A Scientist’s Journey Beyond the Body

Beyond meditation and mindfulness, I have also had an interest in quantum physics, psychology and the nature of reality for quite some time. What’s out there in the universe? How does it all work? What happens to us when we die? Do we simply vanish and cease to exist or is this life just a small sliver of a larger reality, which we’re constantly connected to yet can’t readily see?

In thinking about this, I was reminded of a video I watched of a speech that Jill Bolte Taylor gave at TED a few years ago. Dr. Jill is a brain scientist (specifically, a neuroanatomist) who suffered from a rare form of a stroke in 1996. It was during this incident that she had a first person perspective of the effects of the stroke on her brain. I’d certainly characterize it as a near death experience, but she never uses that term in her speech. What’s quite unique and amazing is that this experience is coming from a brain scientist, yet her description of the event is just as much spiritual as it is scientific.

The Right and Left Hemispheres

It might be best to explain how the brain works, as described by Dr. Jill. Our brain is separated into two hemispheres, the right and the left. The right is predominantly, if not always, focused on the now – right here in this moment. It takes energy in through our five senses and then creates a view of reality through images.

The left hemisphere of the brain is quite different. It thinks linearly and is constantly focused on the past (everything we have learned, past experiences, memories, etc.) and projecting into the future (possibilities). It is constantly picking and analyzing parts of the collage of images created in the right side. You can think of it as the constant mind chatter or what many Buddhists call “monkey mind.”

Most importantly, the left side of the brain is what thinks in terms of I, me, mine. It’s what creates the sense of separateness we feel. This is the portion of brain function that Dr. Jill lost during her stroke.

Views of Our Innate Wholeness

Dr. Jill recounted a couple of experiences she had during the initial stages of her stroke. The first was that she felt this separateness from her body. She describes it as being in and out of her body at the same time. Her body looked foreign to her. Later she describes looking at her arm and not being able to determine where her body began and ended. The atoms and molecules of her arm seemed to blend in and be at one with the atoms and molecules of the floor and wall. Her perception was one of pure energy.

The result of losing the left side functioning of her brain was a feeling of pure euphoria. There were no worries about her career, what had to be done or any of the emotional baggage she had carried with her throughout her life. She immediately saw the unique beauty and wholeness of who we really are.

With great emotion she describes a final moment of her spirit leaving her body. At this moment she was at complete peace and describes feeling like a genie leaving its bottle. She remembers wondering how she would ever fit back into her body, which seemed so tiny and small. The experience was one of pure nirvana, as she describes it. It becomes a little unclear as to what brought her back or how it happened, although I’m not sure that really matters. What’s so important is her realization that each and every one of us have access to this feeling.

Meditation and Mindfulness

Dr. Jill is right. Each and every one of us has the power to access and experience our wholeness through the right hemisphere of our brain. A lot of her experience reminds me of what I’ve read about people experiencing during deep states of meditation.

If we can attempt to move away from our fear based, habitual reactivity and protection of the self, we can find this place. Start to realize that you truly do create the reality in which you live. If you have a fear based world view where everyone is out to get you or that you need to protect your sense of self..this shell you’ve wrapped yourself in…then that is what you shall experience.

It’s by exploring ourselves that we can find the truth. It’s not ‘out there’ because there is no ‘out there.’ We have to look within. Start paying attention to your thoughts. Questioning them is fine, but also just be with them. Feel them and watch them without reacting. Begin to explore the innate impermanence in every thought that arises. Learn to be mindful.  Learn to be compassionate. Learn to let go. Learn to be.

I’ll end with a beautiful quote from Dr. Jill that captures some of this truth. I encourage you to watch the full video if you have the time – it’s amazing.  What do you think about it?  What’s your take on reality?

“We are energy beings connected to one another through the consciousness of our right hemispheres as one human family…….in this moment we are perfect, we are whole and we are beautiful.” – Jill Bolte Taylor