As a Harvard-trained neuroanatomist, Jill Bolte Taylor has always known more about brains than most people. But when a brain hemorrhage triggered her own stroke, she suddenly had a front-row seat on the deterioration of the brain.
Dr. Taylor recounts the details of her stroke and the amazing insights she gained from it in a riveting 18-minute video of her speech at the Technology, Entertainment, Design Conference in Monterey, Calif., last month. Her fascinating lecture includes a detailed explanation of the differences between the left and right sides of the brain, complete with an incredibly cool prop — a real human brain.
On a December morning in 1996, Dr. Taylor woke up with searing pain behind her left eye, the beginnings of a hemorrhagic stroke. As the left side of her brain shut down, she began to feel disconnected from her body and entered an almost-euphoric like state. It took her a while to make sense of the experience, but as her right arm became paralyzed, it dawned on her that she was having a stroke.
“How many brain scientists have the opportunity to study their own brain from the inside out?,” she said. “In the course of four hours, I watched my brain completely deteriorate in its ability to process all information. On the morning of the hemorrhage, I could not walk, talk, read, write or recall any of my life.”
Her account of the experience of stroke is vivid, and at one point, she recalled, she felt like someone had taken a remote control and hit the mute button. “I was shocked to find myself inside a silent mind,” she said.
What is so surprising about Dr. Taylor’s story is that she experienced a sort of euphoria as she was left with only right-brain functions. She lost her sense of self, but she also shed the stress of her life and, as she puts it, “37 years of emotional baggage.”
“Imagine what it would be like to be totally disconnected from your brain chatter,” she said. “I felt a sense of peacefulness.”
Dr. Taylor’s lecture is challenging and thought-provoking, and I’d encourage you to take the time to watch it in its entirety. It took Dr. Taylor eight years to recover from the stroke, but she said she was motivated by a desire to share her experience of stroke and recovery, particularly her increased awareness of the right side of her brain. “I realized what a tremendous gift this experience could be, what a stroke of insight this could be to how we live our lives, and it motivated me to recover,” she said.
To learn more about Dr. Taylor, visit her Web site.
Healthy living doesn't happen at the doctor's office. The road to better health is paved with the small decisions we make every day. It's about the choices we make when we buy groceries, drive our cars and hang out with our kids. Join columnist Tara Parker-Pope as she sifts through medical research and expert opinions for practical advice to help readers take control of their health and live well every day. You can reach Ms. Parker-Pope at 
The easiest and most pleasurable way to eat well is to cook. Recipes for Health offers recipes with an eye towards empowering you to cook healthy meals every day. 
From 1 to 25 of 226 Comments
WOW. Thanks for sharing.
— EmeWhat a fine mind we almost lost. I too had a stroke, minor in comparison, and right side blockage..different but the same in so many ways.
To make request, and or give directions to your body, and have them ingored, and to sing without former (or present talent or bent)..Yes I too returned.
Thank you j. b. Taylor, tears came to my ears, and I speak for those who cannot understand. we are of course our brain, and our body but a carrier supplier. Each of us is a universe unto itself, and if the soul of literature fame exists, this is its dwelling…
— F. CarneyI am a college student who just stumbled upon this video and article and it truly is riveting as the article says! Wow!
— Courtney BlackWhat a great piece to stumble upon. Thank you!
— VivianWhat an incredible gift. The insight into the 2 different types of consciousness residing in distinct hemispheres of the brain begs the question of when and what caused the dominance of individual or left-hemispheric consciousness. It surely was a banishment from Eden and a unity we have to train ourselves to return to via meditation and trance-inducing techniques and drugs. Fascinating, and I’m so glad Dr. Taylor lived to tell the tale.
— Janet PersonsIt is a good thing that Professor Taylor was able to recover from the stroke, apparently with little damage. However, it will be very helpful if the clarification can be made as to whether her stroke was an Ischemic Stroke, caused by a clot which interrupted blood flow to the brain or a Hemorrhagic stroke, caused by a blood leak in the brain resulting from the rupture of a blood vessel. The first paragraph of the article refers to a “blood clot” triggering the stroke. The second paragraph refers to “the beginnings of a hemorrhagic stroke”.
