My Stroke of Insight

~Jill Bolte Taylor

This book is based on a neuro scientist's journey from a debilitating stroke to full recovery which becomes an inspiring exploration of human consciousness and its endless possibilities

On the morning of December 10, 1996, Jill Bolte Taylor, a thirty-seven-year-old Harvard-trained brain scientist, encountered a monstrous stroke when a blood vessel exploded in the left half of her brain. A neuroanatomist by profession, she observed her own mind completely deteriorate to the point that she could not walk, talk, read, write, or review any of her life, all inside the space of four brief hours. As the damaged left side of her brain--the rational, grounded, detail- and time-oriented side--swung in and out of function, Taylor alternated between two distinct and inverse realities: the euphoric nirvana of the intuitive and kinesthetic right brain, in which she felt a sense of complete well-being and harmony; and the logical, sequential left brain, which recognized Jill was having a stroke and empowered her to look for help before she was lost totally.

In My Stroke of Insight, Taylor shares her extraordinary perspective on the brain and its capacity for recuperation, and the sense of omniscient understanding she gained from this unusual and inspiring voyage out of the void of an injured brain. It would take 8 years for Taylor to heal completely. As a result of her insight into how the brain functions, her regard for the cells making her human structure, and above all a stunning mother, Taylor totally fixed her psyche and recalibrated her comprehension of the world as per the bits of knowledge picked up from her correct mind that morning of December 10th.

Today Taylor is convinced that the stroke was the best thing that might have happened to her. It has taught her that the sensation of nirvana is never more than a mere thought away. By stepping to the right of our left brains, we can all uncover the feelings of well-being and peace that are so regularly sidelined by our own mind babble. A fascinating journey into the mechanics of the human mind, My Stroke of Insight is both a valuable recovery guide for anyone contacted by a brain injury and an emotionally stirring testimony that profound inward harmony really is open to anybody, whenever.