Seeing Sound Healing: Understanding Synesthesia

Have you Experienced Synesthesia?

Have you ever met someone who can see sound or taste colors? It may sound like something out of a dream, but this fascinating experience is very real and is known as synesthesia. The word comes from the Greek “syn,” meaning together, and “aisthesis,” meaning sensation. Simply put, synesthesia happens when two or more senses blend together in the brain.

People with synesthesia experience the world in a beautifully unique way. For example, someone might see colors when they hear music, associate certain letters or numbers with specific hues, or even taste flavors when they hear words. These cross-sensory connections occur because areas of the brain responsible for different senses are more connected or communicate more actively with each other than usual.

Scientists estimate that about 2% to 4% of people experience some form of synesthesia. While it’s often described as rare, it’s more common than many realize, and can appear in many unique ways. Some of the most common include:

• Grapheme-color synesthesia: When letters or numbers automatically appear in color.

• Chromesthesia: When sounds, such as music, voices, or even everyday noises, evoke the experience of seeing colors or shapes.

• Lexical-gustatory synesthesia: When certain words trigger tastes in the mouth.

• Spatial-sequence synesthesia: When time, numbers, or dates appear as physical locations in space.

• Mirror-touch synesthesia allows someone to physically feel what they see another person experience.

The most common type I encounter in my office is chromesthesia which is seeing color in response to sound. One of the most heartwarming examples I’ve witnessed came from a five-year-old client during a sound healing session. When I played the first crystal singing bowl, she lit up and said, “I see purple!” When I played the next bowl, she squealed, “I see green!” Her excitement was such a beautiful reminder that sound isn’t only something we hear, it’s something we feel and, for some, even see.

I once worked with a woman who described hearing the Tibetan bowls as “bursts of liquid light.” As I played each tone, she said she saw soft ribbons of green, pink, blue, and gold swirling through the room. Afterward, she explained that these colors always appear when she feels deeply relaxed and open, almost as if the sounds paint her energy field.

Even for those of us who don’t have synesthesia, sound and vibration affect us in powerful ways. The frequencies of singing bowls, for instance, can stimulate the imagination, evoke color imagery, and awaken sensory awareness. Whether we see it, feel it, or simply sense it, every vibration touches us beyond what the ears alone can perceive.

If you’d like to explore how sound interacts with your own senses and energy, I invite you to experience a Chakra Balancing Reiki & Sound Healing session in Las Vegas, Nevada. Each session is personalized to help you relax, realign, and reconnect with your body’s natural harmony.

Michelle Kellogg RMT, M.Ed. - MindfulMystic.com