Publications

Publication details [#13520]

Plug, Leendert, Basil Sharrack and Markus Reuber. 2011. Metaphors in the description of seizure experiences: Common expressions and differential diagnosis. Language and Cognition 3 (2) : 209–233. 25 pp.
Publication type
Article in journal
Publication language
English
Place, Publisher
UK Cognitive Linguistics Association

Abstract

This paper explores the use of metaphorical expressions in the description of seizure experiences by patients with epilepsy and patients with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures. The paper addresses two main questions. Firstly, what is the range of metaphorical expressions which patients use to describe their seizure experiences, and can these be related to conventional metaphors used by healthy individuals? Secondly, is the difference in the underlying cause of the patients' seizure experiences in any way reflected in their use of metaphorical expressions? The paper suggests that the answer to both questions is affirmative, which strengthens the embodiment hypothesis. Implications for the understanding of patients' experiences of seizures and of the difference between epileptic and non-epileptic seizures are also discussed.