Motion sickness is one of the most unpleasant experiences that a traveler can endure. Physiological symptoms like nausea and dizziness come from a sensory conflict within our vestibular system during moments of physical, visual or virtual motion, and our reflexes play a major role in creating this foundation for balance and an awareness of our moving surroundings.
The Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex, or TLR, helps infants establish head control, leading to muscle tone, that supports their independent navigation, from rolling to crawling and learning to walk. The ability to move the head in both directions equally allows for movement with stability.
In this case study, we see a client whose emotional distress and regulation challenges impact his entire household. With overactive FP and Moro reflexes, he tried unsuccessfully to self-soothe before Thrive led him on a gentle path toward safety and success.
The meditative, intentional nature of yoga is a wonderful way to bring calm and focus into our often-chaotic lives. In yoga, we explore grounding our feet to the earth and in a sense, we’re employing our reflexes in our hands and feet to create these energetic sensations that enable us to feel present.
The Babinski reflex compliments the Infant Plantar reflex, preparing toes and feet for standing upright with stability. These combined movements guide the development of walking, jumping and even moving laterally as we grow.
The song “Let It Go” plays such an important role in the Disney movie, telling a powerful tale of a princess learning to accept her past and her powers, letting go of her fear and finding empowerment through self-acceptance. Living authentically is a wonderful theme to introduce to children, yet possible only when a sense of security enables that confidence.
In this case study, our client and his family struggled for years without answers. Through his work at Thrive, he worked to ingrate his active fear paralysis and immature root/suck reflexes, which had resulted in both delayed speech progression and the need to self-soothe through chewing and mouthing behavior.
As a baby develops, movement evolves from primitive reflexes to more advanced motor skills, sending signals that strengthen the neural network, creating connections that increase awareness and control over time.
The Babkin Reflex is the opening of the mouth that occurs with a stimulus in the hand. It works in concert with our grasping reflexes and builds upon defensive reflexes that together help us feel safe and secure. Together, these reflexes help to support the foundation for healthy attachment and social behavior.
Our hands have the power to send signals of safety and security to our brain through their grasping movement. The plethora of tactile calming toys on the market may be acceptable coping mechanisms to temporarily quell anxiety or stress, but provide only a short-term fix for more complex behavioral responses.