The distinction matters because: (1) treatment of a hemorrhagic stroke differs from that of an ischemic stroke. While aspirin and other anticoagulants are given, or taken by the patient, at the onset of an Ischemic stroke to increase blood flow, this is not done with a hemorrhagic stroke due to the risk of additional bleeding. (2) Hemorrhagic stroke accounts for only 20% of all strokes, but accounts for a larger proportion of deaths than Ischemic stroke. (3) While smoking, hypertension, and high cholesterol are known to be high risk factors for stroke, in general, the excessive intake of salt has been associated with Hemorrhagic stroke. While some debate the closeness of the association, it is clear to many that the Japanese “paradox” provides a good working model. The paradox is that Japan has one of the LOWEST incidences (number of new cases) of heart disease in the world and one of the HIGHEST incidences of cerebrovascular disease (stroke). Japanese researchers have associated the high stroke rate, in part, to salt-laden foods such as miso soup, pickles, soy sauce, etc. It is also worth noting that a higher proportion of Japanese have hemorrhagic stroke than in Western countries.
The key risks of stroke are clear, being: (1) smoking, by which nicotine narrows the arteries and increases blood pressure; (2) high blood pressure, due to too much salt, sugar (supported by research at Georgetown U.), smoking, low potassium intake from food; (3) high cholesterol, which contributes toward the development of fatty deposits that can break off and block blood flow.
If it’s not too personal, it would be very helpful if Professor Taylor could state whether she smokes, has hypertension or high cholesterol. While it is very helpful to learn of her first-person experience with stroke, her information regarding her risk profile could also be helpful to many in avoiding such a first-ever stroke.
From TPP — I don’t know Dr. Taylor’s risk factors. Her website notes that she suffered from a rare form of stroke caused by an arteriovenous malformation in her brain. For more information about this defect click here. I have taken the word clot out of the story because you are right, it does seem to confuse the two different types of stroke. this was hemorrhage but a golf-ball size clot was removed from her brain after the stroke.
— Phil, NebraskaDear Tara,
Thank you for bringing this video to us. It is one of the most beautiful and extraordinary experiences I have had in 61 years.
It verifies a lot of what my father and others have mentioned in their near-death experiences, and it helps us understand that Quantum Physics and String “Theory” are actuality.
I loved that this “scientist” could find the “We” and say to the world, “you can too”, whether it is through Mindfulness, Attention, Meditation etc, it is essential that we get in contact with a full-measure of Ourselves. We have been running on a half-tank of perception, a half-tank of Energy. What a Loss. What a Find!
I would also encourage people to “see” the difference between “brain” and “mind”, as mind seems to be housed through-out our body, and beyond. Let’s learn to “think” in different terms about ourselves, and let’s take a road-map from Jill and other sensitive, wise people who learned this path in other ways, and then go find our right-brain Consciousness to make, and connect to, a better place!
I would love to embed this video on my blog. Can you please tell me where to find the code to do so, Tara?
Best to all — Em
— Emhttp://diabetesdietdialogue.wordpress.com
“Everyone knows someone who needs this information!”(TM)
Trippy.
— StarAbsolutely fascinating… Thank you, Jill!
— John FasoldtWouldn’t it be wonderful if healthy brain scientists would study their own minds through meditation practice? What great insights and marvelous abilities might be developed by starting with an uninjured brain?
— Alan BrushDR TAYLOR IS A GIFTED SPEAKER WHO ALLOWS STROKE PEOPLE, I AM ONE, TO REALIZE THEY OWE THE EARTH MORE OF THEMSELVES, IF ALLOWED TO CONTINUE. I THINK SHE GIVES US THE GO AHEAD TO WORK HARDER AS STROKE SURVIVORS. I REMAIN SO GRATEFUL FOR HER OPTIMISM AND HUMOR.
