If you lost your mind, would you want it back? My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey is an account of a bizarre and ironic story of a brain scientist who witnessed her own stroke and analyzed her recovery. Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, a Harvard-trained neuroanatomist who researched severe mental illness and worked on behalf of the National Alliance for Mental Illness, suffered a massive stroke when a blood vessel in the left hemisphere of her brain exploded. She was unable to walk, talk, perform simple skills or recall memories of her own identity. The brain chatter silenced.

She became intimately acquainted with the personalities of the two hemispheres. Belonging in the pictorial and kinesthetic cosmos of the "Now", the euphoric nirvana of her right brain threatened to trump any motivation to reclaim herself. She experienced inner peace. The affected left brain responsible for past, future, and filing information including details, was reborn and rejuvenated over a span of eight years.

Dr. Taylor recreates her stroke experience and chronicles her comeback. In the process, a unique first-hand understanding of the very organ in which she specializes has blessed her with a story she is compelled to share. The brain's power of choice far surpasses previous conceptualization. As Jill healed, she was able to choose which personality traits to "own" and which to leave behind along with painful baggage.  Jill refused meanness, a short temper, and other unbecoming characteristics.  She chose a more balanced brain.

Jill's mother, her angelic caregiver, models an empathetic approach and techniques for assisting the stricken.  Reading My Stroke of Insight inspires self appraisal and a desire to get to know our miraculous brain as the key to individual well-being and collective societal health. 

Visit Dr. Taylor's website at  http://www.mystrokeofinsight.com/index.html Please share your stories or comments.