Synesthesia
Until just a few years ago, I thought I was the only one who relates colors to tastes and numbers to colors, etc. For some unknown reason I picked up a Toronto newspaper, something I seldom did, and was shocked to read an article about a mother and daughter who suffered from Synesthesia. I can't tell you what relief that article brought to me - because I have been dealing with this condition all my life but didn't even know there was a name for it.
Synesthesia means "to perceive together" and is a condition in which two senses are sensed at the same time, where one type of stimulation evokes the sensation of another, as when the hearing of a sound produces the visualization of a color"
Ever since I was a child, to me turnips taste purple and number 8 is green, etc. Originally it was something I just took for granted everyone did - until I mentioned it to some of my young friends and they had no idea what I was talking about.
Over the years, I would mention it from time to time but always with the same reaction - people thought I was either joking and didn't take me seriously, or the look on their face told me they thought I wasn't 'quite right'.. Eventually I learned not to talk about it - to just accept it as I really thought no one would ever understand.
After I read the newspaper article, I was determined to find out as much as I could about this condition and was just amazed at finding so much information on the Internet. I can't tell you what peace it brought. No matter what you are dealing with, when you find out you are not alone, it brings tremendous relief!
I also learned that I have a mild form of Synesthesia and I was astonished at how complex and difficult this condition is for so many people.
If you can
relate to Synesthesia or are dealing with it, I would love to hear from you.
Below are some links that will help you understand more about this condition for which there is no cure and how those who are seriously affected deal with it on a daily basis.
Synesthesia - Dr. Hugo Heyrman - Museums of the Mind - Synesthesia and the Arts. Research and theory on the future of the
senses. Homepage of the Belgian Synesthesia Association. Contents: an extremely complete listing of synesthesia sites on the
web, including interviews,
articles, artwork, and research links.
Synesthesia and the human brain - Questions Answered and Questions Raised
Research Pages
Richard
E. Cytowic, M.D.
Sam Scott's
Synesthesia Page at Carleton
Macalester
University
Trends
in Synesthetically Colored Graphemes and Phonemes
University
of Waterloo Synesthesia Page
Noam Sagiv's
Page, Berkeley
Personal Pages
Synesthesia
Resource Page and Webring Home Page
Sarah's Synesthesia
Page
Cassidy Curtis'
Letter-Colour Synesthesia
Carrie's Synesthesia Page
Elizabeth
Pector's Page
Cretien van Campen's Site on Synesthesia
and Art
Articles
Financial
Times, January 6, 2001
CNN,
November 25, 1995
Discover, December 1999
Organizations
Synesthesia
Web Ring
International
Synesthesia Association
American Synethesia Association
Belgian Synesthesia
Association