In my friend Steve March’s blog this morning, he has embedded a video of the talk Jill Bolte Taylor gave last month at the Ted Talks. Jill is a neuro-anatomist who suffered a massive stroke in 1996 and has made a full - perhaps “fuller” would be more apt - recovery.

The next 4 posts are for Local Foragers in Los Angeles. But this post, while a little off-topic, should be read/watched by all. It will give you pause. And remind you of the miraculous duality (body/spirit) of our existence here on earth.

Jill Bolte Taylor, an Indiana University School of Medicine neuroanatomist, gave a fascinating talk at TED in February. (The video is embedded below, here is the direct link).

I've heard a lot of lectures in my life but never one like this. This is neuroanatomist Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor giving a talk on the functional differences between the right and left hemispheres of the brain. She's passionate about her subject as she actually suffered a massive intracranial hemorrhage that trashed her left brain.

In light of the enthusiastic conference response, Jill Bolte Taylor’s talk at TED 2008 has been posted on TED Talks! (see link above.) Sitting in the audience at Aspen, I can attest to the applause and sea of tears that filled the room — matching the wet eyes shown on satellite screen from Monterey.

Neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor suffered a stroke in 1996 from which she took eight years to recover. During the episode she remained lucid and was able to report a mystical experience she had while her left brain hemisphere was disabled by a blood clot.

On this extraordinary talk, brain scientist Jill Bolte Taylor talks about a pure right brain experience she had as the result of a stroke. Her pure right brain experience sounds like what it feels like when I listen to late Beethoven.

Dr. Taylor says the right, creative lobe can be used to foster contentment.But she did it by having a stroke.On Dec. 10, 1996, Dr. Taylor, then 37, woke up in her apartment near Boston with a piercing pain behind her eye. A blood vessel in her brain had popped. Within minutes, her left lobe — the source of ego, analysis, judgment and context — began to fail her. Oddly, it felt great.

I am a frequent visitor to TED - Ideas Worth Spreading and love their video talks and content! You can find amazing videos there on almost any topic and they are usually very valuable resources or just fun to watch for personal interest.