See video
http://www.ted.com/talks/jill_bolte_taylor_s_powerful_stroke_of_insight
She had a stroke which disabled much of her left brain. It's fascinating to see how the right brain is purely the present, losing sense of self and feeling liquid and at not separable. It's what spiritual seekers strive for.
Two -- Simple Science
p. 19 The hippocampus learns and remembers. When the amygdala is triggered by a threat attention is shifted from the hippocampus toward self-preservation.
The limbic system processes sensory information which has a feeling by the time it reaches the cerebral cortex. ".. biologically we are feeling creatures that think."
Three -- Hemispheric Asymmetries
p. 30 "To the right mind, no time exists other than the present moment ... when everything and everyone are connected as one."
p. 33 The left hemisphere places the judgment of good on the things we like and bad on those we dislike.
p. 34 "Without the right hemispheres' ability to evaluate communication in the context of the bigger picture, the left hemisphere tends to interpret everything literally."
Four --Morning of the Stroke
p. 41 "In place of that constant chatter that had attached me to the details of my life, I felt enfolded by a blanket of tranquil euphoria."
"In this void of higher cognition and details pertaining to my normal life, my consciousness soared into an all-knowingness. a 'being at one' with the universe."
p. 42 "I could no longer clearly discern the physical boundaries of where I began and where I ended."
p. 45 "It was clear to me that this body functioned like a portal through which the energy of who I am can be beamed into three-dimensional external space."
p.46 "I wondered how I could have spenty so many years in this body, in this form of life, and never really understood that I was just visiting here."
Five -- Orchestrating My Rescue
p. 49 "As the hemorrhaging blood interrupted the normal functioning of my left mind, my perception was released from its attachment to categorization and detail ... and my perception was free to shift such that my consciousness could embody the tranquility if my right mind."
Six -- My Return to the Still
p. 61 "...my consciousness ventured unfettered into the peaceful bliss of my right mind"
Seven -- Bare to the Bone
p. 67 ".. my perception of my physical boundaries was no longer limited to where my skin met air.
... I would never be able to squeeze the enormousness of my spirit back inside this tiny cellular matrix.
.. the 'I' whom I had grown up to be had not survived this neurological catastrophe."
p. 67 "On this special day, I learned the meaning of simply 'being'."
p. 69 "... with souls as big as the universe, connected to the energy flow of all that is ... my perception of myself returned to tis natural state of fluidity."
p. 70 "It was impossible for me to distinguish the physical boundaries between objects because everything radiated with similar energy."
".. there was both freedom and challenge for me in recognizing that our perception of the external world, and our relationship to it, is a product of our neurological circuitry. For all these years of my life, I had really been a figment of my own imagination!"
p. 71 "I was simply a being of light radiating life into the world. .. In the absence of my left hemisphere's negative judgment, I perceive myself as perect, whole, and beautiful just the way I was."
Eight -- Neurological Intensive Care
p.77 "When using pictures to navigate my way back into language, it was impossible to go from a general file to a specific detail."
p. 79 "The essence of your energy expands as it blends with the energy around you, and you sense that you are as big as the universe. ... Everything, including the life force you are, radiates pure energy."
Nine -- Day Two: The Morning After
p.82 "I liked knowing I was a fluid. I loved knowing my spirit was at one with the universe and in flow with everything around me. .. I loved the feeling of deep inner peace that flooded the core of my very being."
Eleven -- Healing and Preparing for Surgery
p.99 "Who would have guessed that my left hemisphere needed to be told about color in order for it to register? I found the same to be true to seeing in three dimensions."
Thirteen -- What I Needed the Most
p. 117 "Eventually, I could read one word at a time, attach a meaning to that sound, and then go on to the next word. I think a lot of the problem was that I could not attach one moment to the next or think linearly. As long as every moment existed in isolation, then I could not string ideas or words together."
p. 121 "Paying attention to what emotions feels like in my body has completely shaped my recovery.
... 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."
Fourteen -- Milestones for Recovery
p. 129 "During the eight years of my recovery, my perception of my self finally shifted from that of being a fluid back to that of being a solid. ... I really miss perceiving myself as a fluid. I miss the constant reminder that we are all one."
Fifteen -- My Stroke of Insight
p. 132 " most important, could I retain my newfound sense of connection with the universe in the presence of my left hemisphere's individuality?
"What price would my right hemisphere consciousness have to pay so I could once again be judged as normal?"
p. 133 "The two haves of my brain don't just think and perceive in different ways at a neurological level, but they demonstrate very different values bases upon the types of information they perceive, and thus exhibit very different personalities. 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."
Sixteen -- My Right and Left Minds
p. 140 "In the consciousness of my right mind, we are laced together as the universal tapestry of human potential, and life is good and we are all beautiful -- just the way we are."
p. 142 "My left mind is the tool I use to communicate with the external world...Through the use of brain chatter, it nor only keeps be abreast of my life, but also manifests my identity. Via my left brain language center's ability to say, 'I am,' I become an independent entity separate from the external flow."
p. 143 "our right mind is biologically designed to readily tune in to our physiology.
.. our left mind is biologically adept at identifying separate lines between adjacent entities."
p. 144 " the left brain is doing the best it can with the information it has to work with...I need to be very wary of my storyteller's potential for stirring up drama and trauma."
"The portion of my left mind that I chose not to recover was the part .. that had the potential to be mean, to worry incessantly, or to be verbally abusive to either myself or others."
Seventeen -- Own Your Power
p. 146 "Within 90 seconds .. the chemical component of my anger has completely dissipated. .. if I remain angry it is because I haven chosen to let that circuit continue to run."
p. 147 "I make the choice to either reflect your anger (left brain), or be empathetic and approach you with a compassionate heart (right brain)."
p. 148 "Forgiving others and forgiving myself is always a choice. Seeing this moment as a perfect moment is always a choice."
Eighteen -- Cells and Multidimensional Circuitry
p. 153 "making the decision that internal verbal abuse is not acceptable behavior, is the first step toward finding deep inner peace."
Nineteen -- Finding Your Deep Inner Peace
p. 169 "Purposely relaxing muscles you routinely hold tense can help you release pent up energy and feel better. I'm constantly checking in with the tension in my forehead..."
"I find that using repetitive sound patterns such as a mantra .. is very helpful."
p. 171 "If I had to choose one word to describe the feeling I feel at the core of my right mind, I would have to say joy. My right mind is thrilled to be alive!"
"If you have lost your ability to experience joy, rest assure the circuitry is still there."
"Our desire for peace must be stronger than our attachment to our misery, our ego, or the need to be right. .. Do you want to be right or do you want to be happy?"
p. 174 "The easiest way I have found to humble myself into a state of peaceful grace is through the act of gratitude. When I am simply grateful, life is simply great!?"
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