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-Amy

"I'm Tired!"

"I'm soooo tired!". We hear this all the time at Brain Fit. Clients come for a session and they are just so darn tired. It happened with my own son (I remember) when he was also going through the program.

In the post "There's Not Much Left", I talked about the stress response- the fight/flight/freeze response and how it can take a toll on people- kids through adults. When the brain is in a constant state of stress, the brain power needed is tremendous. When the brain/body are in "survival" mode, it's hard to access thoughts, or have energy to do much.

But what about the primitive reflexes? How do they play a part? Well when the primitive reflexes (those early motor patterns that we all have as babies) are not integrated, the body has to work harder to fight against the reflex action.

Take the ATNR reflex for example. The ATNR (Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex) is the reflex that serves purposes for a baby such as:

• Developing muscle tone
• Ensuring a free passage of air when the baby is lying on their stomach
• Serving as an introduction to laterality- training one side of the body at a time
• Serving as the first eye/hand coordination experience- setting up the visual system for near point focus.

In a school aged child with a retained (still present) ATNR, problems can arise and the brain/body needs to work harder to fight the reflex. You see- functionally, the reflex causes one arm and leg on one side of the body to extend (and the other to flex) when there is a turn of the head. It's also known sometimes referred to as the "fencer's" reflex because it looks like the same pose. Here's a picture to help you visualize.

Think about this same active reflex in a school aged child though. 

The child is sitting at her desk working on a writing activity that the teacher assigned. Across the room, another student starts to sharpen their pencil using the electric pencil sharpener. The child that's writing turns their head in reaction to the sound, and guess what happens? The arm on that same side of the body wants to extend! 

Remember- the ATNR is activated by a turn of the head. Head turns to one side, that same arm extends and the other flexes.

So now, that child that was writing, either (literally) has their arm extend- reflexively and without meaning to- or, if nothing else, the body has built up compensations to "fight" the reflex activity. Compensations such as tension in the neck and shoulder to keep the arm from extending. Or, maybe an awkward pencil grip that makes it easier to keep the arm from extending. Or- maybe holding the pencil itself so hard that they end up with an indent in their finger!

Stop and think about that for a second. Think about all the extra energy that her body is using just to fight that automatic movement pattern! 

We at Brain Fit sometimes refer to the reflexes as being like a puppeteer. The body moves involuntarily when the appropriate activation is present. In this case, the turning of the head. There's no conscious thought tied to the movement. It's directed by the brain stem (AKA- the Baby Brain) and happens automatically. And that child is fighting that ATNR reflex all...day...long. Not to mention any other active reflexes that they may have!

Back to the phrase "I'm soooo tired!" Well, of course they are. Their body is expending so much needless energy fighting the action of those pesky reflexes! Fighting with little movements, big movements, compensations, brain power (or all of the above!) and their poor brains and bodies just can't keep up.

When we work to integrate the reflexes, it's been our experience that the tiredness lessens. The brain and body don't need to work so hard and the energy is freed up for other things. 

I know I say this a lot in this blog, but I find this work fascinating and amazing. When you look at things in a different way, you see things you just didn't even know were there. You are able to see to the root of the problem, and that's where the changes need to be made. 

Tiredness is a real thing when you have unintegrated reflexes. Let me know if it changes once your child comes through the program.

I bet it will.

Hold Space

One of the guiding principles at Brain Fit Academy is to "notice without worry or judgment". In the post titled "Notice" I talked about why noticing is an integral part of what we do and different ways that we help kids to "notice".

Today's post is about "holding space", and the reason why I mentioned noticing is that since we notice without worry or judgement, we also "hold space" in the same way. 

The term "hold space" is actually new for me. I hadn't even heard of the term until a few years ago. And- maybe that's because of the circles I was in? Anyway- I've always kind of wondered what the exact definition of the term is, since different people use it in different ways. When I did a google search, what I found was this: 

"“Holding space” means being physically, mentally, and emotionally present for someone. It means putting your focus on someone to support them as they feel their feelings. An important aspect of holding space is managing judgment while you are present"

Apparently, it seems the term comes from the therapy world and has become more mainstream lately. But boy, does it fit what we do at Brain Fit!

Now, as I've mentioned before- we aren't talk therapy, and in fact, we see breakthroughs all the time with very little talking. Instead, we move through emotions with goal setting and intentional movement. And as a client (child, teen or adult) moves through their emotions, what is the coach doing?

Holding space.

We are holding space for them. We are physically, mentally and emotionally present for them. We put our full focus and attention on them, and as I said before- it all happens without worry or judgement.

To me- "holding space" is about creating a safe place. Creating a relationship and environment that allow the client to feel safe enough to be vulnerable. Safe to share their struggles. Safe to share their struggles with words (if they can and/or wish to) or- to just feel the emotions inside themselves- in order to move through them.

I've talked many times about how when our emotions are swirling and we are in our "baby brain" it's pretty hard to feel comfortably safe. Our brain stem is constantly sending messages that we are in danger. And if our brain and body feels like it's in danger, are we able to access our thoughts? Most times, the answer is no. It's no because we are "reacting" instead of "responding".

If your child (or you!) were to come to a Brain Fit session with those "swirling" emotions, with that "reacting" instead of "responding" brain, what you would find is that safe space. You would find that the coach is ready and willing to "hold space" for your child. You would find that the coach is present, and focused on them. The coach is physically, mentally, and emotionally ready to be present with them, and for them.

Holding space is something we do all the time. We are here to help people and do so by creating that safe, caring, place. We open up, and "hold" space for those that need it, for when they need it. We hold space and we do it without any worry or judgment.

"Holding Space" may be a relatively new term in the mainstream. But really? It's just putting a name to what we already do.

Ready to bring your child to Brain Fit Academy? We welcome you with open arms. And of course, we have "space" ready and waiting to be "held". Ready and waiting just for you and your child.