Tell your story. Change your brain.

The traditional medical treatments for Parkinson’s disease (PD) are well known, including carbidopa-levodopa and deep brain stimulation. To a degree, they both do the same thing: mask symptoms. They are helpful for what they are, but neither slow progression. Vigorous exercise is proven to have a number of positive effects for PD symptoms. However, what’s often missing in the Parkinson’s journey is something less clinical, and far more human: a way to make sense of it all. 

That’s where Cinema Therapy comes in—not as a cure, but as a catalyst. For self-expression. For connection. For reclaiming voice and agency in a world that can feel like it’s slipping away. And even for helping find a cure. 

Parkinson’s, despite being the fastest-growing neurological disorder in the world, remains underfunded and underrepresented. According to the NIH Categorical Spending Report for 2023, Parkinson’s research received significantly less funding than Alzheimer’s, cancer, or HIV—even though the prevalence and cost to society are rising. Dr. Ray Dorsey, co-author of Ending Parkinson’s Disease, puts it bluntly: “The greatest barrier is silence. People with Parkinson's are nice…but we’ve been way too quiet for way too long.”

But why? Part of the reason might lie in the very neurology of Parkinson’s. The disease targets dopamine-producing neurons—the same ones that help with movement, motivation, and emotional expression. Simply put: it can feel harder to speak out, to advocate, or to even tell your story. 

Dr. Paul Zak, a neuroeconomist, has extensively studied how stories affect the brain. In How Stories Change the Brain, he explains that “character-driven stories do consistently cause oxytocin synthesis.” Oxytocin is the neurochemical that fosters empathy, trust, and connection. Zak also notes that “stories are powerful because they transport us into the mind of another person”—a critical experience for people who feel invisible or misunderstood.

But storytelling is not just catharsis; it’s craft. As this post from Yes, And…eXercise! explains, good storytelling isn’t a trauma dump or a tidy memoir. It’s not just a list of symptoms. It’s finding the moments of choice, change, and character. It’s sharing the how and why behind what you’ve lived. That’s where transformation—and community—takes root.

And what if you’re completely bought in? You understand you have to explore, discover, and share your story in order to break through the barrier Dr. Dorsey spoke of and make meaningful change? How do you tell a story that has an effect?

The Cinema Therapy program at Yes, And…eXercise! gives people with Parkinson’s the tools to do just that. Participants watch films, analyze themes, play, move, reflect through writing, and learn to tell their own stories using Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey framework. Along the way, they laugh, cry, grow, and remember they’re not alone. You do not need to think of yourself as a writer to tell your story.

Cinema Therapy doesn't erase Parkinson’s. But it can reframe the narrative—from loss to resilience, from isolation to connection. And for a community that’s been too quiet for too long, that’s revolutionary.

So, cue up a movie. Watch it with intention. Laugh. Cry. Reflect. Then, let us help you tell your story. It’s good for your brain—and just might inspire change in your life and in the lives of others.

Contact program creator and facilitator Robert Cochrane, PhD at robert@yesandexercise.org for more information.