Understanding the Human Brain: An Inside Perspective

Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, a neuroanatomist, emphasizes understanding the brain's four distinct characters for personal empowerment and a fulfilled life.

### Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor: Understanding the Four Characters of Your Brain
* 🧠  Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, a neuroanatomist and author, emphasizes the importance of **understanding the different parts of the brain** to gain more control over one's thoughts and behaviors.
* 🧭  The human brain consists of four distinct groups of cells that contribute to specific skill sets and personalities: **left thinking**, **left emotional**, **right emotional**, and **right thinking**.
* 🧘  Recognizing these four characters within oneself and others provides a **powerful tool to navigate** one's internal world.
* 🧪  Dr. Taylor's interest in studying the brain was sparked by her brother's schizophrenia, which led her to explore how the brain **shapes our perception of reality**.
* 🧠  After experiencing a stroke that shut down her left hemisphere, Dr. Taylor gained a **profound appreciation for the depth and richness of emotions**.
* 💪  It took her **eight years to make a full recovery**, during which she learned to **integrate the strengths of both hemispheres** while living as a **"collective democracy" inside her head**.
* 🌍  By fostering a healthy relationship with all parts of oneself and striving for a "**whole brain life**," individuals can transform their experience and engage with the world in a **more positive way**.

- Nothing brings me more joy than helping people better understand the tool they have to live their life on purpose. We have this magnificent brain, and it has different predictable parts, and the better we get to know those different parts, then we have more power over who and how we wanna be in any moment. The brain does not have to be such a mystery. We can actually understand it, differentiate ourselves, and then behave in ways that bring us less anxiety and more peace. It thrills me. I love brains. I am Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor. I'm a neuroanatomist, and the author of My Stroke of Insight, and Whole Brain Living. I'm a neuroanatomist. I study the anatomy of the brain, so I can visualize in my brain the circuits of how all the information comes in in order for me to be able to have a perception of reality. When we look at the human brain, it has emotional tissue in the right hemisphere.

and the left hemisphere, and it has thinking tissue
in both the right hemisphere and in the left hemisphere. So we end up with these four
very specific groups of cells, modules of cells, that result in very specific skill sets, resulting in very specific personalities that we all exhibit. So we have left thinking that
is structured and organized, and it's what we call our
rational thinking brain. It categorizes and organizes, it has language,
the ability to create sound, and then another group of cells places meaning on top of that. I know when I'm being analytical
and I'm being structured and organized, and I'm planning
things for the future, or I'm counting one plus one equals two- I know that that's my left
thinking portion of my brain. The left emotional part of our brain has miraculously stepped out of the present-moment consciousness and given us the ability to
remember things from our past or to project ideas into the future.

Now, with that, I can create an individuation as well as the linearity across time. And now because I have linearity across time, I can learn from my past experiences. The right emotional part of my brain is then, 'How does it feel to be in my body in the present moment?' What does it feel like when I dive into the water and I feel the pressure push against my body? What does it feel like to feel water as wet? I'm not on the clock. I'm lost in the flow. I've got this excitement, and I have a level of curiosity. And then my right thinking tissue is simply the consciousness of me, big as the Universe, connected to all that is. And this immense sense of gratitude that I exist at all. Oh my gosh, I'm alive! We are living creatures made up of these magnificent cells. And there's an awe and a wonder, and this deep sense of gratitude.

Once you start realizing the four different
characters inside of yourself and being able to
recognize those in others, you can't not see it anymore. And once you understand it, it's like, I have so much more power
over what's going on inside of my brain than anybody
ever taught me. Wow! It's beautiful. So I grew up to study the brain because I have a brother who's diagnosed with a brain disorder, schizophrenia. So my focus was on, how does our brain create
our perception of reality? Because my brother's perception of reality was so different from mine. And so I was teaching and performing research
at Harvard Medical School, and at the age of 37,
I woke up one morning and I had a major hemorrhage happening in the left hemisphere of my brain. My brain says, 'Oh my
gosh, I'm having a stroke. I'm having a stroke!' And then another part of my brain is saying,
'Wow, this is so cool.

I'm having a stroke! How many brain scientists had the opportunity to
study their own brain from the inside out like this? And then when I awoke
later that afternoon, the left hemisphere was
completely shut down. I no longer had me, the individual. I didn't know where I
began and where I ended. Jill Bolte Taylor died that day. And I was literally laying in this bed, and felt like a ton of
lead in the present moment. And when you're in the
right here, right now, and you have this expansive openness, big as the Universe
experience, then you see how everything is interrelated and energetically impacted. So I still had those portions
of my brain functioning, but me, the individual, I was gone. And we really had no idea
even following surgery what I would get back or if I would have any ability
to have any recognition or recollection of the identity
that I had had for 37 years.

