My Stroke of Insight

My Stroke of Insight
Author: Jill Bolte Taylor
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 220
Release: 2008-05-12
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1101213973

"Transformative...[Taylor's] experience...will shatter [your] own perception of the world."—ABC News The astonishing New York Times bestseller that chronicles how a brain scientist's own stroke led to enlightenment On December 10, 1996, Jill Bolte Taylor, a thirty-seven- year-old Harvard-trained brain scientist experienced a massive stroke in the left hemisphere of her brain. As she observed her mind deteriorate to the point that she could not walk, talk, read, write, or recall any of her life-all within four hours-Taylor alternated between the euphoria of the intuitive and kinesthetic right brain, in which she felt a sense of complete well-being and peace, and the logical, sequential left brain, which recognized she was having a stroke and enabled her to seek help before she was completely lost. It would take her eight years to fully recover. For Taylor, her stroke was a blessing and a revelation. It taught her that by "stepping to the right" of our left brains, we can uncover feelings of well-being that are often sidelined by "brain chatter." Reaching wide audiences through her talk at the Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) conference and her appearance on Oprah's online Soul Series, Taylor provides a valuable recovery guide for those touched by brain injury and an inspiring testimony that inner peace is accessible to anyone.

Left Brain - Right Brain Differences

Left Brain - Right Brain Differences
Author: James F. Iaccino
Publisher: Psychology Press
Total Pages: 296
Release: 2014-03-05
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1317781341

This volume integrates past clinical findings with the latest research on cerebral asymmetry in order to identify why humans process information in different ways. A must for anyone who wants to understand human cognitive nature further, specifically the reasons why we are "wired" a certain way and whether these cortical circuits are flexible enough to be altered, this book presents the most up-to-date information on hemispheric differences within normal and clinical populations. Its focus on sex, handedness, and developmental differences is critical to the derivation of a better perspective on how future research should be conducted in this expanding science. Iaccino begins by explaining basic brain structures and types of cognitive styles assigned to each hemisphere. He then details studies involving various clinical populations -- psychophysiological, split-brain, dyslexic, and psychotic -- to support the claim that the two hemispheres are different, morphologically and functionally speaking. Applying this clinical research to the more normal population, the author uncovers striking cortical variations between the sexes and between the handedness groups, along with developmental changes which occur as a function of time. Finally, he provides a detailed summary of the previous chapters and highlights where asymmetrical research may be headed in the future.

The Master and His Emissary

The Master and His Emissary
Author: Iain McGilchrist
Publisher: Yale University Press
Total Pages: 615
Release: 2019-03-26
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 0300245920

A new edition of the bestselling classic – published with a special introduction to mark its 10th anniversary This pioneering account sets out to understand the structure of the human brain – the place where mind meets matter. Until recently, the left hemisphere of our brain has been seen as the ‘rational’ side, the superior partner to the right. But is this distinction true? Drawing on a vast body of experimental research, Iain McGilchrist argues while our left brain makes for a wonderful servant, it is a very poor master. As he shows, it is the right side which is the more reliable and insightful. Without it, our world would be mechanistic – stripped of depth, colour and value.

Discovering the Brain

Discovering the Brain
Author: National Academy of Sciences
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 195
Release: 1992-01-01
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0309045290

The brain ... There is no other part of the human anatomy that is so intriguing. How does it develop and function and why does it sometimes, tragically, degenerate? The answers are complex. In Discovering the Brain, science writer Sandra Ackerman cuts through the complexity to bring this vital topic to the public. The 1990s were declared the "Decade of the Brain" by former President Bush, and the neuroscience community responded with a host of new investigations and conferences. Discovering the Brain is based on the Institute of Medicine conference, Decade of the Brain: Frontiers in Neuroscience and Brain Research. Discovering the Brain is a "field guide" to the brainâ€"an easy-to-read discussion of the brain's physical structure and where functions such as language and music appreciation lie. Ackerman examines: How electrical and chemical signals are conveyed in the brain. The mechanisms by which we see, hear, think, and pay attentionâ€"and how a "gut feeling" actually originates in the brain. Learning and memory retention, including parallels to computer memory and what they might tell us about our own mental capacity. Development of the brain throughout the life span, with a look at the aging brain. Ackerman provides an enlightening chapter on the connection between the brain's physical condition and various mental disorders and notes what progress can realistically be made toward the prevention and treatment of stroke and other ailments. Finally, she explores the potential for major advances during the "Decade of the Brain," with a look at medical imaging techniquesâ€"what various technologies can and cannot tell usâ€"and how the public and private sectors can contribute to continued advances in neuroscience. This highly readable volume will provide the public and policymakersâ€"and many scientists as wellâ€"with a helpful guide to understanding the many discoveries that are sure to be announced throughout the "Decade of the Brain."

