Synesthesia
Your body is an encyclopedia of emotional information.
Synesthesia is an interesting phenomenon. The word comes from the same etymological roots as “synthesis” and “anesthesia” – in other words, the putting together of senses.
It’s psychedelic. Literally. When people take psychedelic drugs, they often experience a blending or merging of the five senses. Maybe they can smell the color purple or taste the bass guitar intro to Pink Floyd’s Money.
It happens in other ways, too. For those who have perfect pitch - the ability to name any note without a reference tone - the skill often manifests as a form of synesthesia. G-natural may bring up the color blue, or B-flat might be burnt orange.
But you don’t have to be a music prodigy or tripping on acid to experience synesthesia.
If I say “hot buttered popcorn” or “fresh basil,” you are likely to have a synesthetic reaction.
First, you probably hear the sound of the words in your head even though you are only looking at words on a screen. Second, you can likely conjure up memories of both of those smells that briefly come back to life. You may even have episodic memories attached to each of those smells that come riding in on the coattails. Your mind transformed a series of black lines into a host of sensory experiences. Voila – synesthesia.
Tapping into your body’s natural synesthesia capabilities can be deeply therapeutic.
Perhaps the simplest way is by pulling out old photographs. We typically take pictures during moments of joy, and in times of tension or stress, joy might be hard to find. I’m sure you can see where I’m going with this.
Your body is an encyclopedia of emotional information, and history is filled with different examples of how to tap into that storehouse - psychedelics, musicophilia, visual nostalgia.
For me, here lately, hearing the voice of someone I love on the telephone has come with a surprising level of emotional grip.
I would love to hear from you. What sets off the synesthesia domino chain for you? Take a moment to share in the comments, or, as always, feel free to reply via email.
Have a great day.
-Austin
(P.S. – In a previous article, I talked about the concept of “shared real estate” in the brain where one section of the brain is responsible for multiple jobs. There is a lot of overlap between that concept and synesthesia. For other great discussions on the topic, check out the book Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks.)
(P.P.S. – Oliver Sacks is a legend. He was portrayed by Robin Williams in the movie Awakenings. It might be time for a re-watch.)
Excellent article. It immediately reminded me of Musicophilia by Dr Sacks, an all time favorite author. So happy to see the reference here to his work. Thank you, Austin.
For me it’s music and tv shows. I remember whatever stage of life I was in when I first heard a song or first watched a show. Especially now that streaming old shows and music is so easy, I get very nostalgic with it. And when I rewatch a tv series multiple times, I remember the last time I watched it, and the time before that, and so on. It’s fun to remember and think about then and now.