We love stories that inspire us, tales of heroism and miracles. Over the years many of us have heard the story of the neuroscientist, who at age 37 was an expert in the workings of the brain when she experienced a stroke. She had a perspective few of us could have because she understood in detail what was happening to her as she lived it.
That dear one, Jill Bolte Taylor, recovered brilliantly and was able to write a book, My Stroke of Insight[1], and tell us a miraculous tale.
This person lost much major functioning—walking, talking, eating and much more—and was able over many years’ time to regain her health and to live a full, able-bodied life.
In the book our star tells us that early in the healing process her physician had predicted whatever she could not regain in six months would be gone forever. Ha! In living this amazing adventure Jill continued to reclaim function after more than 10 years from her brain event!
Toward the end of the book Ms. Taylor articulated some of her attitudes and methods which she discovered as part of this remarkable recovery. Of note, many of these formulations are extremely similar to the ways of living often recommended in this blog[2].
- Appreciate and feel gratitude as much as possible through the day.
- Applaud and underscore every positive step of progress.
- Surround yourself with supportive individuals whose presence soothe and nourish you.
- Get plenty of sleep.
- Pay attention to your flow of energy, rest frequently and as you need it.
- Relish your senses. Enjoy and feel into the sensuous details of being in your body.
- Take charge of what thoughts you think and which emotions flow in your being.
Acknowledge that observing these suggestions will take practice. In her state of damaged brain our heroine felt acutely the effects of various forms of negative thinking. To heal, J realized she could choose what ran in her brain, and she steered toward uplifting thinking as a key strategy. Jill applied it both for recovery and then to increase enjoyment of life as a fully functioning being!
Walking for a moment on Taylor’s path we are inspired to pause and appreciate our sensual experiences with more depth and presence. These ways of being, healing and growing represented essential components to facilitate this miraculous recovery.
If these tools worked well for someone in such need, imagine how each of us can accelerate our growth when already experiencing aa state of relatively greater well-being.
Have stories of recovery you want to share? Want to experiment with these tools and report back? Please comment. We humans are so awesome in what we can do!
[1] Taylor, Jill Bolte, My Stroke of Insight, (New York: Penguin Group, 2008)
[2] Taylor, Jill Bolte, My Stroke of Insight, (New York: Penguin Group, 2008)