Book SummaryWhole Brain Living, by Jill Bolte Taylor

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of Whole Brain Living

When neuroscientist Jill Bolte Taylor suffered a stroke on the left side of her brain, her life as she knew it dissolved as she lost access to cognitive functions such as her language skills, memories, and ability to reason. When only the right side of her brain was functioning after the stroke, she experienced a period of cosmic bliss, unburdened by her ego and past traumas. After eight years of recovery, she regained her left-brain cognitive functions and memories, and she also retained a connection to the right side of her brain that brought her profound inner peace.

Rather than returning to life as usual, Taylor wanted to share her experience and insights with the public. She first shared her experience in a 2008 TED talk, which quickly reached millions of viewers on the internet. The cultural impact of this video led her to write her memoir, My Stroke of Insight (2008), describing her experience of having a stroke, her recovery, and the lessons she learned about accessing the sense of inner calm associated with the right hemisphere of her brain. Taylor also created the foundation Jill Bolte Taylor BRAINS dedicated to educating the public about neurological...

Whole Brain Living Summary Understanding the Brain’s Anatomy

Taylor’s neuroscience background, along with her experience of having a stroke, form the foundation of her philosophy about using the four characters to achieve a more peaceful life. To start, we’ll describe the physiological basis for the four characters: the left and right hemispheres of the brain as well as the limbic (emotional) and cortical (thinking) tissue that spans both hemispheres.

The Left and Right Hemispheres

Taylor says that the left hemisphere of the brain houses our ability to organize information in a linear and ordered way. It allows us to store memories, differentiate between past, present, and future, and recognize the physical boundaries between ourselves and others as well as individual objects. According to Taylor, our left brain is the part of us that loves structure and is motivated by external factors like social acceptance and material possessions.

The right side of the brain contributes to creative skills and big-picture thinking. It processes information purely in the present moment rather than linking it to the past or future. Taylor describes the right hemisphere as our “unconscious” mind that loves unconditionally and understands...

Whole Brain Living Summary The Four Characters Within Our Brain

Now that we’ve covered the brain anatomy underlying the four characters, we’re ready to introduce where each character resides and what they’re like. Taylor claims that understanding each of these characters is the first step to being able to intentionally call on each one to take control of different situations. She says that everyone has one character associated with the left-side cerebral cortex (Character 1), left-side limbic system (Character 2), right-side limbic system (Character 3), and right-side cerebral cortex (Character 4).

Each character has its own strengths and weaknesses depending on the context. Taylor emphasizes that although we may currently have one dominant character, our dominant characters are dynamic depending on the circumstances, and we also have the power to change which character dominates. The character descriptions that follow are meant to help you get to know the diverse and contradictory desires within each of us.

(Shortform note: Taylor’s concept of getting to know your four characters boils down to the practice of increasing your...

Whole Brain Living Summary How Can Your Four Characters Bring Inner Peace?

Taylor writes that there’s no one right way to coordinate your four characters. She says that to achieve a peaceful life, we must listen to all four of the characters and make sure each of them feels valued. Then, when you’ve acknowledged what each of them offers in a particular circumstance, you can be intentional about which character you want to embody as you move forward. In this section, we’ll dive into some actionable advice to achieve this.

(Shortform note: Taylor’s recommendation of getting to know and validating each of your four characters to achieve inner peace is similar to the IFS technique that Schwartz describes in No Bad Parts. However, in addition to identifying “parts”—the internal beings who exhibit different personalities—Schwartz identifies an additional player: the fundamental “Self” who acts as the wise and compassionate caretaker of the other internal beings. While Taylor implies that there must be some executive “you” who decides which character will take the lead in a situation, she...

Shortform Exercise: Use the Four Characters to Improve Your Personal Life

Taylor explains that the four characters are always present within our brains, but some characters show themselves more prominently than others depending on the context and our individual choices. In this exercise, you’ll examine how your four characters play a role in your relationships and how you might use the four characters to improve an area of your personal life.

Identify and describe a specific aspect of your relationships that you’ve struggled with in the past. For example, you might have difficulty relaxing when you’re spending quality time with loved ones, or you may struggle with conflict resolution in a specific relationship.