“It's not magic, nor being a charlatan; it's hyper-observation”

Célia Zaïd cherche à sensibiliser sur les troubles autistiques. MIDI LIBRE – EVA BONNET-GONNET

Célia Zaïd, qui vit à Alès, dans le Gard, a décidé d’utiliser sa synesthésie pour traiter ses patients par la médecine douce.

Célia Zaïd is in a café in downtown Alès, a few steps from where she works. Sitting at a table, a cappuccino in her hands, she scans the few other customers of the brasserie. "I can tell you the life of each of the people present here", she says furtively, before beginning the story of her journey. A young mother of two children, before having her third, she embarked on an in-depth research into mental health and the different ways of treating it. Initially, for her, then for the others.

Synesthesia, a working tool

"I wanted to turn to the practice of alternative Chinese medicine to treat the causes of mental illnesses and not the symptoms”, explains Célia Zaïd, who herself suffered from severe depression. It was while speaking, as part of his project, with a doctoral student in alternative medicine that he finally put an end to his ailments: Célia Zaïd suffers from synesthesia, a spectrum disorder autistic which pushes the subject to associate two or more senses from a single stimulus. For example, "see" the days of the week in color, or "recognize" the taste of fruit by sight. "I knew, ever since I was little, that something was different. To choose fruit at the supermarket, I just had to look at it to taste it; to cook, I never followed a recipe, I felt by looking if the doses were correct or not,” she continues.

"It’s the same with people! I can feel them

"It’s the same with people! I manage to feel them, to recognize their emotions based on a few elements, like posture,” explains this Alesian. But this gift is also a weight, since this hypersensitivity turns out to be overwhelming. "We quickly feel overwhelmed by all these people and their emotions. This is why I prefer to avoid large crowds. Also for this reason, Célia Zaïd chooses to democratize knowledge of this disorder via writing and social networks. In 2018, she published her first book, Nouveau Départ, a guide that allows you to diagnose yourself, or more simply to understand yourself. Since following therapies and becoming a reiki master, Célia Zaïd feels justified in speaking, teaching, and healing.

Writing to raise awareness about mental disorders

For almost ten years, she has been receiving alternative medicine sessions in her office. "According to people, I go for body treatments and coaching, to unblock the traumas at the root of the problem. Treat the cause and not the symptom, confides Célia Zaïd, who specifies to refer to fellow psychologists or doctors if the problem exceeds her abilities. "It’s not magic, nor being a charlatan; it’s hyper-observation", specifies the latter, who emphasizes that its practices are recognized by the State.

At the same time, the young woman begins writing an autobiographical fiction, to explain this disorder in a fun way, especially to younger people. "In France, we have too little information about mental disorders. We must break the legacy of traumatized generations."

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