What are synesthetic orgasms and what sensations do they generate?

When we talk about sexual pleasure , there are an infinite number of methods by which satisfaction can be experienced. Either through concrete actions in the body, or with specific scenarios that take place in the spirit and, of course, the combination of the two factors.

But beyond the diversity of personal preferences one may have regarding sexuality orgasms can also be perceived in different ways .

And in this great variety, We find synesthetic orgasms, a phenomenon which according to figures rescued by The country in 2021, it affects about 2% of the population .

However, experts in this field suggest the numbers could be higher .

Before fully embarking on synesthetic orgasms, it is necessary to know what synesthesia is.

The administrative coordinator of the Center for Studies in Human Neurosciences and Neuropsychology UDP, Francisco Pizarro Olivares, explains to The third in simple terms that “is when a particular sensory stimulus evokes the response of another sensory stimulus” .

“For example, that a letter is perceived visually and evokes a sensation that has another modality, such as a color . So, in this case, the visual is related to this perception of color. Or again, it may happen that a smell evokes a sound. details.

Despite the fact that to date there is no universally validated explanation that delves into the origin of this phenomenon, the expert says that several scientific studies suggest that “it has to do with the connections in the brain that we are all born with, but which decrease during their typical development” .

According to the one published in 2013 in the academic journal Frontiers in Psychology , It is estimated to have a prevalence of 4% in the population .

And with regard to the neurological field, the academic of the University Diego Portales specifies that “the explanation that the researchers have given so far is that areas that process certain stimuli have this atypical connection with others that process, for example, color and sound ”.

“It causes the evocation of this synesthetic sensation” Add.

Although research suggests that all people are born with synesthetic characteristics which then diminish over time, there are also cases where they persist. .

In the same way, there are situations in which the signs of synesthesia occur after alterations or changes in the brain .

A case of this type has been documented in an academic article available on the site of taylor and francis and showed to a 66-year-old professional musician who suffered a motorcycle accident in 2021, which caused him a brain injury which later showed adverse effects .

“It caused an increase in creativity and also started to have this synesthetic phenomenon” explains the UDP neuropsychologist, “So now music was not only perceived auditorily, but could also be seen” .

The psychologist, sexologist and director of the Transdisciplinary School of Sexuality (ETsex), Natalia Guerrero Fernández, explains to La Tercera that synesthetic orgasms are a phenomenon that happens to some people, but not necessarily always .

“Basically, during the moment of greatest pleasure, sensations are triggered that are usually associated with other stimuli, such as tastes, smells, or the sight of certain specific colors, shapes, or flashes of light (…) they ignite another meaning that is often not linked to what is done directly in this instance”.

In this line, the expert makes the distinction that if a person has sex with someone and smells that person while having sex, then a synesthetic orgasm would not occur . At least, not just with the information in this example.

On another side, “If someone has sex or experiences an orgasm from masturbation and smells strawberries or sees lights that look like lightning from shooting stars, then we are talking about a synesthetic experience. at the time of orgasm.

Last year, a group of Iranian researchers analyzed the case of a 31-year-old man who requested a consultation in his psychiatric clinic. As he recounted, during his sexual encounters, he saw his surroundings more clearly and brightly than usual .

In his words, had “high contrast vision with a dominant pink color throughout” despite the fact that the environment was dark.

After carrying out a series of examinations and tests, the specialists saw that he had no related underlying diseases or any type of sexual dysfunction . Furthermore, the patient assured that these experiences did not affect his sex life or routine .

With these backgrounds, They thought it might be a case of synesthesia, so they explained what it was and asked him if he felt identified. with one of the associated factors.

That’s when reported that during his childhood he experienced the sensation of “white” when he felt pain in his chest leading to a diagnosis of heart disease. This did not happen with other pains. And when later he stopped facing the above, this perception disappeared, although later he began to feel pink during sex. .

This study was published in the Iranian Journal of Psychiatry And As the patient mentioned from his personal experience, the synesthetic episodes did not cause him any problems. .

The neuropsychologist from UDP and the sexologist from ETsex agree that it is important to make this phenomenon visible, because it orgasms can come in different ways .

“The literature has debated it and the latest research shows that orgasm can be induced even in the absence of mechanical stimulation. That is, someone who imagines stimulation. This can cause the response generated in the brain that we call orgasm. “says Pizarro.

Guerrero, who also does couples therapy, comments that he knows the case of a person who “during her orgasms visits places she has been before and felt a lot of pleasure” .

“It’s not that it unfolds or anything mystical, just that memory channels of those pleasant times are triggered that accompany it mentally as a memory, but sensory (…) if the space is found to let the sensations flow, no wonder the brain can actually reconstruct and evoke” .

Regarding this specific case, he says that this person “in very intimate sexual situations with his partner, when he was liberated a lot, he managed to have this sensation of smells, flavors and visions belonging to the places he visited” .

In this sense, he stresses that — as in other areas — as long as there is no harm or discomfort for those who suffer from it or for other people, “it is not something that should be of concern” .

“If pleasure makes it possible to broaden one’s sensations and to give colors to a taste or tastes to a color, There’s nothing wrong . It would be nice to be able to let it go or even talk about it (who you have a connection with) if there’s room for it, or keep it a secret if there isn’t.”

“You have to remember that sensations have the particularity of being private and that you can choose to communicate them or not to another person, depending on the confidence they give you to talk about what is happening within. of your sensoriality, which is such an intimate space” Sentence by Guerrero.