Best-Selling Author and Brain Scientist Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor To Keynote 15th Annual Sun Valley Wellness Festival In May

The Sun Valley Wellness Institute is pleased to announce that best-selling author and renowned brain scientist Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor will be delivering the keynote presentation to kick off the 2012 Sun Valley Wellness Festival held over Memorial Day weekend, May 25-28 in Sun Valley, Idaho.

Sun Valley, ID (PRWEB) February 01, 2012

Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, a Harvard-trained and published neuroanatomist, experienced a severe hemorrhage in the left hemisphere of her brain in 1996. On the afternoon of this rare form of stroke (AVM), she could not walk, talk, read, write, or recall any of her life. It took eight years for Dr. Taylor to successfully rebuild her brain - from the inside out. In response to the swelling and trauma of the stroke, which placed pressure on her dominant left hemisphere, the functions of her right hemisphere blossomed. She is the author of the New York Times bestselling memoir about her recovery from her stroke and the insights she gained into the workings of her brain, entitled My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey.

In 2008, Dr. Taylor gave a presentation at the TED Conference in Monterey, CA, which has become the second most viewed TED Talk of all time. This now famous 18-minute presentation catapulted her story into the public eye. As a result, she was chosen as one of TIME Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World for 2008. In addition, Dr. Taylor was the premiere guest on Oprah Winfrey's Soul Series web-cast and was interviewed by Oprah and Dr. Oz on The Oprah Winfrey Show in October, 2008, and that interview was just rebroadcast on Oprah's OWN in January 2012. Her story is being made into a feature film directed by Ron Howard.

Dr. Taylor is one of those rare speakers who can keep an audience perched on the edge of their seats. She projects an amazing positive energy and is committed to educating everyone about the beauty and resiliency of the human brain. She keynotes with the single intention of helping her audience walk away with a better understanding of what is going on inside their heads and how they can get their brain to do what they want it to do.

Dr. Taylor explains in terms everyone can understand how our brain organizes information and what the differences are between our right and left cerebral hemispheres. She firmly believes that the most important relationship we each have is the relationship between our logical, rational, verbal left brain, and its counterpart - our creative, intuitive, thinking in pictures right hemisphere. She helps us understand how our two brains work together to create a single seamless perception of reality, and what is going on inside our heads when we experience personal conflict.

Dr. Taylor now serves as the CEO of My Stroke of Insight, Inc. and as the Chairman of the Board of Jill Bolte Taylor BRAINS, Inc., a not-for-profit organization which is dedicated to providing educational services and promoting programs related to the advancement of brain awareness, appreciation, exploration, education, injury prevention, neurological recovery, and the value of movement on mental and physical health, as well as other activities that support this purpose. She is working on the creation of a Serious Game for Health for neurological recovery as she feels passionate about helping others find their way back from neurological trauma.

Dr. Taylor also serves as the National Spokesperson for the Harvard Brain Tissue Resource Center (Harvard Brain Bank) and educates the public about the shortage of brain tissue donated for research into the severe mental illnesses. Since 1993, she has been an active member of NAMI (the National Alliance on Mental Illness) and is currently the president of the NAMI Greater Bloomington Area affiliate in Bloomington, Indiana.

Dr. Taylor travels extensively as a keynoter at conferences around the world and is having a wonderful time helping others learn more about their own brains and how to realize that peace really is just a thought away. The Sun Valley Wellness Institute is honored to bring her to Sun Valley where she will be sharing her amazing and insightful story with Sun Valley Wellness Festival attendees.

For more information on Dr. Taylor, http://www.drjilltaylor.com

About the 2012 Sun Valley Wellness Festival:
Recognized as one of the top wellness events in the US, the 15th annual Sun Valley Wellness Festival, May 25-28, will focus on the theme of Owning Your Energy. In addition to Dr. Taylor, there will be over 20 other top speakers addressing body, mind, and spiritual wellness, including Alan Cohen of Chicken Soup for the Soul, anti-aging pioneer Dr. Uzzi Reiss, and yoga master Saul David Raye. The festival will also offer workshops, yoga classes, music, and a Wellness Expo showcasing a variety of wellness-related products and services.

Festival tickets and information can be found at http://www.sunvalleywellness.org.

Sun Valley Wellness Festival is produced by the non-profit Sun Valley Wellness Institute, which offers & promotes year-round programs on health and wellness as well as an extensive online wellness directory and calendar of wellness & fitness events. http://www.sunvalleywellnessinstitute.com

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