Archive for the 'Creativity and Parkinsons' Category

Feb 24 2010

Tai Chi and Parkinson’s Disease

The inspirational e-mail posted below was sent by Danny Loney who will be offering free Tai Chi workshops on the Parkinsons Recovery Cruise to Alaska which departs from Seattle on May 3, 2010. For further information about the 7 day cruise to Alaska, visit: http://www.parkinsonsdisease.me/alaska.

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Parkinsons Recovery

Hi Robert,

This past week concluded the conference of the Israel Parkinson’s  Association held at the Dead Sea.  I spent most of the last night of the conference laying in my bed with tears in my eyes as I thought  about the experiences that I had encountered over the previous four days.  For me personally, it was emotionally overwhelming as I did not expect to experience such an outpouring of warmth, acceptance, and love.  Most of the participants I had known from past conferences and other Parkinson’s events, but this time I was able to connect to others and get to know them in a very personal way.  I felt like a lost puppy that had found a warm and accepting home.

I was amazed at the many compliments that I received from my tai chi workshops and felt a bit uncomfortable with all of the attention.  There is a tremendous amount of creative talent in our Parkinson’s Association, whether it be paintings, woodwork, organizational skills, poems, music, counseling, or just a word of encouragement and a warm smile.  And I am only one of many who want to make a contribution; a guy with Parkinson’s trying to help a few other people with Parkinson’s  improve the quality of their lives.

Danny

Tags: , , , ,

No responses yet

Sep 28 2009

Inspired to Create

I have been a songwriter for about 12 years.  My Parkinson’s was diagnosed in Feb of 2009, however, my first symptoms were in Sept/Oct 2006.  At that time, my songwriting kicked into a very high gear.  Incredible hooks were just there.  I began pursuing the craft like I have never done before.  Going to Nashville every quarter to pitch my songs, attending every possible local songwriting event in AZ, networking like never before and writing some pretty cool music.

My husband was diagnosed with 4th stage small cell prostate cancer in Jan 2006. I was his 24/7 caregiver along with holding down a full time project manager job.  I believe it was the stress I was experiencing at that time in my life that kicked off the Parkinsons.  In October 2006, we moved to Columbia, SC to give my husband relief from the heat in AZ. He passed in Feb 2007.  Now, here it is, almost Oct 2009.  I am in the process of obtaining disability as my speech is very rapid and slurred, and impairs my ability to hold meetings via the phone or in person.  There is also some seizures of the hands and there are days when the walking is a shuffle.  Anyway, I am going to move back to Nashville, TN and write music full time.

The tremendous ‘push’ I gave to the music back in 2006 has paid off.  I have my first cut of a song I co wrote with a Nashville writer.  This is a major event for any songwriter.  The CD is scheduled to be released in October of this year.  I have also continued to slowly climb my way up this very high and steep mountain and am writing with writers that have major cuts.  And let me tell you, talk about a fine line between genius and insanity.. these incredibly talented people are there..and damn, I fit in amazingly well..kind of scary really.

I feel so at peace with this decision.  The finances will be tight, but hey, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are pretty tasty!  I am driving to Nashville next weekend to pick out a rental home.  As I pack up from my rental home here in Columbia, SC, I find myself purging so much stuff…the local Goodwill people wave as I drive up and the shredder is working OT.  It’s almost like a cleansing of the soul.  You know what I mean?

It was meant to be.  My influence is my mother (who lives with me and is excited to be going back to Nashville).  She was a songwriter, although she did not have a cut, she always made sure we had music in our lives. I learned accordion, self taught myself guitar and piano.   In fact, your most recent article on drumming hit home as well.  I was a professional drummer for many years!  I found myself tapping out the paradiddles after I read your article the other night.  It was soothing to the brain.

I find your articles most refreshing in that they hit home.  I believe I was always ‘wired internally’ for Parkinson’s.  Always needed less sleep than others, always about ’12 degrees off center’, always the ‘weird kid’, always not just thinking outside the box, but on some days ‘destroying the box’!   It just found its way to the surface this year.

I continue with my challenges, but hey, it sure as heck beats the alternative.

Thank you for ALL that you do.  You are truly an inspiration!!

A Parkie and proud of it!

