John Watson shares media links with me every once in a while. Most links are quick, little bits of interest. They pop up, I go “hrm…” or “haha!” or “I need to share this with the readers!”. Well THIS definitely falls into the last category.
I don’t know why this video had such a huge impact on me this morning. Was it because I had finished listening to James O’Donnell’s recording of the Westminster Cathedral Choir singing Allegri’s “Miserere Mei, Deus” a half a dozen times with the volume set to 11 with my office windows open? Was it because I spent a half hour reviewing images from Sony’s “Shadow of the Colossus” and rolling them around in my imagination, creating a sort of mental movie trailer? Was it because my coffee was too strong? I don’t really know, but as I watch this video I found myself on the verge of tears. It’s like Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor had filled in a handful of missing puzzle pieces in my understanding of how my brain works. This one is going to take some time for me to completely assimilate, but I’ll probably watch this again before I go to bed tonight so my mind can chew away it at overnight.
She speaks fast, so if you’re interested in the brain and have 19 minutes to spare, make sure you watch this video with complete focus (so not at the office). Thank you John!
27. March 2008 at 6:32 pm
Hi Steve,
Thanks for sharing this video with us. I watched it and was captivated the whole time – both my how Jill Bolte Taylor presented her ideas – and the idea itself. It really is amazing how the mind works and how we perceive the world around us and ourselves. It’s definitely worth it to introspect more deeply, rather than constantly be concerned with externalities.
Thanks Again,
Shawn
27. March 2008 at 6:48 pm
As the survivor of four-count-them-four strokes, I don’t envy her for the actual event, but I do envy her ability to stand aside from herself, and observe.
27. March 2008 at 6:58 pm
Sure Shawn! Thanks for visiting. I’ve always had an interest in how the brain works, but I’ve wanted more than the old “Left Brain = Logic & Reasoning and Right Brain = Emotion & Creativity” crap. I was drawn in even WAY before the story turned into a extracorporeal wonderland… but, I even found that part kinda neat. BTW, I hope your forum gets lots of traffic!
Tinker! My brutha! FOUR strokes?! Well, I’m glad you’re still here to type about it and I hope your circulatory system shapes up for you. I was surprised that she could function for 4 hours like that. I always imagined that the onset was more sudden and drastic. I guess it depends on the degree of the stroke.
28. March 2008 at 7:38 am
First impression, her experience sounds very much like being under the influence of certain drugs. Some of her descriptions of interacting with things and people sounds exactly like psychoactive drugs.
Secondly, I hope my left brain dies first when I go.
29. March 2008 at 5:20 am
Interestingly, some of the experiences she describes have been narrowed down even further than one hemisphere. Studies of people undergoing deep meditation show that they manage to suppress brain activity in particular areas. Without these areas, the meditator feels transcendent and indistinguishable from their surroundings. Scientific American has published at least one article on these results, and NPR did a lengthy report on them a year or two ago.
No doubt these effects could be replicated with a well-designed drug (or by a combination of less-designed drugs, meditation, and luck). Perhaps even a targeted EMP could produce the effect for a short time.
The idea of one side of the brain going last at the end is amusing. Would it make the difference between your last thought being an experience of overwhelming peace, or “Oh crap, I have to do the laundry!”
24. May 2008 at 3:17 am
I recommend Amazon as the place to get Jill Bolte Taylor’s book MY STROKE OF INSIGHT because they have a wonderful interview with her on Amazon that offers new content I haven’t seen anywhere else – that link is: http://www.amazon.com/My-Stroke-Insight-Scientists-Personal/dp/0670020745/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211471755&sr=1-2
The book is an absolutely wonderful journey by a brain scientist who suffered a stroke. She recovered fully, back to teaching at Medical School no less (and she gives great tips on how and what to do to recover from a Stroke or help others recover).
Dr Taylor also learned to fully be present in the part of the brain/mind where we experience full inner peace and Nirvana. SHe teaches that too, and that’s why everyone should read this book.
This story is as inspiring as The Last Lecture or Tuesdays with Morrie – and it has a Happy Ending!
24. May 2008 at 4:02 am
Laticia! Thanks for the added info! I will definitely add it to my “to read” list. Cheers!
2. June 2008 at 10:13 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.