Living from the Right Side: A Neuroscientific Insight into Presence, Peace, and Wellbeing
What if, in a single moment, your mind went completely quiet—and all you felt was peace?
This was the extraordinary experience of neuroscientist Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor during a massive stroke that impaired the left hemisphere of her brain. In those hours of crisis, her verbal, analytical self dissolved—and what remained was a state of deep inner calm, unity, and presence, driven by the right hemisphere of her brain. Her recovery, chronicled in My Stroke of Insight, provides not only a compelling medical story but also a powerful invitation to reimagine how we use our minds.
Two Hemispheres, Two Ways of Being
The human brain is divided into two hemispheres, each with specialized functions, yet deeply interconnected:
The left hemisphere governs language, linear thinking, logic, and identity. It organizes our sense of self as distinct and separate. It’s responsible for time awareness, planning, categorization, and critical reasoning.
The right hemisphere, on the other hand, processes nonverbal cues, spatial awareness, intuition, and emotional tone. It is attuned to the present moment—to sensory experience and the feeling of connection with others and the world.
Taylor’s stroke shut down her left hemisphere’s activity, allowing her to experience pure right-brain consciousness. In this state, she felt not fear, but euphoria, unity, and deep peace—a dissolution of boundaries between herself and the external world.
From a psychological perspective, her experience offers a profound demonstration of state-dependent consciousness: when the dominant processing mode of the brain shifts, our subjective experience of the world radically transforms.
The Brain and the Self: A Psychological Perspective
The sense of self, long a subject of philosophical inquiry, is increasingly understood in neuroscience and psychology as a construct built by specific brain processes—particularly those in the default mode network (DMN) and left-hemisphere language centers. These areas generate our autobiographical narrative, our identity over time, and our tendency to mentally time travel into the past or future.
By contrast, the right hemisphere is associated with "experiential self-awareness"—being grounded in the now. It overlaps with neural systems involved in compassion, empathy, and body awareness (such as the insula and the vagus nerve).
This dual-processing model maps well onto concepts in positive psychology, such as:
Mindfulness and flow: Practices that emphasize present-moment awareness, often linked with increased right-hemisphere and parasympathetic nervous system activity.
Self-compassion: Tied to reduced left-brain rumination and increased emotional regulation via the right hemisphere and limbic system.
Eudaimonic wellbeing: A sense of meaning, purpose, and connectedness, not based on performance or external validation (left-brain priorities), but on intrinsic values and interconnectedness (right-brain experience).
Neuroplasticity and Intentional Choice
Crucially, Taylor emphasizes that we are not at the mercy of our brain’s wiring—we can choose, moment by moment, which circuits we engage. This aligns with the concept of neuroplasticity: the brain’s ability to reorganize itself based on experience, attention, and intentional practice.
In therapy and wellbeing coaching, this translates into practices like:
Cognitive reframing (left-brain retraining) to challenge negative self-talk and reduce anxiety.
Embodied practices (right-brain engagement) such as breathwork, grounding, and movement, to foster safety and emotional regulation.
Meditation and compassion training, which strengthen neural pathways for empathy, resilience, and inner peace.
Taylor’s message, then, is deeply psychological: our wellbeing is shaped not just by what happens to us, but by how we engage with our own minds. The self is not fixed—it’s an emergent process, continually shaped by which hemisphere we allow to lead.
In Summary
Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor’s stroke interrupted the analytical stream of her left brain and revealed the power of right-brain consciousness—a state of open awareness, compassion, and connection. From a psychological and neuroscientific standpoint, her story underscores three key ideas:
The brain creates multiple modes of self-awareness—analytical and narrative (left), and experiential and relational (right).
We can train ourselves to access more adaptive mental states through mindfulness, reframing, and values-based living.
Wellbeing is not just about control or achievement—it’s also about surrendering to presence, and embracing wholeness.
In a world shaped by competition and comparison, Taylor’s experience is a reminder that we are more than our thoughts. We are the awareness behind them—and we can choose peace.
References:
- Damasio, A. R. (1999). The feeling of what happens: Body and emotion in the making of consciousness. Harcourt Brace.
- Davidson, R. J., & Begley, S. (2012). The emotional life of your brain: How its unique patterns affect the way you think, feel, and live—and how you can change them. Hudson Street Press.
- Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American Psychologist, 56(3), 218–226. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.56.3.218
- Siegel, D. J. (2012). The developing mind: How relationships and the brain interact to shape who we are (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.
- Taylor, J. B. (2008, March). My stroke of insight [Video]. TED Conferences. https://www.ted.com/talks/jill_bolte_taylor_my_stroke_of_insight
