I think this is less a simile and more a physical reality. What is your arm but a series of sensations and connections in your brain? Your arm is a physical th

I think this is less a simile and more a physical reality. What is your arm but a series of sensations and connections in your brain? Your arm is a physical thing; but to the extent that it exists to you, it exists in your brain. So I think the loss of an arm is probably very similar in an actual not just a metaphorical sense. Although I would easily choose losing my arm over losing one of my loved ones.