Jill Bolte Taylor on Oprah – A Spiritual Stroke of Insight

The Harvard-trained neuroanatomist – Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor – shares with us her experience on living without the Ego. The brain scientist had a stroke in 1996 and suffered a severe hemorrhage in the left hemisphere of her brain. The left side of the brain is responsible for our ability to speak and analyze, and is also where our Ego exists. This means that she completely lost her Ego during this experience. She watched her own mind completely deteriorate, but she also had a spiritual awakening. Her fascinating story is covered in the book ”My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey”.

(Don’t miss the inspiring video further down where Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor’s talks with Oprah about her amazing experience.)

The book ”My Stroke of Insight” by Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor

In the book “My Stroke of Insight”, the author Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor shares her amazing personal story on how it is to live without the Ego.

Her experience came about in 1996 after having a stroke in the left hemisphere of the brain; the part of the brain that controls our speech and the ability to analyze. The left part of the brain is also where our Ego exists. Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor had to watch her mind completely deteriorate, but at the same time something amazing happened; she had a spiritual awakening and lost her Ego!

Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor is a Harvard-trained neuroanatomist and had to re-learn everything from the beginning. It took her about 8 years to fully recover. After her recovery she began to give talks about her memory of the stroke, which resulted in a massive interest worldwide. She wrote the book “My Stroke of Insight” that became a New York Times bestseller in 2008. Her story was covered on Youtube, iTunes, TED.com, and also on Oprah’s Soul Series webcast and Satellite radio show.

Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor’s unique perspective has inspired millions of people worldwide to live more in the present moment, without being controlled by the Ego. This book is a real eye opener!

If you get a copy of “My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey”, make sure you come back and share your thoughts and views about the book.

VIDEO – Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor on Oprah

Watch the video below, where Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor shares her fascinating story with Oprah.

Summary – Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor on Oprah

Jill Bolte Taylor: “Take responsibility for the energy that you bring to me“. Due to her stroke, Jill Bolte Taylor was now constantly living in the present moment and the energy was all she could perceive.

Oprah: “You can not continue to move forward in your life – to the level that you need to be if you are surrounded by energy that brings you down; that sucks the life force from you. You are not only responsible for the energy that you bring, you are also responsible for the energy that you surround yourself with.”

Jill Bolte Taylor’s stroke left her with NO EGO. She was now living in the PRESENT MOMENT, without thinking of the past and worrying about the future (the Ego’s work). The good news is that you don’t need a stroke to separate yourself from the Ego. As you quiet your mind and live in the present moment, you will become aware that you are not your thoughts; you are life itself.

For more inspiration on how to let go of your Ego, and how to bring consciousness to every moment, we highly recommend you to check out Oprah’s web classes on “A New Earth” with Eckhart Tolle. You will learn how to let go of your Ego – your negative thought patterns and “pain body” – and get happy again!