Switched On : A Memoir of Brain Change and Emotional Awakening

**An extraordinary memoir about the cutting-edge brain therapy that dramatically changed the life and mind of John Elder Robison, the __New York Times__ bestselling author of __Look Me in the Eye__**__Imagine spending the first forty years of your life in darkness, blind to the emotions and social signals of other people. Then imagine that someone suddenly switches the lights on.__ John Elder Robison's bestselling memoir is one of the most widely read and beloved accounts of life with autism. In Robison shares the second part of his journey, pushing the boundaries of scientific discovery as he undergoes an experimental brain therapy known as TMS, or transcranial magnetic stimulation. TMS drastically changes Robison's life. After forty years of feeling like a social misfit--either misreading other people's emotions or missing them completely, and accepting this as his fate--Robison can suddenly sense a... An extraordinary memoir about the cutting-edge brain therapy that dramatically changed the life and mind of John Elder Robison, the New York Times bestselling author of Look Me in the Eye NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE WASHINGTON POST Imagine spending the first forty years of your life in darkness, blind to the emotions and social signals of other people. Then imagine that someone suddenly switches the lights on. It has long been assumed that people living with autism are born with the diminished ability to read the emotions of others, even as they feel emotion deeply. But what if we’ve been wrong all this time? What if that “missing” emotional insight was there all along, locked away and inaccessible in the mind? In 2007 John Elder Robison wrote the international bestseller Look Me in the Eye, a memoir about growing up with Asperger’s syndrome. Amid the blaze of publicity that followed, he received a unique invitation: Would John like to take part in a study led by one of the world’s foremost neuroscientists, who would use an experimental new brain therapy known as TMS, or transcranial magnetic stimulation, in an effort to understand and then address the issues at the heart of autism? Switched On is the extraordinary story of what happened next. Having spent forty years as a social outcast, misreading others’ emotions or missing them completely, John is suddenly able to sense a powerful range of feelings in other people. However, this newfound insight brings unforeseen problems and serious questions. As the emotional ground shifts beneath his feet, John struggles with the very real possibility that choosing to diminish his disability might also mean sacrificing his unique gifts and even some of his closest relationships. Switched On is a real-life Flowers for Algernon, a fascinating and intimate window into what it means to be neurologically different, and what happens when the world as you know it is upended overnight. Praise for Switched On “An eye-opening book with a radical message . . . The transformations [Robison] undergoes throughout the book are astonishing—as foreign and overwhelming as if he woke up one morning with the visual range of a bee or the auditory prowess of a bat.”—The New York Times “Astonishing, brave . . . reads like a medical thriller and keeps you wondering what will happen next . . . [Robison] takes readers for a ride through the thorny thickets of neuroscience and leaves us wanting more.”—The Washington Post “Fascinating for its insights into Asperger’s and research, this engrossing record will make readers reexamine their preconceptions about this syndrome and the future of brain manipulation.”—Booklist “Like books by Andrew Solomon and Oliver Sacks, Switched On offers an opportunity to consider mental processes through a combination of powerful narrative and informative medical context.”—BookPage “A mind-blowing book that will force you to ask deep questions about what is important in life. Would normalizing the brains of those who think differently reduce their motivation for great achievement?”—Temple Grandin, author of The Autistic Brain “At the heart of Switched On are fundamental questions of who we are, of where our identity resides, of difference and disability and free will, which are brought into sharp focus by Robison’s lived experience.”—Graeme Simsion, author of The Rosie Effect An extraordinary memoir about the cutting-edge brain therapy that dramatically changed the life and mind of John Elder Robison, the New York Times bestselling author of Look Me in the Eye NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE WASHINGTON POST Imagine spending the first forty years of your life in darkness, blind to the emotions and social signals of other people. Then imagine that someone suddenly switches the lights on. It has long been assumed that people living with autism are born with the diminished ability to read the emotions of others, even as they feel emotion deeply. But what if we've been wrong all this time? What if that "missing" emotional insight was there all along, locked away and inaccessible in the mind? In 2007 John Elder Robison wrote the international bestseller Look Me in the Eye, a memoir about growing up with Asperger's syndrome. Amid the blaze of publicity that followed, he received a unique invitation: Would John like to take part in a study led by one of the world's foremost neuroscientists, who would use an experimental new brain therapy known as TMS, or transcranial magnetic stimulation, in an effort to understand and then address the issues at the heart of autism? Switched On is the extraordinary story of what happened next. Having spent forty years as a social outcast, misreading others' emotions or missing them completely, John is suddenly able to sense a powerful range of feelings in other people. However, this newfound insight brings unforeseen problems and serious questions. As the emotional ground shifts beneath his feet, John struggles with the very real possibility that choosing to diminish his disability might also mean sacrificing his unique gifts and even some of his closest relationships. Switched On is a real-life Flowers for Algernon, a fascinating and intimate window into what it means to be neurologically different, and what happens when the world as you know it is upended overnight. Praise for Switched On "An eye-opening book with a radical message ... The transformations [Robison] undergoes throughout the book are astonishing?as foreign and overwhelming as if he woke up one morning with the visual range of a bee or the auditory prowess of a bat."