Living With Hallucinations and Parkinson’s

Living With Hallucinations and Parkinson’s: A Mindful Perspective

By Christine Seaby, Boxing 4 HealthInspired by “Living with My Hallucinations from Parkinson’s” by Dr. C (Sept 2024)

One thing I’ve learned after working with hundreds of people with Parkinson’s is that this condition touches every part of who you are. Not just how you move, but how you see, feel, and experience the world around you.

Dr. C’s powerful personal essay really struck me because it shines a light on a symptom we don’t talk about enough: hallucinations, or what he calls “sensory exaggerations.” Not everyone experiences them, but for those who do, they can be confusing or even unsettling. Understanding them and knowing they don’t mean you’re “losing your mind” is the first step toward taking back control.

The “Go–No Go” Challenge

As Dr. C explains, Parkinson’s can create what he calls a “Go–No Go” state. Sometimes your body feels revved up and can’t stop, while other times it freezes completely. That same dysregulation that affects movement can also impact how your brain processes sensory input, leading to smells, sights, or sensations that aren’t truly there.

These experiences aren’t delusions (where someone fully believes something false). They’re more like overactive sensory signals that the brain momentarily misinterprets as real.

For instance, Dr. C described suddenly smelling strong machine oil while out walking — vivid and convincing, but not real. Others might see flickers of movement in their peripheral vision, feel crawling sensations on their skin, or hear faint sounds that vanish the moment they pause to check.

Why Mindfulness Matters

This is where mindfulness becomes a powerful ally.

By learning to focus your attention on what’s happening right now. Feeling your feet on the ground, noticing one movement at a time you calm the nervous system and give your brain space to separate real sensations from exaggerated ones.

At Boxing 4 Health, we talk a lot about mindful movement: when you stand up from a chair, focus only on that motion; when you walk, notice each step, your balance, and your breath.

That same focus can help with hallucinations too. If you see or sense something strange, take a slow breath and ask yourself:

“Is this real, or is this my Parkinson’s talking?”

That small act of awareness helps replace fear with calm and brings back a sense of control.

Learning Your Rhythm

Parkinson’s symptoms, including sensory exaggerations, tend to follow patterns linked to dopamine levels or medication timing. Many people notice things get more intense during their “off” periods, often later in the day.

When you understand your own rhythm, you can plan for it schedule rest, reduce stress, and make time for mindfulness or gentle movement when you know your system needs it most.

Turning Awareness Into Strength

What I love most about Dr. C’s message is his mindset. Through daily mindfulness and self-awareness, he’s learned to recognize these sensations for what they are and in doing so, he’s taken away their power.

That’s exactly what we aim to help people do at Boxing 4 Health: not fight every symptom, but learn how to work with them. To stay grounded, calm, and strong even when Parkinson’s throws you a curveball.

So if your senses ever play tricks on you, take a breath and pause. You’re not broken your brain is just running on overdrive for a moment. Use it as a cue to slow down, ground yourself, and come back to the present.

That’s mindfulness in motion and it’s one of the most powerful ways to reclaim control from Parkinson’s, one breath and one moment at a time.

Try a Mindfulness Practice

If you’d like to explore mindfulness further, watch this short video created by one of our former Boxing 4 Health instructors:🎥 Mindfulness Practice for Parkinson’s

You’re stronger than you think — and you don’t have to fight alone.

Christine