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OT: brain scientist has stroke, gets enlightened

Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2008 8:29 pm
by nowtime
Cool vid

she has a stroke and with her scientist's brain she watches, notes and describes losing her mind.

watch through her "setup". It gets really interesting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyyjU8fzEYU

Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2008 9:05 pm
by djsynchro
oh man thank you so much for posting that, it is the most amazing thing i've seen for a long time. i cried - happy tears!

Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2008 9:34 pm
by Machinesworking
Interesting, but typical new age take on things. Talking about getting a bigger perspective on the universe all the while downplaying the importance of getting perspective on your own life. Serious black and white thinking about the importance of the left brain, which is funny because it's in many ways an indication of a lack of right brain activity.

I guess as a musician I always think in terms of developing my left brain, which I feel is lacking, whereas as a scientist she would have to opposite problem. It's just that the west coast of the USA is filled with this sort of pseudo mystical dialogue, so it doesn't do much for in terms of mind expanding because it always draws these odd and severally stilted lines in the sand. "we must get in touch with the right brain!"

I doubt her brother feels that way.

Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2008 9:49 pm
by nowtime
Yeah, there are no "solutions". Religions don't work, "ways" don't work. But there ARE tools that make life more beautiful, less hellish. Gratitude is a good one. Bringing the awareness to the present moment is one. Shifting the awareness to the physical right hemisphere often gets me more present.

Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2008 9:51 pm
by gjm
Machinesworking wrote:Interesting, but typical new age take on things. Talking about getting a bigger perspective on the universe all the while downplaying the importance of getting perspective on your own life. Serious black and white thinking about the importance of the left brain, which is funny because it's in many ways an indication of a lack of right brain activity.

I guess as a musician I always think in terms of developing my left brain, which I feel is lacking, whereas as a scientist she would have to opposite problem. It's just that the west coast of the USA is filled with this sort of pseudo mystical dialogue, so it doesn't do much for in terms of mind expanding because it always draws these odd and severally stilted lines in the sand. "we must get in touch with the right brain!"

I doubt her brother feels that way.
I hear what you are saying. These sorts of experiences lead people to talk about them mystically or religiously. I took it slightly differently though. I think its about being in both sides, or places at the same time. Its when you can seamlessly intergrate all of the logical and linear moment by moment choices, particularly as a muscian, and then blend that ultimately with the freedom from perceptions of time and space, all the while watching it, in control but detached ( :roll: here I go again) that your musical experience can be transformed. Thoughts of world peace aside, finding a 'middle ground' is not going to hurt anyone.

Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2008 11:04 pm
by 3dot...
Amazing .... thanks...

truly inspiring...

we have much to learn about our own existence...

someone said...
the human brain is not capable of understanding the human brain...

I think that maybe in the course of evolution... we WILL rise above ...

anyone who had fucked with his brain a bit knows there is more to the picture than we grasp...

the first thing to do is fight ignorance in this world...

heck...
there are friggin' 'waves' bouncing off the wall.... which u do not see or hear...
your imagination CANNOT grasp yet what else is here...

in the meantime... someones got to pay the rent...

Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 1:45 am
by Jeroen
Thanks for sharing. Could not sleep this night and this was time well spend.

I do not think it is worthwhile discussion the content. The fact is that it is a personal experience described by someone which is quite brave. I think you would feel quite exposed describing the collapse of your brain in front of a big audience.

J

Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 2:48 am
by forge
wow thanks for that

I read about her at wired but that gave it substantially more depth! 8)

Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 3:30 am
by OvertoneZero
'whoa'

Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 1:59 am
by fishmonkey
wow, that was fuckin great!

it's so cool when a full-on scientist bridges the chasm with spirit...

reminds me of Barbara Brennan, a former NASA scientist who does all that energy healing stuff...

btw, i think the essence of her talk is about getting perspective on our own lives, by massively expanding the context, and not getting lost spinning around in circles in our own little puddles of existence... she's trying to shift the balance...

also, she talks about the brain very simply, but of course she understands better than most people that the human brain is wildly complex, in both structure and operation...

mmm... i love those dissociative experiences...

Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 1:27 pm
by Sales Dude McBoob
It was moving to hear her talk about the emotional and physical trauma she endured, but I really don't get the point she's trying to make. If we all live in our right-brain more we can bring about world peace? Or something like that? It's cool and all, but it doesn't really help me in the least.

Getting in touch with the peace of your right brain in the blare of New York City is a tall order. Meanwhile my left brain needs to make sure I'm going to make rent.

She's a good speaker though.

Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 1:44 pm
by forge
actually it's made me start thinking about whether it might be possible to do some kind of targeted meditation where you focus on shutting off the left brain

sure we need it to pay the rent, but we dont need to spend every second of the day paying rent

Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 1:52 pm
by thefool
forge wrote:actually it's made me start thinking about whether it might be possible to do some kind of targeted meditation where you focus on shutting off the left brain
Some animals do that when sleeping (aka they never sleep)
i think i recall that. Sea-creatures. not sure if it was mammals or what it was

Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 1:55 pm
by Sales Dude McBoob
The first link led me to this link...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaSF1gPBKrA&feature=user

This is a concrete idea that could use your energy.

Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 2:56 pm
by Tone Deft
all the videos on www.ted.com blow my mind, that one less than others. interesting to hear about a stroke from a neuro-whatever she is but I think her talk was more driven from a near death catharsis than science, which I guess is to balance out the science talks on that site, some emotion thrown in.

the whole world peace thing made me want to vomit.

www.ted.com <--- great site