“When your heart says one thing and your head says another, it is simply a dispute between the different parts of your brain.”
Twenty-five years ago, Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor had a traumatic brain hemorrhage that caused her to lose the functioning of her left hemisphere. Simultaneous to losing her ability to walk, talk, and remember the details of her life, she lived in the blissful state of peace and presence that we access in our right hemisphere. She chronicled her eight year recovery in her bestseller, My Stroke of Insight, and TED Talk, which was the first ever to go viral. Soon after, she received over 300,000 letters asking the same pressing question: How can I find that deep inner peace?
Her response is her latest book, Whole Brain Living, where she explains how intentionally linking the thinking and emotional parts of our brain — which she refers to as our Four Characters — gives us the agency to choose how we feel, think, and live.
The best part? Her strategies work — Fast.
"I can become my anger in an instant. It's a group of cells in my brain...Where do I want to consciously place my energy? Because it's all cells and circuitry...The more we run a circuit, the more power it begins to run on its own...We have so much more power over what's going on inside of our brains than we have ever been taught."
Here's a glimpse of our Four Characters...
Character 1 (Left Thinking): Our achievement-focused, Type A personality.
Character 2 (Left Emotional): The part of our brain that filters our present experiences through our past, often resulting in fear.
Character 3 (Right Emotional): Our fun and creative self.
Character 4 (Right Thinking): The trusting part of us that feels a sense of oneness and connection.
We break down how to bring them together as a team and implement her tools to maintain a state of equilibrium. The "Brain Huddle" was the most impactful for me. Next time you're feeling stressed, bring your attention to all Four Characters. Acknowledge and honor what each is expressing. Then, choose which you'd like to lead the situation. (For reference, "BRAIN" stands for: Breathe, Recognize, Appreciate, Inquire, Navigate.)
I was struck by how effective this practice is, particularly when I found myself using it intuitively. My nerves dissipated in under two minutes, freeing me from lingering anxiety.
"We have the power to choose who and how we want to be in any moment," Dr. Taylor says. With that in mind...
What neural circuits do you want to focus on this week? What actions might help you strengthen those pathways?
Dr.Taylor believes that “peace is just a thought away.” May her work help illuminate our path there.
Wishing you peace,
Jenna