Rose

Tags: , , , ,

No responses yet

Jan 14 2009

Seventeen Years with Parkinson’s Disease

Tags: , , , ,

No responses yet

Jul 21 2008

Are Writing Cramps your Excuse for no longer Writing Creatively?

Question:

My creative writing has come
to a standstill because my
hands and fingers are currently
not flexible enough to type. 
I am trying to find other creative
outlets, but I really love to write.
Any suggestions? 

Response 

The symptoms of Parkinsons
can include cramping. tightness
and weakness in the hands and
fingers, making typing much
more challenging.  It certainly
sounds like you are worried 
your creative writing career
is dead because you are having
such a tough time typing on
a keyboard.  

I have a great suggestion for
you. Actually, it is an awesome
suggestion.

There is another way to write
without having to punch the
keys on a typewriter or computer 
keyboard. You can talk into a
microphone and your e-mails,
letters, articles and books will be
produced automatically using 
speech recognition software.

It is simple. You talk into a
microphone that is connected
to your computer. The words
you speak are automatically
translated into written words
and sentences that magically
appear on your computer
screen. 

Really! If you can talk, you can
write anything to anyone. And I
do mean anything. 

I should be using speech recognition 
software right now to write this blog,
but I am not. Why? I am stuck
in my old habits of using my
fingers to think. My writing would
probably improve if I started
using my mouth to write. I have
always had a big mouth.

There is a big advantage if
I start talking out my blog
entries and newsletters rather
than typing them. Why? I can talk
much faster than I can type. 
My Parkinsons Recovery book
would be written in a few days if
I talked it rather than typed it.  

I need to disclose a little truth
and advertising here. I have not
personally used this software 
but a friend of  mine has. 
He tells me it works beautifully.

My friend does give me one
warning: Do not look at the
computer screen as you talk.
It is totally weird to read what
you have just said as you are
thinking about what to say
next. 

A little work on your part
is required before the software
will work. You have to train
the software program to recognize
the connection between your voice
and the words. The creators of this
software accomplish this by having
you read several pages of a story 
so the software can identify how
you say words. The program can
then correctly connect the dots
between what you say and the
written words you are speaking. 
Once you are set up, you are good
to go. 

The software is called Dragon
Naturally Speaking 9 at
www.nuance.com/talk.
I just watched a video that
demos the software which is
very informative. Apparently
it costs $100.

The other good news is that
the more you exercise your
voice the better your ability
to speak forcefully and clearly
will become.  

Sorry. No more excuses for not
writing to your friends and family.
The world needs to hear from you
so start talking. 

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Parkinsons Recovery

© 2008 Parkinsons Recovery

   

Tags: , , , ,

No responses yet

Jun 24 2008

After being Diagnosed with Parkinsons, I have become Very Creative. Why?

Question 

I have experienced the same enhanced creativity
as others. After being diagnosed 10 years ago I
was laid off from my job after 9/11. It was during
this time I began to use my father’s tools he left
me and started building things out of wood.

So far I’ve built two blanket chests, one for
my daughter, another for my wife, a toy chest
for my niece, an outdoor barbecue table and
a kitchen center island. In addition, I completely
tore down our old deck and rebuilt it with 
composite boards, added all new vinyl railings
and topped it off with deck lights.

These things never entered my mind before being
diagnosed. It seems my mind is always dreaming up
things to build. Why is that?

Response 

What a fascinating and very exciting story.
Here is what I suspect might be happening.

I believe everyone has an inherent passion 
to create whether it is a new idea, furniture,
art, comedy – the list is endless.  

If I have been unable to create something
new for even a day, I begin to have an empty
feeling deep inside. It is a familiar feeling, a
sense of sorts that  I am wasting my life. 

When I can write as I am now, my juices 
flow. My energy expands. My steam for
living bursts at the seams.

For many of us, there is too little opportunity for
creativity to have a place in our lives. Jobs,
family or other commitments have a way of
commanding our energy. 

The body will find a way to insist on finding ways
and time to be creative. If we do not allocate the
time and space for our own creativity to surface,
our body will give us a reason to make it so. 

What does our body do? It sends us a 
clear signal to slow down, change our
habits and do things differently out 
of necessity. If the choice were up to
us we would not change but our bodies
demand to be heard.    