? The New York Times "Astonishing, brave ... reads like a medical thriller and keeps you wondering what will happen next ... [Robison] takes readers for a ride through the thorny thickets of neuroscience and leaves us wanting more."? The Washington Post "Fascinating for its insights into Asperger's and research, this engrossing record will make readers reexamine their preconceptions about this syndrome and the future of brain manipulation."? Booklist "Like books by Andrew Solomon and Oliver Sacks, Switched On offers an opportunity to consider mental processes through a combination of powerful narrative and informative medical context."? BookPage "A mind-blowing book that will force you to ask deep questions about what is important in life. Would normalizing the brains of those who think differently reduce their motivation for great achievement?"?Temple Grandin, author of The Autistic Brain "At the heart of Switched On are fundamental questions of who we are, of where our identity resides, of difference and disability and free will, which are brought into sharp focus by Robison's lived experience."?Graeme Simsion, author of The Rosie Effect An extraordinary memoir about the cutting-edge brain therapy that dramatically changed the life and mind of John Elder Robison, the New York Times bestselling author of Look Me in the Eye NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE WASHINGTON POST Imagine spending the first forty years of your life in darkness, blind to the emotions and social signals of other people. Then imagine that someone suddenly switches the lights on. It has long been assumed that people living with autism are born with the diminished ability to read the emotions of others, even as they feel emotion deeply. But what if we’ve been wrong all this time? What if that “missing” emotional insight was there all along, locked away and inaccessible in the mind? In 2007 John Elder Robison wrote the international bestseller Look Me in the Eye, a memoir about growing up with Asperger’s syndrome. Amid the blaze of publicity that followed, he received a unique invitation: Would John like to take part in a study led by one of the world’s foremost neuroscientists, who would use an experimental new brain therapy known as TMS, or transcranial magnetic stimulation, in an effort to understand and then address the issues at the heart of autism? Switched On is the extraordinary story of what happened next. Having spent forty years as a social outcast, misreading others’ emotions or missing them completely, John is suddenly able to sense a powerful range of feelings in other people. However, this newfound insight brings unforeseen problems and serious questions. As the emotional ground shifts beneath his feet, John struggles with the very real possibility that choosing to diminish his disability might also mean sacrificing his unique gifts and even some of his closest relationships. Switched On is a real-life Flowers for Algernon, a fascinating and intimate window into what it means to be neurologically different, and what happens when the world as you know it is upended overnight. Praise for Switched On “An eye-opening book with a radical message . . . The transformations [Robison] undergoes throughout the book are astonishing—as foreign and overwhelming as if he woke up one morning with the visual range of a bee or the auditory prowess of a bat.” — The New York Times “Astonishing, brave . . . reads like a medical thriller and keeps you wondering what will happen next . . . [Robison] takes readers for a ride through the thorny thickets of neuroscience and leaves us wanting more.” — The Washington Post “Fascinating for its insights into Asperger’s and research, this engrossing record will make readers reexamine their preconceptions about this syndrome and the future of brain manipulation.” — Booklist “Like books by Andrew Solomon and Oliver Sacks, Switched On offers an opportunity to consider mental processes through a combination of powerful narrative and informative medical context.” — BookPage “A mind-blowing book that will force you to ask deep questions about what is important in life. Would normalizing the brains of those who think differently reduce their motivation for great achievement?” —Temple Grandin, author of The Autistic Brain “At the heart of Switched On are fundamental questions of who we are, of where our identity resides, of difference and disability and free will, which are brought into sharp focus by Robison’s lived... When John Elder Robison Published Look Me In The Eye, His Darkly Funny Bestselling Memoir About Growing Up With Asperger's Syndrome, He Was Launched Into International Prominence As An Autism Expert. But In Spite Of His Success, He Still Struggled To Decode The Secret Language Of Social Interactions, And Often Felt Like A Misfit Who Understood Car Engines Better Than People. So When A Group Of Harvard Neuroscientists Told John About Tms (transcranial Magnetic Stimulation), An Experimental Brain Therapy That Promised To Remediate The Disabilities Of Autism And Unlock His Emotional Intelligence, He Jumped At The Chance To Join Their Study. Switched On Recounts The Adventure That Followed, As John Became A Guinea Pig To The World's Top Brain Researchers In An Effort To Understand The Social And Emotional Deficits That Lie At The Heart Of Autism, With Electrifying Results. As Robison Describes His Transformation: For The First Time In My Life, I Learned What It Was Like To Truly 'know' Other People's Feelings. It Was As If I'd Been Experiencing The World In Black And White All My Life, And Suddenly I Could See Everything--and Particularly Other People--in Brilliant Beautiful Color.