Name: My stroke of insight
Uploaded: 2008-03-12T01:10:00Z
Duration: 18 min 24 s
Description: Jill Bolte Taylor got a research opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: She had a massive stroke, and watched as her brain functions -- motion, speech, self-awareness -- shut down one by one. An astonishing story.

Jill Bolte Taylor: My stroke of insight

My stroke of insight

Jill Bolte Taylor got a research opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: She had a massive stroke, and watched as her brain functions -- motion, speech, self-awareness -- shut down one by one. An astonishing story.

After a severe stroke disabled the left side of her brain, a neuroscientist experienced firsthand the split between analytical thought and present-moment awareness. In four hours, she lost motion, speech, and even her sense of self, describing a profound feeling of unity and peace from her right hemisphere. Her recovery took eight years, but the insight remained: humans can consciously choose which side of the brain to engage, unlocking deep inner peace and connection. This story turns a medical crisis into a lesson about the power of present-moment consciousness.