31-Year-Old Doctor with Synesthesia Sees Shades of Pink When He Orgasms

Referred to as "Mr. R," the New Zealand man claimed the phenomenon made his vision clearer and brighter after climaxing

While many view the notion of sexual intercourse through rose-tinted lenses, one doctor claims he quite literally sees in shades of pink when he orgasms.

According to a journal entry in the Iranian Journal of Psychiatry, the individual, referred to simply as "Mr. R," a 31-year-old caucasian male doctor, was diagnosed with a unique neurological phenomenon that affects his vision during sexual climax. Essentially, it makes him see things both in the color pink, as well as more vividly and clearly as a whole.

Specifically, the study noted how Mr. R "described these changes as ‘high contrast vision with dominant pink color everywhere’ and said that the environment became brighter as it was early morning, even if the environment was dark."

Related: Olivia Rodrigo Says She Has 'Baby Synesthesia,' Which Makes Her 'See Colors' When She Hears Music

This also is not the first time that certain feelings manifested as color in the patient. The study found that Mr. R "described a color-pain sensation every time he experienced severe chest pain during his childhood," which manifested in the color white. As an adult, Mr. R's symptoms have seemingly manifested sexually, with the patient only experiencing the phenomenon during orgasm.

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Per the study, Mr. R, a general practitioner, prescribed himself Sertraline, an SSRI antidepressant, in an attempt to treat the phenomenon. When that didn't work, he sought out further treatment.

Fellow medical professionals found that there were no underlying causes that would have spurred the colors in those situations, and that his self-prescription of Sertraline had no effect on his health as it was administered as a response to preexisting symptoms. As a result, they officially diagnosed Mr. R with synesthesia.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, synesthesia "is when your brain routes sensory information through multiple unrelated senses, causing you to experience more than one sense simultaneously. Some examples include tasting words or linking colors to numbers and letters."

Related: California Artist with Autism Uses His Synesthesia to Paint Vivid Portraits: 'I See Beautiful Colors in My Dreams'

The clinic further noted that synesthesia is "not a medical condition" and can be described most simply as "having 'wires crossed' " in one's brain "because it activates two or more senses when there’s only a reason for one sense to activate."

As for Mr. R's specific case, "The report demonstrates coexistence of a rare form of synesthesia as orgasm to color with specific pain to colour synesthesia. In contrast to previous reports, our case demonstrated color orgasm as a type of synesthesia that might not negatively affect sex life in men,” the study in the Iranian Journal of Psychiatry explained.

As of the time of writing, researchers have identified at least 60 different forms of synesthesia, while some experts estimate there could be over 150 different forms in total.

While Mr. R's symptoms wholly exhibit themselves during orgasm in his adult life, the study highlighted that there are very few immediate risks involved with his synesthesia and that it rarely causes problems for those affected, though there is also no specific treatment for it at this time.

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