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.
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.
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