Exploring the Insights of People with Synesthesia: Findings from a Qualitative Pilot Study

Background and Purpose: For people who have synesthesia, a trigger in one sensory organ elicits a perception in one or more of the other senses such as tasting shapes or seeing color when music is heard.  Although this neurological condition is not considered a disorder, people who experience synesthesia have reported a sense of differentness, alienation from others, and stigma.  However, this topic has not been addressed by social work or other helping professions.  The purpose of this exploratory qualitative pilot study was to seek insights from those with synesthesia regarding how it affects social interactions and relationships, and to amplify the voices of this marginalized and previously understudied group in order to generate recommendations for further research and practice. 

Methods:  This exploratory study utilized semi-structured interviews with two adults who have synesthesia, based on their self-report.  Each interview lasted approximately 60 minutes.  The interviews were transcribed verbatim, coded using Atlas.ti, then analyzed using the constant comparative method.  Interviews, transcription, coding, and analysis were all done by the author. Online social media conversations by people with synesthesia were also examined to supplement the content of the interviews.

Results:  Major themes that emerged from the transcripts include: bonding with others and isolation; communication challenges and a desire to share their experiences; feeling over-simplified and stereotyped despite their distinctive experiences; and the taboo nature of synesthesia.  Overall, the results indicate that people with synesthesia may feel isolated and misunderstood.  There is a desire to be regarded as unique individuals, to be validated and believed, and to counter the taboo nature of synesthesia by sharing stories to help facilitate others’ understanding of the condition. 

Conclusions and Implications: This study has many implications for social work practice as well as further research, given that this is the first qualitative study, and the first social work study seeking the insights of people with synesthesia.  Regarding implications for practice, this study found ways to improve how clinicians can validate people with synesthesia during therapy.  One participant describes a negative experience with a therapist, and provides insight for awareness of the condition and the ways that it affects their emotions and social relationships.  There is also the opportunity to advocate for people with synesthesia who feel isolated and misunderstood, whether it is a child in school who is being bullied for having atypical sensory perceptions, or in a hospital for an adult patient whose doctor may not understand the difference between synesthetic perception and hallucinations.  Future research should explore common and discrepant themes regarding social interactions and the taboo nature of synesthesia amongst the various forms or types of synesthesia.  This pilot study was only able to seek the insights of two people with synesthesia, but future research should expand to include a larger sample size as well as explore other possible social work applications. Experience from conducting the pilot study leads to recommendations for how to effectively conduct a larger study.