Mind/Body

Jill Bolte Taylor is a brain scientist who had a severe stroke in the left hemisphere of her brain. She wrote about her experience in the book, “My Stroke of Insight”.

The scientist in her got to watch in fascination as the impact of the stroke made itself known. What surprised her the most was the profound sense of peace and euphoria she experienced. Instead of feeling panic or fear, she was surprised to find herself immersed in a state of bliss and tranquility. She felt a deep sense of unity with the universe and a release from the worries and stresses because the left part of her brain that managed all that was no longer online. Please note that the left brain/right brain dichotomy turns out to maybe be a vast oversimplification of things. So please don’t get too hung up about that. What is important to note here is that there are in fact areas of the brain that do focus on one function or the other.

And it turned out to be an incredible gift for her to spend time focused on areas of her brain that she had not up to that point. She explored higher states of awareness and found spiritual transcendence.. The section of her brain that kept track of boundaries was impacted so she no longer felt physically separate from the world. Her clear cut boundaries of where she ended of and the rest of the world began were no longer there. This led her to a profound sense of unity and connection with the world. The planning part of her brain was gone so she got to live fully in the present moment. She became acutely aware of the fleeting nature of time and the importance of appreciating the present. The experience deepened her understanding of compassion and the importance of forgiving oneself and others. She learned to embrace a more forgiving and empathetic perspective on life.

Compassion and Forgiveness: Interconnectedness healing power of the mind

And when you really feel it all the way, then the thing that wants to happen, organicity, just flows. Back to that now.