My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey

My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey is a memoir and scientific exploration of stroke and the human brain by neuroscientist Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor. Published in 2008, Taylor’s work is a personal memoir detailing her experience of having a stroke, the following major brain surgery, and her years-long healing process. It is also a scientific and educational resource for people interested in brain function, the causes and consequences of strokes, and the competing interests and abilities of the right and left hemispheres of our brains. Taylor’s mission in writing her book is to share her “stroke of insight”: that inner peace, joy, and compassion are right hemisphere phenomena that we can all experience more often by actively changing our thought patterns. This SuperSummary guide will refer to the Kindle edition of this book.

Summary

In Taylor’s Introduction and first chapter she explains the progression of her career as a successful neuroscientist, which came to an abrupt halt when, at the age of 37, she suffered a hemorrhagic stroke. In addition to providing a detailed documentation of her experience of surviving and healing from her stroke, Taylor informs the reader that she hopes her work will be a source of important information and inspiration for stroke survivors and their families. In Chapters 2 and 3, Taylor provides the reader with a basic scientific background on the human brain, focusing on its two hemispheres and the corpus callosum, which helps the two sides of the brain work in synchrony. Taylor provides a brief overview of the history of research into the right and left hemispheres and demonstrates how the right hemisphere is responsible for big-picture thinking, interpreting tone and body language, and generating empathy, among other skills. The left hemisphere, meanwhile, excels at linear thinking, logic, math, and maintaining our brain’s “ego center” and brain chatter, or inner monologue.

In Chapters 4, 5, and 6, the author relays her experience of having a stroke as she wakes up one morning. She describes how at first, unaware of her headaches' severe causes, she ignores her symptoms and exercises and shower as usual. Once her headache and eye pain become extremely painful and she suddenly loses the use of her right arm, Taylor realizes she is having a stroke and needs to seek help urgently. The author paints a step-by-step picture of how she battles to overcome her brain fog, fatigue, pain and feelings of euphoria to remember how to call her work colleagues for help. She manages to call her colleague Steve and her doctor, who help her reach the hospital.

In Chapters 7, 8, and 9, Taylor is in the hospital, recovering from her stroke and awaiting her doctors’ treatment plan. Because her left hemisphere has been severely damaged by her stroke, her right hemisphere is now dominant, resulting in her feeling euphoric, timeless, and especially empathetic and aware of others’ energies. The overwhelming and sometimes chaotic nature of urgent medical care irritates Taylor, and she rejects the help of staff who are demanding and abrupt. She appreciates carers who are gentle, direct, and inclusive, even though with her brain trauma, she does not always understand the exact meaning of their verbal communication.

In Chapters 10 and 11, Taylor struggles to remember the concept of “mother,” and in particular her own, before her mother, G.G., arrives at the hospital. Her mother understands that she should not try to engage with Taylor intellectually and instead gives her nurturing care as if Taylor were an infant again. Taylor and her mother learn that in order to have the best chances of long-term survival, Taylor will need to undergo a surgery to remove a large blood clot from her brain’s left hemisphere and repair the arteriovenous malformation that caused her stroke. Taylor returns home to rest and prepare for her surgery, with her mother acting as her main caregiver. G.G. helps Taylor relearn some of her mobility and knowledge of some basic concepts while also allowing her to rest.

In Chapters 12, 13, and 14, Taylor details how she and her mother take a determined and positive approach to her recovery, always celebrating each small milestone and valuing what she can, rather than cannot, do. The author shares that she learns best by imitating basic behaviors in “monkey-see, monkey-do” tasks, and being exposed to forgotten things, such as certain foods or music.

After weeks of convalescing and rehabilitating, Taylor undergoes her surgery, which is successful. While her left hemisphere requires significant healing , Taylor understands that she is a stroke survivor and believes that she will be able to recover. Once she is released to live at home, Taylor continues to sleep long hours and works with her mother on a variety of tasks, such as puzzles, music, driving, walking, and communicating. She is motivated by setting goals, such as giving speeches at professional conferences and visiting friends independently. Taylor explains that in the years following her stroke, she decides to move back to her home state of Indiana, where she begins to accept teaching assignments at the University of Indiana.

In Chapters 15, 16, and 17, the author delves into how her personality and approach to life have changed due to her new experiences with the functions of her brain’s right and left hemispheres. She contrasts her old self with her new post-stroke worldview, noting that her right hemisphere allows her to tap into nirvana and approach others with compassion and understanding. She posits that this revelation is the major “stroke of insight” she received through her experience of stroke and recovery. She laments that many people underuse this aspect of their brain and allow their left brain to become overly dominant, resulting in negative, critical, and anxious thought patterns that can run automatically if left unchecked. Taylor hopes that her work inspires people to become more balanced in their thinking and to actively “tend the garden” of their own minds.

In Chapter 18, Taylor shares her own tools for guiding her thoughts to overcome negative thoughts that unnecessarily worry her. These include creating scheduled “whining” time, where she lets her mind vent and then redirects it, and actively observing and questioning thoughts that are critical of herself and others.

In the final chapters of her book, Taylor reiterates her commitment to “tending the garden” of her own mind, practicing mindfulness, and ensuring that she does not fall into involuntary patterns of negative thoughts. She also shares her hopes that people who read her book, whether they are stroke survivors or not, find her work a source of inspiration and a reminder to practice balanced-brain thinking by using their present and compassionate right hemispheres as much as their more linear and rational left hemispheres.