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!