— CHARLES SULLIVANI had a stroke (a TIA) about a month ago. Fortunately I recovered my functions in about 1 hour. Mine was left side, I was paralysed on the right side and could not speak. I can attest to the feeling of euphoria, I described it at the time as negative pain. I too was not sure what was going on but that something strange but interesting was happening to me.
— Peter ThomasIt seems quite UN-scientific to me, all this spiritual, nirvana introspection. I can’t believe this woman is actually a scientist.
— AntonioThank you so much.
Many years ago, my father died of a massive stroke. The neurologist told the family that my father’s stem area had been affected, and the chances for his recovery–that is to say, something like a normal life–approached zero. With enormous sorrow, but also with the firm conviction that he would not have wanted it any other way, we let him go. In the week that preceded his passing, I often wondered what thoughts my father may have been experiencing. At one point, he indicated a wish for something with which to write. I placed a small piece of cardboard and a pencil in his hands. A man who spoke seven languages, he was now reduced to scribbling something illegible; what we might call squiggles. I still have the card, and still wonder what he was trying to convey to us. Was it a piece of practical business? The combination to the safe? A bill that was due? That would have been typical. Or did he want to tell us that this wasn’t as bad as it seemed; that he was fine, that he was in a great place? I’ll never know. But now I have some idea of the pain, and the hope that my father experienced the insights and pleasures of being disconnected from the the world, as did Dr. Taylor.
— tom“tears came to my ears”
They came to my eyes. I have yet to learn how to stop the left-brain chatter and open to the right-brain Consciousness. I envy those who have.
Thank you so very much for posting this. There are many people with whom I need to share this.
— CarolPseudoscientific garbage!
I bet you she is a motivational speaker who makes a ton of money speaking to corporations!
The brain was a publicity prop.
I am also willing to bet she is not working or publishing in real scientific circles.
From TPP — She’s a professor at Indiana University and she continues to work with the Harvard Brain Tissue Resource Center.
— VictorI can’t believe I heard it: Dr. Taylor described my first “memory,”–from the womb, when “I” was everywhere and nowhere, no boundary, no self, no limits; electrical energy playing, always, everywhere (without a “where” and without sequence, without time, always now and then at once–if “I” have to use words.)
— george sebouhianShe’s giving us a prophetic recounting of her experience of the mystical, universal (non-political) meaning of “Hear, oh Israel, the Lord, thy God, is One.” This is also as clear an explanation of the message of the Buddha as you’re gonna get. This insight she describes is the basis of all religion, without the story telling and mythology. She is presenting what could be the basis for the unification of science and religion.
— T.A.C.What a video! It’s sad that Ms. Taylor went through the trauma of a stroke, but wonderful that she was able to use the experience to gain and communicate such powerful insights.
One of the points she makes is that any of us, at any time, can move into viewing and experiencing the universe from our right hemispheres, i.e., move into a timeless state, free from worry and stress, and let go of the verbal inner chatter. In my drawing classes, I move students through exercises such as contour drawing and drawing negative spaces and shadow shapes, and other approaches designed to help students make what artists call a right brain shift. I’ve noticed time and again that when students, as a group, make the shift into their right hemispheres, away from a linear, logical way of relating to the environment, there’s a tangible feeling in the room of deep relaxation and release from stress and worry. People who have been sitting there tensely trying to focus and draw, partly preoccupied with other things, suddenly are laughing and relaxed and happy. Their inner monologue goes away. They are often surprised and delighted and compare the experience to meditation.
The reality, I think, is that all of us use both hemispheres of the brain all the time. We access our non-verbal right hemispheres when dealing with situations such as driving or swimming or drawing, that involve spatial perception. The inner chatter goes away in these moments (though we may be too preoccupied with driving, for example, to notice it). So it’s easy to make the shift. But most of us are “left brain dominant” in most situations, and tend to snap back into a linear, logical way of relating to the world during other activities. Drawing classes, dance classes, acting classes and similar experiences can teach us how to consciously and awarely make the shift whenever we want to, and benefit people on a level that goes way beyond the tangible benefits of being able to draw, move, emote, etc.
