Metaphors of a bodily mind

Area of Science:

• Psycholinguistics
• Cognitive Psychology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• The human mind and language are fundamentally embodied, relying on physical bodily experiences.
• Sensory and affective experiences accumulate, often exceeding verbal expression capabilities.

Observation:

• Cognitive psychology indicates perception is organized by prior experiences.
• The mind constructs reality through its representations, influenced by bodily mediation.
• Language comprehension is shaped by past experiences and affective valuations.

Findings:

• The limbic system's immediate activation during experience processing imbues all representations with affect.
• Embodied affectively-valued perceptions enable the metaphorical function.
• Metaphorical capacity allows linguistic expression of ineffable psychic experiences.

Implications:

• Understanding metaphor's embodied basis offers new perspectives for psychoanalytic technique.
• This framework enhances the interpretation of patients' metaphorical language in therapy.
• It highlights the role of bodily experience in shaping psychological understanding and expression.