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

As a retired social worker, it's been a long time since I've read a book that changes your view of everything. This book is filled with information on how to address a variety of issues. Unfortunately, these are driven by character one as I've learned from this book. We often view the brain as a single entity, but this book has taught me that there are four distinct systems that take control over our behavior, emotions, and thoughts. This knowledge and understanding is both liberating and empowering. I have already started applying the information to my own life and have found it to be very helpful. She does an excellent job of explaining complicated information in an easy to understand way. If you can only read one book this year, I recommend that this be it.

Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor has a gift for explaining complex biology in a simple and practical manner. Our bodies and brains are such marvels- and through this book, you will have a deeper appreciation of the miracle of our lives. The writing is simply beautiful. The advice is very, very practical. Section after section leaves you empowered and better informed to tackle your days. The brain huddle and observing which character is active - are practices you can start immediately. Definitely a fantastic and very practical read- highly recommend this for anyone on a journey of transformation - wanting to be a better parent, leader or person. 🙏🏽💜

This is an excellent follow up to 'Stroke of Insight." Her personal journey, combined with her intricate knowledge of how the mind works as well as her ongoing research, have produced a highly informative and insightful (pun intended) description of how our brains work. I have found myself totally immersed in figuring out my own characters 1,2,3 and 4 and how they interact with each other and the external world. I have learned new techniques to dampen my own emotional responses to old triggers and am finding more time for peaceful living. It doesn't require any special foreknowledge because she has a unique ability to take complicated concepts and boil them down into easy-to-understand, everyday language. If you want to take control of your thoughts and find a more nourishing way to live, this book is for you.

I enjoyed this book. The idea of Four Characters, as presented by Dr.Jill Bolte Taylor (JBT), reminds me of what psychologists call IFS / Internal Family Systems. Also reminiscent of typologies such as Enneagram or Myers-Briggs, although these latter typologies seem more like classifying / pigeon-holing you as one of the various types, whereas IFS and this book's "Brain Huddle" aim at integration of, and collaboration between the various parts.​ (I had links for some of these, and following, references, but removed them as they violate guidelines for reviews.)​ JBT's account of her own experience, along with her lessons in brain anatomy, are inspiring and informative. As are many other of her insights, such as our ability at any given time to influence the tenor of our thinking and feelings. I wonder whether, or hope that, further brain science might shed more evidential light on characteristics of thought or feeling that might be based in (or somehow identified with) these four (or perhaps other, smaller or larger) anatomical regions in the brain. In order to gain insight about my own psychic landscape, I have been trying to grok in my own terms the four characters that JBT describes both at length throughout the book, and with a list of characteristics in an early chapter. She suggests that these characters might correspond to Jungian archetypes, but I have been trying to identify some archetypes that I would find more-easily accessible. For what it's worth, I have come up with the following: #1 The Engineer, #2 The Vulnerable, #3 The Innocent and #4 The Mystic. If you read the book (I recommend it) you may benefit from coming up with your own idiomatic archetypes. Also, though I have no clue how it might map to my brain, I favor a fifth character: #5 Awareness. This character notices which of the other characters are in play, and may decide and help to shift attention, and/or to integrate / harmonize the whole family of characters.

For me this is an important book. It must be said though that reading her first book, about the actual stroke experience, helped me understand and, internalize the message in her second book. I have been looking for answers to spiritual questions for years. By using science to give insight to spiritual questions, this author truly has the potential to change lives. The world makes much more sense when looking at it from the point of view of the four characters that are the brain. There will be some who will not understand the author’s message, or will see it as nonsensical . Her message resonated deeply with me, a prominent character 3 who is super curious and always looking to gain knowledge.

I heard this author on her TED talk, and Oprah and recent podcasts. I wanted what she has - INNER PEACE. Her first book My Stroke of Insight was fascinating and inspiring. But I've been wanting and waiting for Whole Brain Living because here she gives us a roadmap for HOW to get to the Nirvana she describes finding after her stroke. Dr. Taylor's way of seeing the brain is FASCINATING. We all have four personalities - some are our good selves, and some are the our little selves, and don't serve us well. We all know them. They pop up to bite us when we're under stress or dealing with a challenging person. Dr. Taylor explains how we can be our better or best selves more of the time, and what to watch out for when our little selves pop up. I really liked and now use all the time her 90 second rule to help myself be my best self. Thank you Dr. Taylor.

As a fan of the author's first book (My Stroke of Insight), and given her impeccable academic credentials, I anticipated this book with great expectations--and Dr. Jill Taylor Bolton exceeded them by far. I fear my review could never do this book justice. It is a true gift to the world, explaining why we do the things we do and feel the way we do, in resolving the conflicting messaging we receive from our brain. Beyond providing helpful insights into the brain's way operating, the author gives us the tools to apply this knowledge to find a happier balance and more satisfying life experience. For all its scientific grounding, the book also unlocks a deeply spiritual dimension that is an undeniable part of the human experience, albeit often suppressed and derided in a society that values, above all, the rational brain and the gifts of analytical, critical thinking bestowed upon us by the brain cells of left sided hemisphere. Somewhat ironically, I think that people with right brain dominance will enjoy the book far more than the left brain types--since one of its premises is that we should give freer reign to our right brain tendencies and to be less driven by impulses coming from the left hemisphere. Naturally, the left brain thinkers will have none of that. Meanwhile, right brain thinkers will rejoice in this newly found permission (indeed, exhortation) to live in the moment and to embrace its joyful and peaceful serenity.

The 4 characters may not be verbatim for everyone, but considering your thoughts and feelings as sourced from 4 different processing centers in your brain is a very powerful model to work with.

What a fantastic book! It is pleasant to read, educational, and has helped me, page by page, to understand my mental modus operandi - and find solid instructions to use in order to blossom authentically.

I have rarely been so tempted to just buy lots of copies of a book and give them to friends and family to help spread this in our time of need: "Peace is just a thought away." In the past I often wondered if taking time out of my day to meditate or go for a long walk with absolutely no aim apart from spending time in nature wasn't a terribly selfish way to spend my time. After all I could instead help others, take care of my family, friends or the next tax return or at least do something "really useful" like training my mind or body to perform better... Well, hello hard character 1. This book has helped me to understand and appreciate all aspects of myself better. Maybe because I am an osteopath and MD the science behind this book was especially helpful for me - giving me "permission" to love my characters 3 and 4 as much as I always have without feeling like that makes me loose touch with reality. I now think of character 4 as my default setting / connection to Source, 3 as the chosen aspect to enjoy life as a human to its fullest, 2 as the part that makes me able to relate to the painful aspects of being human and thereby others in pain and 1 as the trait needed to navigate life as an adult human. Let's brain huddle and choose the way we want to go through life.

A fabulous easy to understand read. The structure of the book helps to build one’s understanding. It’s simple yet profound if you apply your awareness and take the time to reflect during the course of the read. When applied it enables you to gain insight into simple ways you can adjust your thinking so as to bring about a simpler life. Loved it and bought other copies for friends. Thanks Jill you’ve done all the hard work for us.

This book is fascinating, funny and wise. In a playful and clear way, it shows us how complex and compelling our brains are. I am recommending it to my students and friends. It

A completely new way, scientifically backed of looking at life and spirituality. It blows my mind to understand my brain so much better now and I feel it's a huge help to now understand what I'm doing when I meditate and how I connect with the infinite wisdom of the universe. I'm truly grateful for this book and I want to thank Jill Bolte Taylor for her insight and sharing. Thank you