So what the stroke gave me was this new introduction to the depth of these emotions. However, my sadness, my grief. Grief is a whole body, whole envelopment, and it takes you to your knees, and it takes you to the floor, and it just floods with this incredible emotion, and 'Wow, I feel this because I loved, this is the beauty of being alive!' But it's not designed to be a lifestyle; it's designed to be information that I can then learn from and hold onto, and find meaning in my world. The emotions, the power of the emotions are so beautiful, so rich, so everything, that without 'em, we would be one plus one equals two, and who really cares? It took eight years for me to completely recover all function. I knew that I had completely recovered when that organizational part of me came back online and said, Now I wanna be the boss again. And the rest of my brain went, We are so glad you're back.

because we need your skill sets to be a functional human
being in our society. But no, we are not gonna
live based on the values of the left hemisphere. We are now gonna live as a
collective democracy inside of our own head. I have to have that
left hemisphere in order to be a functional human being. But even though my ego center
is in my left hemisphere, my left hemisphere is not who I am. I am a left hemisphere
and a right hemisphere. If we are hooked into the emotional part of our left hemisphere that
says, I don't like that, it's not familiar, I don't
feel safe, that clamps me down and I become constricted. And I can fuel that by
sharing those biases with those whom I am familiar with, then we all become more constricted, we all become more rigid. We all become more we versus they. Yet, we have the capacity
to say, I am a part

of a magnificent collective whole in relationship to a magnificent world. And as we engage with the
world in a healthier way, the world becomes healthier. We have the capacity to understand and have a healthy relationship with all the different
parts of who we are. And when we look at the anatomy
of the brain, when we get that streamlined activity
between the two thinking parts of our brain, the two
emotional parts of our brain, and we're having a whole brain
life, wow, things change. I think the first thing we
need to do is be willing and open to explore what's
going on inside of our own head. Get to know who you are. Get to know your four characters. Get to know how they engage in your life, who they have relationships with, how they feel inside of your body. How much time do you want to spend in each of these four different parts? Once you know that, then you
can create a negotiation.

And to me, that's personal freedom. To be able to know I have
the power to choose moment by moment who and how I wanna be, regardless of my external circumstance. And it's a wonderful,
wonderful way of being.

Expand your perception. Change your life. | Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor

Big Think is the leading source of expert-driven, actionable, educational content -- with thousands of videos, featuring experts ranging from Bill Clinton to Bill Nye, we help you get smarter, faster. Get actionable lessons from the world’s greatest thinkers & doers. Our experts are either disrupting or leading their respective fields. We aim to help you explore the big ideas and core skills that define knowledge in the 21st century, so you can apply them to the questions and challenges in your own life. Other Frequent contributors include Michio Kaku & Neil DeGrasse Tyson.

Head to bigthink.com for a multitude of articles just as informative and satisfying as our videos. New articles posted daily on a range of intellectual topics. ​Join Big Think+ to gain access to an immense library of content. It features insight from many of the most celebrated and intelligent individuals in the world today.

   - Subscribe for daily videos.
   - Business inquiries and fan suggestions welcome.

Big Think

Understanding the Brain's Different Parts

Jill Bolte Taylor, a neuroanatomist, explains the brain's predictable parts and how understanding them can give us more control over our behavior.

The human brain has emotional and thinking tissue in both the right and left hemispheres, resulting in specific skill sets and personalities.

The left hemisphere is responsible for structured thinking and organization, while the left emotional part allows us to remember the past and imagine the future.

The speaker describes the different aspects of her experience, including emotional, sensory, and thinking processes.

She emphasizes the importance of recognizing these aspects in oneself and others.

Her personal journey, from studying the brain to experiencing a hemorrhage, has led her to a profound sense of gratitude for life.

Jill Bolte Taylor's Profound Experience of Stroke and Recovery

Jill Bolte Taylor experienced a rare opportunity to study her own brain from the inside out during a stroke, leading to the temporary loss of her left hemisphere and sense of self.

It took her eight years to fully recover all brain functions, during which she gained a new understanding and appreciation for emotions and the beauty of being alive.

The stroke gave her a profound insight into the human experience, the power of emotions, and the importance of finding meaning in life.

Embracing the Dualities of the Human Brain

The left hemisphere is essential for functioning in society, but it does not define our true identity.

Being open to the different parts of our brain allows for a healthier relationship with ourselves and the world.

Exploring and understanding the four characters within our own head is the first step towards creating a balanced internal negotiation.

Personal freedom allows for the power to choose one's own path, regardless of external circumstances.

This mindset offers a wonderful way of being, enabling individuals to determine who they want to be in each moment.