Mirror-Touch Synesthesia

👋

I have a weird Q… I have something called mirror-touch synesthesia. It’s basically a weird symptom where if I see pain in others (like on the TV or in real life) or hear of it being described I experience bodily sensations mimicking the pain (but it’s very very mild compared to the actual victim), it happens particularly up the back of my legs, like a dull ache that shoots through my legs.

I have noticed that the more hypothyroid I am, the worse it is. I have long suspected it is something to do with my nervous system being dysregulated/imbalanced, which I think is heavily linked to being chronically hypothyroid.

I did some research and found another thing that’s part of synesthesia (not something everyone experiences as I have always thought! ) is that I see months and days of the week spatially around me, and sometimes but not always in colour. Some people can experience it as seeing music as colour, words having particular tastes etc. Feel this is probably delving into the world of neurodiverse, EDS etc. I do also have dyslexia but it seems that an ENORMOUS amount of people with dyslexia have thyroid antibodies according to this study… ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

We enrolled 51 subjects with developmental dyslexia (M : F = 39 : 12, mean age 12.4 ± 9 years) and 34 controls (M : F = 24 : 10, mean age 10.8 ± 4 years). TPO-Ab positivity was significantly higher in subjects with developmental dyslexia compared to controls (60.8% vs. 2.9%, p < 0.001), while no significant difference was found in TG-Ab positivity (16% vs. 5.8%). Thyroid US performed in 49 subjects with developmental dyslexia revealed a thyroiditis pattern in 60%.

Conclusions

We found an extremely high prevalence of thyroid autoimmunity in children with developmental dyslexia. Further studies are needed to confirm our observations, but our findings may change the approach to this disorder and eventually lead to a systematic determination of thyroid autoimmunity in children with developmental dyslexia.

Does anyone else get these synesthesia symptoms? Sorry this is quite niche.

[WitchingHour2point0]

Not with physical pain but I would now be considered a 'Highly Sensitive Person' and I'm sure I never used to be.... To the point where I now have to be very careful about what I watch or read because it can drain me to feel everyone else's emotions as well as my own.

[RedApple]

We can get all sorts of weird things going on when hypothyroid. Especially if we've been undiagnosed and/or not optimaly treated for a long period of time.

I experienced allodynia for quite a while when undertreated. To the extent that the lightest fabric that touched my body would cause me awful pain.

[Hidden in reply to RedApple]

RA that sounds awful, I am so sorry you had that.

[RedApple in reply to Hidden]

It was many years ago now, and as per usual, no-one believed me. Especially not medical people. At least these weird things are better known about now. Although that doesn't make it any less of a disturbing personal experience.

[Hidden in reply to RedApple]

I’m glad it’s behind you. Yes - can imagine it being very hard to get anyone to give you any help beyond a psych med for it 😡

[Hidden in reply to RedApple]

I've seen that in a baby, RedApple . The softest touch/tickling caused pain but normal touch didn't.

[seveneleven]

Yep - it's very visceral. I avoid watching anything where someone's in pain etc. For me, I think it's also related to being autistic and overly sensitive to other people's feelings and sensations. But yes, dysregulated nervous system...I would imagine there's a relationship with being hypervigilant and very sensitive to sensory input, so it would make sense that it gets more intense the more fatigued and wonky the HPA axis and nervous system are.

[Polaris]

Very interesting…….

My granddaughter has always had this - sees musical notes in various colours and eventually studied music at university. I’ve long suspected thyroid problems, as three already in the family, plus Pernicious Anaemia.

I also had a close friend with the same - played guitar.

[Hidden]

Oh, never thought there was a name for it,  Hidden .

Always "felt" (not mimicking, more physical discomfort along with a mental pain) other peoples' physical or mental pain, whether directly by sight or "hearing it described".

(Ironically, I have a very high pain tolerance. To the point where an ignorant dr once accused me of "not feeling pain".)

Funnily enough, a few weeks ago when I was a touch overmedicated, I experienced sympathy with a suffering person without any physical/mental discomfort. -It was weird for me.

Though I do realise that most "normal" people probably experience this sympathy-without-suffering as usual for themselves.

Agree  seveneleven , that it is very visceral, and like you, I don't watch anything where someone's suffering pain (but I'm not autistic) and your explanation of a "dysregulated nervous system" makes a lot of sense.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Yea tbh I never thought much of it until I listened to an amazing podcast, a woman has it so severely that she can’t even eat around others because she can feel their cutlery in her mouth. As a child she would dread Christmas because she felt all the hugs everyone was exchanging… and they gave it this name mirror-touch synesthesia. I don’t have it anywhere near this degree, but if I am particularly under the weather the pain up my legs when I watch injuries on TV is much worse. It’s funny you mention the hearing it described, I do get that too but if I am really feeling unwell I will get pain from hearing it too, mine usually more visual tho.

