Jill Bolte Taylor has mesmerized the world of brain researchers with the story of her own stroke. She’s a neuroscientist herself, and had the extraordinary chance to be both researcher and her own research subject when the left side of her brain was severely damaged by a blood clot the size of a golf ball in December, 1996. She was forced to rely only on the emotional, sensory-oriented right side, and in the process discovered nirvana.

It took her eight years to recover, and now she is an advocate for brain research and recovery. Viking this month is publishing her memoirs, “My Stroke of Insight,” which she self-published a few years ago after her experience.

You can hear her describe that experience here in a lecture she gave at the Technology, Entertainment, Design Conference in Monterey, Calif., in February.

And here is her own web site.

The beauty of her perspective is that she straddles the scientific and the mystical. She takes us one step closer to understanding how it’s possible to control our own happiness by living more on the right side of the brain.

And, oh yes, she also sings.

What do you think of her lecture?

This entry was posted on Friday, May 30th, 2008 at 8:15 am and is filed under strokes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.