I started reading around 8pm today and was so engrossed in it that I had to finish it before I went to bed.
After reading it, I am so touched and moved by it, that I have to pen down my thoughts RIGHT NOW :)
The book is about a Harvard-trained brained scientist, who experienced a massive brain stroke, and how she completely recovered with the help of her amazing mom.
As I read the book - Its fascinating to learn how our brain works - how different our right and left brains are and how we can control them.
I am a person who has bad temper. It is generally like a flash - comes and goes - but when it flashes, its bad :(
The most important thing this book teaches me is how to deal with this.
She says that it takes less than 90 seconds for any of the emotional programs (example: Anger) to be triggered, surge through our body, and then be completely flushed out of our blood stream. If you remain angry after those 90 seconds have passed, then it is because you have CHOSEN to let that circuit (or program) continue to run (in your left brain).
We are unconsciously making choices about how we respond all the time. By choosing to move back into the present moment (right brain), we can allow that reaction (anger) to melt away as fleeting physiology.
The book has more detail about this so I encourage you to read it if you are not clear about what I mentioned above.
Many sentences and/or quotes from this book are worth mentioning here:
"We must be the change we want to see in the world." - Gandhi
"I must be willing to give up what I am in order to become what I will be." - Einstein
FEAR - False Expectations Appearing Real.
Something to ponder - what does it mean to you to be compassionate?
The more attention we pay to the details of how things look, sound, taste, smell, feel against our skin and feel physiologically inside our body, the easier it is for our brain to recreate any moment.
"Enlightenment is not a process of learning, it is a process of unlearning."
Just like children, emotions heal when they are heard and validated.
Responsibility = Response-Ability.
"Peacefulness should be the place we begin rather than the place we try to achieve."
Feeling deep inner peace and sharing kindness is always a choice. Forgiving others and forgiving yourself is always a choice. Seeing this moment as a PERFECT moment is always a choice.
"I must be willing to give up what I am in order to become what I will be." - Einstein
FEAR - False Expectations Appearing Real.
Something to ponder - what does it mean to you to be compassionate?
The more attention we pay to the details of how things look, sound, taste, smell, feel against our skin and feel physiologically inside our body, the easier it is for our brain to recreate any moment.
"Enlightenment is not a process of learning, it is a process of unlearning."
Just like children, emotions heal when they are heard and validated.
Responsibility = Response-Ability.
"Peacefulness should be the place we begin rather than the place we try to achieve."
Feeling deep inner peace and sharing kindness is always a choice. Forgiving others and forgiving yourself is always a choice. Seeing this moment as a PERFECT moment is always a choice.
Honor the healing power of sleep.
Peace is only a thought away, and all we have to do to access it is silence the voice of our dominating left brain.
I like the description below when Jill's mom G.G came to first visit her after she got the stroke:
"I clearly remember the moment G.G came around the corner into my room. She looked me straight in the eye and came right to my bedside. She was gracious and calm, said her hellos to those in the room, and then lifted my sheet and proceeded to crawl into bed with me. She immediately wrapped me up in her arms and I melted into the familiarity of her snuggle. It was an amazing moment in my life. Somehow she understood that I was no longer her Harvard doctor daughter, but instead I was now her infant again. She says she did what any mother would have done. But I'm not so sure. Having been born to my mother was truly my first and greatest blessing. Being born to her a second time has been my greatest fortune. I felt perfectly content all wrapped up in my mother's love."
Scientific Facts:
Majority of the neurons in your brain today are as old as you are because they do not multiply (for the most part) after we are born.
The human nervous system is a wonderfully dynamic entity composed of an estimated one trillion cells.
The typical adult human body is composed of approximately fifty trillion cells.
We humans share 99.4% of our total DNA sequences with the chimpanzee.
