Borrowed Sensation: Sensory Metaphor and Neurological Simulation in Gertrude of Helfta

2nd Place winner of the 2025 Hesburgh Library Sophomore, Junior, or Senior Research Award. This project explores the neurological and philosophical dimensions of mystical experience through the lens of metaphor and embodied cognition. Drawing upon neuroscience, linguistics, and medieval Christian mysticism, the essay examines how language—particularly metaphor—functions as a sensory and conceptual bridge between the ineffable and the expressible. The project centers on the writings of Gertrude of Helfta, a 13th-century Christian mystic, whose vivid bodily metaphors for divine union are analyzed not just as literary devices, but as cognitive tools deeply intertwined with sensory and neurological processing. By integrating insights from cognitive scientists such as George Lakoff and neuroscientific frameworks related to memory, perception, and sensory integration, the research argues that mystical language is grounded in the same neural mechanisms that shape everyday human thought. Far from being irrational or esoteric, the metaphoric structure of mystical writing is shown to be rooted in the brain’s embodied processing of the world. This suggests that mystical states may be less about transcending the body than they are about heightening its sensory participation in meaning-making. The paper ultimately calls for a reevaluation of mystical literature through interdisciplinary frameworks that validate both spiritual experience and scientific understanding.