Top Brain, Bottom Brain

Top Brain, Bottom Brain
Author: Stephen Michael Kosslyn
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 208
Release: 2015-03-31
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1451645112

One of the world's leading neuroscientists teams up with an accomplished writer to debunk the popular left-brain/right-brain theory and offer an exciting new way of thinking about our minds. The second edition, with expanded practical applications, highlights how readers can harness the theory to succeed in their own lives. For the past fifty years, popular culture has led us to believe in the left-brain vs. right-brain theory of personality types. Right-brain people, we've been told, are artistic, intuitive, and thoughtful, while left-brain people tend to be more analytical, logical, and objective. It would be an illuminating theory if it did not have one major drawback: It is simply not supported by science. Dr. Stephen M. Kosslyn, who Steven Pinker calls "one of the world's great cognitive neuroscientists," explains with cowriter G. Wayne Miller an exciting new theory of the brain. Presenting extensive research in an inviting and accessible way, Kosslyn and Miller describe how the human brain uses patterns of thought that can be identified and understood through four modes of thinking: Mover, Perceiver, Stimulator, and Adaptor. These ways of thinking and behaving shape your personality, and with the scientifically developed test provided in the book, you'll quickly be able to determine which mode best defines your own usual style. Once you've identified your usual mode of thought, the practical applications are limitless, from how you work with others when you conduct business, to your personal relationships, to your voyage of self-discovery.

Strategies for Creative Problem Solving

Strategies for Creative Problem Solving
Author: H. Scott Fogler
Publisher: Pearson College Division
Total Pages: 300
Release: 2008
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9780130082794

This book provides a framework to hone and polish any person's creative problem-solving skills.

Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain

Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain
Author: Betty Edwards
Publisher: Tarcher
Total Pages: 292
Release: 1989
Genre: Art
ISBN:

Presents a set of basic exercises designed to release creative potential and tap into the special abilities of the brain's right hemisphere.

Raising a Left-Brain Child in a Right-Brain World

Raising a Left-Brain Child in a Right-Brain World
Author: Katharine Beals
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
Total Pages: 242
Release: 2009-09-29
Genre: Family & Relationships
ISBN: 0834822849

Empowering advice for parents of bright, quirky, socially awkward kids—an educator’s clarion call to better understand, appreciate, and nurture our “left-brainers” Does your child: • Have impressive intellectual abilities but seem puzzled by ordinary interactions with other children? • Have deep, all-absorbing interests or seemingly encyclopedic knowledge of certain subjects? • Bring home mediocre report cards, or seem disengaged at school, despite his or her obvious intelligence? If you answered “yes” to these questions, this book is for you. Author Katharine Beals uses the term “left-brain” to describe a type of child whose talents and inclinations lean heavily toward the logical, linear, analytical, and introverted side of the human psyche, as opposed to the “right brain,” a term often associated with our emotional, holistic, intuitive, and extroverted side. Drawing on her research and interviews with parents and children, Beals helps parents to discover if they are raising a left-brain child, and she offers practical strategies for nurturing and supporting this type of child at school and at home. Beals also advises parents in how best to advocate for their children in today’s schools, which can be baffled by and unsupportive of left-brain learning styles.

A Whole New Mind

A Whole New Mind
Author: Daniel H. Pink
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 305
Release: 2006-03-07
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1101157909

New York Times Bestseller An exciting--and encouraging--exploration of creativity from the author of When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing The future belongs to a different kind of person with a different kind of mind: artists, inventors, storytellers-creative and holistic "right-brain" thinkers whose abilities mark the fault line between who gets ahead and who doesn't. Drawing on research from around the world, Pink (author of To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Motivating Others) outlines the six fundamentally human abilities that are absolute essentials for professional success and personal fulfillment--and reveals how to master them. A Whole New Mind takes readers to a daring new place, and a provocative and necessary new way of thinking about a future that's already here.