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Metaphors in the description of seizure experiences: Common expressions and differential diagnosis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 March 2014

Leendert Plug ,
Basil Sharrack  and
Markus Reuber
Leendert Plug
Affiliation:
University of Leeds
Basil Sharrack
Affiliation:
University of Sheffield
Markus Reuber*
Affiliation:
University of Sheffield
*
Correspondence addresses: Leendert Plug, Department of Linguistics and Phonetics, School of Modern Languages and Cultures, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom. Email: l.plug@leeds.ac.uk.
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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. First, 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? Second, is the difference in the underlying cause of our patients' seizure experiences in any way reflected in their use of metaphorical expressions? The paper suggests that the answer to both of these questions is affirmative, which strengthens the embodiment hypothesis. Implications for our understanding of patients' experiences of seizures and of the difference between epileptic and non-epileptic seizures are also discussed.

Keywords

metaphorembodimenthealth communicationdoctor-patient interactionillness representationdifferential diagnosisseizure disorders
Type
Research Article
Information
Language and Cognition , Volume 3 , Issue 2 , June 2011 , pp. 209 - 233
Copyright
Copyright © UK Cognitive Linguistics Association 2011

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