Torrance York: Semaphore
A Journey through Parkinson’s
Spring/Summer 2024
Semaphore examines the shift in my perspective after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease nine years ago. Through images, I consider what it means to integrate this life-altering information into my sense of self. What does acceptance look like?
Post-diagnosis, everyday items and encounters take on new meaning. Simple tools now present a challenge, and uncertainty pervades the periphery. As I look around me, the branches of trees become networks of neurons. Using photography to capture my fears, challenges, and aspirations has facilitated my understanding of the disease and strengthened my hope for the future. Optimism holds the key for me right now. Light, always an inspiration, illuminates a path for me to follow. In pursuit of this path, I created Semaphore.
The 2023 book Your Brain on Art defines the evolving field of neuroarts as “the transdisciplinary study of how the arts and aesthetic experiences measurably change the body, brain and behavior.” Neuroarts helps explain the benefits I have garnered from making Semaphore.
Parkinson’s disease is the world’s fastest-growing brain disorder. Currently, over ten million people live with Parkinson’s worldwide. My initial ambition for Semaphore, to foster a greater understanding of living with Parkinson’s and encourage dialogue that includes the often-taboo subjects of illness and vulnerability, has expanded. From this new perspective, I advocate for the arts as a force to benefit the health of our bodies, brains, and spirits. While Semaphore is relevant to the Parkinson’s community, it also connects with others whose journeys require growth, patience, and perseverance to move forward.
Torrance York
What Is Parkinson’s Disease?
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common degenerative neurological disorder after Alzheimer’s disease. Most people understand PD as a condition that affects the motor system and is evident in tremors, stiffness, and compromised mobility. While these are indeed symptoms of PD, the illness is more varied in its manifestations. The underlying pathology of PD comes from a decrease in the brain’s ability to produce dopamine. While motor difficulties are often the most visible signs of the deficiency in dopamine, modern research reveals that dopamine deficiency has many other effects, and those effects can be quite different for different individuals.
Of most interest to this exhibit, dopamine deficiency commonly affects the brain’s emotional and motivational states and capabilities. For instance, dopamine underlies the brain’s ability to seek rewards and pleasure, to enjoy beauty, to feel wonder and curiosity. Most treatments of PD involve dopamine enhancement via compounds like levadopa. Those chemical treatments reduce the motor symptoms but also reduce emotional difficulties like depression, apathy, and indifference. They can also elevate interest and investment in the enjoyment and creation of art.
Creativity and the Parkinson’s Brain
Dopamine is a critical neurochemical in aesthetic experiences and creativity. According to Harvard neuropsychologist David H. Rose, known for his role in developing Universal Design for Learning (UDL), one of the surprising “silver linings” of PD is that it can awaken artistic creativity and a desire for creative endeavor, an “artistic spark” that can result from taking medications to boost dopamine in the treatment of PD. Clinical studies show that PD patients can become highly motivated and devoted to artistic expression, committing extraordinary time and effort to develop their art. Additionally, some with PD report enhanced creativity before beginning any medication.
Equally interesting is recent research in the opposite direction: the effect of art on the symptoms of PD. Many artists have reported that their motor symptoms are significantly reduced or absent when they are fully engaged in their art. Furthermore, researchers have shown that art therapy (through music, dance, visual art, poetry) can be very effective components of PD treatment. In a large epidemiological study, researchers showed that artists are somewhat less likely to develop the symptoms of PD. Scientists are now exploring how engagement with the arts rewires neural circuitry and creates new pathways through the process of neuroplasticity.
The Mind-Body Connection
At Parkinson’s Body and Mind, Executive Director Elaine Grant says they’re “all about keeping it positive.” Stress can exacerbate symptoms of PD, which may fluctuate dramatically, even from minute to minute. Strengthening the whole person through emotional support, exercise, and spiritual practice has helped many live fully and even thrive with PD. Support groups for people of all ages (people as young as 30 are diagnosed with PD) are safe spaces to share struggles—and also laughter, optimism, and hope.
Neurologist Sarah Mulukutla, MD, founder of the American Academy of Neurology Section on Neurohealth & Integrative Neurology, investigates how yoga and meditation—in addition to calming the body and mind—can help the motor networks work better in people living with PD. Challenging activities like improv and boxing, which teach new skills and trigger neuroplasticity, also help build new circuits that benefit mind and body.
In her research over more than two decades, a leading scientist on Spirituality, psychologist Dr. Lisa Miller, reveals the tremendously protective benefits that result from awakened, spiritual engagement. Her research demonstrates that the shift in perspective of the spiritually awakened brain unlocks enormous potential for interpersonal connection, creativity, and emotional healing. In the spiritual state of awareness, our challenges become an opportunity to tap into our inner knowing and resiliency. Instead of asking, "Why is this happening to me?" we tune into the power of "What is life showing me now?"
Exhibition sponsored by Parkinson’s Body and Mind, where the power of exercise meets a positive state of mind. Scan the QR code for information about our programs locally and virtually, or visit www.parkinsonsbodyandmind.org.