What Is Synaesthesia?

Synaesthesia is a neurological condition and those with it experience a blending of senses. So, when one sense or cognitive pathway is stimulated, such as hearing a sound, this leads to involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway, such as seeing shapes or colours. 

Synaesthesia creates unique sensory experiences. It is not considered a mental illness or disorder but is a form of neurodivergence. Research suggests that synaesthesia is noticeably more prevalent amongst autistic people than within the general population. People with synaesthesia are called synesthetes. 

What Are The Key Characteristics Of Synaesthesia?

All of us tend to experience some sensory blending at some point in our lives. For many, this is taking "mind-altering" substances. Although being on some recreational drugs, like LSD or mushrooms, can create similar effects to synaesthesia, the experiences are the results of the drugs and wear off over time. 

In contrast, synaesthesia is life-long, consistent, and involuntary. For example, the number 8 is always green for me, more specifically in the Pantone mid-300s. This is true whether I hear it or read it (but only in English, but that's another story!). If you're interested in learning more about sensory experiences and profiles, check out our series on Neurodiversity, Sensations and Sensory Profiles (Part 1) and Part 2.

What's It Like Living With Synaesthesia?

For most people, each of the different senses perfectly maps onto its own experience of distinct sensory input. They hear a sound and their mind processes that as noise or music. Each sense has its own independent job and domain, even if they sometimes combine for an enhanced experience. For example, as someone puts food in their mouth, the smell and taste combine for a deliciously flavourful sensory experience.

For others, those of us with synaesthesia, our senses have a different way of linking up. For example, when I listen to music, around 80% of my experience is visual, based on moving colours and shapes. My ears work just fine, it’s just that when the sound arrives in my mind via my ears, my mind bleeds the sound into my seeing sense and creates an immersive VR-style experience. This video explains more about what it's like to live with. 

What Kinds Of Synaesthesia Are There?

There are lots of different types, as there are so many ways the senses can bleed and connect in atypical ways. The most common types are: 

• Grapheme-colour synesthesia: Seeing colours associated with letters, numbers, or words.
• Chromaesthesia: Seeing colours when hearing sounds or music.
• Lexical-gustatory synesthesia: Tasting words.
• Sound-to-touch synesthesia: Feeling sensations on the skin when hearing sounds.

Some synesthetes only have one type and some of us have many. You can find out about research on synaesthesia here.

What Does Synaesthesia Have To Do With Sex And Relationships?

Many neurodivergent clients I work with are synaesthetes and don’t know there’s a word, or even many words, for it. It can be mind-blowing just to know you’re not mad, you really can feel music on your skin, or whatever type of linked senses you personally have. This is especially true if you’ve already worked hard trying to understand your sensory processing issues through an autism or ADHD lens and found that you had more experiences and questions that were left frustratingly unanswered.

Intimacy, sex, and relationships contain so many sensory experiences that it can be even tricker to navigate if you also have synaesthesia. If you are, or think you might be, a synaesthete, I encourage you to learn more about it so you have more context to understanding yourself and sharing your experiences with those around you. I recommend exploring this website to learn more and this video is a great introduction. 

Neurodivergent Me Course

Are you a neurodivergent adult looking to better understand your sensory preferences and needs? If so, our Neurodivergent Me may be the perfect support for you. We carefully created a transformative 4-week online course, designed to help you explore and articulate your unique sensory experiences. Best of all, it's entirely free and can be taken at your own pace! Sign up here.