Gabriel Numbers - Synesthesia

The Year (flattened)

7/26/2014

A flattened representation of the ordinary solar year.

Just like the week, it is one, on loop. The loop appears to go anticlockwise while the overall direction is downward.

It is made of two major segments subsequently subdivided, presumably by indoctrination. At its rawest, the year is made of only two lengthy months which appear to 'change attitude' as they go by (January and July). The year is slow at its beginning and speeds up halfway through. Curiously enough, time seems to stop and be busy otherwise at the time of year generally known as May, which is almost non-existent. The time named April feels as lightest in weight.

The 'unknown' section, exceedingly high in energy and depth, appears to occupy a longer timeframe than september, october, november and december put together, which indicates a section in which linear time extends exponentially. Personally, I consider time to be spherical and hence it makes sense (no pun intended) - enjoy!

fr chez Project Synesthéorie

The Week - sketched

5/22/2014

There is one week, not mutiples - no linearity, no timebody. Hence chronology and dates are nonsensical. Personally, months and years are 'seen-sed' only by will into something resembling a named ladder which begins high up left and withers into disappearance somewhere bottom right = not interesting. However, any specific day can be picked by nuances and examined with all its content like a relivable, highly detailed zoom diary - G.

fr chez Projet Synesthéorie

Falling on the Ceiling 1: the Colour Temperatures

1/2/2014

The filled-space factor a synesthete perceives so clearly, and often loudly, defines the environment and the immediate surroundings the person is in at any given time. Depending on the individual, these basic facts allow the person to have multiple views from different angles and altitudes, of him/herself and anything around. Most syne people never see empty space as such: the 'empty space' between the computer screen and the wall behind it, for example, can be easily considered a chunk of see-through mass, solid and static as the wall behind it: it is seen, felt and heard. It has its own weight. It could be described as some kind of featherweight transparent jelly, although to me it is most times the equivalent of unexcited water particles, but I believe that is because I personally see, feel and hear water everywhere.
Light refraction within this type of 'material' follows different rules compared to the well known refraction laws water has, but they are just as coherent within that kind of structure. I think that it is because of those that syne people often perceive colours that cannot be described or picked among the colour spectrum normally available to the human eye. Furthermore, these 'different' colours have a variety of temperatures. This means that not only can a colour, in its rawest state, have a multitude of nuances from very dark to very light, but each of those picked singularly has a wide range of hot-to-cold characteristics. This aspect may or may not coincide with the equivalent characteristics of another raw colour merging with it, thus beside the mingling of the two colours themselves you stand fascinated by the new temperature of the resulting effect. The more colours mingle, the more temperatures mingle and the effects are exponential. That is why it is impossible to describe them, or riproduce them in any way. This is one of the things which frustrates me deeply, because they cannot be shared or shown and in my opinion it is a cyclopical waste of untapped beauty. Colour temperature has no ties to the environmental temperature, of course.

For the above reasons, it is quite easy for a synesthete to draw/paint proportionally and perspectively, as the 'empty space' is so easy to define. You can reproduce the chosen image by literally copying everything except that object per se, and you end up with its exact replica, of course. However, because of the refraction laws the 'empty space' has, the syne artist may well have to disregard 99% of the information received by the mingling of the colours seen and the colours usually unseen, with their temperatures and resonance. This process causes the syne artist to abandon the project before even starting, firstly because being often a perfectionist he/she already knows the end result will not be precise to its true nature, and secondly because it would be boring to create the simplified version. In two words, only synesthetes with a very low level of extra info perception could actually enjoy making static portraits.

The Trouble with Mirrors

9/6/2013

This topic is rather complicated to tackle, as it involves a triplication of the perceived information, because of the mirror itself and by the synesthete's memorized perspective of every single detail at any set point in time. These are multiplied umpteen times within all context already, and the flipped duplicated version has already been 'taken into consideration' before physically looking at a mirror directly. This creates a geophysical problem, and I shall try to untangle it, verbally.

