[PDF] The Man Who Tasted Words eBook

Author : Dr. Guy Leschziner
Publisher : St. Martin's Press
Page : 236 pages
File Size : 18,58 MB
Release : 2022-02-22
Category : Psychology
ISBN : 1250272378

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In The Man Who Tasted Words, Guy Leschziner leads readers through the senses and how, through them, our brain understands or misunderstands the world around us. Vision, hearing, taste, smell, and touch are what we rely on to perceive the reality of our world. Our senses are the conduits that bring us the scent of a freshly brewed cup of coffee or the notes of a favorite song suddenly playing on the radio. But are they really that reliable? The Man Who Tasted Words shows that what we perceive to be absolute truths of the world around us is actually a complex internal reconstruction by our minds and nervous systems. The translation into experiences with conscious meaning—the pattern of light and dark on the retina that is transformed into the face of a loved one, for instance—is a process that is invisible, undetected by ourselves and, in most cases, completely out of our control. In The Man Who Tasted Words, neurologist Guy Leschziner explores how our nervous systems define our worlds and how we can, in fact, be victims of falsehoods perpetrated by our own brains. In his moving and lyrical chronicles of lives turned upside down by a disruption in one or more of their five senses, he introduces readers to extraordinary individuals, like one man who actually “tasted” words, and shows us how sensory disruptions like that have played havoc, not only with their view of the world, but with their relationships as well. The cases Leschziner shares in The Man Who Tasted Words are extreme, but they are also human, and teach us how our lives and what we perceive as reality are both ultimately defined by the complexities of our nervous systems.

Author : Richard E. Cytowic
Publisher : MIT Press
Page : 297 pages
File Size : 45,39 MB
Release : 2008-07-01
Category : Science
ISBN : 0262250446

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In this medical detective adventure, Cytowic shows how synesthesia, or "joined sensation," illuminates a wide swath of mental life and leads to a new view of what it means to be human. Richard Cytowic's dinner host apologized, "There aren't enough points on the chicken!" He felt flavor also as a physical shape in his hands, and the chicken had come out "too round." This offbeat comment in 1980 launched Cytowic's exploration into the oddity called synesthesia. He is one of the few world authorities on the subject. Sharing a root with anesthesia ("no sensation"), synesthesia means "joined sensation," whereby a voice, for example, is not only heard but also seen, felt, or tasted. The trait is involuntary, hereditary, and fairly common. It stayed a scientific mystery for two centuries until Cytowic's original experiments led to a neurological explanation—and to a new concept of brain organization that accentuates emotion over reason. That chicken dinner two decades ago led Cytowic to explore a deeper reality that, he argues, exists in everyone but is often just below the surface of awareness (which is why finding meaning in our lives can be elusive). In this medical detective adventure, Cytowic shows how synesthesia, far from being a mere curiosity, illuminates a wide swath of mental life and leads to a new view of what is means to be human—a view that turns upside down conventional ideas about reason, emotional knowledge, and self-understanding. This 2003 edition features a new afterword.

Author : Dr. Guy Leschziner
Publisher : St. Martin's Press
Page : 288 pages
File Size : 36,89 MB
Release : 2019-07-23
Category : Health & Fitness
ISBN : 125020271X

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A renowned neurologist shares the true stories of people unable to get a good night’s rest in The Nocturnal Brain: Nightmares, Neuroscience, and the Secret World of Sleep, a fascinating exploration of the symptoms and syndromes behind sleep disorders. For Dr. Guy Leschziner’s patients, there is no rest for the weary in mind and body. Insomnia, narcolepsy, night terrors, apnea, and sleepwalking are just a sampling of conditions afflicting sufferers who cannot sleep—and their experiences in trying are the stuff of nightmares. Demoniac hallucinations frighten people into paralysis. Restless legs rock both the sleepless and their sleeping partners with unpredictable and uncontrollable kicking. Out-of-sync circadian rhythms confuse the natural body clock’s days and nights. Then there are the extreme cases. A woman in a state of deep sleep who gets dressed, unlocks her car, and drives for several miles before returning to bed. The man who has spent decades cleaning out kitchens while “sleep-eating.” The teenager prone to the serious, yet unfortunately nicknamed Sleeping Beauty Syndrome stuck in a cycle of excessive unconsciousness, binge eating, and uncharacteristic displays of aggression and hypersexuality while awake. With compassionate stories of his patients and their conditions, Dr. Leschziner illustrates the neuroscience behind our sleeping minds, revealing the many biological and psychological factors necessary in getting the rest that will not only maintain our physical and mental health, but improve our cognitive abilities and overall happiness.

Author : Maureen Seaberg
Publisher : Red Wheel/Weiser
Page : 247 pages
File Size : 14,21 MB
Release : 2011-03-15
Category : Psychology
ISBN : 1601636679

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“Explores a dimension of synesthesia long encountered in reports of synesthetes: its relation to mystical and artistic vision . . . fascinating accounts.”—Patricia Lynne Duffy, author of Blue Cats and Chartreuse Kittens What happens when a journalist turns her lens on a mystery happening in her own life? Maureen Seaberg did just that and lived for a year exploring her synesthesia. The wondrous brain trait is often described as blended senses, but for Maureen, synesthesia is not an idle “brain tick” that can be explained away by science (although it does offer some important clues). It is a unique ability to tap into and reveal a greater creative universe and even the divine. Join her as she visits top neuroscientists, rock stars, violinists, other synesthetes, philosophers, savants, quantum physicists and even Tibetan lamas in her journey toward the truth. Step into Maureen’s shimmering alternate universe as she explores this fascinating subject, combining clear explanations of groundbreaking scientific research with an exploration of deeper spiritual truths. “Tasting the Universe is not only the brilliant writing of a top, professional journalist looking in on a strange but romantic phenomena, but it is the writing of a person who could embrace the feelings of those she interviews, because author Seaberg herself possesses this remarkable gift of synesthesia. I predict when you pick up this book, you will be unable to put it down, as it will open up for you a whole new world in our universe.”—The Amazing Kreskin

Author : Richard E. Cytowic
Publisher : MIT Press
Page : 321 pages
File Size : 33,81 MB
Release : 2009
Category : Medical
ISBN : 0262012790

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How the extraordinary multisensory phenomenon of synesthesia has changed our traditional view of the brain.

