Synaesthesia
What are the different types of synaesthesia?
Source: NHS
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There are many different types of synaesthesia, and manypeople with synaesthesia will experience more than one of these for example, taste, sound and touch may all produce colours.
Colours and patterns
Research suggests that the most common synaesthetic experiences are associating days, months, numbers and the alphabet with:
- patterns or shapes (for example, envisaging the months laid out in lines, spirals or circles)
- distinctive colours for example, "A" may be red and "B" may be blue
Synaesthesiaaffects people differently. Two people with synaesthesia will often disagree over the colour of letters.
However,there are some trends that appear common to all people with the condition A is generally perceived as red, B is often blue, and C is often yellow.
Taste and smell
For some people with synaesthesia, spoken words trigger a particular taste, as well as a particular texture, place in the mouth and temperature (for example,"runny egg yolk").
Taste can also produce colour sensations, or shapes that can be "felt".
Certain odours may also be perceived as shapes and/or colours, but this form of synaesthesia is thought to be rare.
Touch and other body sensations
Some people experience touch just by looking at someone being touched. This is known as " mirror touch" synaesthesia .
Feelings of pain or touch can also trigger visions or colour, and there has been a documented case of words triggering feelings of body movement.
Articles for Synaesthesia
Advice for people with synaesthesia
Most people with synaesthesia have had it since childhood, so it feels perfectly normal to experience the world in this way. It's not obtrusive and does not affect day-to-day life. It's not necessary
How common is it?
Synaesthesia has been estimated to affect at least 4% of the UK population. Researchers at the University of Sussex have estimated that 1-2% of the UK population experience colour when they see, hear
How do people with synaesthesia feel about their condition?
Interviews with people who have synaesthesia show a wide rangeof feelings towards their condition. Many are positive about it ("I feel sorry for people who don't have this"), and can't imagine their
Introduction
Synaesthesia is a condition where a sensation in one of the senses, such as hearing, triggers a sensation in another, such as taste.
Is synaesthesia linked to other conditions?
Because the number of people with synaesthesia is relatively small, it is not yet possible to know this conclusively. An Australian study did not find any evidence of an association between synaesth
What are the different types of synaesthesia?
There are many different types of synaesthesia, and manypeople with synaesthesia will experience more than one of these for example, taste, sound and touch may all produce colours. Colours and patt
What's the cause?
It's likely that the brain of someone with synaesthesia is "wired" differently, or has extra connections. A brain imaging study has shown that when some people with synaesthesia hear spoken words, a
