Do the Butterfly Hug Bilateral Stimulation To Help Parkinson’s Anxiety

Anxiety is a common non-motor symptom of Parkinson’s. Anxiety can be something you’ve struggled with your whole life, due to a traumatic event or changes in brain chemistry due to Parkinson’s. Up to 40 percent of people with PD will experience some form of anxiety.

The good news is there are several great, actionable ways to get out of fight-or-flight mode (sympathetic nervous system) and to a calmer place (parasympathetic nervous system). Bilateral Stimulation is a technique used in different forms to ease anxiety, PTSD, and other stress-related disorders, including social anxiety.

What Is Bilateral Stimulation?

Bilateral stimulation refers to the process of alternately stimulating the left and right sides of your brain. It can be auditory, visual, or tactile, like tapping or patting.

Click below to watch my video and learn How to Do Butterfly Hug Bilateral Stimulation to help Parkinson’s Anxiety:

How to do bilateral stimulation by yourself with butterfly hugs:

1. Cross your arms over your chest so that the tip of the middle finger from each hand is placed below the collarbone, and the other fingers and hands cover the area that is located under the connection between the collarbone and the shoulder and the collarbone and sternum or breastbone.
2. Your hands and fingers must be as vertical as possible so that your fingers point toward your neck and not toward your arms.

3. If you wish, you can interlock your thumbs to form the butterfly’s body, and the extension of your other fingers outward will form the butterfly’s wings.

4. Alternate the movement of your hands, like the flapping wings of a butterfly. Let your hands move freely.
5. Breathe slowly and deeply through your nose while you do this exercise for 2-3 minutes.
6. If you are able, add the 4-3-5 breathing method that you learned in last week’s video: Vagus Nerve Maneuver to Calm Anxiety with Parkinson’s  

💜 Coach Kimberly