Of Two Minds
Got twenty minutes? How about spending it learning something new and, perhaps, life-changing.
TED | Talks | Jill Bolte Taylor: My stroke of insight (video)
Dr. Taylor - a brain scientist with a PhD - found herself, one morning, having a stroke. When she realized what was happening to her, she chose to try and study and remember the experience. The results of this decision are an astonishingly detailed picture of what happens to a person when one side (specifically the left side) of the brain stops functioning.
“How many brain scientists have been able to study the brain from the inside out? I’ve gotten as much out of this experience of losing my left mind as I have in my entire academic career.”
Jill Bolte Taylor
This is probably the most inspiring piece of footage I’ve seen all year. It is powerful, funny, moving, and downright staggering in its implications. It was filmed in February (2008), when neuroanatomist, Jill Bolte Taylor spoke at the TED convention in Monterey, California. (BONUS: The site that hosts this video also hosts tons of other TED speakers. Let me warn you though… TED talks are amazing and addictive!)
Here’s a linked photo of the video here. Just click on the picture below to get there.
I think what impressed me most about watching this video, was the transformation that seemed to occur as Dr. Taylor moved through her story. It seemed to me that she moved from her left brain in the opening to her right brain right in front of our eyes. It was breathtaking, and I would love to meet her one day.
If you are interested in learning more about Dr. Taylor and her story, there’s lots to read, hear, and see. Here are a few links I found. (If you come across anything else about her, I’d love to hear about it!)
Her book: My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey
Click here for the transcript of the above video.
Here is a radio interview with her that was done on April 11, 2008.
And she is scheduled to appear on Oprah on May 6th! (one of the few times I’ve wished I had broadcast television!)
Finally, here is a link to her personal website.
I hope you will be as inspired by her story as I have been. I have, in my own life, been asking for “evidence” that the beliefs I am holding have scientific backing. This talk was an amazingly direct, pointed, and enlightening response to my asking. Thank you!
May 21st, 2008 at 1:59 am
I’ve been recommending “My Stroke of Insight” to everyone I know. It’s the best book I’ve read all year! You can get Jill’s book from Amazon for a good discount.
Here’s the link:
My Stroke of Insight
moderator’s note: Link fixed.
May 21st, 2008 at 2:10 am
Thank you, Dakota. That’s where I bought my copy too.
Have you heard her radio interviews? Wonderful!
May 31st, 2008 at 12:09 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.
May 31st, 2008 at 9:52 am
I felt the same way about the TED.com talk. I don’t have network television where I live, so I have not seen the stuff she’s done with Oprah. Maybe it’ll become available online.
Thank you for commenting, Leon. It’s great to hear from someone who feels as passionate about Dr. Jill and her experience as I do.