Feisty Side of Fifty/Baby Boomer Women

I have had the great fortune of interviewing some truly amazing women on Feisty Side of Fifty Radio, but my most recent guest was inspiring in a way that few can match. Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor was leading a successful life by any standards. She holds a Ph.D. and, as a neuroanatomist (expert on brain structure), worked as a teacher and researcher at Harvard’s Laboratory for Structural Neuroscience. That is until December 10, 1996 when, at the age of thirty-seven, Dr. Taylor experienced a life-altering event. The brain scientist suffered a rare form of stroke that caused a severe hemorrhage in the left hemisphere of her brain. It changed her life and, believe it or not, it changed it for the better.

It took eight long years of concentrated work and effort to regain all of her brain functions. The patient and loving care of her mother brought her through the first critical stages of recovery. Her mother’s instincts were right but some of her other caregivers weren’t so in-tuned to her needs, so Dr. Taylor writes about how best to care for a stroke patient in her book, My Stroke of Insight. She also writes of her stroke from the unique perspective of being a neuroscientist.

As the stroke affected her left hemisphere where language, sequencing, and ego reside, Dr. Taylor chronicles how these parts of her personality began to leave her as her right brain took over. The logical left-brain gave way to the intuitive right hemisphere where she experienced inner peace, nirvana, and a sense of wholeness with the universe and all of life.

My Stroke of Insight, puts the emphasis on insight. Dr. Taylor writes how her perception shifted as she began to treasure the gifts of her right brain. As she recovered, Dr. Taylor made a conscious decision not to bring back parts of her former self. She realized that feelings such as anger, sadness, resentment, and stress made her body feel bad and she wanted no part of them.  Due to her training and the insight she gained through her stroke, Dr. Taylor noted that these uncomfortable emotions were merely connections in her brain–repeating circuitries she no longer desired to attend to. Therefore, she simply shifted her focus.

And, yes, we can all choose to monitor and master what runs through our minds! Please take fifteen minutes and listen to this inspiring interview with Dr. Taylor. You’ll find out about the 90-second rule and many other fascinating aspects of our amazing brains and nervous system. I promise, this will be fifteen minutes of your time that will change your life. As women over fifty, we’ve seen and heard a lot, but Dr. Taylor’s story is truly one of a kind—PREPARE TO BE INSPIRED!

July 7th, 2009 | Tags: attitude, baby boomer blogs, baby boomer women, Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, Feisty Side of Fifty Radio, friendships, healthy aging, inspiration, Mary Eileen Williams, mature women, My Stroke of Inspiration, older women, over 50 women, over fifty women, sharing stories, wisdom, women 50+, women fifty plus, women over 50, women over fifty | Category: Inspiring Each Other | Subscribe to comments | Leave a comment | Trackback URL