I am a little late to the party reading this book. It was purchased after listening to a Super Soul Sunday podcast where the author was the guest and has been in my stacks for several years. Jill Bolte Taylor, PhD is a neuroanatomist/brain scientist who experienced a stroke and lived to tell about it from her unique perspective.
The entire read is fascinating and she is clearly brilliant. Her description of her stroke is almost as if she is floating outside her body witnessing everything that is happening – in fact, she feels that way according to her recollection.
The first chapters of the book are dedicated to some brain education and to her experiences on the day of the event and the following healing process. Her mom was a rockstar!!
The final chapters outline what she has gained – her “stroke of insight”. She really focuses on the the control we have over our minds and how we interact with our thoughts and ultimately with the world around us. We are a world focused on the strengths of our left brain….in fact, we celebrate our left brain dominance. Unfortunately, we often snub our right brain and do not place much value on what our right side brings to the table. Given that Jill Bolte Taylor lost much of her left brain function initially, she was able to experience the world with only her right brain. In regaining the left brain functionality, she realized there were parts she wanted to leave behind. In doing so, she ultimately learned that we have more control over our thoughts than we likely realize.
Consider what it would be like to not be run over by the negative thoughts in our minds when we feel anxious or afraid……our author tells us there is no need to be…..we can begin to make changes. She focuses a lot on peace which may be why this has resonated with me in such a big way. Over the last couple of years, I have made a significant shift….I have decided to choose peace. I choose peace in my personal life especially. I am making a conscious effort to choose to be around people who will fill my cup….people who, after having spent time together, make me feel energized versus exhausted and depleted. Of course, I want to be the same for others as well. I pay attention to the energy around me and also my own energy and how I may be impacting others.
Dr. Taylor talks in the book about being present and feeling all the feels…for example, the softness of the blanket I am wrapped up in while I type this, the velvety feel of my fav red wine swirling in my mouth, the warmth of a hug from a loved one, the sound of rain outside the window. This “feeling” keeps us more in the right side..feeling it doesn’t not necessarily require language. However, since our two hemispheres are connected, we may naturally connect the language to the feels but you get the idea.
One more focus in the book is on gratitude…..being grateful in every moment. Dr. Taylor thanks her body and mind for all it has accomplished and overcome….she is mindful of her body and mind as task after task is completed. Gratitude is absolutely a super power if we can stay tuned in and mindful as we go throughout our days.
The final chapters of this book made me feel empowered. I am not a slave to my mind and my thoughts. I can step off of the carrousel of my thoughts and stop spinning around in worry and anxiety. Today as I was working out, my body hurt and it wasn’t necessarily enjoyable. I was simply going through the motions. But I thought of Dr. Taylor and what I have learned and I chose joy. I decided to smile, to feel proud of my body, and I began to have a great time on that treadmill. This brain scientist is clearly onto something! Insert smiley emoji!
A dear friend just told me about Dr. Taylor’s new book, Whole Brain Living. I will be reading it next!
