I think it is quite apt to say that Jill Bolte Taylor’s talk at this year’s TED conference is mind-blowing. View or read about her “Stroke of Insight”.
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.
I do look forward to hearing Richard Saul Wurman speak at the closing keynote of the STC 55th conference in Philadelphia. Wurman’s idea back in 1984 made many lectures like “My Stroke of Luck” possible. This particular presentation is an excellent example of his aim to make a complex idea clear to a large audience.
Taylor’s talk is powerful and emotional and also full of humor. I burst out laughing when she described how she realized that her right side was paralyzed, and then in the next moment thought
Wow! This is so cool. This is so cool. How many brain scientists have the opportunity to study their own brain from the inside out?
It took her 8 years to come back from the edge, and now she is communicating her story to us.
This is, indeed, very powerful storytelling.
I’ve been recommending a book by Jill Bolte Taylor called “My Stroke of Insight” to everyone I know. It’s an amazing story, both uplifting and powerful on three levels: physical, emotional, and spiritual, but the spiritual aspect alone makes this the best book I’ve read all year.
How often do you get to hear a neuroscientist describe having a stroke, nearly dying and finding Nirvana, and then making a miraculous recovery so that she’s back to teaching medical students!?!
I came away with a renewed sense of understanding, wonder and hopefulness about the capabilities of the human brain. I give “My Stroke of Insight” highest marks!
You can get the book for just $16.47 with free shipping from Amazon!
Thanks for the tip about the book, Christopher!
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.
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.