M is for

My Stroke of Insight

I just ordered this book (for under $3 on Amazon.com) on a whim…and I’m so glad I did!  This true story is written by a brain scientist, Jill Bolte Taylor, who suffered from a stroke early in her life.  Throughout the pages, Jill not only discusses her terrifying experience, but also how being an expert on the brain provided her with an uncommon “insider’s perspective” into what was happening to her body.

As a music therapist, I found her story compelling, fascinating, and a good refresher on the basics of what happens biologically, emotionally, physically, and cognitively when a stroke occurs.  The details of the day-to-day struggles that someone with a stroke has to endure provided me with important reminders of what my clients and their families go through…and how I can best serve them in my music therapy sessions.

From her book:

And in that moment my right arm went totally paralyzed by my side. And I realized, “Oh my gosh! I’m having a stroke! I’m having a stroke!” And the next thing my brain says to me is, “Wow! This is so cool. This is so cool. How many brain scientists have the opportunity to study their own brain from the inside out?”

More information can be found on the author’s homepage.

Below is the video of the author, speaking at a Ted Talk in 2008.