumbling gray and burgundy (like Bach's Toccata and Fuga).
Bother. It's so hard to put into words! My only surety is that if you took it away, I'd die! I can't imagine what it must be like for those who aren't synesthesiac; I've always thought it would be like living in a cardboard world...
 
I don't know if I have it, or if I just have screwy sense of smell/taste. What happens to me is that I taste what I smell, but it's never the good part. It's like the essential, chemically part. If I spray perfume (no I don't inhale), I can immediately taste it in my mouth. Immediately. The same with things like scented laundry detergent. Just smelling the detergent aisle, makes me taste chemically soap in my mouth. Also (and here's where I sound really OCD), I avoid touching metal doorknobs by putting my sleeve over my hand because I taste the metal the instant my hand touches it.
 
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no, i do not have it. all of the sensory input that i receive in my mind is distinct and separate. i do love beautiful colours and think about their meanings, i do love listening to music and playing piano, and i do easily engage with the emotional and abstract content of music, but i understand that it is not the same thing. it must be an amazing experience.
 
mankycustard said:
Hey,

Is anyone else on here a synesthete? Synesthesia is a cross wiring of the senses and there are many different types. In my case, I see colours (which are always the same) when thinking of numbers, letters, names, days of the weeks, months of the year etc.... I also see them set out (usually) in zig zags. Musical notes also have colours and the sound that different instruments make have colours. I also seem to associate feeling ill with objects and places. For example when I was a child I was painting scallop shells when I started to get a stomach bug. Still to this day when I see a scallop shell it makes me feel extremely nauseous. There are some people who associate names, places or numbers etc with tastes (often foods from childhood)....

Just curious as to whether any of you are synesthetes....... :meyes:
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I have colour/s, colourful photos sometimes inducing -> scent, taste crosswiring a couple of times a year. I have had it only half (a slight experience) and once this year.
 
There is a woman named Julie McDowall on Twitter who can taste words and is telling everyone what their names taste like.

https://twitter.com/JulieAMcDowall/

https://unbound.com/books/tasteful/

Here is an article on her:

https://mymodernmet.com/synesthesia-taste-names/


It is really fun and funny, and you can look through her Twitter to see if your name is listed.
I changed my name slightly years ago, but my old name is a flavor I don't like. Hahahaha! I never liked that name.



I'm a little bit skeptical about her, too, because she is making money off this now. Also, she sometimes gives flavors of things that make me wonder, "But what does that even taste like and how do you know?" For example: she said someone's name tasted like a manhole cover. Sometimes it seems like association and not synesthesia, too.

Can someone with synesthesia tell me if the flavor/color/etc (whatever your individual synesthesia is) is caused by past experiences, or if it just comes to you automatically?

Please note: I'm not skeptical about Synesthesia in general.
 
I have had this ever since I was a kid! Up until a few years ago I thought everyone did.
But my thing is just associating colors with things and seeing sounds (music) as different colors.

I’ve always associated numbers, letters, days of the week, and months with colors.
 
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neko said:
I have had this ever since I was a kid! Up until a few years ago I thought everyone did.
But my thing is just associating colors with things and seeing sounds (music) as different colors.

I’ve always associated numbers, letters, days of the week, and months with colors.
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That's so cool! There have been composures who have color/sound synesthesia. I was going to post about it in my blog but I can't find the research online anymore, so I delayed. (I will post about it soon, though.)

I do this to a certain extent, but in my case I believe it is association and not synesthesia. It's part of creativity. When I read this about you I thought, "No wonder she is so creative!"

Now I want to know what colors people close to you are.

If you combine the letters in their names all the people you love could have flags!
 
Asa said:
That's so cool! There have been composures who have color/sound synesthesia. I was going to post about it in my blog but I can't find the research online anymore, so I delayed. (I will post about it soon, though.)

I do this to a certain extent, but in my case I believe it is association and not synesthesia. It's part of creativity. When I read this about you I thought, "No wonder she is so creative!"

Now I want to know what colors people close to you are.

If you combine the letters in their names all the people you love could have flags!
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Ooooh, i would love to read about that! I used to play a lot of instruments and would get sort of overwhelmed by all the colors, hahaha.
i'm not surprised you do something similar.. you are super creative and original :kissingheart: do you think you would ever share any of your art here? i'm so curious! <3

well, to mention people here:
@Ren is a bluish green color, @Wyote is a deep red, and I get a dark purple from you :-D
 
neko said:
Ooooh, i would love to read about that! I used to play a lot of instruments and would get sort of overwhelmed by all the colors, hahaha.
i'm not surprised you do something similar.. you are super creative and original :kissingheart: do you think you would ever share any of your art here? i'm so curious! <3

well, to mention people here:
@Ren is a bluish green color, @Wyote is a deep red, and I get a dark purple from you :-D
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<3

Dark purple is lovely. :)
I may share something here, eventually.

I will try to get my act together with compiling that post. Haha. :)
 
Asa said:
For example: she said someone's name tasted like a manhole cover.
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That makes sense to me. I can imagine what it tastes like (the metallic tang with rough texture and the occasional bit of grit).

neko said:
Ooooh, i would love to read about that! I used to play a lot of instruments and would get sort of overwhelmed by all the colors, hahaha.
i'm not surprised you do something similar.. you are super creative and original :kissingheart: do you think you would ever share any of your art here? i'm so curious! <3

well, to mention people here:
@Ren is a bluish green color, @Wyote is a deep red, and I get a dark purple from you :-D
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Woah, you gotta do some more people!

Can you explain why Wyote is a deep red? I wouldn't have picked that from associations alone. I get Ren, though.
 
neko said:
Ooooh, i would love to read about that! I used to play a lot of instruments and would get sort of overwhelmed by all the colors, hahaha.
i'm not surprised you do something similar.. you are super creative and original :kissingheart: do you think you would ever share any of your art here? i'm so curious! <3

well, to mention people here:
@Ren is a bluish green color, @Wyote is a deep red, and I get a dark purple from you :-D
Click to expand...

I've been to this hotel
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Deleted member 16771 said:
Hmm, let's go with something like:

Blue: logic, rationality, ethics

Green: nature, peace, calm, openness

These associations are subject to change, though.
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Me: scary overlord

*not subject to change
 
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Deleted member 16771 said:
Blue: logic, rationality, ethics

Green: nature, peace, calm, openness

These associations are subject to change, though.
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Oh yes, I identify with that! Thanks, Hos :)

I think my ethical comportment in general could be better though... or more of a primary concern than it is. Or maybe I'm selling myself short.

I'm also quite temperamental in my own way (=> red?) though perhaps it doesn't show on the forum :kissingheart:
 
Ren said:
Oh yes, I identify with that! Thanks, Hos :)

I think my ethical comportment in general could be better though... or more of a primary concern than it is. Or maybe I'm selling myself short.

I'm also quite temperamental in my own way (=> red?) though perhaps it doesn't show on the forum :kissingheart:
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red is the absolutE LAST color i would ever associate you with.

i'll explain the associations more later once i get some food in mah belly
 
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