By: Carolyn CC Hart
"Carolyn Hart", "CC Hart", "Grapheme-Color", "Mirror-Touch", "Number Forms", "Spatial-Sequential", "Synaesthetes", "What is Synesthesia?", Synaesthesia-for-Pain, , , , , , , ,

Giving Voice to Synaesthesia

My experience with synaesthesia, and my relationship to it, is convoluted, a blend of fierce sensitivities and fascination. Mundane experiences are magnified by the filter of my braided sensations. I feel pain each day that is triggered by visual stimuli: one look at a shard of broken glass in the street and I feel electricity shoot down the back of my legs. A glance at the word count on this page (156) brings my eyes down and to the left, where the numerals reside in their Canary Island’s color scheme. The bright white of this day, Tuesday, makes it feel full of possibility, an auspicious day for undertaking new creative projects.

The world of synaesthesia is a curious one, weird and wonderful all at once. Please follow me on Vox Synaesthetica as I explore research on brain connectivity, altered perception, and its ties to creativity. Our minds are stranger than we can imagine…

Carolyn “CC” Hart

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Carolyn CC Hart
I'm a neurodiversity advocate, an artist, an author, and a licensed massage therapist. My senses are intertwined via synaesthesia, a neurocognitive difference, which informs my writing, my visual art, my costume design, and my long career in manual therapy. I am continuing to learn how my divergent brain creates both opportunities and obstacles, and I support the argument that neurodiverse traits are not necessarily pathologies, but represent part of the spectrum of human somatosensory, intellectual, and cognitive experience. I support Judy Singer's theories of neurodiversity which include the concept that just as conserving biodiversity is necessary for a sustainable, flourishing planet, so respecting neurodiversity is necessary for a sustainable, flourishing human society. I am a founding member of the International Association of Synaesthetes, Artists, and Scientists, where I serve as the IASAS secretary. I've practiced therapeutic massage for more than 30 years, and feel that my sensory sensitivities have helped me thrive in my hands-on career.
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