I had a nightmare in the wee hours of this morning, one that included flagrant and painful encounters with my mirror-touch synaesthesia. I woke up pondering the neurocognitive process by which one might experience blended senses during sleep, and if those perceptions were real or illusory. In my dream, I was flying home from

Photo courtesy of Roberto Vongher and Wikimedia Commons I’m delighted to have my essay “Built for Hurt” published in the inaugural issue of qualia, an “experimental journal dedicated to creative and critical thinking at the intersection of the arts, humanities, and medical sciences. With a focus on lived experiences, embodied encounters, phenomenological investigations and

For some, taste mixes with other sense—a form of synesthesia that isn't as common as experiencing the colors of words

Researchers explore how some people can feel a physical sensation when they witness another person being touched.

I have a friend who is in in treatment for a pelvic mass that may very well be ovarian cancer. She is in surgery as I write this post. My concern for her well being is somewhat tempered by my confidence in her physicians and care team at the University of California, San Francisco. I

My friend Daniel took his own life. He jumped from the Golden Gate Bridge in the wee hours of Monday January 8th, 2018. His body washed ashore a dozen days later and 45 miles away, on the rugged San Mateo County coast. I wanted to share this story with a gentler entry into the

My mother Joan Mary Crowley (far left) in her nursing school dorm room, 1955. Today, October 7th, 2015 would have been my mother's 80th birthday. While we struggled with most of the problems common to mother/daughter relationships, she was wonderfully supportive of my career in manual therapy. She encouraged me to attend a therapeutic massage

On Leap Day, I'm leaping into new opportunities.... I have a vibrant synesthetic experience with the concept of Leap Day. In my spatial-sequential synesthesia, Leap Day appears radiant, a luminous orange glow amid the ever spiraling cycle of late winter days. There's something hopeful about Leap Day too; it's a lagniappe, a little bit extra.

I recently read Dr. Joel Salinas' fascinating memoir Mirror Touch: Notes From A Doctor Who Can Feel Your Pain. It's an expertly written account of a life shaped by synaesthetic perception, and I feel honored that Joel interviewed me for this project and shared some of my experiences in his book. I've been elated over

The American Synesthesia Association begins their 11th annual conference today in Miami. Over the next few days, synesthetes and the researchers who study synesthesia will come together at the University of Miami campus for a series of lectures and discussions. The papers presented include several focused on neuroscience research along with others that explore the

Valentine's Day has long been one of my favorite celebrations. I adore its pink and red color scheme (even though I see the word “valentine” in green) and I'm quite fond of its emphasis on love and friendship. When I was a child, my sisters and I would sit at the kitchen table on

Some kids experience a cross-wiring of the senses that causes them to feel, see and taste things in unique ways.

Imagine for a moment that you have a friend or family member who is hospitalized. This person has been through quite an ordeal, but is recovering. You call the hospital to inquire about visiting hours, and the nurse informs you that guests are welcome from 8:00AM to 6:00PM. You make plans to visit your loved

Join me for a synesthetic hike through San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury! Very few people are synesthetes; researchers in the field of neuroscience estimate less than 4 percent of the population has some form of entwined senses. But, even though synesthesia is rare, interest in this neurological phenomenon is rapidly expanding. Currently, there are numerous scientific

I can’t pinpoint the precise year my discomfort with Halloween took hold, but it feels inextricably tied to my Gen-X childhood, the rise of pop culture, and a shift in the aesthetics of fright. In…

The colorful illustration above drives me mad. It’s just plain wrong in so many ways, and I cringe each time I see it. I wish I could banish it to the nether reaches of the internet, or to some sort of graphic design Hell, never to be seen again. It’s all over the web from

The one certainty in the world of synaesthesia is this: there is no clear answer to why a fraction of the population has it, and others don’t. There are as many theories about the origins and significance of synaesthesia as there are scientists studying it. Simon Baron-Cohen, a professor of developmental psychopathology at the University

I’ve designed costumes for 3+ decades, from elaborate theatrical pieces to detailed historical recreations. I’ve served as the resident costumer for a Shakepearean theater company, and I’ve created garments and headpieces for weddings, handfastings, and other celebrations. My design motto is “wear things on your head”; I’m sad that headwear has largely dropped from the

My chromatic alphabet from A to Z. I recently read Maggie Koerth-Baker's insightful article Magnetic Letters Taught Us More Than How to Spell, which is available online at National Geographic. It's a fascinating read for people interested in grapheme-color synesthesia, as well those interested in how we learn, and how culture shapes that learning. Ms.

Researchers reveal people who have smaller visual cortexes in the brain are more likely than others to see sound.

Many people see words as colours, smells or sounds, and they swear it boosts their creativity. So could we all tweak our senses to see the world in this way?

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Jenara Nerenberg, is one of the most fascinating and determined women I've met. She is the founder of the Neurodiversity Project, and I have been fortunate to attend many of the events she's hosted that foster knowledge, community, and connection around neurocognitive differences. I was so looking forward to reading her book Divergent Mind, and

Look through the eyes of someone with synesthesia: See letters and numbers as colors.