Neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor had an opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: One morning, she realized she was having a massive stroke. As it happened -- as she felt her brain functions slip away one by one, speech, movement, understanding -- she studied and remembered every moment. This is a powerful story about how our brains define us and connect us to the world and to one another.
While many of you find me through Planet Lotus, others do not. Plus, I have some family and friends that could benefit from this link.
To directly quote vowe: If you only follow one link today, follow this one
Thank you, vowe.
Comment posted by Nathan T. Freeman03/14/2008 04:48:36 PM
Homepage: http://nathan.lotus911.com
A beautiful tale by a person who probably knows so much more than I ever will, but I do have a question...
Right here right now, I can step into the consciousness of my right hemisphere where we are -- I am -- the life force power of the universe, and the life force power of the 50 trillion beautiful molecular geniuses that make up my form. At one with all that is. Or I can choose to step into the consciousness of my left hemisphere. where I become a single individual, a solid, separate from the flow, separate from you. I am Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, intellectual, neuroanatomist. These are the "we" inside of me.
Which would you choose? Which do you choose? And when? I believe that the more time we spend choosing to run the deep inner peace circuitry of our right hemispheres, the more peace we will project into the world and the more peaceful our planet will be.
Who makes the choice, then? If there's a right mind and a left mind, then what is it that's choosing between one or the other? Is there a metamind that makes that choice?
Comment posted by Charles Robinson03/16/2008 04:20:06 PM
Homepage: http://cubert-codepoet.blogspot.com
I think Dr. Taylor is saying we make that choice every moment whether we realize it or not. She's asking us to be more mindful of it, and to choose the right hemisphere as much as possible.
Comment posted by Nathan T. Freeman03/16/2008 11:27:03 PM
Homepage: http://nathan.lotus911.com
But Charles, she's saying that we are of two minds at all times. A right and a left. And if we assume that we even HAVE what amounts to "choice" (and I don't see a reason in her argument to believe that we do,) how exactly do we "choose" one versus the other?
Does the left brain decide to grant control to the right? How? Is there some other process other than the left or the right that chooses which of the two gets control? If so, what part of the brain is that?
She's a neuroanatomist.... I want to know what part of the brain operates this "choice" process. It's not obvious to me. So no matter how appealing this right-side dominance might sound, it seems framed in a rather utopian way to me. How do we get to the right-side nirvana? What process is it that identifies it once we are there? Clearly it isn't the analytic, introspective part -- because that's the part we gave up to permit this right-side dominance? So how does one know that one is there, and how does one remain once one is there?
Writing it off to "choice" is pretty vague. From her description, the part of the brain that took deliberate, purposeful action is the part that we should make secondary (the ego.) So what exactly is it that chooses to.... well.... forfeit purposeful choice?
I don't get it.
Comment posted by Charles Robinson03/17/2008 10:32:44 AM
I can't answer neuroanatomy questions for you, Nathan, and I doubt that Dr. Taylor is reading Gregg's blog.
I can't point to a certain part of the brain that controls where or how mindfulness and choice in the state of reasoning occurs. I do know from personal experience that being mindful is a state of mind itself and it takes time to develop and nurture. Whether that's meditation and self-analysis or a blood clot and eight years of recuperation, it takes a while.
Comment posted by Beatrice05/20/2008 11:07:17 PM
Homepage: 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
I’ve been recommending “My Stroke of Insight” to everyone I know. It’s the best book I’ve read all year! You can get Jill's book 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
Comment posted by Sean 05/31/2008 12:55:10 AM
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.
Comment posted by Kathleen06/02/2008 10:13:46 PM
The New York Times Sunday Newspaper on May 25 had a great two page article on Jill Bolte Taylor and her book, "MY STROKE OF INSIGHT". Her book is a must read and this NY Times article - called "A Superhighway to bliss" is worth checking out too.
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