Auditory-Tactile Synesthesia
Auditory-tactile synesthesia (or hearing-touch synesthesia) is a rare sensory phenomenon where the affected individual experiences tactile sensations in response to sound. This can manifest in myriad ways. Auditory stimuli might cause a tingling sensation (sometimes discomforting), a localized pressure or tension, or, what some describe more generally as a “feeling.” The stimuli can range from classic rock tunes to movie sound effects to the enveloping tones of the world around you. This Quora thread provides some insight into these experiences through the lens of those affected.
Link Between Hearing and Touch
What causes hearing-touch synesthesia? As is true of most forms, we posit that these experiences are fundamentally human—i.e., all of us have some capacity for encountering them. To more deeply understand how this applies to hearing-touch, we can look at some research: A Neural Link Between Feeling and Hearing (2012) by Ro, Ellmore, and Beauchamp. If you’re interested in this sort of thing, I recommend that you read the full text (it’s quite manageable). We’ll focus on a key takeaway.
In this paper, the authors “show that there are extensive ipsilateral connections between the primary auditory cortex and the primary and secondary somatosensory regions in the human cerebral cortex.” Let’s unpack that a bit. “Ipsilateral” means something that affects the same side of the body, and “somatosensory” refers to the part of the nervous system that encompasses the sense of touch. With that, we have a neurological basis for the idea that an auditory stimulus can result in a tactile sensation. But that’s only half of it. Most interestingly, the paper includes an analysis of a patient (SR) who has acquired auditory-tactile synesthesia. This analysis finds that these ipsilateral connections are exaggerated in this patient, which is perhaps just what we’d expect. How cool is that?
Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR)
If you’re familiar with Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR), you’ve likely already drawn the association here. This is an experience characterized chiefly by tingling on the surface of the skin, and like the phenomenon we’ve discussed so far, it can be caused by an audible stimulus. The experience, around which there has formed a vibrant online community, might be described as euphoric. Stimuli videos like the one below are plentiful on YouTube.
If you’re looking for a synesthesia test for this form and haven’t yet reached a conclusion based on the discussion so far, perhaps this is a place to start. How does your body respond to sounds like those in the video above? If you do experience a sensation, can you think of other circumstances where sound has triggered a similar feeling?
I leave you with a playlist from YouTube user Aaron, a sound-touch synesthete whose primary stimulus is music. As always, feel free to leave comments describing your experiences. If you’ve read some of our other posts, you’ll know that—in the majority of cases—you are not alone in the theme of your perceptions. How do you experience auditory-tactile synesthesia?
Thank you for this information! I thought I was the only one with this type!
Warm regards,
Leah
I experience very mild ASMR, does this necessarily mean I have this type of synesthesia?
Thanks in advance,
Cat
I experience very mild ASMR, does this necessarily mean I have this type of synesthesia? I really would like to know.
Thanks in advance,
Cat
Is this why I hate high-pitched sounds? – I mean, some of them feel like my teeth are tingling and I have to take them off to clean and brush, but all I can do is to take the tingle by pressing one against the other as if I was chewing something; others are pain, like paper cuts, sharp stings and nausea (never loved the sopranos while I were in my choir days, especially when they were out of tune – they’re sharp, incisive, mean with stings) – I sweat sometimes for it feels so bad hearing it. Stuffy sounds bring such warmth sensations or even drowings, as if my mouth, throat, lungs were filled with water. I remember a person that made my body feel an electric current run through it as he spoke, and another that tickled, a lot, by just talking. “Oh, this girl talks like glass…” – it is easier to remember the feelings of a voice, on the first meeting, then the name of whoever has it. However, I don’t hear the girl talking when I look to any glass or touch it… But, her voice feels like it. And, probably, I wouldn’t hear the electric current guy if I bite an electric wire – I guess. Anyway, it is weird saying you don’t like a song because it feels like a bad texture or its stink burns your insides like sulphur, or makes you feel sad (even if it is a happy song – and you know that!).
Travis, I am listening to the video and feeling relief (life long experiencing of sounds but never labeled as synesthesia) and I am intrigued by your experiences. I will take some time to explore this site.
