Any Fellow Synesthetes?

[tthor]

I have a mental condition (although the word condition has kind of a negative connotation)called Synesthesia. So to me, every letter and number appears to be a specific color, sounds also have colors, and I find that I see people's voices as shapes as well as colors. Also, in my mind, days of the week have very specific personalities. I don't really like calling it a condition because I feel like that makes it a bad thing, when it really isn't. It doesn't affect how I function at all, I just see things in odd ways.

It's a funny thing to have because I wasn't even aware it wasn't normal until like 2nd grade when I was talking to my mom about how I remembered how to spell "create" on a spelling test because the colors of the letters reminded me of a sunset, which obviously didn't make much sense to her..

I don't really know where I was going with this little ramble, I just kind of thought it was an interesting subject. So feel free to post thoughts, or experiences

all that sounds like to me is some strangely awesome drug trip.

 

[The Pinray]

Yeah, I've had it since I was a baby. It's pretty normal to me, I don't really know what it's like not to have it. I see people with colors, if that makes sense...

Like, certain people are red to me, some are green. But red doesn't mean like mean or ferocious or wild. Red is just who they are. But some reds are different than other reds, even if they're the same shade. I won't remember a face at first when people I should know are described to me. Once I hear a familiar name I immediately match it to their color. I never forget a person's color.

Same goes with sound. I feel as though I can see sound and hear it as well. That's why I have a hard time driving with the radio on. Everything bleeds together and I lose focus. I'm getting better at that, though.

...I'd better not start. I've been explaining this to my girlfriend for the past week and she only nods and laughs at me. Calls me cute and silly. And I'm the same with week days. They all have their own persona that colors the day. As does each number, word and letter.

I suppose it's a cool thing, I've just never been without so I can't really appreciate it, I guess.

 

[museofdoom]

So then it's more something you see in your mind's eye than an actual colur change in your vision? (That's what it sounds like to me.)

Sort of yes, and sort of no. It's like, I see the colors, but they're not at the forefront of my vision. It's kind of like a dim filter over everything else. I feel like I'm making less and less sense haha

 

[deathninja]

Met a few synesthetes at uni over the years, and from what I've seen individual experiences/associations are different for everyone.

I've got a hypersensory defect, but it's more of a pain in the arse than anything; sounds can interfere with my vision, to the point where dog whistles can make me see stars and those 'mosquito' speakers have blinded me on more than one occasion.

 

[ThreeWords]

I am a synaesthesiac (that's what it's called round here) and I am also anosmic; I have no sense of smell. It seems that I just have messy wiring in my head...

 

[teqrevisited]

I've heard of this before, but the closest thing I've experienced was seeing these strange grids above every flat surface. Taking the floor as an example, there would be perfectly straight white lines in multiple layers that went from one side of the room to the other. The top layer was always the widest apart, then there would be two or three other layers that looked more like a loosely weaved fabric with tiny pulses of white light darting along the lines.

I never found out what it was and it just went away like that.

 

[JCBFGD]

Monday: Shy and awkward boy who avoids social situations and hates parties but he's observant of other people.

Tuesday: An energetic man with a passion for learning new things. He spends a lot of time reading non-fiction books. Some people find him to be rather odd.

So I'm apparently MonTuday...Monday with just a bit of Tuesday.

Also...

Thursday: A brooding and cynical man. He is very intelligent and is very stuck up about it. He has the "I am holier than thou" air about him.

The Man Who Was Thursday...was a bit of a douche. Okay, that's a bad joke, but I found it funny =P

Anyways, you're a very lucky person. I'd kill for synesthesia. Now why in the hell does Chrome's spellcheck tell me synesthesia is spelled wrong???

 

[Kushin]

I have a mental condition (although the word condition has kind of a negative connotation)called Synesthesia. So to me, every letter and number appears to be a specific color, sounds also have colors, and I find that I see people's voices as shapes as well as colors. Also, in my mind, days of the week have very specific personalities. I don't really like calling it a condition because I feel like that makes it a bad thing, when it really isn't. It doesn't affect how I function at all, I just see things in odd ways.

It's a funny thing to have because I wasn't even aware it wasn't normal until like 2nd grade when I was talking to my mom about how I remembered how to spell "create" on a spelling test because the colors of the letters reminded me of a sunset, which obviously didn't make much sense to her..

I don't really know where I was going with this little ramble, I just kind of thought it was an interesting subject. So feel free to post thoughts, or experiences

Having synesthesia sounds like an interesting experience, not entirely positive, but not really negative either. But it does pose a question that I'd like you to answer if possible.

Does dubstep give a kind of sensory overload (good dubstep, not simple wubs over an already released dong) or is it something different?

Would you be kind enough to oblige a curious person?

 

[museofdoom]

Having synesthesia sounds like an interesting experience, not entirely positive, but not really negative either. But it does pose a question that I'd like you to answer if possible.

Does dubstep give a kind of sensory overload (good dubstep, not simple wubs over an already released dong) or is it something different?

Would you be kind enough to oblige a curious person?

To me, dubstep appears as black and white. It's kind of snowy, and there are white swirls and paint splotches. It's strange because most other music appears colorful, but whenever I hear dubstep everything is instantly black and white.

 

[omega 616]

every letter and number appears to be a specific color

I heard about it on QI, the thing I don't get is how it works.

I don't mean like the mental process that makes it so you have this ... gift? I mean like does your normal vision turn like a red hue when you hear or see the corresponding number or letter. What about when you see or hear a sentence, is it like somebody is holding CTRL + I but with more than normal colours and inverted colours.

