We all sometimes experience moments when we learn surprising facts. We then make an observation that shakes us deeply and causes in our lives just like a division into life before and after that moment. Receiving new knowledge makes us grow. One of those moments for me was when I listened to an enlightening speech by Jill Bolte Taylor, a doctor of neurology at Harvard University.

In addition to talking about the brain and the differences between the right and left brain blocks (he has the right brain on stage) and laughing at the audience, Dr. Bolte Taylor also talks about his own incredible experience.

No matter how I try to summarize the speech, in fact, it is best for you to watch it for yourself.

Dr. Bolte Taylor decided to study neuroanatomy because his brother had schizophrenia  and he wanted to know and understand the differences between a “normal” brain and a mentally ill person like a schizophrenic or a person with bipolar disorder.

One morning he woke up to a strange emotion that turned out to be a stroke.  He has not fully recovered from it in the last eight years. For him, it was an amazing experience. Yes, you read that right…

In a fun and easy way, he clearly explains the symptoms that make it possible to identify the paralysis. She describes her own experience from the moment she woke up and started the morning activities until the moment she was in the shower and felt many strange symptoms such as a change in level of consciousness and sudden confusion, sudden loss of strength in the hands and feet, difficulty speaking, inability to understand what it is said (Jill says her colleague spoke to her, but she only heard “wha wha wha” instead of hearing the words spoken by the colleague correctly). He also experienced loss of vision, severe headache, loss of balance and coordination, and difficulty walking and tingling.

Jill also tells us that while her left hemisphere did not communicate, her level of consciousness changed, she lost her sense of reality and at the same time the right hemisphere alone was active and gave her feelings of peace and happiness… which she calls nirvana. It was such an incredible experience that he decided it was important  to share that mystical and fundamental experience with the  whole world.

After the paralysis, his stress disappeared  and his mind calmed down. He was no longer weighed so much by worries. He was surprised by it and said it was awesome! When the emotional burden of 37 years disappears, it is very liberating!

After Jill recounts her experience, she invites us to be masters of our lives and encourages us  to make our lives easier when we are not accepting commands from the left hemisphere. And we can really do it!

Jill moves us between tears and laughter and makes us reflect on the true purpose of our lives. He reminds us that sometimes we need things in our lives that make us realize how lucky we are.

I can humbly encourage you who have suffered a stroke or know someone who has had a stroke to watch this video and talk to your loved ones about the fear you are experiencing. And  tell your feelings honestly, cry when you feel like it, and lean on a friend’s shoulder.