Reflexive Communication,
Synesthetic Awareness,
and Reflexive Music Practice

Reflexive Communication is an approach that brings heightened awareness to the present moment through dynamic listening, synesthetic perception, and interactive composition. It bridges music, movement, and both verbal and non-verbal dialogue into an embodied, fluid practice of co-creation. Reflexivity in communication involves the ability to simultaneously perceive, respond, and shape interactions in real-time, forming a continuously evolving, dynamic reality.

Developed by composer Keren Rosenbaum, Reflexive Communication emerged as part of her quest to articulate a musical language that composes not only sound but also human connection, perception, and presence. Originating in the Reflex Ensemble’s groundbreaking performances and Reflexive Music, the practice was further shaped within the ALP/Playground Approach, where listening is not just auditory but an immersive, full-body experience that tunes into the intricate relationship between self, others, and environment.

​

Synesthetic Communication: Perceiving Beyond the Senses

Synesthetic Communication is at the core of Reflexive Communication, offering a way to engage with sound, movement, and language beyond their conventional forms. It involves perceiving and expressing meaning through multiple sensory modalities at once—where sound can take on shape, color can become movement, and gestures can carry emotional resonance akin to melody. Rather than relying on a singular, linear interpretation of communication, synesthetic communication embraces fluidity, layering different sensory experiences to create a deeper and more nuanced connection between individuals.

​

This is also the foundation of Reflexive Music Practice, which can be understood as synesthetic music—an approach that extends beyond producing sound into experiencing and responding to it through an interplay of all senses. Reflexive Music is about more than composition; it is about attuning oneself to the inherent musicality of human interaction, where rhythm is movement, sound is space, and presence is melody.

​

By integrating Synesthetic Communication into Reflexive Music Practice, we open a space where listening is not just about hearing but about sensing in a holistic way. This creates a profound form of interaction—one that fosters deep connection, shared experience, and an expressive flow that transcends words. In the ALP/Playground approach, this becomes a key element of the Joinment Space, where music, movement, and communication merge into an infinite playground of possibilities.

​

The Reflexive Mindset: A Continuous Pulse of Awareness

To engage in Reflexive Communication is to cultivate a mindset that is both playful and deeply attuned. It is about listening within layers—hearing oneself listening, hearing others listening, and understanding how all these perspectives interweave. This layered awareness enables individuals to hold multiple realities at once, balancing structured intention with spontaneous emergence. By practicing this, we develop:

​

• Sensory Amplification: A deepened awareness of how all senses interact, influence perception, and contribute to an expanded experience of reality.

• Synesthetic Awareness: The ability to experience cross-sensory communication, integrating movement, sound, and emotion into an expanded dialogue.

• Dynamic Listening: A continuously adaptive process where listening is not passive but an active interplay of perception and response.

• Interplay Between Gravity & Lightness: Holding presence in an interaction while allowing fluidity, trust, and adaptability.

• 'The Democracy of Dictators': A paradoxical yet functional balance where individuals simultaneously lead and follow, maintaining individuality while contributing to a larger, moving whole.
   

Reflexive Communication as a Playground
for Reflexive Reality

Within the ALP/Playground, Reflexive Communication is not only practiced but performed. It transforms time into material, allowing individuals to sculpt moments, hold space, and play with the balance between control and release. This practice generates a state of DoBeDoBe—an oscillation between doing and being, where communication is both intuitive and intentional, immersive and expansive.

Reflexive Communication operates within the framework of the OperaGame Model (FIND-PLAY-SHARE-CREATE), integrating the perspectives of I-YOU-WE-WORLD. This process invites participants into a Joinment Space, where deep interpersonal and synesthetic communication occurs. Here, participants not only become aware of the Flow but also learn to play with it, experiencing time as both linear and malleable. Playgrounds are endless, ranging from a second to eternity, constantly generating new meaning and connections.

​

The ALP/Playground and Reflexive Communication

Practicing Reflexive Communication within the ALP/Playground unfolds as a structured yet fluid process:

​

1. WARM IT UP – Initiating awareness of the Joinment Space through an ALP/Playground exercise.

2. PLAY IT - A STORY – Drawing inspiration from personal experience to set the stage for exploration.

3. SHARE IT - MATERIAL – Engaging with physical or virtual elements through play.

4. PREPARE IT – A NEW STRUCTURE – Structuring space and deepening practice through interactive exercises.

​​

Each session follows a progression through various roles:
 

• The Reflexive Listener (e.g., exercises like CRUMPLE IT and WALK/DON’T WALK variations)

• The Composer (e.g., I PAINT = YOU SING)

• The Conductor (e.g., PUSH THE BUTTON)

• The Producer (e.g., WALK/DON’T WALK, as a progression exercise)

• The Mobile Flow (e.g., BOX IT functions as a Reflexive Music composition, integrating all études in real-time, allowing for simultaneous interplay and peak performance).
   

The Impact of Reflexive Communication

Over years of development, Reflexive Communication has become a transformative tool beyond music and performance. It has sparked creativity, resilience, and adaptability in diverse fields, including education, therapy, and corporate environments. Participants describe it as "coming back to my senses," emphasizing the return to a more instinctual and engaged way of interacting with the world.

​

As we engage in Reflexive Communication, we perceive reality through our Synesthetic Awareness and Synesthetic Language Dialect, integrating multi-sensory vocabulary into interpersonal interactions. We become active listeners, composers, conductors, and producers of our reality, playing within the continuous pulse of life itself. The balance between noise/melody, dissonance/consonance creates new trust, transforming our reality into a Reflexive Reality that is alive, fluid, and co-created in every moment.

By practicing this balance, we activate ourselves. We become aware of triggers from within and without, experiencing time as material to shape. We hold looseness while maintaining structure, embracing a state of DoBeDoBe that connects endless parts of ourselves and others into a cohesive whole. In this way, Reflexive Communication is not just a method but a living philosophy, an endless playground where life itself becomes a form of composition.

​

Playing with more ideas