Responses

1. Amayrani, Post Watching the Ted Talk about strokes actually hit close to home because my mother had a stroke a year ago. When the speaker was talking about her symptoms the morning of the stroke, they were very similar to those of my mother’s. I think it is crazy that it took the speaker 8 years to completely recover and my mom has only gone through 1 year of recovery. Thus, I found this Ted Talk very interesting because I never really asked my mother what she experienced during her stroke, in particular the way the speaker did. Listening to the speaker’s experience is kind of scary, to understand that you’re going through a stroke and at the same time trying to get help. Towards the end of the Ted Talk the speaker explains how she felt her soul leave her body and basically give up only to wake up and realize that she has found “Nirvana“ and understand that she has had an out of body experience. I like the idea that you could find inner peace, joy, and compassion by digging deep into your right hemisphere and changing the way you think. I would like to be able to have an experience comparable to “ a great whale gliding through the sea of silent euphoria”.

2. Rosemary Post

Listening to the Ted talk made me realize that having a stroke is life-changing. My uncle and great-aunt had a stroke some years ago, and I honestly don’t know what they went through, but listening to this lady talk about her experience made me think my uncle and auntie probably experienced the same thing. My mom told me that my uncle lost feeling in the right side of his body. I don’t really know precisely what my aunt went through, but I know she wasn’t the same after it happened. My uncle & great-aunt was probably in the hospital for a couple of days. I genuinely feel for the lady because a person having a stroke is scary cause it’s a possibility that they make not come back to normal, and some people can remain paralyzed. This Ted Talk helped me understand what others experience when having a stroke and what signs to look out for if it was to happen when I’m around anyone.

3. D’gienne Post

I never imagined the overwhelming emotions and thoughts of my grandfather when he begun to go through the processes from the start to end in having a stroke. I thought so immaturely and ashamedly, until now, that stroke might not have happened in a blink of an eye or painless. After watching the Ted Talk video, it made me realize how much of a reality stroke would appear randomly, catching you off guard, and also made me educated to the facts of learning through the effects of stroke in the brain causing your body to react

and paralyzed. Now I know why my grandfather’s state was like that, now I know how the shutting down of my left hemisphere resulted equivalent to that of a baby, and now I know that with great motivation, recovery will be in sight. On a positive note, when she talks about the feeling of nirvana and euphoria from her right hemisphere, I thought “I want to experience that too,” I knew the circumstances but I envisioned what will it be like to feel no stress, no worries, no anxiety about the world, the people, and your specific condition. I agreed to one of her last statements about her sharing her story might make a step in making the world better, thinking of all great things and the beauty of the world.

4. Lheyra Post

When beginning this video, I was not aware of how much the message of this video would affect me. When I think about having a stroke, no positive thoughts run through my head. But the way that Jill put her own experience into words, makes me think how much these experiences can change your life for the better. Nonetheless, it would be very scary to go through this and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. Jill also talks about the differences in roles between the left and right hemispheres of the brain and how they are responsible for different aspects of thought. The right hemisphere absorbs the present moment, how everything feels, looks, sounds, smells, etc. and just is in the moment. In contrast, the left hemisphere is responsible for the little voice in your head rationalizing the past and the future. Jill had a hemorrhage in her left hemisphere which kind of forced her into her right. This led to the feelings she described as “silent euphoria” and “nirvana.” She was able to get away from the rational thoughts in her brain and feel at peace. This then leads to her main point and message that she is trying to spread. We as humans should come together more and feel one with each other and not as though we’re one against everybody else. Overall, it was amazing to see how she took this life-changing piece of advice from a terrible experience and is using it to spread this message.

5. Sarah S. Post

This Ted Talk was pretty crazy! It was very ironic to see an actual brain scientist/specialist get to explain what it’s like to have a stroke. The fact that she was so familiar with the human brain and able to actually piece together what was going on in her body was amazing. That being said, I cannot believe that it has taken her 8 years to recover. My fiance’s mother recently

had a small stroke. I did not know exactly what happens in the body, so to hear this doctor’s account was riveting for me. I also liked how she compared her brother’s schizophrenia and the disconnection with reality to what was happening to her during the stroke; how she talked about feeling no sense of personal boundary in the space and energy around her and also feeling a sense of peace and no stress. I like how she used this experience to choose how she wants to “be” in her own life. It is also pretty crazy to me that a hemmorhage in your brain can cause so many issues, like the fact that she could process some information, but couldn’t get her body to cooperate, especially with reading and spoken language. I immediately thought of her Weirnicke’s and Broca’s areas of the brain. I am so happy to see that she has recovered and also that she was able to share this experience. I enjoyed this Ted Talk.