Beginning to explore the effects of sound sensitivity as a scientist I have a lot of question. E.g. can it be a significant reason for inflammation in the body, does it explain why some people have tinnitus and what are the benefits (It definitely makes me a more effective doctor).
Any recommended starting places for additional research?
Sharon Willingham MD
I’m a blind, auditory/tactile synesthete, as well as emotion/tactile.
I feel words as tactile objects. Some words are plastic, some metal, wood, or leather. But my favorite words are ‘th’ words. The soft ‘th’ like in ‘theater’ induces a feeling of ecstasy, as feathers touch my face, stroke my forehead, leg, or hand. The vocalized ‘th’ like in ‘that’ or ‘thee’ is fuzzy like pipe-cleaners. Hearing such sounds creates a sensation so real I react as if I’m being touched or stroked by these feathers, velvets, and furs.
The feel of fur creates an ecstatic emotion, and the sound of the word ‘fur’, no matter its spelling or meaning, such as ‘fir’, induces an ecstatic cascade of furry hands petting the tar out of my face and forehead.
It can be distracting, but it’s so lovely, I wish that everyone could feel like this. I wish I knew of foods or vitamin supplements that would increase it.
If I lost my ‘textures’, especially the furry ones, life would feel a lot colder. The warm fuzzy sounds create a drugless euphoria I wish I could share with everyone, even my best friend, who swears she wouldn’t want it.
Uh…okay. So is it a normal thing to to kinda induce a state of “tingles”? Also, is feeling warm in my back normal?
Thanks!
Hi, I associate colour with shapes those colours are always the same shape. Is this synesthesia?
I have auditory-tactile synesthesia, which often gives me a visceral shock response to sound, especially to unexpected or random sounds. Therefore, I found the “Soothing vocals & sounds ASMR” video overwhelming. I could only play a short clip of it before I had to stop.
Many times, I feel sounds as small or greater explosions, electrical shocks, sharp thumps, and sometimes akin to a fetus’s flutter in my head or other places. Microphone feedback can make my entire body shriek inside and my skin feel like it’s buzzing.
I’ve only recently realized this is not normal. Also, that it explains why I so love soothing cello music.
Thanks for this info. It’s been quite helpful!
I just found out that I have synesthesia a few months ago. Up until then, I thought everyone experienced life the same way I do. The more I’ve read about it, though, the more I realize that auditory-tactile is not as common as other forms. I have a few different forms of synesthesia, but this one definitely is the weirdest for me. When certain people talk I get a weird buzz in the back of my head and it shoots down my spine. Depending on the person, I feel a texture on my skin. For instance, one lady’s voice feels exactly like a shelled, hard-boiled egg on my arm. It isn’t uncomfortable or annoying, but it is very distracting. Not everyone’s voice does this to me. So far, I can think of five or six people whose voices I can feel. One woman feels like flower petals, another like cooked ham, another like grass, etc. All of them cause the buzzing in my head and spine, though. I’ve never felt two voices the same way before. Everyone’s voice has a different physical feel. I wish there was more information on this as it is a strange sensation and I don’t understand why I can’t feel every person’s voice. Sometimes the feeling is so strong I can’t even think to process what they are saying to me. Synesthesia is definitely a fascinating thing and its a blessing and a curse to have it! (more blessing than a curse, though)
I think a really good example of Auditory-Tactile Synesthesia for older people would be their reaction to hearing nails on a chalkboard. A lot of people describe “unpleasant” physical sensations like tingling or pain running up and down their spine from it. I’m not sure younger people would understand the reference though; as a lot of them grew up with white-boards in the classroom instead of chalkboards. Anyone that I’ve talked to that has heard that sound usually have a slight reaction, just from the memory of it if it was negative. Those that the sound didn’t bother still didn’t get it though.
