Review of Whole Brain Living

By Reza Ganjavi

Review of Whole Brain Living The Anatomy of Choice and the Four Characters That Drive Our Life

The author, Jill Bolte Taylor’s experience was profound however I feel there's a great deal of minimization of profound complex topics into simple concepts which don't do the facts justice.

The characterization and division of these so-called characters that drive our lives is very limited. It's easy to say choose to have less left brain in action.

It's easy to categorize voices. it's easy to draw simplistic psychological conclusions but facts are much bigger.

The bigger challenge is to be whole, a whole human, and not broken up into right and left even. For the thought-dominated left side of the brain to find its right place in the whole of brain and apply itself where it is it is place and refrain from entering every corner as traditions have made us into thinking machines.

Her message is right -- more right brain means more bliss -- but the issue is in how to get there while there is no how but only learning, observation. I invite the reader to also check J. Krishnamurti's work on this topic, and discussions he had with Dr. David Bohm, colleague of Einstein.

Here's an email I sent to the author early on:

Dear Dr. Bolte Taylor

Thanks for sharing in your wonderful Ted Talk.

Very interesting insights.

I don't know if you're familiar with discussions of J. Krishnamurti and David Bohm about nature of thought.

You pointed out that left hemisphere of the brain is responsible for thought - using words, and caught in the field of time: in the past, and projecting future based on the known -- I elaborated on what you said a bit but you probably agree with that embellishment.

It seems that people have become too thought dominated, so thinking, image making, self-centered movement including the very idea of sense of self as you pointed out -- have become dominant processes in the whole of the brain, or rather, the left hemisphere has become dominant, which explains a lot of problems in the world: less right hemisphere means less perception of the energy fields you spoke about, and less love. Less love means a crazier world.

Krishnamurti who went into this topic deeply in a very unique and insightful manner. One of the highlights of his work on this topic was his discussions with Dr. Bohm (a colleague of Einstein and famous physicist) who wrote books such as "thought as a system".

A lot goes into making us thought dominated -- it's more than just a matter of choice as you put it. Your approach is compassionate and sincere but too simplistic I'm afraid since most people are too conditioned to be able to "choose" to have less left brain in action and more right brain.

So it boils down to awareness and learning about how the brain works, and out of that learning change comes naturally. Otherwise it's not something that can come by choice. Seeing the limits of thought opens the possibility for the mind to learn to not go where thinking doesn't belong. Seeing the trap of time, how the left brain is caught in the past, and its projection of future is also from the past, and all that involves in this entire movement: desire for security, etc. etc., need to be seen and understood and then, naturally, that quietness you spoke about can come about - but not out of choice.

I'd be happy to discuss this with you together on a call or in person and we can make a video and only release it if we're both happy with the end result / edit.

Thanks and best regards

Reza Ganjavi

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She had this huge brain issue and still uses Bluetooth earbuds!