As an OT practicing eight years in the field, Summer has connected with a broad professional network to build her Orlando-based practice. After meeting Elizabeth and attending a workshop on the road, Summer sought opportunities to share RMTi with her own knowledgeable and passionate team, and apply the principles to her work with even the youngest of clients.
In this case study, our client battled several compounding stressors and a condition known as POTS that sent her fear paralysis into overdrive. Through rhythmic movement therapy, she was able to regain control over her body and mind and in the process, found inspiration for a new career path.
Rather than view the words ‘I’m bored’ as a problem, let’s look at this as a valuable opportunity for our brains. The valuable mental space freed up in the absence of constant stimulation allows for deeper self-reflection, clarity in the quiet and creativity in the void. There is a chance to further regulate and recalibrate emotions, and often, to navigate these feelings with a greater degree of independence. This is meaningful developmental growth for young minds.
Teresa Bozikis has been a practicing speech pathologist, a certified lactation consultant and a passionate orofacial myofunctional therapist for over twelve years. She opened her practice, Therapia, with the goal of identifying and addressing the root cause behind her client’s challenges. Through a quarterly peer study group, she discovered RMTi as a powerful compliment to her practice and a key element in propelling her comprehensive approach to care.
When we explore the emergence of our earliest reflexes, we often reference their integration as serving to establish a sense of security. The movement and the integration of these reflexes help us explore the world around us, feel safe in our independence and seek healthy attachments with others. We reflect on Mother’s Day and the role a maternal figure plays in these early developmental transitions.
In this case study, an infant with remarkably low muscle tone and a traumatic birth story came to Thrive after muscle professionals failed to diagnose his condition. Through gentle, gradual rhythmic movement work, he was able to slowly integrate early reflexes to achieve critical developmental milestones.
As a lifelong educator, Moira’s true passion is leading and learning within a classroom setting. As one of the co-founders of Rhythmic Movement Therapy International (RMTi), she has worked on an international scale to organize, teach and consult on the power of reflex integration and specifically this rhythmic movement modality.
This is a case about a mother, who through her son found a path to help herself. Mary’s story is about harnessing rhythmic movement therapy to support emotional regulation. She has been able to work through active Moro, which manifested in pain and outbursts, and find a path to stability for herself and her family.
Pennsylvania-based Kimberly Witman works as a paraprofessional in elementary school classrooms and in church as Sunday school leader. It was her role as a mother, however, that led her to RMTi. After witnessing the transformative effects of rhythmic movement on both her and her son, she felt compelled to share this gift in her work with others.
Human connection, in its purest form, is a collaborative concept. Two unique and independent individuals come together in cooperative engagement. Someone is guiding through an experience, and the other is allowing that care and attention for a moment in time. When I empower my clients and their caretakers to practice rhythmic movement exercises on their own, I’m inviting this gentle dance of give and take.