If i hear cardboard rubbing against cardboard i get goose bumps n i feel grossed out like blood running cold. It happens if i rub my hand on cardboard, news paper and chalkboard. But if someone else rubs them.i get goose bumps too. What is that. It happens when other people file their nails also. But i can file mine without bein grossed our
Thanks for the information. I am a synesthesiast, I see colours, patterns pictures, imagery movement (colour and shapes dancing) from music. Singular notes have their own colour, chords have their own singular colour but a melody/song has different colour formations, depending the formation of all the instruments, the melody, blending of notes, pitch, beat, tempo, vocals, harmonys, tones, word pronounciation, the feelings and emotions omitted from the vocals and music. One song performed my various artists/bands even in the exact same key will have a totally different colour formations and totally different images because the sound will be different and the performers emotions omitted from the music are personal, creating their own different vibe. I also feel very strong physical sensation from music, from tingling in various places in my body, spasms, the feeling of various physical things touching my skin, being held tight, to feeling absolutely nothing, painful touches to comforting and gentle touches. My moods, emotions, health and thoughts are strongly affected and my energy levels too. Numbers have colours as do letters and formations of letters (words). Feelings have colours too. All environmental and industrial sounds have colours too. Touch has colours, smell has colours. All my sensory funtions have colour attached to every single sense used. Story’s and conversations have pictures or images attached. My senses and brain are over active and colourful
certain songs or even sounds in music give me the same tingling sensation as asmr does but it seems to only work when i use headphones. it doesn’t have to be binaural sounds or anything but it just doesn’t work without headphones! it could be due to the fact that i’m basically using my laptop speakers which are no good lol but it only happens when listening to music not as some people commented when hearing words or listening to someone speaking.i have had these experiences before knowing about asmr and they were always pretty intense but i’m not sure if its actually synesthesia
Not sure why but I found the video very annoying and had to turn it off. On the other hand ever since I was a child I’ve had a strong visceral response to minor chords in songs. It’s taken me 50 years to finally begin to get answers as to why. That’s how I ended up here. Thank you for the info!
Hey! I’m an auditory-tactile synesthete. I think the experience is different for a lot of people. I personally feel tingling, trickling, texture, temperature and pressure in music. It’s a wonderful feeling I wouldn’t want to live without.
Hello, I was wondering if I could have some thoughts!
My entire life, I have definitley had problems with sensory things, especially sounds. One of the biggest things that I cannot explain is that I can feel sounds. I am a musician, but I cannot think in the same way others do. Each note of each pitch has a certain sound and I’m really bad at explaining this. But I can physically feel it in my fingers, sort of if I was listening to the vibrations. When I was learning the notes, I couldn’t identify them by sound, but I can identify them by how they feel. I have had ear tests (everything came back normal), and I don’t have anything that could influence this.
I am not sure if this is similar, but even tiny sounds have massive reactions in me. Certain sounds cause me to feel nauseous, and I tend to … sorry this is badly explained, but I feel all the sounds within my body, as if it is in my chest, or my arm. Sometimes I get overloaded because of how much I am feeling.
Do you think it could possibly be this, or something else? I know there are quite a few sensory-processing thingies… Thank you for reading if you did! I see this is a somewhat old post 😛
Fluorescent lights bug me. I can hear it humming. I don’t know how to explain it but at times it’s painful and scratchy.
During a conversation with my audiologist she mentioned auditory-tactile-synesthesia. Yrs of hearing aids I had learned to redirect the sensations to my finger tips. A high pitch flute is to my ear drum what a paper cut is to someone else’s tip of their finger.
I feel sounds kinda like a tuning fork would , vibrating, sometimes sharp , sometimes smooth and soft. I had an MRI done this week . Afterward I had a tremendous head and spine ache and my insides felt like jellow quivering. I looked up side effects of MRi and every site I looked said there were none. Hahaha all in my head
Wow, I’m super thankful to have come across this thread. I thought I’ve gone mad! A couple years ago I had a near fatal accident. Ever since and among other issues, I physically feel certain sounds. It’s incredibly uncomfortable, even painful at times, like I’ve had a powerful electric shock. I feel nauseated around humming noises, too. I wonder if there’s a way to make it stop?!?
Interesting. Nice to know I’m not a freak. I experience this all the time. I thought something was wrong. It’s almost painful at night, if I hear any sound as I’m relaxing, I feel it run through my body and skin. It has alarmed me most of my life. I would tell people I can feel sounds, and they’d just look at me like I was nuts. A sharp sudden sound will actually sting. Recently, over the last 8 years, it’s become quite honed. I can feel things far away now, larger of course, like a train, or plane. Closer things, particularly animals or nature sounds, I can feel then focus on where it’s coming from. It’s kinda cool.
