Friday, September 23, 2011

Book Club



MOST. FASCINATING. BOOK. EVER.
As an SLP we are continually learning even if we are no longer in a formal classroom. There are many books that are both entertaining and informative and this is one of them! My Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor, Ph.D. is a must read for any therapist who works with stroke patients.  (Well, really we think it is a must read for everyone everywhere but especially therapists!) In her book, Dr. Taylor recounts the experience of suffering a massive stroke and her recovery. Because she is a brain scientist, she is able to describe the happenings of the brain in a most descriptive and captivating way.  
Do not be deterred from reading this if you are not on top of your neurology terminology. The author is excellent at breaking down all the information.
We gained so many insights from this book that we are able to carry with us into the therapy room. To name a few:
·         Be responsible for the energy you bring!
·         The patient is inside there – we must find them!
·         Recovery is a process.
·         Visuals, visuals, visuals!
·         Even though we may have the same experience, we can have different perspectives.


This book also includes 10 assessment questions and Jill’s “Forty Things I Needed the Most” List. We seriously could not put this book down (one speech lady read this in less than 2 days!)
Below is a video of Dr. Taylor. The video is a little long, but so worth your time. 

Read this book and let us know what you learned from it!


3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm putting it on my "to read list.". Will let you know when I'm done....thanks for the recommendation.

CC said...

I want to read this one!! Have you read "The brain that changes itself"? One of the BEST books I've ever read on the brain. Amazing!

Cindy and Kristina said...

CC we have not read "The brain changes itself?" But we will be sure to add it to our 'to read' list! Thanks for the suggestion!