Stroke of Insight by Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor

This week I'm reading "Stroke of Insight," by Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, a Harvard trained neuroanatomist and advocate for the mentally ill who had a massive stroke in her left hemisphere when she was 37. In her book, she explains how the brain works, and tells of the hours and days immediately following her stroke, and her years of working through to complete recovery.

As a Christian I don't accept her spiritual, "oneness with the universe," insight (right brain) that she discovered during her "wound" to the brain which shut down her left brain, however, there are many helpful insights on brain function and recovery that are worth reading. Like this one, which applies for any illness or grief:

"Recovery was a decision I had to make a million times a day."

And for her, even moreso, because in her right brain she had found a peaceful tranquility and bliss with no cognitive function.

You can see an 18 minute presentation by Dr. Taylor on TED.