Taylor: I grew up to study the brain because I have a brother who is only 18 months older than I am. He was very different in the way he perceived experiences and then chose to behave. As a result?? I became fascinated with the human brain and how it creates our perception of reality. He was eventually diagnosed with the brain disorder schizophrenia?? and I dedicated my career to the postmortem investigation of the human brain in an attempt to understand?? at a biological level?? what are the differences between my brain and my brother??s brain. On the morning of the stroke?? I realized that my brain was no longer functioning like a "" brain and this insight into my brother's reality excited me. I was fascinated to intimately understand what it might be like on the inside for someone who would not be diagnosed as normal. Through the eyes of a curious scientist?? this was an absolutely rare and fascinating experience for me to witness the breakdown of my own mind. Amazon.com: What did you learn about the brain from your stroke and your recovery that your scientific training hadn't prepared you for? Taylor: My scientific training did not teach me anything about the human spirit and the value of compassion. I had been trained as a scientist?? not as a clinician. I can only hope that we are teaching our future physicians about compassion in medicine?? and I know that some medical schools?? including the Indiana University School of Medicine?? have created a curriculum with this intention. My training as a scientist?? however?? did provide me with a roadmap to how the body and brain work. And although I lost my left cognitive mind that thinks in language?? I" my right hemisphere that thinks in pictures. As a result?? although I could not communicate with the external world?? I had an intuitive understanding about what I needed to do in order to create an environment in which the cells in my brain could be happy and healthy enough that they could regain their function. In addition?? because of my training?? I had an innate trust in the ability of my brain to be able to recover itself and my mother and I respected the organ by listening to it. For example?? when I was tired?? I allowed my brain to sleep?? and when I was fresh and capable of focusing my attention?? we gave me age-appropriate toys and tools with which to work. Amazon.com: Your stroke affected functions in your left brain?? leaving you to what you call the "d" of your right hemisphere. What was it like to live in your right brain and then to rebuild your left? Taylor: When the cells in my left brain became nonfunctional because they were swimming in a pool of blood they lost their ability to inhibit the cells in my right hemisphere. In my right brain I shifted into the consciousness of the present moment. I was in the right here right now awareness with no memories of my past and no perception of the future. The beauty of La-la land (my right hemisphere experience of the present moment) was that everything was an explosion of magnificent stimulation and I dwelled in a space of euphoria. This is great way to exist if you don't have to communicate with the external world or care whether or not you have the capacity to learn. I found that in order for me to be able to learn anything however I had to take information from the last moment and apply it to the present moment. When my left hemisphere was completely nonfunctional early on it was impossible for me to learn which was okay with me but I am sure it was frustrating for those around me. A simple example of this was trying to put on my shoes and socks. I eventually became physically capable of putting my shoes and socks on?? but I had no ability to understand why I would have to put my socks on before my shoes. To me they were simply independent actions that were not related and I did not have the cognitive ability to figure out the appropriate sequencing of the events. Over time?? I