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My Stroke of Insight

By: Jill Bolte Taylor
Narrated by: Jill Bolte Taylor
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Publisher's Summary

The international best seller and recommended by medics, patients and the NHS, this is a brain scientist's personal experience of a stroke. It tells of her journey and gives rare insight into human consciousness and its possibilities for all of us.

On the morning of the 10th December 1996, Jill Bolte Taylor, a 37-year-old Harvard-trained brain scientist, experienced a massive stroke when a blood vessel exploded in the left side of her brain.  

A neuroanatomist by profession, she observed her own mind completely deteriorate to the point that she lost the ability to walk, talk, read, write or recall any of her life, all within the space of four hours. As the damaged left side of her brain - the rational, logical, detail and time-oriented side - swung in and out of function, Taylor alternated between two distinct and opposite realities: the euphoric nirvana of the intuitive and emotional right brain, in which she felt a sense of complete well-being and peace, and the logical left brain that realised Jill was having a stroke and enabled her to seek help before she was lost completely. 

In My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey, Taylor brings to light a new perspective on the brain and its capacity for recovery that she gained through the intimate experience of awakening her own injured mind. The journey to recovery took eight years for Jill to feel completely healed. Using her knowledge of how the brain works, her respect for the cells composing her human form, and an amazing mother, Taylor completely repaired her mind and recalibrated her understanding of the world according to the insight gained from her right brain that December morning.

©2008 Jill Bolte Taylor (P)2008 Penguin Audiobooks

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What an insight

Absolutely loved how Ms Taylor managed to deal and could comprehend the crux of life.

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The knowledge behind the experience

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book. It is indeed insightful. Having been through a stroke myself it has helped me with accepting the new me however it is important to note that each stroke is different. My experience has been very different from hers but still it was very interesting to find out about another stroke survivor.

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Amazing first hand account of stroke and recovery as told by a neuroscientist.

Dr Jill Bolte Taylor’s TEDTalk was the first TEDTalk I ever saw many years ago, and it was inspirational back, then, to hear her firsthand account of going through a stroke, and watching the borders of her body dissolve. After a very dear friend of mine had a serious stroke, I remembered Jill’s talk and searched for her and found this book. It was wonderful to be able to hear her speak about her account of her stroke and the process of recovery, and the long arc that it took and not to be disheartened. I can’t recommend this book highly enough I would love to read more of her account and how she puts her understanding Into action. Excellent audiobook!

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Powerful and Inspirational

I had a stroke at 56. knowing no one who had a stroke or even a brain injury, being guided only by the doctor telling me that, once at 6 months post-recovery that was about as good as it gets, it was encouraging to hear that recovery can be on-going. This book is inspirational, encouraging and so many ah-hah moments. Thank you. ❤💫

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Profound and moving

Having studied integrating the brain and ‘crossing the midline’ in the early 1980’s, Dan Siegels’Mind’ around 2016 and just recently listening to Iain McGilchrist videos but having difficulty listening to the Master … it shows I have been curious for a long time. ‘Where is the mind?’ Jill’s lived experience has brought me a deeper understanding that my left brain can accept as truth. Thank you

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Amazing

This is a amazingly well written & read book by the author. Insightful & with a wealth of information of the first hand experience of trauma & how to pay attention to our bodies response to our right & left thinking. A highly intelligent women with a great ability to explain in detail the workings of the brain & the choice to use it for a happier, peaceful & productive life.

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essential reading

such a unique insight into how the brain functions from an insider perspective. Also essential reading for anyone involved in stroke recovery. loved it!

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Could not finish it

Being a medic and having my own recent bleed due to an AVM, but in the cerebellum, I was extremely excited to hear about this book and the opportunity to listen to it. I found it very dry however, and painstakingly slow at various points. I was hoping it to be beneficial to my own recovery, but there was far too much detail directed towards the neuroanatomy side, rather than the human side of the story. Unless you are highly motivated and fascinated by neuroscience, I would think twice about reading this book sorry. I got about two thirds of the way through it, before I just couldn't do it to myself anymore. My apologies to the author as she obviously had great delight in recalling the scientific detail she presented in her book content. Whilst I admire her recovery, if she spent more time on the personal aspect and her struggles, I might have finished it, and many a patient could have drawn benefit from it too.

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Such an incredibly important book.. thank you Jill

Thank you Jill for sharing your incredible understanding and insight into your mind and through you, our own minds and body. I was telling my husband just last week about the duality I have in my mind and your book explains it so well, in the differences between our right and left hemispheres. This and so, so much more. Your experience and understanding of the processes going on is such a gift to us all. Thank you, I am truly grateful and also truly sorry you had to endure such a traumatic experience to get to this understanding and truly amazing gift of insight. Thank you again and again.

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A greater understanding.

As a aneurysm survivor you have made me understand insightly the performance of our brains. Thanks

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