Life with Synesthesia

Introduction

Synesthesia, the condition in which one’s brain reroutes sensory information through multiple unrelated senses. Such as tasting music, and associating it with multiple colors, hence the term ear candy. This condition is present in approximately 2–4 percent of the population, and is quite the unique one indeed. There are multiple types of synesthesia, such as Grapheme-color, the most common type in which one associates certain colors with letters and numbers. Number-form, in which an individual experiences numbers within a kind of mental shape or diagram. But these are just two examples, there’s many more, but lets get into an insiders experience.

My diagnosis

I have Grapheme-color, lexical-gustatory, a rare form of synesthesia in which one experiences taste in association with words. chromesthesia, another rare form of synesthesia in which one experiences taste and color in association with music. Tickertape, in which an individual automatically visualizes words as subtitles when someone speaks. And auditory-tactile, in which specific sounds can trigger physical sensations in one’s body.

The perks

This feels like a superpower, it allows me to create very meaningful and creatively dynamic art. Whether that’s a simple sketch, music, film, or even writing. This allows me to connect even more with my fans and supporters on an elevated level. I can taste the music, and associate it specific colors and seasons. Smell numbers, letters, associate those with specific colors. Indulge in a more video-game like life experience, and retain information at an accelerated rate with greater understanding due to tickertape. Sex, and any other affectionate activities have greater depth, passion, and euphoria. Life feels colorful, like a playground, the world around you and everyone else has more color and layers. Listening to good music feels as good as eating food, ear candy, I frequently have what I like to call music orgasms. These musical orgasms refer to listening to a song so good you completely vibe out, feel transcended, and must replay it. Musicians like Pharrell Williams and Duke Ellington also experience this type of synesthesia.

The downsides

I’ve written about this before, I am very prone to excessive empathy. I wail at the suffering of others as I can physically and emotionally feel their pain. So much so in fact I have dedicated all my material wealth to the people, it’s not me but for the people. Money is nothing but fuel to grow businesses and better the lives of others especially the less fortunate, I am an enthusiast and proponent of this belief. Before I knew exactly why I was experiencing excessive empathy on the neurological level, I had a savior complex. I was obsessed with saving everyone out there in the world suffering that I have no idea of. Of course, this was far from healthy and I was burned out quite quickly, until I did some deep digging into myself, and how I can truly make a difference in the realm of philanthropy which would satisfy my base empathy at the very least. This goes to show, synesthesia has its ups and downs, especially since it’s generally linked to people with a higher level of empathy. Nonetheless, it’s a superpower and with great power comes great responsibility.

Thanks for reading

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This post was previously published on medium.com.

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