The symptoms of Parkinson’s slow 
down the time spent on effort that does not
feed our creative addiction, making it possible
for the creative juices to ferment.  

This in no way implies that we were uncreative
previously, but the focus of the creative activity 
shifts. Let me explain.

Innovation versus Creativity

One form of creativity is to be innovative which
involves generating creative ideas and applying
them to a specific context. With innovation the  
problem is clearly defined and the solution set is
clearly bounded.  

This form of creativity takes a given problem
or challenge and solves it. For example, how
do I invent a car that runs on water? Or,
how do I motivate my secretary to come to
work on time? Or, how do I fix my clothes
washing machine that is so old the part I
need is out of stock? 

When lives are busy and demanding, a 
second form of creativity lies dormant just below
the surface of our consciousness. It waits
for a chance – any chance – to pop out and
claim its birth right to be heard.   

This is the form of raw creativity where something
entirely new pops out of our brains for no
reason whatsoever. There is no pre-defined
problem to solve. There is no deadline to
meet. 

Instead there resides a massive body
of creative urges and ideas deep inside
each of us that are patiently waiting
their time to be acknowledged.   

The Process of Creativity 

What is the process that makes this
happen? Control does not work.  If you try
to order the creative ideas to reveal
themselves they will drill a hole even
deeper into your sub conscious and
cuddle up for the long haul. 

Using brute force to unlodge creative
thoughts does not work. You will have
just as much luck trying to break
through the walls of Fort Knox with a
jack hammer.  Setting a schedule
for creative ideas to be revealed
does not work. Creativity does not
obey a time schedule. 

Enough. How do thoughts that seemingly
have no origin or history find their way
out of our own consciousness?  How will
we know them when we see them?

They are revealed in their own time and
place as we quiet down the mind babble
that controls our lives. They pop out in the
most unexpected ways during the moments
of living when we are at peace with ourselves.  

We become creative when we quiet the chatter
of our minds and allow the part of us we
have stuffed for too many years to emerge.
It is the ultimate calling to become whole again. 

For many people this opportunity comes because
our bodies make us slow down the quick pace of
activity and force us to take in the mysteries
of the world. We appreciate our friends and 
spouses in new ways. We see life differently.

Once the feverish activity of our minds 
slows to a snail’s pace the creative juices
begin to percolate. At long last we recognize 
a good idea when it pops out of our minds 
because we can feel the surge of energy
that bubbles up from inside. 

The same creative ideas may have peeked
around the corner to be noticed by us before,
but we were too busy to notice. The faucet
of adrenaline was wide open and all of the
associated hormones were being manufactured
by our body 24-7. No rest for the restless. 

To summarize, the symptoms of Parkinsons 
slow down the pace of life. An opening is
created for the creative juices to flow and the
fresh ideas to be noticed. We begin to do
things we have always wanted to do in
our lives, but did not know it until now. 
We stuffed the creative urges before because
there was no time. But now, with a little
more space for new things to happen,
we become whole again. 

I am Like My Father  

There is a second part of your story that I also
want to acknowledge. Whether your father is 
still living or not, his presence and energy is 
embodied in the tools you are using. They
were his tools. Now they are your tools. 

As his son, you are connecting with him in the
most profound way. His hands guide your work
and keep you safe. After all, you are his son.
He gave you life. All of his wisdom lives through
you. You carry on the tradition of all the
fathers in the family.  

As men we all need to feel the support of
our fathers. When we genuinely receive 
and accept that support, we come into
our full creative power. We are able to 
manifest our dreams. 

When we take in the support of our father,
we are also receiving the support of all the
fathers who came before him – all our  
grandfathers, great grandfathers, great
great grandfathers that go back in time
generation after generation.    

I have personally noticed a profound
shift in my own energy and attitude
toward life after I fully took in the
support from my own father. I had
resisted his support for years, having
convinced myself I could do everything
on my own. I distanced myself from
him. It is much easier and more truthful
to acknowledge and honor the truth
that I am just like him. 

Anyone else have stories of how their own
creativity has shifted since Parkinson’s? 

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Parkinsons Recovery

© 2008 Parkinsons Recovery
     

Tags: , , , ,

2 responses so far