Neuro Note #1

In "My Stroke of Insight", Jill Bolte Taylor explains that her interest in the study of the brain stemmed from having a brother who was diagnosed with schizophrenia. When she contracted a hemorrhage in December of 1996, she found that her brain began to quickly deteriorate like she could have never imagined. She woke up with a horrible pain behind her eye, and tried to go about her day. She quickly realized that her consciousness was altered and that her body seemed alien to her. She realized that there was a big problem when her arm became paralyzed by her side. She desperately tried to call for help even though she was not able to process the telephone numbers, or understand the words that the receiver said when they answered the phone, or even form a cohesive sentence to ask for help. Eventually, an ambulance came and the doctors were able to stabilize her. Later, surgeons removed a hemorrhage the size of a golf ball that was pressing on the language center of her brain. It took her eight years to fully recover.

I chose this Ted Talk as my first neuro note because I thought it was so compelling to hear the story of experiencing a stroke from the perspective of a neuroanatomist. She seemed very aware of what was happening to her during her stroke, even though she could not even function normally. From an occupational therapy perspective, it caused me to realize the level of confusion and fear people who have a stroke experience. I believe that listening to her story has helped me to become more empathetic to individuals who experience strokes. Also, I think it proves the power of a motivating force for the client to keep working hard to reach full recovery.

My Stroke of Insight

Taylor, J. B. (2008). My stroke of insight. [Video file]. Retrieved: from: https://www.ted.com/talks/jill_bolte_

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