In this case study, the teenage client was dealing with extreme social anxiety, school refusal and separation challenges. By working toward integrating defensive reflexes and promoting client agency in our work, our sessions focused on fostering independence, self-initiative and a sensation of safety.
Our brain’s frontal lobe is the center for key executive functioning, allowing us to navigate daily activities with control and awareness, manage emotions and draw from working memory. As we age, several reflexes must emerge and integrate to establish the foundation for the highest level of executive functioning.
As a later stage transitional reflex, STNR draws upon integration of earlier reflexes that help reinforce the body’s coordination of upper and lower halves. STNR’s rocking motion supports the understanding that the head can move independent of the body while helping to develop muscle tone and postural stability.
A successful school year extends beyond school supplies and schedules, as learning patterns are established in these first few months. Being ready for reading, ready for writing and, most of all, ready for focusing on a full day’s curriculum involves fundamental connections within our brain.
In this case study, the client suffered from overstimulation and touch issues at a young age, and as she developed, her fear manifested as indecision and anxiety in day-to-day activities. We worked to help prime her nervous system and provide a better baseline for things that previously were triggers.
Dementia, a state of mental functioning that’s attributed to a number of diseases, impacts roughly one third of adults 85 and older. Cognitive deterioration like Alzheimer’s is a window into how our memory is closely associated with our complex neural networks.
Putting off or delaying tasks until the last minute, or even past deadline, is an irrational yet tempting choice. Procrastination is a classic tug of war battle in our brain, between immediate gratification and potential negative consequences. In the end, procrastination persists when our brain’s center for executive functioning, the prefrontal cortex, loses out.
The Landau reflex underpins postural and navigational movement, as well as binocular vision and hearing. As an arousing reflex, where blood flows to the prefrontal cortex when the head tilts, several emotional developments occur with Landau’s integration. Just as the body physically extends to reach out into the word, the reflex underpins self-initiation.
Dyslexia, a neurological disorder that impacts how children read and identify sequencing and speech sounds, impacts up to 20% or one in five students. We’re examining how active primitive reflexes may contribute to the visual processing challenges found in disorders like dyslexia.
In this case study, a young athlete struggled with stress and frustration that was impacting his performance, not only at school but on the ice rink. Our work addressed active reflexes that were causing his overstimulation and anxiety, utilizing rhythmic movement exercises to channel his focus and calm.
