JBT X STROKE OF INSIGHT X “A journey from brain trauma to self‑discovery — learning to live with awareness, balance, and connection.

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Here are some bullet-gist quotes summarising key ideas from the video Jill Bolte Taylor — “The 4 Characters Running Your Mind”:

• “There are four distinct modules in your brain — two in each hemisphere — and each corresponds to a different ‘character’ of you.” (batgap.com)

• “When the left hemisphere (thinking & organising) shut down during my stroke, I lost my sense of ‘me’ — and I flowed into the right hemisphere-character of pure presence.” (batgap.com)

• “The left side of the brain defines the boundaries of where we begin and end — that’s our ego centre.” (batgap.com)

• “The evolution of humanity, neuro-anatomically, is to have all four of your brain-characters communicating and collaborating.” (batgap.com)

• “You can choose what part of your brain to use — and you can get unstuck from reactive loops by shifting to a different character.” (Podcasts - Your Podcast Transcripts)

• “Over-thinking physically damages your brain… and you can reverse that by learning to shift out of thinking into being.” (Podcasts - Your Podcast Transcripts)

• “Emotions only last about 90 seconds unless you feed them — you don’t have to stay stuck in the loop.” (Podcasts - Your Podcast Transcripts)

If you like, I can pull 10 full direct quotes (with attribution and timestamp) from the video for you.

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Good idea! Here are some chapter-gist bullet quotes / insights from My Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor, based on chapter summaries:

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📘 Chapter-by-Chapter Gist & Key Quotes

• Chapter 1 (Pre-Stroke Life)

  • Jill describes her life before the stroke: a brain scientist, confident, busy, rational — living mostly in her left-hemisphere world.

  • “We are life-force power … with two cognitive minds.” (newcreate.org)

• Chapter 2 (Simple Science)

  • Explanation of the two brain hemispheres and how they process information differently. (SuperSummary)

  • The left hemisphere: linear, logical, language-based, time-aware. (jackmartinleith.com)

  • The right hemisphere: intuitive, holistic, sensing the present moment. (urbandharma.org)

• Chapter 3 (Hemispheric Asymmetries / Silent Mind)

  • During her stroke, her left hemisphere went offline, silencing her internal “chatter.” (15minutes.ai)

  • She experienced a shift into her right-brain consciousness — perceiving herself as “fluid” and deeply connected. (15minutes.ai)

  • “I am an energy being connected to the energy all around me.” (希平方- 五次間隔學習法，有效快速，英文聽說讀寫一次學到好！)

• Chapters 4–6 (The Stroke & Rescue)

  • She describes waking up with a headache, gradual loss of control, and internal observation of her body failing. (SuperSummary)

  • She recognises the stroke creeping in, yet her awareness remains strangely peaceful. (SuperSummary)

  • She contacts help, battles brain fog, pain, and confusion — and begins her journey toward recovery. (SuperSummary)

• Chapters 7–9 (Hospital / Acute Recovery)

  • Her left-brain damage leaves her feeling timeless, euphoric, and deeply empathetic; she feels one with others. (SuperSummary)

  • She struggles with the chaotic, demanding hospital environment, preferring gentle and caring people. (SuperSummary)

  • Her language and logic are impaired, but her emotional, sensory world is rich and alive. (gistfist.com)

• Chapters 10–11 (Family, Healing, and Surgery)

  • Her mother becomes her primary caregiver, helping her relearn basic concepts, movement, and identity. (SuperSummary)

  • They prepare for brain surgery to remove a clot and repair her damaged left hemisphere. (SuperSummary)

• Chapters 12–14 (Recovery Milestones)

  • Jill celebrates small wins: relearning music, walking, communication, puzzles. (SuperSummary)

  • She realises she learns best via imitation and repetition — “monkey-see, monkey-do.” (SuperSummary)

  • She slowly rebuilds her sense of self, integrating fragmented functions. (SuperSummary)

• Chapters 15–17 (My Stroke of Insight / My Minds)

  • She reflects on how this experience has changed her worldview: she wants to live “whole-brain.” (SuperSummary)

  • Chapter 16 (“My Right and Left Minds”): she describes the four “characters” (left-thinking, left-emotion, right-emotion, right-thinking) and the importance of balance. (SuperSummary)

  • She emphasises compassion, connection, and using both hemispheres, not letting one dominate. (SuperSummary)

• Chapters 18–20 (Tools & Insights for Life)

  • She introduces her “whining time”: allowing negative thoughts (the “peanut gallery”) 90 seconds, then consciously letting them go. (SuperSummary)

  • She urges readers to choose which “character” they want to run: left vs right, thinking vs being. (newcreate.org)

  • Ultimately: tending the garden of your mind through mindfulness, awareness, and whole-brain living. (SuperSummary)

• Overarching Themes / Insights

  • Dual Awareness: We have “two interpenetrating awarenesses” via our hemispheres. (SuperSummary)

  • Power of Choice: We can choose which part of our brain to work from — moment to moment. (newcreate.org)

  • Connection: When in right-brain mode, we feel interconnected, not separate; when in left-brain mode, we re-establish self as a distinct entity. (Hidden in Plain Sight)

  • Neuroplasticity & Recovery: Even after severe brain trauma, the brain can heal, relearn, and re-integrate. (SuperSummary)

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If you like, I can pull out 10 powerful direct quotes (with page numbers) from the book — do you want that?

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Here are 10 powerful direct quotes from My Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor:

1. “I need to remember, however, that there are enormous gaps between what I know and what I think I know. … I need to be very wary of my storyteller’s potential for stirring up drama and trauma.” (quotesoverflow.com)

2. “Yelling louder does not help me understand you any better! … Be a safe place for me. See that I am a wounded animal, … I am in here. Come find me.” (quotesoverflow.com)

3. “An attitude of gratitude goes a long way when it comes to physical and emotional healing.” (quotesoverflow.com)

4. “Although … there are certain limbic system (emotional) programs that can be triggered automatically, it takes less than 90 seconds for one of these programs … to be completely flushed out of our bloodstream.” (quotesoverflow.com)

5. “Our cells stimulate our pain receptors … Once my brain acknowledges the existence of the pain, … either lightens up in intensity, or goes away.” (quotesoverflow.com)

6. “If I am not persistent with my desire to think about other things … then those uninvited loops … can begin monopolising my mind again.” (quotesoverflow.com)

7. “Fortunately, how we choose to be today is not predetermined by how we were yesterday … You and you alone choose moment by moment who and how you want to be in the world.” (quotesoverflow.com)

8. “The healthiest way I know how to move through an emotion … is to surrender completely … let it run its course for 90 seconds.” (quotesoverflow.com)

9. “Just like children, emotions heal when they are heard and validated.” (quotesoverflow.com)

10. “What a wonderful gift this stroke has been in permitting me to pick and choose who and how I want to be in the world.” (markham.bibliocommons.com)

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