Don't take consciousness for granted
807,267 views |
Simon Lewis |
INK Conference
• December 2010
After a catastrophic car accident that left him in a coma, Simon Lewis found ways to recover -- physically and mentally -- beyond all expectations. At the INK Conference he tells how this remarkable story led him to concern over all threats to consciousness, and how to overcome them.
After a catastrophic car accident that left him in a coma, Simon Lewis found ways to recover -- physically and mentally -- beyond all expectations. At the INK Conference he tells how this remarkable story led him to concern over all threats to consciousness, and how to overcome them.
This video is a TED "Best of the Web" pick, featuring a remarkable idea available on the internet from an independent creator. This idea didn’t come from TED, but TED is thrilled to spread it. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.
About the speaker
Simon Lewis
Author, producer
Simon Lewis is the author of "Rise and Shine," a memoir about his remarkable recovery from a car accident and coma, and his new approach to our own consciousness.
| Explore
I maintain this for readers who want to complement my book’s exploration of our consciousness from the inside looking out with the images and perspectives of doctors who explore consciousness from the outside looking in. When you're at the site, move your mouse over the illustrated body to find clinical images, PowerPoint presentations and links.
The RSA, January 29, 2014 | Watch
In this talk, I explore why making the most of our minds from childhood throughout our lives is the defining challenge of this century and beyond. I also illustrate the scale of the crisis and suggest solutions. In addition to the 22-minute YouTube edit, the RSA hosts an audio podcast of the whole event with the introduction, conversation and audience Q&A.
Interview by Matthew Bannister | Outlook, BBC World Service, June 24, 2013 | Watch
In this interview, broadcasting legend Matthew Bannister explores the caregivers’ experience of trauma with my parents, and asks me about the worlds I experienced in coma at the edge of my life and death, as described in the 'Innerspace' chapter of Rise and Shine.
| Explore
My personal website sets out my mission statement that we must use an integrated program to make the most of our minds, and my goal to set up a foundation to achieve these measurable and repeatable benefits globally. For the potential benefits of an integrated program to maximize the four C's of consciousness there are some interesting titles, showing why there is reason for hope, and hope for our reason.
Oliver Sacks | Vintage, 2011
| Book
Inspirational and finely written stories of people who find ways to navigate the world through landscapes that have been fractured in ways that are often hard to imagine.
Norman Doidge | Penguin Books, 2007
| Book
The psychiatrist and psychoanalyst introduces us to the scientists championing neuroplasticity — and the people whose lives they've transformed.
Michael Paul Mason | Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2009
| Book
By turns dark and vivid, these stories illuminate the complexity and preciousness of consciousness, and the importance of implementing long-term care programs for those who've suffered a brain injury.
Written by Simon Lewis | Narrated by Kelsey Grammer
Audible, 2017 | Listen
Narrator Kelsey Grammer says, "I am proud and humbled to have read Simon's story. It is one of extraordinary suffering and perseverance, tragedy and ultimate triumph. I cannot recommend it enough. While all who suffer in this life search for hope and the strength to go on, few have faced such a mountain of challenges and heartache — Simon's story is an inspiration to all. It reminds me of a line from Prometheus Unbound by Shelley — 'To suffer woes which hope thinks infinite' — surely Simon's story measures up to that description. That he emerged victorious, in the face of such travail, is a testament to his courage, the courage of his family and their love. It is an inspiration to all."
Learn more
About Best of the Web
Best of the Web, like the rest of TED.com, involves compelling people and ideas. But unlike TED Talks, these videos don't come from TED or our partner conferences: they're curated from around the internet, drawing on freely available videos from creators with an idea worth spreading.
This video is a TED "Best of the Web" pick, featuring a remarkable idea available on the internet from an independent creator. This idea didn’t come from TED, but TED is thrilled to spread it. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.