6. Abigail’s Post

I thoroughly enjoyed the Ted Talk video about strokes. Personally, I worked in a busy neurology practice for 3 years as a medical assistant and so it was very common for us to see multiple patients in a day that had suffered from a stroke. Similarly, we also would have a number of calls a day of patients concerned that they may be experiencing the warning signs of a stroke. Having worked in the medical field for almost 10 years now, it is definitely always intriguing to me to learn more about the diseases and conditions the patients I see everyday may be suffering from. This video was certainly enlightening as to what the patient may experience in their time of need and illustrates the importance of early detection for a stroke. Furthermore, the way Jill speaks about her personal experience with a stroke and embracing the loss of her rational thought almost takes away some of the negative connotation typically associated with a stroke. While I would never wish anyone to have to experience what she did, a feeling of helplessness as your body is shutting down, it is awe-inspiring the amount of positivity she brings to her story. Personally, I have many issues shying away from the rationality of the left side of my brain. Even in a situation such as this, I do not believe I would be able to possess the same calmness nor the same ability to seek out assistance that Jill had.

7. Sarah W. Post

Learning about this experience and what it’s like to have a stroke was very eye-opening for me. I’ve never heard about what it’s like to actually be the

person having the stroke and not from the outside. I’ve also only ever heard about the recovery from a stroke but never the life change that could happen during a stroke. To actually experience your right and left hemispheres acting on their own and not working together was so interesting to learn about. The fact that she was able to function for so long and slowly feel herself lose control of her body and brain was something breathtaking to listen to. The speaker showed such a euphoric and out-of-body experience that you could never imagine experiencing, the world would look so different if the world was able to truly experience its right hemisphere.

8. Stephen’s Post

It was incredibly profound the way Dr. Taylor described her stroke experience. I didn’t expect someone to explain it with vivid detail down to the molecular level. With Dr. Taylor’s background in neuroscience, I think she was able to convey the symptoms in a way that made a potentially life altering brain hemorrhage seem euphoric and exciting. I have a grandparent who suffered an ischemic stroke and before her stroke she worked as a nurse, she did not describe her condition in any fashion similar to Dr. Taylor. I thought initially that Dr. Taylor would draw more correlation between her brother’s schizophrenia and the causation relative to brain attacks. I enjoyed her presentation of the left and right hemispheres of the brain, and bringing the brain of a cadaver reeled me into the story. Honestly, she lost me at the end with the idea of tapping into some type of euphoric state, without abnormalities in brain function or some type of narcotic I believe no one has the physical ability to intentionally enter that level of cognition. However, I understand the message about being happier, more peaceful and loving human beings. I would’ve been surprised to see some connection between her brother’s condition and her own besides being her motivation for studying the brain.

9. Cadence’s Post

I was really moved by the story told by Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor. The idea that total peace could be that easy is hard for our minds to comprehend. I also like that she brought up that we essentially have two minds that work together. Our compassionate and artistic right side and our methodical and logical left side. Separate, they work as individuals. But held together by the corpus callosum, they work together to make up our personalities, how we think, and how we respond to different situations. It was interesting to hear

what she experienced when she had her stroke. The idea that language sounded like a “golden retriever” is fascinating and realizing just how important each part of the brain is to our regular function and activities of daily living was extremely eye-opening. It was really interesting to hear the symptoms of a stroke and what some stroke victims go through when they experience their stroke.

10. Manushaque’s Post

Hello Everyone,

I listened to the Ted Talk very carefully and I am thrilled how Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor described all the situation that she had experienced in details. According to her experience, she knew that she was having a stroke and she was still fighting to get some help. I think this is amazing but scary at the same time. It is scary when you know the symptoms of a stroke, anything can happen at that moment, and probably you do not have the help you need. Dr. Jill also explains how her soul left her body, it sounded painful to me but she realized that she found “Nirvana” when she woke up . I am glad that she recovered and now she is sharing her experience in a positive way. Overall, all her speech was very emotional, I enjoyed it.

Fortunately, I have never experienced a stroke case on my close family members but not longer that 3 months ago, my aunt’s husband had a severe stroke where he got paralysed in the face and is having trouble with his speech. Also, being in the medical field for a few years now, I have seen people experiencing a stroke. Today, I had a patient who was complaining of dizziness all the time, blood pressure was high, had difficulty understanding and talking, ended up not responding so the patient had to be sent immediately to the hospital. I acted fast because this were signs of a stroke. I think, with all the experience that I have and what I have studied, I am able to notice signs of a stroke.

Lastly, I totally agree that having a stroke is a life-changing condition. First of all, it takes time to recover and secondly, it may change your life because of having a long-term disability.