As members of the same human species, you and I share all but 0.01% of identical genetic sequences. It is obvious that 0.01% accounts for a significant difference in how we look, think and behave.
| Left Brain | Right Brain |
| Head telling us to do one thing | Heart telling us to do the exact opposite |
| What we think | What we feel |
| Mind consciousness | Body’s instinctive consciousness |
| Small ego mind | Capital ego mind |
| Small self | Inner or authentic self |
| Work mind | Vacation mind |
| Researcher mind | Diplomatic mind |
| Masculine mind | Feminine mind |
| Yang consciousness | Ying consciousness |
| Sensing mind | Intuitive mind |
| Judging mind | Perceiving mind |
WARNING SIGNS OF STROKE (which is a medical emergency):
S = SPEECH, or any problems with language
T = TINGLING, or any numbness in the body
R = REMEMBER, or any problems with memory
O = OFF BALANCE, problems with coordination
K = KILLER HEADACHE
E = EYES, or any problems with vision.
My suggestion - Read this book!!!!
~S~
PS: This book is the #1 Science book of 2008 as per the Amazon.com's Best of 2008: Science list.
13 comments:
A very good synopsis ... yes an important book for all of us to read.
Finally an academic writing out of the right mind.
Seems like a very fascinating book..with the rite mix of emotions n facts. Will try to read it soon.
n a well-written review :)
Interesting!
will have to get hand on this book...
Looks quite interesting ... Will have to get a hold of the book, especially if it talks about some sort of anger management techniques ;-) lol ... Yup I too suffer from the same short temper syndrome :) ...
@Andy - yes i agree :)
@Pavi - Thank you. You will enjoy reading this book :)
@KP - Please do so.
@Samy - Its will be a little difficult to practice this technique but once you get it, it will be good for ST people like us :)
Hi...Thanks for dropping by my blog: Dancing For Beginners.I like your write up about the book you've just finished..the brain is an amzing organ and still we know so little about it...(or is that just me?)...anyway,as an artist I'm told that it's not unusual to be left handed...thus giving rise to the saying that left handed people are the only people who are in their right minds!
Hi Niall, Thank you for dropping by :).
I'm left handed (right brained?) and an engineer (left brained?) - so confusing.
You are right - we know so VERY LITTLE about the brain.
That was the most fascinating thing to me about this book - it presents scientific facts and theory on how the brain works and does it from a layman point of view.
My friend Andy is from UK and just corrected me on pronouncing "Derby" as "Darby" :)
very well written synopsis. However what was the author's conclusion at the end of the book?
On a side note a person being left brained or right brained is not related to dominant hand of an individual. It is absolutely dependent upon how an individual dominates day-to-day activities.
For example Einstein is dominant left brained since his approach was more logical while a painter is more right brained who works on his perception (works on whole)
Unfortunately most ppl are not trained to use their right brain since in school emphasis is given on left brain.
Great ppl like Einstein, Bill Gates etc never studied much or paid attention in school and were free to explore their mind structure which led them to the path they are right now.
Last but not the least, this very well written synopsis comes from left brain and not right becuase it is analysis from what you read :).
Keep blogging.
PS - I liked Einstein quote the "best"
Thank you Shubh :)
I agree with you (and the book also says) that left handed people are not necessary right brained and vice versa.
I saw a video today in which the speaker quoted Picasso's saying - "All children are born artists. The problem is to remain an artist as we grow up :)
You are right - Education makes most of us more left-brained and takes away much of the creativity from us.
Sounds like a real interesting read.
Love the header in your blog :)
The quote about validating emotions and then letting go made a lot of sense.
Cheers
Preeti Shenoy (Just a mother of two)
Hi Preeti,
Thank you for dropping by. The picture in the header is one of my favorites:)
This book is the #1 Science book of 2008 as per the Amazon.com's Best of 2008: Science list.
I totally recommend it.
hey, lovely insights. i m first time here, and i loved ur blog. wud try to pick up the book too! cya
Thank you Jagjit. Enjoy!
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