I just finished reading "My Stroke of Insight," by Jill Bolte Taylor, PhD. What makes this book special is the spiritual insight it offers. When the author's left hemisphere of her brain was incapacitated by a hemorrhagic stroke, she experienced the spiritual feeling of "oneness" with the universe, feeling no distinction from her body and the rest of the energy molecules around her. In the absense of the judgment of her left mind, she experienced deep internal peace and joy, the "Nirvana" that exists in the consciousness of our right brain. She explained how, at any moment, we can choose to hook into that part of our brain. Meditation is one way, and definitely, a less traumatic way than suffering a stroke.
Taylor learns to reign in the judgment and ego center of her left brain and retain the compassionate feeling of oneness that was her only sensation when the left hemisphere of her brain was impaired. Today, she says, "I choose to observe my environment through the nonjudgmental eyes of my right mind, allowing me to retain my inner joy.... it's really easy to be kind to others when I remember that none of us came into this world with a manual about how to get it all right."|
A fascinating read, added to this site "Recommended Reading" page.
Namaste!
Becca