An extended case study on the phenomenology of sequence-space synesthesia
Cassandra D. Gould van Praag, Tom Froese, Adam B. Barrett, Jamie Ward, Anil K. Seth
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience July 3, 2014 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00433 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Phenomenological case study Longitudinal Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | Single adult with sequence-space synesthesia |
| Duration | 9 hours of interview transcripts |
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Keywords | Synesthesia Phenomenology philosophy Perception Cognitive psychology Mirroring Cognitive science Communication Epistemology |
| Citations | 29 |
| Key findings | Synesthetic concurrents in sequence-space synesthesia typically follow an internal verbalization of the inducer, not visual presentation, implicating auditory-visual cross-modal interactions. |
Abstract
Investigation of synesthesia phenomenology in adults is needed to constrain accounts of developmental trajectories of this trait. We report an extended phenomenological investigation of sequence-space synesthesia in a single case (AB). We used the Elicitation Interview (EI) method to facilitate repeated exploration of AB's synesthetic experience. During an EI the subject's attention is selectively guided by the interviewer in order to reveal precise details about the experience. Detailed analysis of the resulting 9 h of interview transcripts provided a comprehensive description of AB's synesthetic experience, including several novel observations. For example, we describe a specific spatial reference frame (a "mental room") in which AB's concurrents occur, and which overlays his perception of the real world (the "physical room"). AB is able to switch his attention voluntarily between this mental room and the physical room. Exemplifying the EI method, some of our observations were previously unknown even to AB. For example, AB initially reported to experience concurrents following visual presentation, yet we determined that in the majority of cases the concurrent followed an internal verbalization of the inducer, indicating an auditory component to sequence-space synesthesia. This finding is congruent with typical rehearsal of inducer sequences during development, implicating cross-modal interactions between auditory and visual systems in the genesis of this synesthetic form. To our knowledge, this paper describes the first application of an EI to synesthesia, and the first systematic longitudinal investigation of the first-person experience of synesthesia since the re-emergence of interest in this topic in the 1980's. These descriptions move beyond rudimentary graphical or spatial representations of the synesthetic spatial form, thereby providing new targets for neurobehavioral analysis.
Comparable studies
Other case reports and case series on philosophy of mind, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| How does it feel to lack a sense of boundaries? A case study of a long-term mindfulness meditator. A single long-term mindfulness practitioner (S) with 40 years of practice in... | 2015 | Qualitative case study | n = 1 |
| "I can't tell whether it's my hand": a pilot study of the neurophenomenology of body representation during the rubber hand illusion in trauma-related disorders. Individuals with the dissociative subtype of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 2016 | Case series | n = 3 |
| Neurophenomenology of an Altered State of Consciousness: An fMRI Case Study. A single research participant with self-proclaimed ecstatic Kundalini meditative... | 2016 | Case study | n = 1 |
| Multimodal neurophenomenology of advanced concentration absorption meditation: An intensively sampled case study of Jhana. One advanced meditator with over 23,000 hours of meditation practice | 2024 | Case study | n = 1 |
| The phenomenology of psychosis associated with complex partial seizure disorder. Treatment-refractory patients admitted to a state hospital with previously undiagnosed... | 1997 | Review with case series | n = 10 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 7
- From Generative Models to Generative Passages: A Computational Approach to (Neuro) Phenomenology. Review of Philosophy and Psychology 2022
- Modelling phenomenological differences in aetiologically distinct visual hallucinations using deep neural networks Frontiers in Human Neuroscience January 3, 2024
- Exploring the link between synesthesia and lucid dreaming through perceptual presence Frontiers in Psychology February 26, 2026
- The micro-phenomenology of Floatation-REST BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies November 6, 2025
- Neurophenomenology revisited: second-person methods for the study of human consciousness. Frontiers in Psychology 2015
and 2 more in the library
Cites 4
- Guiding the study of brain dynamics by using first-person data: Synchrony patterns correlate with ongoing conscious states during a simple visual task Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 22, 2002
- A predictive processing theory of sensorimotor contingencies: Explaining the puzzle of perceptual presence and its absence in synesthesia Cognitive Neuroscience January 21, 2014
- Anticipating seizure: pre-reflective experience at the center of neuro-phenomenology. Consciousness and Cognition September 1, 2007
- Describing one’s subjective experience in the second person: An interview method for the science of consciousness November 29, 2006