Synesthesia is a rare and anomalous phenomenon that involves contamination of the senses (sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch). In practice, the stimulation of one sense triggers a predictable and reproducible response in another sense. For example, a person with synaesthesia can hear colors, perceive sounds, and savor shapes. In most cases it is an innate condition, so the people who experience it do not know a different way of perceiving the world. However, when people with synaesthesia describe their experience, interlocutors may accuse them of hallucinating or being insane. By getting a "diagnosis" of synaesthesia, individuals who experience it find relief and reassurance about their mental health.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Recognizing the Signs of Synesthesia
Step 1. Remember that this is a relatively rare but underdiagnosed phenomenon
Synesthesia is considered an infrequent neurological alteration affecting the senses, but many people who experience it have never received a formal diagnosis or simply assume that all individuals perceive the world equally. It is estimated that people with synaesthesia can be from 1 in 100,000 to 1 in 200 (0.5% of the population). For this reason, if you believe you have synaesthesia, know that you are not that "rare".
Step 2. Know that not everyone who has it feels it physically
If you actually see colors in the air, in smells, perceive or hear things, we speak of "projected synaesthesia". This form is even rarer than associated synaesthesia and is the one that immediately comes to mind when talking about this phenomenon. Associated synaesthesia occurs when the reaction occurs on an intellectual level. For example, if this phenomenon is associated with the relationship between a color and a letter, in the case of the projected stimulus you would see the letter colored while in the case. For example, a synaesthete may describe the sound (inducer) of their baby crying as an unpleasant yellow color (concurrent). The relationship between an inducer and a concurrent is systematic, in the sense that each inducer corresponds to a precise concurrent.
- Some individuals with synaesthesia (called synaesthetes) hear, smell, taste, or experience physical pain through color perception. Others, on the other hand, are able to savor the shapes or perceive the written letters as if they were of different colors. For example, they may see the "F" in red and the "P" in yellow while reading text.
- Some synaesthetes are able to see abstract concepts, such as abstract forms, time units or mathematical equations, as floating in space outside their bodies - in this case we speak of "conceptual synaesthesia".
- If you think you have this sensory alteration, then you should undergo a reliable, scientifically based test, like this one:
Step 3. Identify your risk factors
According to research carried out in the United States, there are some conditions closely related to synaesthesia. For example, the number of synaesthetes women is three times greater than that of men (in the USA). People with synaesthesia are mostly left-handed and in 40% of cases they have a relative who experiences the same perceptions. This seems to show that the neurological alteration has a hereditary factor linked in particular to the X chromosome that is transferred from mother to children.
- In the UK, there are eight times more women with synaesthesia than men, although research has not been able to adduce the reason.
- The synaesthete generally has normal or above average intelligence, so the phenomenon is not related to some sort of mental retardation or autism.
Step 4. Don't confuse synaesthesia with hallucinations
Often, when people talk about their own synaesthesia, others think it is hallucinations or drug effects, but these cases are very rare. What distinguishes true synaesthesia from hallucinations is that sensory responses are repeatable, predictable, and not random or unexpected. For example, if you taste strawberries when you listen to a certain song, then this must always stimulate the same sensation in a constant and predictable way in order to be considered a synaesthetic phenomenon. Furthermore, hallucinations are unpredictable experiences that are lived on a mental level, while a synaesthete literally sees colors and patterns with his physical eyes, without losing sight of the environment and the people around him.
- People who go through this experience are often made fun of and ridiculed (usually from childhood), because they describe feelings that others cannot experience.
- Some famous singers and composers have synaesthesia, such as Mary J. Blige and Pharrell Williams.
Step 5. Be aware that no two people with synaesthesia experience the same sensations
This phenomenon is a sort of "inverted wiring" between the nerves and the brain synapses that control the five senses and no two synaesthetes have the same "brain electrical system". For example, the most common form of synaesthesia involves the perception of sounds as colors - sounds, voices or music that reach the hearing also trigger a response from the eyes that see colors. However, one individual may see red when he hears the word "dog", while another reacts by seeing orange. Synaesthetic perceptions are specific to each person.
- Researchers think this phenomenon is caused by an abnormal connection of brain cells and / or a greater number of these connections than in individuals who do not have synaesthesia.
- Some scientists believe that everyone is born with synaesthesia, but that over time this "inverted wiring" becomes increasingly isolated, while the synaesthete keeps the anomaly active for the rest of life.
Part 2 of 2: Getting a Professional Diagnosis
Step 1. Get examined by a neurologist
Since synaesthesia has symptoms similar to those of other diseases and head injuries, then you must seek the attention of a brain specialist (neurologist) to rule out any serious options. The doctor will check brain function, reflexes and senses to see if there are any physical problems or deficits. Remember that a synaesthete typically passes any standard neurological exam and is considered completely normal. If you have a neurological deficit that also causes visual sensations, then it is unlikely that it is a case of synaesthesia.
- Head trauma, postcomotional syndrome, brain tumors and infections, migraines, seizures with aura, stroke, reactions to toxic substances, LSD "flashbacks" and the use of certain hallucinogens (such as mushrooms and peyote) can all cause sensory phenomena similar to synaesthesia.
- The true synaesthetic phenomenon is present in the subject from birth, so development in adulthood is very rare. If it occurs suddenly in an adult, then prompt medical attention is essential, as it could be related to a brain or nerve problem.
Step 2. Go to a doctor
The visual sensations of synaesthesia can be similar to those generated by eye diseases and disorders; it is therefore worthwhile to undergo the care of an ophthalmologist for a thorough examination. Trauma, glaucoma (high pressure of the eye), cataracts, retinal or vitreous detachments, corneal edema, macular degeneration and alterations of the optic nerve are all problems that cause optical phenomena and color distortions..
- Most "real" synaesthetes do not suffer from any physical eye level problems.
- It is certainly more appropriate to contact the ophthalmologist (the specialist in eye diseases) than the optometrist, since the latter's field of action focuses more on refractive errors, visual acuity and prescription of optical corrections.
Step 3. Go to a specialist who has already treated various cases of synaesthesia
If there are no neurological or ocular abnormalities and you are generally a healthy person, then you should go to a doctor who is experienced in this sensory alteration. It could be a neurologist, a family doctor, a psychiatrist, a psychologist, a speech therapist, an occupational therapist or a chiropractor - the field of specialization is not important. What is crucial, however, is that the practitioner is experienced in recognizing the symptoms of synaesthesia and that he can provide you with evidence of your condition, advice, guidance and / or support.
- A specialist in this field will subject you to various tests, perform visual and auditory experiments to understand if you are really a synaesthete. This is a completely painless series of tests that can be completed in a few hours.
- Hypnosis can reduce the sensations and phenomena of synaesthesia, even if many synaesthetes appreciate their situation without wanting to change it; generally they just want to get to know you better.
- Psychiatric conditions, such as schizophrenia and delusional disorder, should also be excluded, especially if synaesthetic perceptions manifested in adulthood.
Advice
- Join online groups dedicated to synaesthesia, this way you can learn more.
- Accept that synaesthesia is an abnormal phenomenon, but remember that it is not a disease or disability. Don't feel and think you're "weird".
- Ask your relatives what their sensory perception is - they may have reactions and experiences similar to yours and therefore offer their support.
