Insights on frontotemporal dementia from Jill Bolte Taylor’s video-’Stroke of Insight’

The more I read about the brain, the more I realize that scientists are just scratching the surface of  its’ potential. In many ways it is comforting because it opens the door to possibilities for my husband, Dave, with Frontotemporal dementia. In fact, it opens up the real possibility that we don’t have to accept declining brain function and memory with aging.

Last week I watched a great video on Ted.com called a ‘Stroke of Insight’  by Jill Bolte Taylor. She is a neuroanatomist who suffered a stroke at the age of 37.  Her hemorrhage was in the left brain (responsible for logic, reasoning, language, and past & future thinking) and for a few hours she was disconnected from it. She was mainly functioning from her right brain which thinks in pictures, is creative and lives in the present moment. There are no thoughts of…”I can’t do this”, “what if this happens” or “I wish it was different.” She said it was like being in la-la land. Her brain was quiet–without the usual chatter and worries about the stresses of the outside world.

While watching this movie, I had several ‘awakening’ moments which helps me to understand why my husband acts and thinks the way he does. With his dementia and diminishing left brain, he is quieter and more peaceful. He doesn’t worry or fret over what happened yesterday. He has a wonderful ability to surrender and accept what life is giving him—without anger or shame. He lives in the present moment and doesn’t spend precious energy on the future and what might happen tomorrow, or even the next moment. He has less brain chatter and is content to sit for hours watching the sky without the need to be doing something every minute.

As in every situation there are 2 sides to the coin. On the flip side, there are challenges. He is losing his ability to problem solve and reason. For example, he wanted to know if the box of ziploc bags should go in the freezer because it had a picture of sirloin steaks on the front. He has difficulty understanding the spoken and written word; he doesn’t recognize many of his friends; is hypersensitive to noises (dogs barking, brakes screeching, cell phone rings, musical instruments); and has a changing personality.

I have said many times  that my life is richer than before Dave’s diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia. Watching Dave quietly move through his day, living in the present moment, accepting what life is giving him, and not worrying about what his future holds, is a constant reminder for me to do the same.  

At the end of  the video, Jill suggested that all of us think about moving a little to the right of our left brain. She said our planet would be a more peaceful place to live, and we would see ourselves as ‘one’ with the universe. (Quantum physics has already proven it)

So how about doing something every day to slow down the chatter–go for a walk in the woods, watch children or dogs play, laugh out loud, take art or dance lessons or whatever is fun and feels good doing it. Please watch the video ( http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/jill_bolte_taylor_s_powerful_stroke_of_insight.htmlIt ) and let me know how it applies to your life.