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Synesthesia: Phenomenology And Neuropsychology
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For Some, Pain Is Orange Persons with synesthesia experience "extra" sensations. The Letter T may be navy blue; a sound can taste like pickles.
Seeing colored letters and words is by no means the only form of synesthesia. Steen, for instance, also sees shapes and colors when listening to music, or receiving acupunctureimages that she transforms into works of art. One synesthete may feel phantom objects of different shapes depending on what food he is tasting. Another may experience a certain taste upon hearing a particular sound. Once, when Steen injured her leg while hiking, all she saw was a world bathed in orange. According to cognitive neuroscientist Peter Grossenbacher, a leading researcher in the field, after centuries of disbelief, the scientific community finally understands that synesthesia is a "real experience." Now he and a handful of other researchers scattered across the globe are busily figuring out the why and howshedding new light, in the process, on how we all perceive the world around us.
For more information on this topic, see our Additional Sources page and explore the Archives of Smithsonian Magazine:
To purchase a copy of the February 2001 issue, click here.
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Abstract of an article by Susan Hornik, originally published in the February 2001 issue of Smithsonian. All rights reserved. Copyright 2001 Smithsonian Institution All rights reserved. Email subscription questions to: smithsmt@palmcoastd.com Email other inquiries to: email@simag.si.edu |
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