So, I am almost 40 years old and I’ve had this sensitivity to sound for as long as I can remember. It mostly occurs when I’m sleepy and people talk or sing, (any vocal noise really). I feel an annoying vibration down my entire right side from my neck down to my foot that is unbearable. When I was a child it was very hard to explain to people what I was feeling and I got made fun of a lot in my family because they didn’t understand what I meant when I would say, “Your talking is itching me.” As I got older I was able to better describe what I was feeling by equating it to the vibrations you feel if someone is behind you and they press their face against your spine and start to hum in a deep tone. I find it interesting that there are others out there that actually enjoy auditory tactile synethesia. For me it has never been an enjoyable experience and I truly wish I could get rid of it. There are moments when I am amongst a crowd of people and I can’t escape their voices or the feeling they’re giving me. This has even been an issue for me at work when I’m on the phone with customers and their voices are right against my ear. The feeling is almost painful at times. I am happy to finally put a name to it though and realize that I’m not alone or crazy.
For me, it’s definitely the tingling and tightening of my skin on my arms/back/head. There’s also the pressure/massaging feeling on my brain. And also this warm, euphoric feeling in the back of my ears (I always assume it’s the eardrum). Words can’t do it justice.
I have auditory tactile synthesesia and listening to music is really interesting to me because of it. drums are along my lats and shoulder blades, and depending how loud it is the harder I feel it, piano is on my spine as well as guitar and ukulele, but can also be in between and on top of my shoulder blades and traps. voices are almost always on my neck, it can sometimes feel like im suffocating a little bit. Any type of synth is just all over the place on my back. Bass is usually along my lats or shoulder blades but sometimes in my feet. any type of high pitched bell or chime is straight on my shoulders in tiny little pings. the bigger sounds from any of these radiate around that part of the body, but not voices, bells/chimes, uke or guitar. only deep solemn sounds. its really distracting but really cool, its weird, ive been alive for 17 years and i had no idea no one else felt this. I also have misnophonia, a sub type, that makes me feel pain or extreme negative emotion to some sounds. so yeah.
I only recently discovered this about myself trying help my dad with ‘OCD’ symptoms. But other neurological conditions can be related and passed down. And this all began to make sense. Esp. in the context of other neurological conditions I have managed over the years, i.e. Bruxism and migraines.
Some of my synesthetic experiences:
Ican’t stand the sound of water…dripping faucets, my cat lapping water, audio from a ‘relaxation’ that includes water sounds…it feels like im being tickled but not in a good way. I makes me furious and i could/have thrown things or go into ragey moods. Before I knew my issue with it, i really struggled in yoga classes or other forms of group practices. I even sometimes ask massage therapists beforehand not to play water sounds.
Theres a lady at work who over enunciates her ‘Ss’ and sounds like a snake…i literally get shivers up my spine like theres something sliding under my skin.
When I hear gun shots, punching or broken bones in movies or on TV, my body feels bursts of tension, and twitching.
Sounds of weeping/crying make me feel like I have a 100 lb weight on my chest.
Sounds of others sighing, especially when from pain…i get waves of goosebumps all around my torso. around and around they will travel for a few moments.
Dry chapped lips will make me feel super irritable and unfocused. I will become forgetful when I can’t hydrate my lips. Ive developed a habit of licking my lips that I can’t stand on video 😛
Low frequency sounds like cello, brown noise and some binaural sounds and meditations ambiance are a huge relief.
The video above…i listened to it for about 2-3 minutes. Its all i could handle. The voice was lovely, was the other sounds made me start twitching throughout my shoulders, back, down my legs and in my hands.
If you have a form of synesthesia, it might be worth looking up whether there is a family history of other neurological conditions. In my family history there are several (i.e. stroke, Bell’s palsy, parkinsons, ADHD, OCD, Trich, Migraines, Tinnitis and Bruxism)
Ive learned to use this to my advantage as a psychotherapist who works with trauma and early attachment. i was also a reflexology therapist for a while. I also do somatic forms of therapy with clients such as sand tray and expressive arts. I also think animal and eco-therapy, as well as yoga and MBSR can be very beneficial for most people, bust especially those who suffer from such neurological conditions.