Looking directly at a reflection in the mirror, or at any reflection on a mirror at an angle near or far, triggers a certain amount of information that piles up on the instant, over the automatically perceived amount. For a synesthete, it would be easier to have the mirror surface covered and take in all the relevant info (we're talking about fractions of a second here) which include the 'empty space' too, and only subsequently remove the covering and adapt the already available info into some sort of correlated identification process. The actual image reflected is irrelevant at this point. Personally, the empty space which is seen in the mirror normally does not resemble the 'real' deal at all, and the fundamental perspective gets thrown out of the window, so to speak. Besides, shapes, colours and their size and density, plus their position within everything else in 'view' do not resonate the same on a mirror reflection. The little 'step' that gets clearly felt, which is the thickness of the mirror glass, causes the initial perception to stutter, metaphorically speaking, which tweaks the lingering feeling one is facing the equivalent of a lie. Again, all of this happens in a fraction of a second. A practical example could be imagining two birthday cakes, identical, set side by side. But one is made with sugar, the other with salt: they are identical, yet outrageously different, and both have an echo.

Curiously enough, the basic fact that the reflected image is, obviously, mirrored doesn't cause any sense of discrepancy over the whole, because a synesthete's view of anything usually includes all possible imaginable angles already (which, by the way, explains the so called awful sense of direction most syne people have) and the real angle in that particular situation and in that specific moment gets usually pulled out of the havoc and stands as the one to consider correct. Which makes me wonder about what is usually referred to as labyrinthitis, and how many patients suffering from this physical and very mechanical ear condition are in fact unknowingly or partially synesthetes and mistake the one for the symptoms of the other. I know more than a person in this situation, who suffered no traumas or infections or anything to support the development of labyrinthitis, the sudden appearance of which apparently baffles their doctors. However, it is not in my knowledge to state that these doctors are totally wrong regarding the methods to ease these particular situations, but I do undeniably think it (more on this in the next article 'Falling on the Ceiling').

What might not be generally known is that a particularly receptive syne individual receives more than one mirrored image as is to start with, as the mere reflection on the glass surface (much like the reflection one gets walking past a shop window) gets sent along in the turmoil of info, astride the mirrored reflection of the metal sheet below it. It can have a sound like an echo, or a fragrance, it most certainly has a weight. It can be recognized as something that is there but can't be quite pinpointed, according to the lighting in the room. Strange as it may sound, a mirrored image can become a struggle for a syne person, and it can even happen unknowingly. One of the reasons to state this is that looking at a mirror is usually rather tiring. And of course I shan't even get close to explaining what a mirror reflected in another mirror does, although one of the things that it can trigger is a very definite sense of flying. A cracked mirror may certainly cause dismay, to say the least. Yet multiplied reflections on simple glass surfaces do not create so much havoc.

Once this initial multisensory impact is understood, wading through the image itself can be quite a task as well: because of the above mentioned reasons, every detail goes through the same process and it can be quite hard to see, ever, the entire image as a whole at any set time. In some individuals 'sight' gets overtook by other senses and the perceptions granted differ wildly. Bottom line, a syne person gets more or less annoyed, uneasy or restless in front of a mirror according to his/her sensitivity, regardless of the reflection, and tends not to linger there more than necessary.

Eidetic memory - photographic memory

8/12/2013

Here is where words come largely amiss: the eidetic equivalent for sounds, shapes, volume and weight of 'space', structures and patterns (physical, psychological, dialectical, operational, musical, behavioural).

A synesthete may have this type of automatic recognition mechanism set at a variable level, meaning that whether it is highly active or just a slight habit it usually covers more than just reading a page and remembering the printed words in their exact location. Many synesthetes aren't even aware of how many perception sectors are influenced by said mechanism, it is usually very simply taken for granted and it is one of the aspects that are by them wrongly believed typical of every person, syne or not. Evidence that this is obviously not so tends to baffle the synesthete individual who, again automatically, finds other ways to get his message across. It is interesting to underline that many synesthetes excel at chess or any activity which involves any level of puzzle solving not because of a superior and complicated memory mechanisms but because they are so used to finding multiple expressions for any required solution: this happens because since early age the synesthete strives to be understood and to mingle comfortably with everybody else. Thus said, synesthetes are probably the best teachers on any given subject they may be fascinated by, with this ability of using such a wide selection of ways to communicate which is bound to hit home one way or another and score.

The eidetic mechanisms in the synesthete cover the five basic senses just as much as they cover every single interlocking sense-pattern he or she may have. For example, a syne artist can remember the exact amount and location of what ordinary eyes see as 'empty space' of a specific image or memory and recreate the image by drawing out everything but the image itself. The outcome is the identical reproduction of the specific image, but was put together with all the elements that were not part of the image itself. Any other artist would concentrate on the details of the image and recreate it - the synesthete does it the other way around.

