Comments on: Synaesthesia, migraines and creativity

By: Lauren M.

Lauren M. — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 03:18:00 +0000

I have synaesthesia and migraines. I associate sound, numbers, personalities and time w color and lines. Being a musician I don’t really see this as a problem except that when I get migraines its basically like experiencing all of the colors I see with an extreme, uncontrollable intensity. Its great to see this article and comments and know that I’m not the only one! Thanks!

By: Jeannie

Jeannie — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 23:56:00 +0000

Ive only recently realised that I am suffering from migraines (as opposed to being completely crazy). I have strong aura symptoms including visual hallucination and difficulty expressing myself verbally. I’ll get a sensation that feels like my brain is itchy, and then for anywhere for a few minutes to hours it will feel like my brain has a slide projector inside, and that its fast forwarding through hundreds of brightly coloured slides. External stimulus- eg people talking to me, ambient sounds, music somehow gets muddled up with the coloured pictures, and suddenly become part of it, so you asking me how my day was could trigger a series of colourful patterns that to me seem some how related. I also go through periods where I feel as though in some kind of trance, and that’s when I seem to do my bet writing. Its a relief to think this might be somehow bound up in migraines, I hadn’t thought to connect the two. Thank you.

By: Doug Belshaw

Doug Belshaw — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 09:39:00 +0000

Thanks Melissa – I’ll have to seek those out! :-)

By: Melissa Techman

Melissa Techman — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 01:52:00 +0000

Hi, Doug, a children’s book within the last few years, Mango-Shaped Space by Wendy Maas, has a main character with synesthesia. Also, I remember years ago in college, as part of study avoidance, reading a Joyce Carol Oates novel about a math prodigy with synesthesia. Anything to do with perseption is fascinating……

By: The Vortex of Uncompetence at dougbelshaw.com

The Vortex of Uncompetence at dougbelshaw.com — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 21:00:39 +0000

[...] and who, as such, fluctuate, change, and are affected by external factors. As I’ve blogged about before, one disorder I suffer from is migraines. There’s no way that those who don’t suffer [...]

By: new york acupuncturist

new york acupuncturist — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 03:08:02 +0000

Have you ever considered acupuncture for your migraines? I have helped a lot of patients become migraine-free without the side effects of medication. You should look for a good acupuncturist in your area.

By: Latest Diigo Bookmarks (weekly)

Latest Diigo Bookmarks (weekly) — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 00:35:58 +0000

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By: John Larkin

John Larkin — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 18:14:32 +0000

Doug, saw a documentary about Synesthesia last year. I think it was part of a series on the senses. I was intrigued. I suffer migraines a few times a year. During the initial onset of the migraine I smell and taste metal ~ like the taste of an old tea-spoon. One migraine, four years ago, left me in hospital. I was out the next morning. My family was concerned that i may have had a stroke. I have heard about the auras yet I have never experienced it myself. Cheers, John.

By: John Larkin

John Larkin — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 13:14:00 +0000

By: TracyRosen

TracyRosen — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 16:27:39 +0000

On further thought, is this a funky syndrome or merely an indication that we use multiple modes of learning? For example, visualizing a timeline is natural for someone with a visual learning preference.

Then again, autists think visually all the time, as do people with dyslexia - one of the reasons written language can be so difficult to access has to do with the inability to create a visual for prepositions and articles. So there is evidence of differing neural pathways in how the brain creates meaning.

Interesting stuff, for real. Hot. Great implications for learning.