A Second Tempo: Music, Movement, and the Healing Brain 

Why rhythm and motion may be the most human form of neurological rehabilitation

Abstract: Brain research is one of the last frontiers in medical research. Plus One Foundation's education campaign Think aBout It features educational information and outreach on contemporary neurological topics. Education is at the heart of what we do; our Think aBout It campaign aims to dig deeper into all aspects of TBIs and neurological conditions.

I still remember the first time I witnessed a stroke. It was 2013, and I was seated across from my parents at a modest sushi restaurant, halfway through a plate of tempura. It was the first semester of my undergraduate studies in biology and psychology. I was hungry — for food, yes, but also for understanding. That week, our lectures had turned to the brain: its architecture, its fragility, and the sudden violence of cerebrovascular accidents. On the topic of strokes, my professor introduced the acronym F.A.S.T. — Face drooping, Arm weakness, Speech difficulty, Time to call 911 — a mnemonic meant to transform bystanders into first responders.

As we stepped out of the restaurant into the cool Southern California evening, a family entered. The man beside me collapsed. I caught him instinctively, and in that moment, the textbook came to life: his face drooped to one side, his speech was garbled, his eyes wide with confusion. A few of us lifted him into a chair. His family hovered nearby, helpless, suspended in that liminal space between knowing something is wrong and understanding what it is. The paramedics arrived swiftly. “Stroke,” they said. He would be taken to the hospital. Treated. Stabilized. And then — what? That moment, brief and brutal, marked a turning point. For me, it was the beginning of a lifelong inquiry into the brain’s capacity for damage and repair. For his family, it was the start of a new reality — one shaped not by the event itself, but by the long, uncertain road of rehabilitation that would follow.

The human central nervous system is a biological paradox — at once resilient and exquisitely fragile. It is a latticework of neurons and glial cells, suspended in cerebrospinal fluid, encased in a bony vault barely seven millimeters thick. Within this gelatinous mass — weighing no more than three pounds — resides the totality of our being: memory, movement, emotion, identity. It is the organ of selfhood. And yet, for all its complexity, the brain is notoriously poor at healing. Unlike skin or bone, it does not regenerate with ease. The architecture of neural networks — vast, intricate, and delicately balanced — resists repair. After injury, the environment within the brain becomes hostile to regrowth. Neurogenesis, the birth of new neurons, is limited and often insufficient. What follows is not recovery, but adaptation — a slow, uncertain recalibration of function.

The scale of this challenge is staggering. According to the World Health Organization, over three billion people globally live with a neurological condition. Stroke, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, epilepsy, traumatic brain injury — each represents a unique disruption of the brain’s structural, chemical, or electrical systems. Some disorders erode the brain cell by cell, others short-circuit its signals, and still others alter its chemistry in ways we barely understand.

But beneath the clinical language lies a deeper truth: every diagnosis is a story. A family reorients around a new reality. A spouse becomes a caregiver. A child learns to navigate a parent’s silence. One moment, you are sharing dinner; the next, you are deciphering the future through the lens of a CT scan. Neurological trauma does not just affect the brain — it reshapes lives.

Despite the immense societal and personal burden of neurological disorders, spending in aesthetic medicine far exceeds neurological research funding - things like Botox and balding - especially in the U.S. and UK. This disparity reflects cultural priorities, market dynamics, and the challenges of funding long-term rehabilitation and neuroscience innovation. But perhaps innovative and powerful rehabilitation tools are more accessible than we think. They don’t necessarily require billions of dollars in federal funding – it’s as simple as unlocking the timeless music of Johann Strauss II's "The Blue Danube," and Tchaikovsky's "Waltz of the Flowers", or a well-worn pair of sneakers and the familiar cadence of a favourite song echoing through a quiet room.

Louis Armstrong once said, “Music is life itself.” It is not merely a backdrop to our existence, but a thread woven through its very fabric — from the muffled rhythms heard in utero through the stretched skin of an expectant mother, to the solemn notes of Taps or Amazing Grace that accompany our final farewells. Music is not incidental; it is elemental.

But what if music is more than memory? More than mood? What if it is medicine?

Recent studies from Finland, Italy, and the United States are beginning to reframe music not only as art, but also as an intervention. In Helsinki, researchers found that stroke patients exposed to daily music showed enhanced recovery in verbal memory and focused attention. In Milan, rhythmic auditory stimulation improved gait and balance in individuals with Parkinson’s disease. And in Boston, music therapy was shown to reduce anxiety and improve motor coordination in children with traumatic brain injuries.

The mechanism is as elegant as it is complex. Music activates a constellation of brain regions — auditory cortex, motor cortex, limbic system — creating a neural symphony that promotes plasticity. Rhythmic cues can entrain movement. Melodic patterns can stimulate language centers. Harmony can soothe dysregulated emotional circuits. In essence, music becomes a scaffold upon which the brain can rebuild.

Movement, too, plays its part. Dance therapy, tai chi, and guided motor exercises have shown promise in restoring proprioception, balance, and coordination. In Turku, Finland, the Tango was found to improve functional motor control, quality of life, and cognition in Parkinson’s patients. When paired with music, the effects are amplified — as if rhythm and motion together unlock a deeper form of healing.

These are not just anecdotes. They are data. They are evidence. And they are hope.

At Plus One Foundation, music and movement are not ancillary — they are essential. These are not just programs; they are lifelines. We have witnessed lives recalibrated, not by the sterile hum of fluorescent hospital lights, but by the cadence of a drumbeat, the sway of a dance, the quiet dignity of motion reclaimed. For those who have stared into the grayscale void of a CT scan, or sat wordless in the antiseptic stillness of a neurologist’s office, these therapies offer something rare: color, rhythm, agency.

We are opening paths to meaningful recovery. To therapies that are low-cost, low-risk, and profoundly human. For people like the man at the sushi restaurant, whose life changed in a single, silent collapse, these interventions offer a new rhythm. Music is indeed life and may prove to offer an avenue to a renewed life, by the gentle tapping of a foot, to rhythm and blues, to memory and movement — a second tempo begins, guiding the brain towards healing.

About the Author

Jake Petersen is a husband, dog-lover, educator, and executive leader whose work bridges the disciplines of mental health, trauma recovery, and applied neuroscience. He holds a Master of Science in Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health from King’s College London, where his research focused on astrocyte-to-neuron reprogramming and neurogenesis in central nervous system repair. Jake currently serves as Chief Operating Officer for Cascade Christian Schools and sits on the executive board of the Plus One Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting individuals affected by neurological conditions through innovative, accessible therapies. A former professional athlete and U.S. Army officer, Jake brings a unique perspective to resilience, performance, and recovery — integrating scientific rigor with lived experience. His work spans research, crisis leadership, and community outreach, with a focus on translating neuroscience into meaningful, human-centered interventions.

Learn more information about Plus One and the Think aBout It campaign here: Think aBout It | Plus One Foundation

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