“A man raises his right hand to strike his wife, while the left hand reacts to defend her.”

This is one of many odd behaviours reported reported to occur in patients who have undergone surgery to sever the tract connecting the left and right brain hemispheres.

The procedure was used in the 60s to treat people with severe epilepsy, and while relatively effective, the unforeseen consequences revealed new insight into consciousness. The patients would behave in ways that suggested two people occupied one mind.

These intriguing findings were the inspiration for this piece.