Phenomenological Analysis of Chromaesthesia as Pre-Representational Dynamic Sense-Making

This study investigates the phenomenological structure of chromaesthesia (music-colour synaesthesia) through the lens of pre-representational, affecto-imagistic sense-making. While synesthesia has traditionally been understood through temporal consistency and static sensory mappings, this research emphasizes the dynamic sensorimotor contingencies (SMCs) shaped by an individual’s intrinsic value system. Semi-structured interviews, guided by phenomenological epoché and internal mimesis, were conducted with an individual who experiences chromaesthesia. Analyses revealed that chromaesthetic experiences dynamically generate vivid affective imagery within an “affecto-imagistic dimension,” where explicit temporal structures have not yet emerged. The richness of these affective and imagistic meanings correlates with the potential of sensorimotor contingency (counterfactual-richness), directly influencing perceptual presence.Importantly, this study highlights the intersubjective sharing of inherently id- idiosyncratic synesthetic experiences through phenomenological epoché-based questioning and internal mimesis. This dialogue-based approach enabled both the interviewer (also a synesthete) and the participant to empathically deepen introspection and mutual understanding of their experiences, suggesting that synesthetic experiences, typically considered highly subjective and private, may indeed be shareable.Finally, drawing from Ikegami and Zlatev’s concept of mimetic sharedness, this study argues that chromaesthesia exemplifies a general cognitive mechanism rather than an exceptional phenomenon. Thus, the fundamental question shifts from “What is it like to be a synesthete?” to “What is it like not to be a synaesthete?” This perspective significantly expands the conceptualization of pre-representational experiences, emphasizing the importance of phenomenological methods for understanding intersubjectivity in cognitive science.