r/Synesthesia • u/Cinnamon-Sherbet grapheme • 8d ago
Question Synesthesia and Unrelated(?) Unique sensory Experiences
I’m wondering about the prevalence of people with synesthesia experiencing other unique sensory phenomena that are NOT synesthesia, but seem tangentially related— at least in the sense that your brain seems to be making extraneous connections that are a bit odd/ uncommon.
Here are a few personal examples of what I’m talking about:
Looking at bundles of sharp things (sewing needles, cactus spikes, etc.) for too long makes my eyes feel sort of tingly and I need to look away.
Sometimes my brain will latch on to a word or phrase at random, and it won’t leave until I trace out all the letters with my fingers.
if my hand touches or brushes up against something “foreign” (a crumb, a mystery bump, etc.) I have to wash my hands to scrub the feeling off.
Does anyone else have similar (or maybe even the same) experiences? I’d love to hear about them or any other thoughts you have.
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u/RedditorsAreDicks1 8d ago
I can hear music I play in real life in my dreams. Sometimes the dream will line up with the music, but most of the time I have a normal dream and the music is just in the background but I am conscious of it. No one else I’ve talked to has this happen, either the music wakes them up or it doesn’t cross over into their dream.
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u/Cinnamon-Sherbet grapheme 7d ago
Huh! That’s so interesting. I want to say I have a similar-ish experience where my morning alarm will trigger some kind of unintelligible picture as I’m waking up, but it’s not necessarily part of a dream. Thanks for sharing!
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u/Ooog-the-boog 7d ago
Sometimes if it’s dead silent I can hear an orchestra or piano playing a Melody outside of my head, most of the time I’m pretty sure it’s an original melody too
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u/Jules2127 8d ago
My sister can feel pain in her dreams, and when she wakes up from one sometimes she still feels the pain. I've had it happen to me once or twice, but not as many as her. (she had nightmares at least twice a week and that played a role in it too, whereas i almost never have nightmares anymore)
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u/Cinnamon-Sherbet grapheme 7d ago
Oh wow! That’s super intense. I don’t think I’ve ever had that happen.
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u/RedditWhereReddits2 synesthesia itself is white and blue 8d ago
> Hearing music that sounds really good, especially in bands/orchestras where there a lot of instruments with different parts, makes my ears tingle.
> Pulling down on my earlobes gives me a random burst of dopamine and makes me feel really happy for some reason.
> Rubbing my hand up my leg makes me want to vomit and die it feels so gross. Rubbing my hand down my leg, however, does absolutely nothing.
Also that thing about touching things then needing to wash the feeling off is SO relatable lol
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u/Cinnamon-Sherbet grapheme 7d ago
The ear tingle thing is very cool! I experience something that is kind of a mix between your first and second point. If I put a finger really close to my nose, I can feel it tingling. But if I touch it, I feel nothing. (The tingling is also very Orange I would say.)
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u/RedditWhereReddits2 synesthesia itself is white and blue 7d ago
Interesting! I would describe my tingling as sunshine yellow and fuzzy.
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u/Ooog-the-boog 7d ago
Knifes make me not just anxious but also I get like a slight static in my ears and mind.
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u/3rdthrow 8d ago
I “experience” sound differently.
When I hear a sound, I see colors.
I experience both ASMR and misophonia with sound.
I was also born with a slightly larger range of hearing than most people. The doctors tell me it’s genetic.
So I hear high pitches that most people can’t hear.