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.

Thank you for that. Jill Bolte Taylor's My Stroke of Insight is one of the most incredible stories I've heard in a long time. Her TEDTalk video blew my mind wide open to new possibilities. On the one hand, there's what she went through and how she emerged from it. On the other hand, there's what she can teach all of us.
I saw the 4 part Oprah interview on Oprah dot com Soul Series and I did learn a lot from that, but I'd like to find our more of how to do what Dr. Taylor did, without having a stroke of course!
Thin how many of us are living too much in the head, and not the heart. And of course, you can't get more left brain than a Harvard Brain Scientist. Isn't it ironic that she should be the one to have the stroke and transform from the quintessential left brainer into this ""seen the light"" disciple of finding inner peace?
I hope this movement keeps going. Maybe there will be My Stroke of Insight classes where we can practice what Jill Bolte Taylor is preaching.

Douglas:

Thanks so much for your time and thoughts!

I love the idea of My Stroke of Insight classes -- let me think about how we might just do that!

Certainly -- there is no need to have a stroke! In fact, once I'm back from vacation, I will finally do the Part 2 to this article to talk about how, in fact, there is no guarantee that one would have the same experience even if one had a left-hemisphere stroke.

So I suggest we use her experience as metaphor to encourage us to move in the direction of greater connection with each other, more connection with each moment we are experiencing, and less living in our pasts and futures.

To connect with our hearts, as you suggest, is a great start. There are some articles here on that topic under Heart Intelligence.

Please stay tuned -- and thanks again for your comment.