Editor’s Note: Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor is a Harvard-trained and published neuroanatomist who experienced a stroke in 1996. It took her eight years for Dr. Jill to completely recover all of her functions and thinking ability. She is the author of My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey and was chosen as one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World for 2008.

wOw: In your journey and your amazing book, My Stroke of Insight, you talk eloquently about the "decision" to return to the more structured reality of most of our lives. Looking back on that decision, are you ever surprised you decided to return?

JILL: There are moments when I miss the pure bliss of knowing, seeing, feeling and being connected to all that is without the distraction of a busy mind.

However, I realize that my time in this form of life is a precious gift that won’t last very long, even if I get another 50 years; that is nothing in the spectrum of eternity. With that said, no, I am never surprised that I chose to come back to this form of reality to share a glimpse of the deep inner peace I found at the core of my right hemisphere. For me it was unquestionably the right thing to do. Knowing that we are biologically and genetically programmed for deep inner peace fills me with incredible joy, and this awareness was a gift that was meaningful only when shared. Besides that, I can return to that place of stillness by turning my mind away from this reality at any moment, so this way I get the best of both ways of being.

wOw: You give your mother, Gladys Gillman Taylor, PhD, a great deal of credit for your recovery, and for good reason. Do you think those who are not as fortunate can make it anyway? Does the medical community understand how important that element is?

JILL: This is a great question. I believe that I recovered so completely and quickly because I had an internal roadmap to follow and a caregiver who paid very close attention to my needs. I do believe that this was the winning combination.

Because of my academic training, I understood how cells worked. I understood the anatomy of my body and my brain so I could still visualize connections and be compassionate with the cells that make up my form. I think people who are inclined to be kind to themselves, be patient and compassionate with not only themselves but with their caregivers, stand a better chance of recovery than those who feel victimized or rebellious against the change that has happened to their lives. We each have the cognitive privilege to make the choice moment by moment how we want to perceive an experience or opportunity. I think an attitude of gratitude and a willingness to improve one’s quality of life makes all the difference.

Unfortunately, very few medical schools teach compassion in medicine, leaving our professionals at a terrific disadvantage in how to give compassionate care. Fortunately, My Stroke of Insight is being adopted by many professional schools now as required reading and I think it has the potential to help make a significant shift in how we treat stroke survivors or anyone with neurological trauma.

wOw: You were brilliant and relatively obscure before your stroke. Now, after TED [See the video at the end of this Q & A], Oprah and a tremendous bestseller, you are brilliant and relatively famous. How have you found that transition?

JILL: I am a tremendously joyful and friendly person. When people come up to me now, it is my policy to open my arms and give them a huge hug. We are all blessed to be living the lives we live and I love that my hug quota has gone way up due to my popularity! I find that I am adapting to the "celebrity" status just fine and yet when the doors are closed and I am in my private world, my mind remains focused on what comes next. What do I want to accomplish with the time I have left here and how can I use my new status to improve our relationships with both the planet and with one another?