A synesthete athlete will think of his task in hand back to front, concentrating on how the end part of his race or competition should ideally be, and choosing the previous step to accomplish the final part as he thinks its best. He will then work out the third last step in such a way that will cause the second last will be ideal for the last - and so on, all the way to the start. On top of this, he will have a series of options readily available for each step just in case something goes wrong or different to his perfect choices, so as to get back on the original track as quickly as possible for a successful finish. It is a mechanism, the sport in question is not relevant.

The eidetic memory for these mechanisms make it very easy for a synesthete to remember what works and what does not, but it also brings along a ridiculous amount of information that has to be sorted out and placed in some logical form, which makes concentrating on the initial issue rather hard. It is for this reason that some synesthetes need repetitious music or any sort of external input that needs sorting out only once to be able to concentrate properly: this allows part of the brain to 'feed' off a favourite piece of music, for example, instead of being open to constant info input tampering with the part of the brain which is trying to sort out the best way to reach a set goal. Curiously enough, music will do for some, scents will do for others, coloured walls or specific pictures, sounds, words or even sitting in a train will solve the attention deficit (should this be attention overload, I wonder) situation for others still.

Back to square one, the memory patterns for set mechanisms are stored and used/looked at by the syne person whenever needed, but mainly what happens is that a detail or a sequence of details may trigger the memory and the mechanism of what's in hand understood in a flash. It is then much easier for the synesthete to categorize multiple informations under one heading, so to speak, no matter which senses are called into action during the process. What's fascinating is the finding of identical patterns within completely different environments, for example, the structure of a piece of music found to be identical to the structure of colour choices in a painting, or the characteristics of the texture of an object found in its identical 'formula' within the sound structure of a friend's speech at one said point in a conversation, or the depth of a frequency heard or unheard vibrates in the same way the core of a particular fragrance or taste does. This explains rather aptly how easy it is for a syne to store an apple, the number 5, a drop of rain on the back of the hand, a thin sheet of transparent metal flat on the tarmac, a linear, bright sound, a frozen pine needle and so on all under the same roof.

Brain sides dominance

8/3/2013

What is often failed to be mentioned in all superficial and in most in-depth studies regarding synesthesia, to date, is the fact that the basic procedure of info-trespass between synapses (and between different areas of the brain) depends largely on the individual present set-up of his or her brain automized activity. In simpler words, everyone knows that most human beings have one side of the brain dominating over the other, which in turns tend to lead to specific characteristics and personality traits - mostly, these characteristics converge towards specific choices of interests and professions, and it is these which 'label' a person, at least in our society. To simplify even more, an artist may be a synesthete just as much as a synesthete may never become an artist. It is wrong to label a synesthete with a set of specific professions, because it is not the process itself that causes a choice of interests: it is the way information leaks and overruns boundaries within the various areas of the brain that causes choices, and the specific activity of each individual in his or her various areas of the brain allows access and manifestation via all senses in a stronger or weaker way.

Now, the interesting part is when both major sides of the brain are active in a levelled way, which is rather rare, and even rarer if the whole brain is completely balanced in its activity: it is under these circumstances that synesthesia thrives at its maximum, of course, and this state cannot in any way be defined as a mere 'condition', like if it was some sort of pathology. Terminology in all that regards synesthesia must be renewed from A to Z (or from full red to sharp red, as you will...) because many people are still hammered with sentences such as 'suffer synesthesia' or 'brain disfunction' or 'under this condition', which causes the weaker willed individual to become even more withdrawn and, at times, paranoid.

Semantics and ideaesthesia 1

8/3/2013

On sorting numbers: anything that regards numbers, values, clock hours, months, years, maths, lengths and widths described numerically, degrees or any measuring value which may have a numeric correlation is literally thrown together and gasps for other senses to give it a comprehensible identity. Only after this process, which is automatic and usually almost instant, does the specific element get recognized and sorted out. Filtering colours off the numbers is in fact possible if the synesthete relies on other senses more instead of less, which in fact clears away much confusion instead of creating clutter as one might think.

On sorting out letters: shapes and sound (induced) influence considerably the synesthete's perception of, say, a single alphabet letter.
Induced semantics and single linguism is often the foundation for specific grapheme-colour synesthesia aspects. These are wildly overturned when the individual is fluent in more than one language and has a solid mathematical background education. To simplify, the larger the pool of information the synethete has obtained the more variations of the same symbol he will perceive. Unfortunately, it is the basic, unexpanded perceptions that are considered suitable when developing so many so-called synesthesia tests.

