An interpretative phenomenological analysis exploring synesthesia as an exceptional experience: insights for consciousness and cognition

ABSTRACT

Previous research has indicated that there may be a role for synesthesia in exceptional experiences, including experiences which have been labeled “paranormal.” The current project sought to further understand what it is like to experience the world synesthetically and how synesthesia can inform our understanding of exceptional experiences (ExE). A case study was undertaken with a 27-year-old male participant (“Harry”) who experienced several forms of strong synesthesia in addition to exceptional experiences and cognitive and perceptual abilities (e.g., subjective paranormal experiences, musical ability, mathematical ability, enhanced memory skills). A semi-structured interview exploring his experiences was undertaken. An interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was conducted on the interview transcripts, which resulted in the identification of five main themes. The themes can be summarized as relationship with synesthesia, complexity/kaleidoscope of representations, access to meaning, control of synesthesia and manipulation of representations, and exceptional abilities. The synesthesias appear to bestow an ability to represent (and access meanings associated with) subtle and abstract aspects of Harry‘s lived experience including ExEs and appear to be aligned with strong metacognitive abilities. Findings corroborate recent research in neuroscience which suggest that synesthetic experiences are associated with the activation of concepts.

KEYWORDS:

• Exceptional experiences
• interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA)
• metacognition
• paranormal
• phenomenological
• synesthesia

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank Dr. David Giles and an anonymous reviewer for their helpful comments on an earlier draft of this article. I would also like to acknowledge the Bial foundation for funding this research.

Notes

¹ The hard problem refers to the nature of the relationship between the physical activity of the brain and the subjective experience associated with that physical activity. For example, how does neural activity associated with red relate to the experience of something being “red”?

² These experiences are also known as psychokinesis and telekinesis and are subjective experiences whereby one feels that there is some aspect of consciousness influencing a given aspect of the external environment, in the absence of any ordinary interaction.

³ A self-selected pseudonym.

⁴ Interviews were preplanned as part of a larger study, which had a mixed methods design. The decision to analyze Harry’s transcript using IPA was made post hoc as his data were very rich and deeply revealing and considered to be highly appropriate for IPA. It is planned that the data from all interviews will be analyzed using grounded theory.

⁵ Tetrachromacy, however is thought to be carried on the X chromosome, but it may be that synesthesia bestows a phenomenological tetrachromacy in the absence of the presence of an additional cone at the level of the retina.

⁶ However, as this is a case study, it is acknowledged that these patterns cannot be generalized beyond Harry’s experiences.

⁷ E.g., by pursuing a master’s degree in humanistic psychology.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Christine A. Simmonds-Moore

Christine A. Simmonds-Moore is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of West Georgia. Her research interests include the psychology of exceptional experiences, altered states of consciousness, paranormal belief and disbelief, mental health correlates of exceptional experiences, synesthesia, and placebo effects. Christine is the editor of Exceptional Experience and Health: Essays on Mind, Body and Human Potential and a co-author of a textbook on anomalistic psychology.