Young Parkinson's of Indiana

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Young Parkinson's of Indiana Young Parkinsons of Indiana is a support group in Indianapolis, Indiana for people with Parkinson's disease.

I’m very excited about this life group starting from the people at the ParkinsonFoundation! They will be having virtu...
08/13/2026

I’m very excited about this life group starting from the people at the ParkinsonFoundation!

 They will be having virtual and in person events to support the young onset community.

YPI is also working to get our reinstatement completed and once we do, we will also start having events so that this demographic of diagnosed individuals has plenty of resources!

https://app.donorview.com/Event/EventInfo?prm=fadOpibISW2SoIAgyjF08wcvdcsQKm7R22HFHq5iEh1596fY8t3jgpXq5fOt1Av1VKBJYdv610tyV1VcZVeDAEhtNxEtJ70bavP-_gyJbN53A0QUzFoiuS8HbtovJDZXAYxEK8UNyD6FoK6EBBowyh4g0Bn4K0lc-KEiTSpASGmItyd4Uo-X7OgDibMFpeutvpmraW32A7b6LSqCMWsb3MWTyzH6AHE6mdWxtRiDp1eqwvnO1JhaCsa8wQOSVpx00&fbclid=IwcGRvZgVmZGlkFlDGhIZWn3ZWBhKrt2VXPSlEIMDbzvpleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeoORMZQK_dCRu60TjEqNOmklxZx3tjNl6K6ohvSDfErcuLT4LCyCjNhDPUR8_aem_x2pSziFk0EWuAUyZ08j3jg

07/22/2026

Hello!

First, a big thank you to everyone who is still following this page!

Second, an apology from me on behalf the Board of Directors for the long lapse in community engagement.

Third, an announcement of reassurance. We know how much this resource is needed! And we are going to re-launch this very important nonprofit later this year.

Please stay tuned, and tell us what type of content and support you would like to see!

Very sincerely,
Kristina Vigliaturo
Current YPI President

02/03/2026

This is great!

12/18/2025

IU Health is piloting a new program designed to help patients with Parkinson's. The Parkinson's choir helps strengthen their voices.

12/06/2025

Practical ways to process the grief so it doesn’t stay trapped in your body. See yesterday’s post for context.

These are the things that work best for people with Parkinson’s + trauma load:

A) Vagus-Nerve Oriented Breathwork (Short, Simple, Doable)
• 4-second inhale
• 6–8 second exhale
• 2-second pause

Do 2 minutes. Not more.
Long sessions overstimulate your system.

B ) Somatic Micro-Movement Instead of Stretching

Parkinson’s + trauma freeze responds better to:
• slow ankle circles
• tiny wrist rotations
• pelvic tilts
• seated spinal swaying

Small movements tell the brain:
“I am not trapped.”

C) “Labeling” Instead of Storytelling

When emotions surge, use single-word labeling, which decreases limbic activation:
• “Anger.”
• “Grief.”
• “Fear.”
• “Alone.”
• “Overwhelmed.”

It sounds simple, but it literally reduces the amygdala load.

D) Heat

Heat:
• reduces rigidity
• increases dopamine release
• calms the sympathetic system

E) Co-regulation Through Sound

Low, rhythmic sound helps your brainstem regulate:
• humming
• gentle chanting
• low music
• 60–70 bpm rhythms

This bypasses the thinking brain and resets the autonomic system.

What have you tried that works for you?

12/05/2025

Do you ever feel like your Parkinson’s symptoms are worse after emotional stress or trauma?

Parkinson’s doesn’t just affect dopamine for movement.
Dopamine is also essential for:
• emotional regulation
• stress buffering
• motivation and reward
• the “braking system” of the nervous system

When you have Parkinson’s, every stressor — emotional, physical, relational — hits your system harder because you have less dopamine available to buffer and metabolize it.

This means:
• emotional overwhelm → physical rigidity
• suppressed anger → increased muscle tension
• grief load → autonomic freeze
• relational uncertainty → tremors and locking
• trauma triggers → full-body “shutdown” or stiffness episodes

Your nervous system has less room to absorb emotional intensity.
So instead of processing normally, the body somatizes the overload.

That’s why your symptoms spike during:
• trauma activation
• grief waves
• relational uncertainty
• attachment threat
• suppressed anger
• any “freeze” response

This isn’t “in your head.”
It’s neurology meeting trauma physiology.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post on what to do about it!

Address

8710 Bash Street #503442
Indianapolis, IN
46250

Telephone

+13172033049

Website

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