Miss-Delectable
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Winona native Lidell Simpson was born deaf. However, he doesn’t dwell in silence.
Simpson lives with synesthesia, a neurological condition that blurs the boundaries of the senses - touch, taste, sound, sight, and smell. For Simpson, although he is deaf, he hears the world around him, each object and movement having a distinct sound inside his head.
“Everything I see translates through sound,” Simpson said, now a resident of Ridgeland. “I have been deaf all my life, but I am never in silence.”
Simpson, who can hear sufficiently with hearing aids, explained that when he looks at something, the sounds he hears inside his head sound like musical sound effects.
“Kind of like Roadrunner and Coyote sound effects,” Simpson laughed. “I have composed a music track of the things I hear.”
Simpson said to him, synesthesia “is like having a permanent walkman in my head.” For example, he explained that a red laser light sounds like a high-pitched squeal while other things have more musical sound effects. Simpson said people also have a distinct sound effect. “It differs from person to person, the severity as well. Everything, taste, touch and sight has a sound.”
It has only been in the last 10 years that Simpson learned he had the condition.
“About 10 years ago, I read a book, The Man Who Tasted Shapes by Richard E. Cytowic, M.D.,” Simpson said. “I finally figured out that it wasn’t all in my head, so I contacted the author.”
Since that time, Simpson has become a leading expert in the field of synesthesia - speaking regularly at conferences around the world, including Oxford University, Hanover, Germany, and the University of East London. He has learned from the best doctors in the field; Cytowic is a leading international neurologist.
“I am self taught in this specialty,” Simpson said, who has a degree in biology.
He has even been featured in a recent book co-authored by Drs. David Eagleman of Baylor Medical Center and Richard Cytowic, Wednesday Is Indigo Blue.
In the book, Simpson explained that his eyes actually act as eardrums - every color emitting a tone. He spoke of the blinking light in a radio transmitter.
“I hear the blinking lights and its intensity increases as I approach. Now add the reflectors along the side of the road. Every one of them I see emits its ‘ping,’ and the center striping of the road emits its own sound. Every car light has its tune. The tonal quality changes with respect to relative position, like the Doppler effect.” (Cytowic, 103)
According to Simpson, some living with synesthesia, can actually taste words - experiencing distinct tastes for different words. Simpson said in some cases musicians, like Duke Ellington and Lady Gaga, who have synesthesia when hearing music they can see colors projected into space in front of them.
“It is like having an extra sense, like a sixth sense,” Simpson said. “In most cases, having synesthesia is kind of a blessing. A majority of those with this are multilingual and have an above average memory.”
Simpson, who is also multilingual, said in so many cases, those with synesthesia have above average intelligence, especially the creative types. Although Simpson said he knew those who saw numbers in an entirely different way and could solve difficult math problems in their heads.
“A lot of people that have synesthesia don’t realize it,” Simpson said. “Most people think everyone is like they are.”
For Simpson, he said he has had the condition all his life.
“I mentioned this to doctors and they have never heard of it and wanted to ‘fix’ it,” Simpson said. “It can be a distraction, but I have learned to deal with it. Just because one smelled a foul odor does not mean one would want to do away with the sense of smell.”
In one case, Simpson said synesthesia was very beneficial to him, when he was a system analyst for Saks Fifth Avenue.
“In my work, [coding] was like hearing a symphony in my head and finding a sour note,” Simpson said.
Winona native Lidell Simpson was born deaf. However, he doesn’t dwell in silence.
Simpson lives with synesthesia, a neurological condition that blurs the boundaries of the senses - touch, taste, sound, sight, and smell. For Simpson, although he is deaf, he hears the world around him, each object and movement having a distinct sound inside his head.
“Everything I see translates through sound,” Simpson said, now a resident of Ridgeland. “I have been deaf all my life, but I am never in silence.”
Simpson, who can hear sufficiently with hearing aids, explained that when he looks at something, the sounds he hears inside his head sound like musical sound effects.
“Kind of like Roadrunner and Coyote sound effects,” Simpson laughed. “I have composed a music track of the things I hear.”
Simpson said to him, synesthesia “is like having a permanent walkman in my head.” For example, he explained that a red laser light sounds like a high-pitched squeal while other things have more musical sound effects. Simpson said people also have a distinct sound effect. “It differs from person to person, the severity as well. Everything, taste, touch and sight has a sound.”
It has only been in the last 10 years that Simpson learned he had the condition.
“About 10 years ago, I read a book, The Man Who Tasted Shapes by Richard E. Cytowic, M.D.,” Simpson said. “I finally figured out that it wasn’t all in my head, so I contacted the author.”
Since that time, Simpson has become a leading expert in the field of synesthesia - speaking regularly at conferences around the world, including Oxford University, Hanover, Germany, and the University of East London. He has learned from the best doctors in the field; Cytowic is a leading international neurologist.
“I am self taught in this specialty,” Simpson said, who has a degree in biology.
He has even been featured in a recent book co-authored by Drs. David Eagleman of Baylor Medical Center and Richard Cytowic, Wednesday Is Indigo Blue.
In the book, Simpson explained that his eyes actually act as eardrums - every color emitting a tone. He spoke of the blinking light in a radio transmitter.
“I hear the blinking lights and its intensity increases as I approach. Now add the reflectors along the side of the road. Every one of them I see emits its ‘ping,’ and the center striping of the road emits its own sound. Every car light has its tune. The tonal quality changes with respect to relative position, like the Doppler effect.” (Cytowic, 103)
According to Simpson, some living with synesthesia, can actually taste words - experiencing distinct tastes for different words. Simpson said in some cases musicians, like Duke Ellington and Lady Gaga, who have synesthesia when hearing music they can see colors projected into space in front of them.
“It is like having an extra sense, like a sixth sense,” Simpson said. “In most cases, having synesthesia is kind of a blessing. A majority of those with this are multilingual and have an above average memory.”
Simpson, who is also multilingual, said in so many cases, those with synesthesia have above average intelligence, especially the creative types. Although Simpson said he knew those who saw numbers in an entirely different way and could solve difficult math problems in their heads.
“A lot of people that have synesthesia don’t realize it,” Simpson said. “Most people think everyone is like they are.”
For Simpson, he said he has had the condition all his life.
“I mentioned this to doctors and they have never heard of it and wanted to ‘fix’ it,” Simpson said. “It can be a distraction, but I have learned to deal with it. Just because one smelled a foul odor does not mean one would want to do away with the sense of smell.”
In one case, Simpson said synesthesia was very beneficial to him, when he was a system analyst for Saks Fifth Avenue.
“In my work, [coding] was like hearing a symphony in my head and finding a sour note,” Simpson said.