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Has anyone experianced Synesthesia?

To be more specific Auditory Synesthesia, from what I understand it is quite rare. At least when it isn't induced by hallucinogenics or other narcotics.

For those of who don't know what it is, it is basically a swapping of sensory perception. Like tasting sound, hearing colors and so on. As you may have guessed I can, at times, (not always, it's not some superpower) see sound traveling through the air like 3D ripples propagating in water...... A gift? I'm not so sure, it can make driving quite difficult when it kicks in.

However it has brought me to where I am today.....

Upon reflection I think it is a lot like A.D.H.D. (which I also have) - not a disease. You see, if control is learned or achieved over A.D.H.D., you can function on a different level than most.

My A.D.H.D (after mastering it's quirks) has made my life easier. By design A.D.H.D. makes your brain work at high speeds, hence the trouble children have with it. I found that if I could process the high speed information coming in, I could use it just as fast. Something I'm teaching my son to do now, hopefully saving him the problems I had adjusting as a child.

Like I said it is not a disease, in fact I believe it is a gift.

I just hope the Synesthesia can be just as useful. So let me know what you think..... disease or gift? Any extra information on this condition (Synesthesia) would be greatly appreciated.

Also I'd like to add that I am not an audio genius or anything, just like the A.D.H.D., you have to know what to do with the information coming in.

Andrew
Synesthesia Studios
dynami28
hesson11
237 posts
 
Well, this is certainly an unusual discussion! Feels almost like Jack Kerouac and Hunter S. Thompson have come back from the dead.

While I've never experienced synesthesia, the composer Olivier Messiaen certainly did. He often spoke of "orange chords" and "blue chords" and such. I'm sure if you Googled his name and "synesthesia," you'd find quite a bit of info.

-Bob
nonoise's avatar
nonoise
10,833 posts
 
In all seriousness, I've witnessed auras only when young and most notably at school with the teacher in front of of the blackboard. I never saw colors really, just a whitish border around folk. I thought it was normal as I've always seen them.

It wasn't until sometime in adolescence that they became less and less apparent and just about stopped being noticeable. It's very rare when I do witness this phenomenon, to the point that I don't pay any attention.

And no, I don't take drugs.

All the best,
Nonoise
timrhu
2,779 posts
 
Yes, I have experienced this...but it was chemically induced by mescaline, peyote or LSD, depending on the availability. This was a long time ago in my life, 69 and 70 I'd say.
csontos
1,311 posts
 
Whether it's drug induced or not, is it not simply a hallucination? And therefore without control?
nonoise's avatar
nonoise
10,833 posts
 
I think not as all my siblings (there was 6 of us) saw them and we all thought it normal but only talked to friends about it.

As with me, the tendency to see them faded as we got older. I would imagine that if there is such a thing as an innocuous hallucination that it wouldn't be familial and have occurrences lessen over time. Unless it's an inherited, optical disorder of sorts.

All the best,
Nonoise
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