Synesthesia

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Reality isn’t real; imagine a world in which two or more of your senses were combined into one sense and perceived by you as one sense. You can start to see the world as a synesthete; their reality is completely different from most. Synesthesia is a perceptual bonus or condition, not a disease for those who experience it; I believe the condition should be more widely explained and understood by the general populous and resources made available to the people to see if they are Synesthetes. This can be done by examining how synesthesia works, the abilities of mirror neurons, what and how synesthetes feel, what qualifies a person to be synesthetic, and my personal experiences with synesthesia. If the general population understands how synesthesia works, they can better grasp how synesthetes feel and function.

I, Kyle Turner, am a synesthete, which has its own implications upon my person. I am most dominantly a mirror-touch synesthete, but also have a more minor case of time-space synesthesia. In my case, I didn’t discover that I had synesthesia or that anything was different in me until May fifth, 2010. For me, this is a very recent discovery and very shocking. I have been a synesthete since my birth, and until May fifth, I believed that everyone had the senses that I did. I saw no reason to question my own senses, for I saw nothing other than what I saw and felt. For my mirror-touch, I feel almost every touch that I see, but I usually have to know the recipient of the touch or I have to be able to relate to the recipient. All synesthetes have different abilities and different technicalities. For example, 3 isn’t always green in color-grapheme synesthetes, and these variances occur in my mirror-touch case as well. I usually feel as ...

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...http://prometheus.kai.ru/anomal_e.htm>.

Jarick, M. "The Cognitive Benefits of Time-space Synaesthesia : Neurophilosophy." ScienceBlogs. 19 Nov. 2009. Web. 24 May 2010. .

Jedacek, Natalie P. "Synesthesia." Personal interview. 1 May 2010.

Silverman, Jacob. "Can People Feel the Pain of Others?" Audio blog post. How Stuff Works. Discovery Networks, 22 June 2007. Web. 23 May 2010. .

Steen, Carol. "About Synesthesia." American Synesthesia Association. American Synesthesia Association, 15 May 2010. Web. 24 May 2010. .

"Synesthesia and Mirror Neurons." Weekends in Paradelle. 2 May 2010. Web. 24 May 2010. .

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