Thursday, May 22, 2008

My Stroke Of Insight (Jill Bolte Taylor)

This is one of the most inspiring talks I've seen/heard in a long, long time.

Jill Bolte Taylor, a brain scientist, had a stroke which gave her new insights into the fascinating left brain/right brain nature of human consciousness. She is truly a remarkable and inspiring woman.

I implore you to watch and truly listen. It is 18 of the best minutes you'll ever spend in your life. I mean that.



About this talk

Jill Bolte Taylor got a research opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: She had a massive stroke, and watched as her brain functions -- motion, speech, self-awareness –- shut down one by one. An astonishing story.

About this speaker

One morning, a blood vessel in Jill Bolte Taylor's brain exploded. As a brain scientist, she realized she had a ringside seat to her own stroke.

She watched as her brain functions shut down one by one: motion, speech, memory, self-awareness ...

Amazed to find herself alive, Taylor spent eight years recovering her ability to think, walk and talk. She has become a spokesperson for stroke recovery and for the possibility of coming back from brain injury stronger than before.

In her case, although the stroke damaged the left side of her brain, her recovery unleashed a torrent of creative energy from her right. From her home base in Indiana, she now travels the country on behalf of the Harvard Brain Bank as the "Singin' Scientist."

"How many brain scientists have been able to study the brain from the inside out? I've gotten as much out of this experience of losing my left mind as I have in my entire academic career." ~ Jill Bolte Taylor

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/229

Jill Bolte Taylor: The Singin' Scientist

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

You can get Jill's book "My Stroke of Insight" from Amazon for a good discount.
Here's the Link
:
http://www.amazon.com/My-Stroke-Insight-Scientists-Personal/dp/0670020745/ref=pd_bbs_sr_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1210709205&sr=8-4

Unknown said...

Thanks for the info, Ellen!

After viewing the video (three times now), I've decided I must buy the book.

Anonymous said...

I read "My Stroke of Insight" in one sitting - I couldn't put it down. I laughed. I cried. It was a fantastic book (I heard it's a NYTimes Bestseller and I can see why!), but I also think it will be the start of a new, transformative Movement! No one wants to have a stroke as Jill Bolte Taylor did, but her experience can teach us all how to live better lives. Her TED.com speech was one of the most incredibly moving, stimulating, wonderful videos I've ever seen. Her Oprah Soul Series interviews were fascinating. They should make a movie of her life so everyone sees it. This is the Real Deal and gives me hope for humanity.

Unknown said...

Thanks, Susan... I am really looking forward to reading the book!

I'd also love to see the interviews Jill did with Oprah.