Some ways I have found to cope:
-NOISE CANCELLING HEADPHONES (over ear) and also normal ear plugs
-GET YOUR SLEEP! Oh my god I cant stress this one enough >.<
-A few good apps for ambient music, sounds and binaurals. Take time to find the sounds that relax and sooth.
-Identify your personal triggers and journal about them, talk about them…
'Name it to tame it'
– Use other senses to help counteract the effects of the other senses being over heightened. For me smells really work. So I burn sage, essential oil diffusers, candles, fragrances and/or foods. I even prefer my own body odor to the sounds of some things others find 'relaxing' LOL gross…i know!
-Mala beads or stones to help
-Meditation
-Regular yoga practice
-Exercise
-Nature (hiking, rafting, golf, biking etc.)
-chiropractic and physio
-Identify any food or environmental allergens (synesthetes are more sensitive, so this will likely apply to other systems of the body i.e. digestive, endocrine etc.
-hydrate and take care of your hygiene. Managing your machine well, oiling and maintaining it like we would our cars, will help the gears run smoother so they don't grind too hard when faced with triggers
-Tell those you trust. Not that they have to be responsible for it, but at least when you tell them you have to leave the table for a break then they're more likely to get it. Or if you ever get snappy for no reason, they might be more understanding and work with you rather than make you feel even more crazy about it.
Not sure if what I experience falls under this realm, but the more I read the more I’m convinced. What seems different to my experience than to most, I’ve read here, is that I only notice a connection between sound and touch when I really focus on my hearing, almost like I have some degree of control or influence to the intensity, but I’m not sure. For example, I focus on my hearing then on my body and I start to feel sensations throughout my body, more specifically my legs or my hands, but don’t overtly notice the connection on a daily basis. Another, similar, experience is when I focus on hearing and sight. If I zone out and go a little cross eyed while listening to music my eye sight or what I’m looking at will vibrate, a bit, to the beat, but again, only when I focus on it. I also have positive and negative reactions to people’s voices, the first thing that drew me to my girlfriend, for example, was her pleasant voice from across a room. I’ve been listening to the ASMR video from above and definitely feel it in my body as unique sensations, but as I focus on typing this I notice the sensations less and less. These experiences weren’t always there, they must have developed over time through listening to music and potentially other influences, so I wonder if focus strengthening practices, such as meditation, could have an impact.
Would love to hear others thoughts.
I definitely don’t have the strong connections that others leaving comments here seem to have, but I have an occasional and weird one. I’m not sure what triggers it either. It’s a sensation in my mouth, like a shape, like an egg for example, but not a taste or a texture, there’s no temperature or colour to it, just a strong sense of shape, and held within my mouth. It happens only rarely, so rarely I can’t really tell you what triggers it other than words, though I couldn’t tell you which ones either. I absolutely love it when it happens, and I get a stronger sense of understanding of the word when it happens. I can also hold onto it and savour it’s feeling. I only ever discussed my sensations once with a student friend, who said she felt she actually WAS a door or a chair or whichever object she thought about. She was eventually overcome with schizophrenia, and I’d be interested to know if this was an early manifestation of her illness or had nothing to do with it.
I have a BM in vocal performance and mirror touch synesthesia and auditory bad, if someone tells me about their hives I get hives. If they’re crying I’m overcome with their emotion, watching a surgery on tv, I feel the cold scalpel slice along the same way. But for someone singing horrible or off key or in a minor key wrongly I can’t function. I get angry, physically hot I want it to stop and can’t focus on any other sound even if it’s so quiet and barely audible it’ll become the only sound in the room to me. Used to think it was just Mom and I but I’m worse even go numb during my own physical pain. I’ll feel the heat of the pain but not the actual pain broken bone, glass in foot, stepped on clam shell inch deep in my heel heat no pain.
I have been looking for as much info as possible on this condition for years. Thnx for the links and info. I’ve been experiencing Audio-tactile since i was a kid and never really understood what it was or how it works. Always thought i was super weird because of it. I’ve always had strong connection to music in particular and could never really describe what it was like to “feel” the music or sounds. Sometimes it can feel a little overwhelming. Glad to know that there are more people out there who can understand exactly what it’s like to experience this. I wouldn’t give it up for anything in the world. I love the connection I feel from it.