My Stroke of Insight

By: Jill Bolte Taylor

Narrated by: Jill Bolte Taylor

Length: 5 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

On the morning of December 10, 1996 Jill Bolte Taylor, a 37-year-old Harvard-trained brain scientist experienced a massive stroke when a blood vessel exploded in the left side 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 recall any of her life, all within 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 opposite realties: the euphoric nirvana of the intuitive and kinesthetic right brain, in which she felt a sense of complete well-being and peace; and the logical, sequential left brain, which recognized Jill was having a stroke, and enabled her to seek help before she was lost completely.

In My Stroke of Insight, Taylor shares her unique perspective on the brain and its capacity for recovery, and the sense of omniscient understanding she gained from this unusual and inspiring voyage out of the abyss of a wounded brain. It would take eight years for Taylor to heal completely. Because of her knowledge of how the brain works, her respect for the cells composing her human form, and most of all an amazing mother, Taylor completely repaired her mind and recalibrated her understanding of the world according to the insights gained from her right brain that morning of December 10th.

Today Taylor is convinced that the stroke was the best thing that could have happened to her. It has taught her that the feeling 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 often sidelined by our own brain chatter.

A fascinating journey into the mechanics of the human mind, My Stroke of Insight is both a valuable recovery guide for anyone touched by a brain injury, and an emotionally stirring ...

©2008 Jill Bolte Taylor (P)2008 Penguin Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"Transformative...[Taylor's] experience...will shatter [your] own perception of the world." (ABC News)

"[Dr. Taylor] brings a deep personal understanding to something she long studied: that the two lobes of the brain have very different personalities." (The New York Times)

"Fascinating...invaluable...fearless...This book is about the wonder of being human." (Robert Koehler, Tribune Media Services)

great sharing

wonderful shared experience for those of us who've had a stroke and recovered with no one to ask or know what it was like.

Absolutely Wonderful!!!

If you could sum up My Stroke of Insight in three words, what would they be?

Excellent, informative, important

What did you like best about this story?

The information about the function of the left brain vs. right brain.

Which character – as performed by Jill Bolte Taylor – was your favorite?

Jill herself was my favorite character.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

The function of the brain.

Any additional comments?

This is now one of my favorite books and I have read 100's of non-fiction books. I read this as an audio with Jill herself as the narrator. The amount of important information about the left hemisphere and right hemisphere as well as, the new knowledge of what a stroke survivor is going through is absolutely invaluable to the medical field. Jill Bolte Taylor is now one of my new heros.

What a wonderful book!

I read this book and my Third Eye lit up So, I waited and I read it again! In this magical book the author who I saw years ago on a TED talk bout her stroke goes into it in this book in incredible detail! The author Jill goes through all the details of her stroke and what it took to recover.

I love how this book points us to being present in the moment. Jill talks about what it was like to take a shower with no rules. So, try it! Stand under the shower and just feel it!

Jill talks about all the rules which make her up going again very rapidly! She went through in detail what happens when the rule for letter equals a certain squiggle goes away. Then having to learn that run all over again. It was very interesting and gives me some insight into what a person with Alzheimer’s must go through!

Then came the part about being in the hospital and how people need to slow down for those who are injured! This made me change who had POA over me! Seriously we rush all over the place and we don’t slow down for anything or anyone until we have too. When was the last time you slowed down?

When Jill moved into her recovery this is where my Third Eye went nuts! I really hit on the part where she talks about how much energy it takes to be Jill! She talks about looking at her life and realizing there are things there no one cares about yet some little voice tells her to care! Why? Then she set time for that little voice to bitch and then it was done. If it misses then it gets time at the next scheduled time. Really this is life without rules!

So, while walking a trail at Harmonie State Park I finally got what she was saying! I took all the mindless mind chatter in my head and put it in a press to reduce the energy it took to keep it up to it’s true size and proportion. Guess what? I hit empty mind! Plus I was able sustain it! What’s more is when I put the rules in place of only two times a day that little voice can bitch I could keep this up for a week! After that I came home and had to start again! Yet, I just applied her techniques and I achieved it again! I moved from this point to looking at all the rules then to as Jill did looking at foods again! This has been a wonderful journey and I’m grateful to the author! I realized how much energy I was asking and now I don’t have too!

Thanks Jill for this wonder insight and the gift of freedom! I have recommended this book to over a dozen people since I first read it and now if you read many more people will hear about it!

Strategic Thinking

Books allows expansion of thought with directive aspects of the brain. Ability to understand your brain thought process, giving the opportunity to improve which part of the brain is in control. Fundamentally reference to improving your own insight.

Brains can heal!

This was an amazing story of recovery and healing that happened and her ability to share details of her stroke and that the brain can change and heal!

Lovely to hear!

I really enjoyed the way she described her process during a stroke. Her knowledge in science make every chapter super interesting, specially the peculiarities of left and right brains.

OUTSTANDING!

EVERYONE would benefit from reading this book! Her challenge is a benefit to our world - Success Through Meditation

Fantastic...loved it.

What did you love best about My Stroke of Insight?

Jill's account of her stroke, from the perspective of a brain scientist, was one thing, but her new perspective on life and how our brains actually work and how we could have a say in changing that and not being victim to it, was the best lesson for me personally. I love Jill's voice, have seen her on t.v. and could just picture her reading this the whole time with her neat personality. Loved it. Keep listening to sections over and over to help me through my everyday challenges..

What was one of the most memorable moments of My Stroke of Insight?

The way she lives in the moment and controls her brain and the ways the left hemisphere can affect her mood or day..

What does Jill Bolte Taylor bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Her neat personality and inflection from the heart.

Absolutely fascinating and powerful

such a great book, from the scientific information to the personal insight. highly recommend this title for anyone that has or know someone that has had a stroke.

Moved!

Such an incredible story and so well told. I have already recommended this to so many!