On given personalities: strong personality traits are found in everything except in humans, among which such traits are often weak. Inanimated objects have each a different appearance, strength, weight and personality according to position, light, sound, space used and so on, even if similar or even identical to each other (for example, each cigarette in a packet is totally different from the next, coins in a wallet or cutlery in a drawer cause a riot when opened and viewed, or even just thought about without opening their container at all. Even each vertical iron bar in a sidewalk fence differs substancially from the next, every single wave in the sea, coloured particles that make up the air we breathe - from planets to molecules and atoms, everything differs from its equivalent, but there are always a few which tend to stand above the rest).
Automatic discernment focused onto a specific set of objects or area picks the 'best' elements, so to speak, reducing choice times. In practical terms, it would take hours to make a cup of coffee if this mechanism wasn't available. Regarding this, only lived-out experience teaches the synesthete what is understood by the general public (and accepted by general consensus) and what is not, or not even perceived, so as to ease the everyday blending among others.
Perfectionism over one or more activities is a trait that stands out in the synesthete, because of the above mentioned picking options.

The Syne of the Times

8/3/2013

This is no easy task. Much has been researched yet not much has been defined when it comes to synaesthesia (or synesthesia). Often I find that many aspects of differing ramifications of the synaptic activity are almost thrown together in an unique cauldron, to simplify. But there is nothing simple about synesthesia if examined and studied it from 'the other side' and not merely from a flat, confined and purely scientifical approach. This, mostly, results in belittling the nature, the varieties and the mechanics experienced by the synesthetes themselves. At some point it has been labeled as a 'mental disfunction', shoving synesthesia into the pit of incomprehensible illnesses so dear to all who were once so aptly described as 'ignavi' in Dante's Divine Comedy, meaning the major part of the neutral brains that insist in populating our tiny planet. This neutrality must not be misinterpreted as objectiveness in opinions, perceptions and understanding, for those are the traits that a non-synesthete researcher must have to scratch the mere surface of the huge amount of apparently disorderly info reaching the synesthete's senses. In two words, at present I find that the knowledge on synesthesia is referred to by the equivalent of a wholly sighted person's research on blindness: he or she simply cannot fully comprehend what the entire issue is about.

Although I may sound bitter in my personal opinion of synesthetic research to date, I have reason to do so. Ever since I was a kid I was (luckily) understood to be syne and supported. Realizing to be able to achieve basically anything very well dramatically reverted the initial confusion into something appreciated and I grew up sorting out what is comprehended by others and what is not, easing natural social interactions. Being capable of mingling among others has never meant actually seeking it, and as many other synes I personally tend to be withdrawn. Speed of reasoning usually clashes with one's knowledge pool too, both ways: this causes a sensation in the syne individual that ranges from inadequacy all the way to arrogance, which socially tends to label a person with one or two major recognizable and commonly understood characteristics. An influencible synesthete may learn to believe that what others pin him or her to be must be correct - but I am 100% certain that 100% of the times it is 100% not: it's simpler to understand that the synesthete finds it too complicated, tiring or aggravating to try and explain who he or she really is. However, this digs into human personality aspects and it goes way off topic.

Focusing on what syne research usually defines as 'correct', the individuals are classified with a numeric form of 'fold' measuring system. Along with this, some set characteristic are acceptable, such as seeing numbers and letters in differing colours for example, and many tests are run under these set rules. But there is only one rule about synesthesia, and that is that there are no rules. Anything that has any defined boundary cannot coexist with synesthesia. Again, an influencible syne individual may force himself to believe he should 'fit' into these set rules and accomodate his natural sensations as much as possible to be 'part of a group', which again digs into simple human nature and wanders off topic.

On Synesthesia

8/3/2013

There is so much more to say regarding synesthesia and most of the words needed to describe evident correlations among senses are yet to be invented. Most excerpts I find on the net focus on the colour/hearing and sometimes tasting parameters, yet I find that closing in on those characteristics alone belittles the issue. For such reason I am in the process of writing an in-depth study from a synesthete's point of view alone, which may or may not be wholly comprehensible by researchers but by all means shall be fully understood by other synesthetes around the world, and may be of useful support to them, beside being an interesting read. This is my contribution to what I consider a beautiful gift, experienced by a few and wrongly considered a mere weird tweak of brain functions.

Said text shall be viewable on this blog, once I manage to herd all that incomprehensible antimatter into some sort of intelligible language - Gabriel.

NB: the following notes, descriptions and personal opinions are constantly uploaded and developed, as the subject is way too grand to lay out without taking forever and a bit. Feedback from synesthetes and researchers is always welcome.