-- An Electrifying Proposal -- The Value Of Detachment, Circa 1978 -- Medical Magnets -- Why Change? -- Horsepower -- Informed Consent -- The History Of Brain Stimulation -- Mapping My Brain -- The Night The Music Came Alive -- Emotion -- Singing For Ambulances -- A Family Affair -- Seeing Into People -- Hallucinations And Reality -- Awakening -- Science Fiction Becomes Real -- The Zero-sum Game -- The Shimmer Of Music -- Aftermath -- Nature's Engineers -- Speech -- A More Subtle Result -- Different Kinds Of Success -- Rewriting History -- Fear -- A New Beginning -- Tuning Out The Static -- Mind Readers -- A Death In The Family -- Back In The Groove -- The Future. John Elder Robison ; Foreword By Alvaro Pascual-leone, Md, Phd. Includes Bibliographical References (pages [283]-289). For the first time in my life, I learned what it was really like to truly know" other people's feelings. At a stroke I went from oblivious to insightful, and my life was forever changed. It was as if I'd been experiencing the world in black and white all my life, and suddenly I could see everything - and particularly other people - in brilliant beautiful color."Six years ago, John Elder Robison published Look Me In the Eye, his memoir about growing up with Asperger's. Now he tells the remarkable story of how he met Dr Alvaro Pascual-Leone, a Harvard neuroscientist who proposed that John's emotional intelligence wasn't so much absent as it was dormant, and that by animating the appropriate neural pathways with powerful electromagnets he might be able to awaken this part of his brain. So began a five-and-a-half year journey in which John gave himself up as a guinea pig to some of the world's top brain researchers in an effort to understand and fix the deficits of emotional intelligence that lie at the heart of autism. John experiences the benefits and pitfalls, the joy and melancholy, of being able to feel in response to things that happen to him and his loved ones. A real-life Flowers For Algernon with a happy ending, Switched On goes on the trail of the revolutionary science that has the potential to transform millions of emotionally circumscribed lives Imagine hearing the words of a song but not feeling the passion that lies within. Imagine living for years with someone in need and not being able to sense their sadness. Imagine your world turned upside down... Like so many others, John Elder Robison was born with Asperger's. Over the years, he misread others' emotions or missed them altogether. Yet he'd also married, raised a son and become a successful businessman, designing sound systems for rock bands, creating robot games for Milton Bradley and building a car business. Then, at the age of fifty, he became a participant in a major study that would use an experimental brain therapy in an effort to understand and address the issues at the heart of autism. Initially, the results are startling. John's world is shaken by a previously unknown level of emotional awareness. But over the weeks that follow he struggles with the very real possibility that choosing to diminish his 'disability' might also mean sacrificing his unique gifts and maybe even some of his closest relationships. -- New York Times -- Look Me in the Eye, Switched On € Having spent forty years as a social outcast, misreading others' emotions or missing them completely, John is suddenly able to sense a powerful range of feelings in other people. However, this newfound insight brings unforeseen problems and serious questions. As the emotional ground shifts beneath his feet, John struggles with the very real possibility that choosing to diminish his disability might also mean sacrificing his unique gifts and even some of his closest relationships. -- --Temple Grandin, author of -- Switched On--Graeme Simsion, author of -- --Simon Baron-Cohen, professor, Autism Research Centre, Cambridge University "A€remarkable, engaging, and moving story ... It is a strikingly moving personal narrative about the nature of emotion, and about the opportunities afforded us when we seek to understand neurological difference."--Alvaro Pascual-Leone, MD, PhD, from the foreword From the Hardcover edition A follow-up to the bestseller "Look Me In the Eye," about the cutting-edge brain therapy that sparked one man's emotional awakening. John Elder Robison shares the second part of his journey, taking us to the edge of scientific discovery as he undergoes an experimental brain therapy known as TMS, or Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation. The transformation he experienced turned his world upside down - he could suddenly sense others' feelings. John's newfound insight causes him to question his relationships, and even his memories. As the emotional ground shifts beneath his feet, he must find a way to move forward without losing sight of who he is, what he values, and all he has worked so hard for. Robison is our guinea pig and our guide, leading us on an adventure that holds the key to new ways of thinking about the mysteries of the human brain. Print run 50,000 Six years ago, John Elder Robison published 'Look Me in the Eye', his memoir about growing up with Asperger's. Now he tells the remarkable story of how he met Dr Alvaro Pascual-Leone, a Harvard neuroscientist who proposed that John's emotional intelligence wasn't so much absent as dormant, and that by stimulating the appropriate neural pathways with powerful electromagnets they could awaken this part of his brain. So began a five-and-a-half year journey, during which John became a test subject for the world's foremost neurologists in a major effort to understand, and then be able to fix, the deficits in emotional intelligence that lie at the heart of autism