Key Takeaways
Categories
Jill Bolte Taylor
My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey by Jill Bolte Taylor
The Rabbit Hole is written by Blas Moros. To support, sign up for the newsletter, become a patron, and/or join The Latticework. Original Design by Thilo Konzok.
- Warning signs of STROKE - Speech, Tingling, Remember (lack of memory), Off balance, Killer headache, Eyes (problem with vision)
- The two hemispheres of our brain work synergistically in order to mesh together two different perceptions of the world. The right side exists only in the present and the border between yourself and the world is "softer" on this side, is more creative and is where joy is experienced, no inhibitions; left side is more organized, linear, detail oriented, divides time, it lives to weave facts and details into a story, is your ego center and is where that "voice in your head" stems from, determines our likes and dislikes, is the judge of everything
- She came to understand that her body functioned like a portal through which the energy of who she was was beamed into a 3D external space. "I wondered how I could have spent so many years in this body, in this form of life, and never really understood that I was just visiting here."
- Without the judgmental left hemisphere, she was able to perceive herself as the perfect, whole and beautiful being that she was
- I paid very close attention to how energy dynamics affected me. I realized that some people brought me energy while others took it away
- "It still blows my mind (so to speak) that I could not see color until I was told that color was a tool I could use...the same thing was true for seeing in three dimensions."
- One of the greatest lessons I learned was how to feel the physical component of emotion. Joy was a feeling in my body. peace was a feeling in my body...and most remarkably, I learned that I had the power to choose whether to hook into a feeling and prolong its presence in my body, or just let it quickly flow right out of me...Paying attention to what emotions feel like in my body has completely shaped my recovery...Nothing external to me had the power to take away my peace of heart and mind. That was completely up to me. I may not be in total control of what happens to my life, but I certainly am in charge of how I choose to perceive my experience.
- "My stroke of insight is that at the core of my right hemisphere consciousness is a character that is directly connected to my feeling of deep inner peace. It is completely committed to the expression of peace, love, joy and compassion in the world"
- You have the power to respond or not respond to any situation. Anything can trigger your anger response or whatever but after that it is your decision if you keep "hooking into this neurocircuitry" or not
- Take responsibility for what you attract into your life
- There has been nothing more powerful than realizing that I don't have to think thoughts that bring me pain
- Seeing this moment, any moment, as a perfect moment is always a choice
- When I become conscious of what cognitive loops my brain is running, I then focus on how these loops feel physiologically inside my body. Do I feel alert? Does my chest feel tight? etc.
- Paying attention to your own self-talk is vitally important for our mental health
- Be harshly honest with yourself - how your mind and body are feeling and do not be ashamed or try to resist it. If you're tired sleep, if you're anxious, ask yourself why and address it
- Step one to experiencing inner peace is the willingness to be present in the right here, right now
What I got out of it
- Dr. Taylor speaks often about shutting down when she felt people were "energy vampires" or were too loud or anxious. I truly believe that everybody subconsciously registers all this and might be why we instinctively like and dislike certain people. Our subconscious tendencies such as facial expressions, body language, nervous ticks or energy, etc. can have a huge effect on how we are perceived and liked by others