I spoke with my friend who is a psychiatrist and he told me that it could be I / people with this condition have extra sensitivity in our mirror neurons… but ofc as a psychiatrist he couldn’t tell me why, just what drugs/therapy can help.

Do you consider your thyroid disease optimally medicated? I have never been optimal, I’m interested to hear whether yours gets better or not.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Hmmm...I guess seeing a psychiatrist & taking medications is okay if you can't bear your mirror-touch synesthesia symptoms. -Like the woman who can't eat around others due to mirroring sensations.

Totally agree with you  Hidden on, "I have noticed that the more hypothyroid I am, the worse it is. I have long suspected it is something to do with my nervous system being dysregulated/imbalanced, which I think is heavily linked to being chronically hypothyroid."

You've confirmed by your worsening of symptoms when more hypothyroid that my not suffering when on NDT wasn't just a coincidence. And both experiences may be akin to optimally medicated peoples' improvements in sugar & cholesterol readings.

Do I consider my thyroid disease optimally medicated? No, not yet.

Besides being in early stages of medication, just had a two week break due to side effects of the filler. (Coughing/vomitting ceased within a day, clear breathing at five days, positivity & energy at six days of no microcrystalline filler.) But eight days later, started going downhill with fatigue/mood/tinnitus/stomach/pins&needles without the actual NDT.

On my second day of re-started compounded NDT (with sugar filler), already noticed slight uplift in mood, energy. Still have the tinnitus and body tingles, though and guessing those symptoms will eventually disappear again.

Here's to being optimally medicated,  Hidden .👍

[gabkad]

So, that's what it's called?

I get something a bit different: pain deep in my genitals/lower abdomen when I see someone having pain. Like if they are being injured. I can't stand it. I can't watch surgery videos or programs.

My boyfriend is an 'empath'. That's what my friend calls him and he had no idea what it means. I read out the definition and he said 'yes, that's me.'

We make quite the team. LOL!

[Hidden in reply to gabkad]

That’s similar to me! But mine is up the back of my legs. Do you relate to any of the other synesthesia signs? I have some of them but not all. I can see the annual calendar in front of me and then rolling back around my head, and I can see days if the week beneath and above me 😂 I never even thought much about this until I started to research how synesthesia is all connected. Are you neurodiverse? I was astonished by the dyslexia connection… it’s such a small study but seems to deserve much more attention.

[gabkad in reply to Hidden]

I used to think everyone sees stuff when they listen to music. It's quite a trip to be driving through scenic country but at the same time listening to music and 'seeing' a different scene in the mind. There is no confusion about what is what.

My 'view' is if I see nothing it's not real music, it's just noise.

Then one day I discovered that other people don't see anything when they listen to music.

Calendars: not as sophisticated as you but I look in my mind's eye to 'see' what the day is for a given date.

My visual memory for some things is really more than excellent but don't ask me what colour is the car that took off after making an accident. If I don't say the colour out loud in order to process it through my ears and into my brain, forget it. I'd be a lousy cop. I just figured this out recently.

[Hidden in reply to gabkad]

😮 I definitely don’t see anything when listening to music, I just feel things emotionally but no visuals at all. How funny to think we are all processing this information so differently… are you very musical?

It’s funny you say that about the colour of cars, I dunno if this is related to the synesthesia/thyroid/dyslexia chain but if someone asks me the colour of something and I have to say it quick 99% of the time I will blurt out a completely incorrect colour, even when I can see it’s a red cup, I’ll just say “green” but it’s only when under pressure… so weird.

[Hidden in reply to gabkad]

Dudes get a pain in their genitals when they see another dude's genitals being hit.

[Regenallotment Ambassador]

All through life if my Dad hit his thumb with a hammer or cut himself I could feel a sharp pain in my very core. I have it with emotions for my Mum and kids.

[Hidden in reply to Regenallotment]

Oh that’s very interesting Regen! Do you get it with people outside your family?

[Regenallotment Ambassador in reply to Hidden]

Honestly not sure, don’t think so, I am a first aider through work and quite intuitive though when assessing a situation. Live music can make me cry in an instant like a massive release. Daughter (19)sat down and randomly played a piano in a church hall yesterday and I was a mess instantly. Was fine before 🤷🏽‍♀️

[Hidden in reply to Regenallotment]

that is interesting… has any of that changed as you’ve moved closer to optimal?

[Regenallotment Ambassador in reply to Hidden]

Nope all the same, I’m still shit with dates and times, anything beyond now and to some extent tomorrow is a nebulous concept for me. I have lots of strategies for coping with this and was told a few years ago by an assessor I met through work that it’s a particular type of dyslexia.

[WitchingHour2point0 in reply to Regenallotment]

I am the same! A chorus of kids singing and I'm a wreck. Also, anything with heavy drums, like tribal beats and I just cry. Similarly, it's like a release as opposed to any depth of emotion.

[Regenallotment Ambassador in reply to WitchingHour2point0]

Yep, drums is visceral for me.