— Nils OsmarNote to Carol, who wrote: “I have yet to learn how to stop the left-brain chatter and open to the right-brain Consciousness. I envy those who have.”
I would recommend taking a drawing class in which the teacher uses so-called right-brain methods, or picking up a copy of Betty Edwards’ book, “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain” and do the exercises in it. As you do them, if you persist with them a little beyond your comfort zone, you’ll make a right brain shift. Once you learn to do it through drawing, you’ll be able to do it in other circumstances as well.
— Nils OsmarThank you for sharing. My father had a TIA stroke March 2007. It affected his right side and came with Parkinson’s Disease like symptoms so that his right leg and hand shake sometimes.
He can still speak and walk with a walker. We recognize that it could have been worse. Faith in God, positive thinking and therapy are essential for some kind of recovery to happen.
We are blessed.
— Linus F DidierTo Victor, who wrote: “Pseudoscientific garbage!
I bet you she is a motivational speaker who makes a ton of money speaking to corporations!
The brain was a publicity prop….”
It is reasonable to label something pseudoscientific if it’s presented as science. But I didn’t hear anything in Ms. Taylor’s presentation to suggest that she was representing her insights as scientific. Rather, she was recounting a personal experience with a strong emotional component. The scientific method has to do with double blind studies of physical phenomena, not emotional states. There’s no way to scientifically verify patients’ accounts of what they experience when they have strokes; that doesn’t mean we can’t learn something interesting from listening to them.
Re: the brain that was brought out on stage being a “publicity prop”, a prop is any object a lecturer or performer uses to illustrate a point in a presentation. Her lecture had to do with the emotions and, perhaps, insights she experienced when one side of her brain was damaged. I don’t see a problem with her using a prop, real or facsimile, to illustrate the nature of the damage.
— Michael JackI am moved. JBT has not only suffered a painful physical disconnect, and recovered; she has also had the intuition and inner sight to comprehend the significant lettings-go of the left brain detailing; then construct (however and whatever parts of her brain she used) a wonderfully theatrical, honest and human experience which I have profoundly empathized with. She shares a secret knowledge of something we don’t fully understand, but do intuit (I believe) in the experiences of serious diseases or injuries. And that secret does indeed, in my opinion, have something to do with knowing we are each and every one an integral part of the universe, its flora & fauna; we are so like each other while being deliciously different. JBT’s recollection and understanding brought me into an euphoria.
— EmmyThank you, Dr. Taylor, for a moving presentation. My wife had an AVM eight years ago in the right hemisphere, spent a year in hospital and inpatient rehab, and has been home with me ever since. Although her recovery has been nowhere as robust as yours (she has significant physical and cognitive disabilities, e.g. no short-term memory function), the experience has given me new insights into the nature of consciousness and identity.
— Dennis SmithWhile there may be something interesting to investigate here, this is also a classic case of a scientist (who is also human) falling into a seemingly rational but basically an emotional trap during a time of fear and anxiety (as in during a stroke). We will have a better explanation of this in the future at the macromolecular level, but I do not find the need to state un-provable assertions and then conduct experiments based on those assumptions. Postings # 18 and & #7 above show us how religious emotionalism can hijack rational thought and encourage gullibility in lay people. What has String Theory got to do with any of this? Does the use of technical jargon without knowing its meaning, equal an educated comment? And by the way, String Theory itself has failed badly on every front, because like theology it has “protected” itself from being disproven by not making any verifiable predictions. It is not a scientific theory in physics, rather just some interesting mathematical games. To quote Wolfgang Pauli (he said this with reference to another discussion) “It is not even wrong”. Prof. Woit at Columbia University, has written a good book discussing String Theory and its failings. This shows how scientists must be extra careful and provide both quality and quantity in data,especially if it involves significant claims.
— Dr Ashok Naraian