Does the actual letter or number just look a certain colour, even though it's typed in black (or whatever).

 

[museofdoom]

every letter and number appears to be a specific color

I heard about it on QI, the thing I don't get is how it works.

I don't mean like the mental process that makes it so you have this ... gift? I mean like does your normal vision turn like a red hue when you hear or see the corresponding number or letter. What about when you see or hear a sentence, is it like somebody is holding CTRL + I but with more than normal colours and inverted colours.

Does the actual letter or number just look a certain colour, even though it's typed in black (or whatever).

It's such a tricky thing to describe! Like, if I were to see the letter J which is blue, it would appear written in black, but it would "feel" blue. Like, it's "aura" is blue, and I can kind of faintly see it. All letters and numbers are like that for me. I see sounds as more pronounced though. Especially if I stare at a blank wall, or close my eyes while I listen to music. Then colors are all over the place.

"I see sounds" is such a strange thing to say. haha

 

[Canadamus Prime]

No, in fact I've never heard of this, uh, for lack of a better term, condition before. Although I imagine several major Renascence painters had something like that.

 

[darksuccubus]

I guess I have mild OCD (sometimes I still avoid walking on the spaces between stepping stones). Same goes for doing something on the right side of the body (like scratching your right hand) and then doing the same with the left one. Although this happens rarer and rarer.
I did have Synesthesia when I was a child and unfortunately I remember only one thing (probably because it's the most unpleasant one). You know when you were a small kid your mom would give you a bath because you couldn't bathe properly yourself? You know the unpleasant feeling when water would get into your nose? Everyone have experienced this. Anyway, that feeling (getting water in your nose) felt VIOLET for me. Even now, rarely I would feel "violet" when I get water in my nose. Other than that, everything is normal, I think ^_^

 

[winginson]

Just one very limited one, when I'm sad I actually do see everything as being noticeably bluer.

My main thing is I act very much like Sherlock from the new TV series. Just not to the super extreme genius level he does. Just everything he does, but less.

 

[SextusMaximus]

Don't have it, but I wish I did. That's really, seriously cool. How do font colours affect your ability?

 

[Chemical Alia]

every letter and number appears to be a specific color

I heard about it on QI, the thing I don't get is how it works.

I don't mean like the mental process that makes it so you have this ... gift? I mean like does your normal vision turn like a red hue when you hear or see the corresponding number or letter. What about when you see or hear a sentence, is it like somebody is holding CTRL + I but with more than normal colours and inverted colours.

Does the actual letter or number just look a certain colour, even though it's typed in black (or whatever).

It's such a tricky thing to describe! Like, if I were to see the letter J which is blue, it would appear written in black, but it would "feel" blue. Like, it's "aura" is blue, and I can kind of faintly see it. All letters and numbers are like that for me. I see sounds as more pronounced though. Especially if I stare at a blank wall, or close my eyes while I listen to music. Then colors are all over the place.

"I see sounds" is such a strange thing to say. haha

The best way I can describe it isn't that you actually see blue or red or whatever color with your eyes, but see it in your head the same way your brain recognizes the colors. Can you use the colors of notes to identify them?

 

[JoesshittyOs]

snip

Why is it that people like you. Wight knights that is, always talk about their own feelings as everyone's feelings? "No one cares that you called someone out for... faking a mental defect? No one cares that he may be lying." Is it that you're totally incapable of conceiving that your opinion on the matter isn't absolute? Would that shatter your rationale for jumping to someone's defence?

Honestly it was kind of the "No one cares!" that you shout at the person who's annoying in your home room class. But sure.

Also, I never really understood how being a "White Knight" was an insult. It sounds more like something someone makes up to try and sway away the fact that he's in the wrong. Sure, I'm blinding jumping to the defense of someone I never met who's lying, yet you're the one who's blindly accusing someone of calling bullshit without having any idea of how the particular disorder works.

And yes, I have a very hard time conceiving anyone else's opinion. Everything is absolute to me, you got me. Great call there.

[sub]Sarcasm, just in case you didn't catch that[/sub]

Derealisation.... asking yourself who you are in the morning....

Nope, doesn't look like the same thing to me. If anything it sounds more like depersonalisation. But that's highly doubtful too, considering most people just have the feeling that they're watching their own actions with that.

Ahh, I see we're all just making up random medical facts so we can have the appearances of seeming right. Well I'm more qualified, and I say what's going on inside of his head right now is all of his personalities are fighting in a motel inside of his mind, trying to find out which one is the serial killer.

Spoiler

It's the kid who everyone thought died in the car explosion at the beginning of the movie, but I still found it strange how the housewife personality was the one that prevailed in the males mind.

Typically people with MPD suffer from dissociate amnesia of the times when their alters are in control. There would be no confusion over which personality you were.

And the rest of your comment isn't even worth responding to.

That hurts. I put a lot of time into that comment.

And... cite your source?

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

A friend of mine is a synetheste. Names especially trigger colors in her mind. She's also a very well-paid accountant.

She'd also never heard of the word "synesthesia" until she described the whole thing to me and I told her about it.

 

[rammst13n]

is it actually cool to have synethesia? from my perspective it sounds interesting, but what about the "normal" way of thought? to someone who doesnt have it wouldnt that be cool to have? as someone who has synethesia, do you ever want to know what it would be like to not associate colors with thoughts?