I wanted to share one of my favourite TED talks by, brain scientist Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, where she shares her incredible experiences following a left-sided stroke.
In her TED, Taylor discusses the differences between our brains right and left hemispheres. The right-side of our brains being all about the present moment, the here and now. Through the consciousness of our right hemisphere, we are energy beings connected to the energy all around us. We are connected to everything and in this moment, we are perfect, whole and beautiful.
The left hemisphere is very different – it thinks linearly and methodically, it is all about the past and the future. It is designed to pick out details about the present moment, categorize it and associate it with everything we have learned in the past, it then projects into the future all the possibilities. The left hemisphere is the ongoing chatter and little voice that reminds you when you have to do your laundry, get dressed or brush your teeth. Most importantly, it is the little voice that says, “I am.” The minute the left hemisphere says “I am,” we become separate from the energy flow around us and the people around us – this is the side of the brain that Jill Bolte Taylor had her stroke in.
The experiences that she had following the stroke with the left-side of her brain on pause were absolutely amazing. She found deep peace, connection, and nirvana through the right-side of her brain – she became one with the universe. Her powerful message is that through our right hemisphere we are the life force power of the universe, we have the power to choose moment by moment, who and how we want to be in the world and we can choose to be one with all that is. Or, we can choose to live through our left hemisphere, where we become a single individual who is separate from the universe, but the choice is ours and ours alone.
Do yourself a favour and check out the TED talk here.
In Taylors book, My Stroke of Insight (which I also highly recommend), she talks about how she could see and feel the energy of those who cared for her, she said:
The Emergency Room was just a hustling beehive of energy coming at me. That (energy) was all I had, this precious little reservoir of energy. Hospitals should be about conserving a person’s energy and not taking it away. Doctors bring me themselves. I ask that they bring their hope and energy because that was all I had. I teach 1st Year Medical Students and I teach them to walk in conscious, showing up for patients 100%. Take responsibility for the energy you bring me. Soften your brow and don’t bring your bad energy into this room. My right hemisphere could so perceive those people who were there to help me and those who were going through the motions. I learned that there are two kinds of people on the planet: people who bring you energy, and people who take your energy away.
Again, the choice is ours!
Blessings
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