Author : Colum McCann
Publisher : Macmillan
Page : 283 pages
File Size : 50,51 MB
Release : 2013-11-05
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 1250047765

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Eighty pieces of short fiction and nonfiction on manhood by some of the world's best writers. To help launch the literary nonprofit Narrative 4, Esquire asked eighty of the world's greatest writers to chip in with a story, all with the title, "How to Be a Man." The result is The Book of Men, an unflinching investigation into the essence of manhood.

Author : Guy Leschziner
Publisher : St. Martin's Press
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 50,23 MB
Release : 2022-02-22
Category : Medical
ISBN : 125027236X

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"Vision, hearing, taste, smell, and touch are what we rely on to perceive the reality of our world. Our five senses are the conduits that bring us the scent of a freshly brewed cup of coffee or the notes of a favorite song suddenly playing on the radio. But are they really that reliable? The Man Who Tasted Words shows that what we perceive to be absolute truths of the world around us is actually a complex internal reconstruction by our minds and nervous systems. The translation into experiences with conscious meaning-the pattern of light and dark on the retina that is transformed into the face of a loved one, for instance-is a process that is invisible, undetected by ourselves and, in most cases, completely out of our control... Guy Leschziner explores how our nervous systems define our worlds and how we can, in fact, be victims of falsehoods perpetrated by our own brains. In his moving and lyrical chronicles of lives turned upside down by a disruption in one or more of their five senses, he introduces readers to extraordinary individuals he's worked with in his practice, like one man who actually "tasted" words, and shows us how sensory disruptions like that have played havoc, not only with their view of the world, but with their relationships as well."--

Author : Everest Media,
Publisher : Everest Media LLC
Page : 42 pages
File Size : 33,4 MB
Release : 2022-03-25T22:59:00Z
Category : Science
ISBN : 1669365786

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Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 The inability to feel pain is the stuff of superheroes. It is the deepest wish of those who are tortured by it. But Paul’s inability to sense pain is not coupled with super-strength, unbreakable bones, or super-healing. #2 Our sense of touch is so integral to our existence that it is almost impossible to imagine a life without it. We describe people as warm or cold, soft or hard, based on their physical sensations. #3 The absence of pain is devastating. It is the loudest of our sensations, and it prevents us from injuring ourselves or making the same mistake twice. It focuses our attention on looking after that part of the body, protecting and immobilizing it so that we can repair and heal before we start using it again. #4 The brain’s sensory map is grossly distorted, and the area of the brain that is responsible for our body map is also located in the central depths. This area of the brain is involved in the unpleasantness and fear of pain, and is a potent driver of the need to avoid pain.

Author : Titilayo Falade
Publisher : WestBow Press
Page : 92 pages
File Size : 24,47 MB
Release : 2015-07-08
Category : Poetry
ISBN : 149088209X

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If words are nothing but just words, why do they have so much power? Words spoken spitefully create deep wounds, while gracious words encourage, build up, and heal hurts. Spoken words are unseen but powerful. By revealing that words are like pedestrians, Titilayo demonstrates how words walk in our lives. Why do words have so much impact? How are our lives shaped by the words we speak and receive? In Tasted Words, Titilayo reflects on the power of words, which may be spoken, written, or captured in pictures that speak more than a thousand words. Tasted Words is a collection of short stories and poetry with reminders, messages of love, and encouragement. In Tasted Words, Titilayo uses cues that are helpful reminders to challenge you to stop and think about your words, thoughts, and actions. This inspiring collection will challenge you to live purposefully, consider wisely, and interact graciously. Tasted Words also comprises poems that have arisen as a result of Bible study, life musings, and social crises. Titilayo intends to use part of the proceeds from Tasted Words in works of charity to the support victims of social crises.

Author : Richard E. Cytowic
Publisher : MIT Press
Page : 300 pages
File Size : 24,85 MB
Release : 2003-08-11
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780262532556

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In this medical detective adventure, Cytowic shows how synesthesia, or "joined sensation," illuminates a wide swath of mental life and leads to a new view of what it means to be human. Richard Cytowic's dinner host apologized, "There aren't enough points on the chicken!" He felt flavor also as a physical shape in his hands, and the chicken had come out "too round." This offbeat comment in 1980 launched Cytowic's exploration into the oddity called synesthesia. He is one of the few world authorities on the subject. Sharing a root with anesthesia ("no sensation"), synesthesia means "joined sensation," whereby a voice, for example, is not only heard but also seen, felt, or tasted. The trait is involuntary, hereditary, and fairly common. It stayed a scientific mystery for two centuries until Cytowic's original experiments led to a neurological explanation—and to a new concept of brain organization that accentuates emotion over reason. That chicken dinner two decades ago led Cytowic to explore a deeper reality that, he argues, exists in everyone but is often just below the surface of awareness (which is why finding meaning in our lives can be elusive). In this medical detective adventure, Cytowic shows how synesthesia, far from being a mere curiosity, illuminates a wide swath of mental life and leads to a new view of what is means to be human—a view that turns upside down conventional ideas about reason, emotional knowledge, and self-understanding. This 2003 edition features a new afterword.