Our proprioceptive system plays a vital yet unseen role in sensory processing, motor control and our survival instinct. Our body’s ability to sense its position in space is a complex automatic process, essential for coordination and balance in movement. When external and internal cues fail to result in successful processing, developmental and motor challenges may occur.
We often refer to early education as foundational. Children unlock the ability to read and write by drawing upon an understanding of the body’s two hemispheres that comes from reflex integration. The ability for children to remain attentive, focused and cooperative in a classroom setting is also closely connected to the integration of our primitive reflexes.
Our Amphibian reflex emerges once several earlier reflexes are integrated and we gain an understanding of the independence of our upper and lower body. Much like cross-lateral movement patterns, the Amphibian reflex enables balance and postural stability for upright movement.
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.
