You rely on your senses to tell your brain about the world around you, but what would happen if some of your senses suddenly started getting confused? What if your senses got their wires crossed and began generating different responses based on contextual input? This is what happens in synesthesia, and the results of this medical condition can produce some surprising and strange outcomes.
Essentially, synesthesia is defined as experiencing one sense in place of another. People who have synesthesia may hear sounds when seeing colors or may taste a particular flavor when hearing a certain sound. The exact number of individuals with synesthesia may be difficult to pin down because it's believed that many people with this condition don't realize they have it. However, the official percentage of people with synesthesia is around 1%-4% of the total population.
How Many Types of Synesthesia Exist?
Synesthesia can present in several ways as many combinations of the five senses can be created. Even as this is the case, there are three main types of synesthesia:
In grapheme-color synesthesia, a person who hears a sound will experience a taste. In sound-to-color synesthesia, someone who sees a particular color will hear a sound. In lexical-gustatory synesthesia, a person who hears a sound will see a color or shape.
While it may be possible to experience the sensation of touch when hearing a sound or experience a smell when looking at a color, these presentations of synesthesia are not widely reported.
Treatment for Synesthesia
Currently, there is no known treatment for synesthesia. It's worth noting that the medical community doesn't consider synesthesia a disorder in the traditional sense of the term. Also, for many people who experience synesthesia, the condition is thought to be only a minor annoyance.
This varies from person to person, so if you are experiencing synesthesia that interferes with your daily life, you're encouraged to speak with your doctor. While a direct treatment option may not be available, treatment to alleviate symptoms may be something your doctor can recommend.
Author Resource:-
Alester Brown writes about physiotherapy. She advises people on health care, online therapy, anxiety discussion groups & depression message boards. You can find her thoughts at social anxiety blog.