Roots

What would happen to a tree if it didn't have strong roots? 

• Would it grow healthy, strong and tall? 
• Would it be able to stand erect in the ground and maintain its stability in the wind? 
• Would it be able to withstand the ebbs and flows of weather patterns? 
• Would it support the tree in the best way possible?

I'm no arborist, but I would say that the answer to all of these questions would be no. Would you agree?

Just like roots of a tree, our brain stem serves to support us- right from the earliest beginnings of our development. You see, when you look through the lens of the Triune Brain Theory (explained in more detail in this post) you will come to think of the brain in three parts. The earliest, the brain stem- or the "baby brain" as we say at Brain Fit, is like the roots of a tree.

The baby brain develops first. Establishing (or it is supposed to establish) a solid foundation for the rest of the brain to develop. It serves as the "roots" of the brain- upon which the other parts of the brain can grow. It governs survival mechanisms such as breathing and digestion and is where the primitive reflexes are housed.

But herein lies a potential problem. If the baby brain doesn't develop quite the way it should- if the primitive reflexes don't emerge, develop and integrate smoothly, those "roots" (the brain stem) can get- what we call- a little "disorganized".

Think about those tree roots again for a minute. Let's just say that the roots of the tree represent the primitive reflexes. The roots are those early motor patterns- the primitive reflexes. Now, picture those roots all tangled up. Growing every which way- left/right, crossing over each other and intermingling. Not really forming a flowing, organized pathway to the ground and the nutrients it holds. 

If the roots of the tree grew in that tangled, mixed up way, would the tree be at its best? Would it be able to weather the storms of life and do all of those things I mentioned at the beginning of this post?

So remember, those roots represent the primitive reflexes, right? What if the primitive reflexes "grew" or developed in the same way that those roots did? Picture that. 

The early motor patterns that help us to survive, facilitate the development of our sensory systems, facilitate the ability for us to be comfortable in our bodies, as well as facilitating motor development growing in that same tangled up way. 

The primitive reflexes developing in that same, mixed-up way- left/right, crossing over each other and intermingling. Never really forming a flowing organized pathway to the upper parts of the brain. Remember- the brain develops from the bottom up, so if the lower parts of the brain aren't organized and those roots are all tangled up and not flowing- the upper parts of the brain don't have the foundation they need in which to grow!

That's what has happened with many of the clients we see at Brain Fit. The brain stem didn't grow in an organized way. Or, maybe it started to grow and somehow got interrupted. Either way, there is disorganization in the lower parts of the brain. The roots are all mixed up. The foundation isn't strong enough to support the person.

• They may not grow healthy, strong and tall
• They may not be able to maintain (emotional) stability in the "winds" of life.
• They may not be able to withstand the ebbs and flows of the "weathers" of life.
• They may not have the "support" of the brain in the best way possible.

The brain stem, AKA "baby brain"and the roots of the tree- they both support. They both need an organized flow to do their best work. They don't always have it.

At Brain Fit, we support the brain stem by integrating the primitive reflexes. 

As for the tree? I have no idea. You might want to consult with an arborist...

The Show Must Go On!

I love the work I am doing in my life right now. It is the "eve" of my teaching the Primitive Reflex Integration course online for the first time. I am so excited that we have been able to pivot the course and that I can continue teaching this important information in a new way- on Zoom!

As I have mentioned many times before, Primitive Reflex Integration is something I wish people all around the world knew. So much so that I want to Shout it From the Rooftops!

When I was thinking about how this "show must go on", it also got me thinking about kids. My clients, other Brain Fit clients, and kids out there- in the world who's show doesn't "go on". 

I'm talking about the kids that are so stuck in the Fight/Flight/Freeze response that their parents can't even get them to school some days. 

I'm talking about the kids that hear others talking behind their back about them and feel so badly about it that they refuse to go to school or other places where they would need to be around their peers.

I'm talking about the kids that struggle with math, or reading or writing. Or struggle with sensory issues, or social interactions. Or those that have other learning challenges, or live with chronic- daily, anxiety.

For those kids- is the show "going on"? 

• Are they living a full and happy life? 
• Is the rest of the family calm and content? 
• Are they able to "pivot" and go with the flow of life? 
• Do they have the resiliency and self-regulation to get themselves through their day?

I would guess that in most of those cases, the answer is no to a lot (if not all) of those questions.

What I love about Brain Fit, is that we work with these struggling kids and families.

We work with our clients to integrate the primitive reflexes and get to the root cause of many of these challenges. We teach them tools that they can use in their daily life to calm the nervous system and bring them back to homeostasis. We give them knowledge about their brain, and what to do when they find themselves "out of the loop". We teach adult classes- such as the reflex integration course I'm teaching this weekend and Brain Gym® 101. We also (in "normal" times) offer professional development sessions for teachers and other professionals that work with children. 

The show must go on with people’s lives. These kids and families that are struggling need ways to cope, ways to help. 

Ways to help ease anxiety so that kids can get back to school and feel more self-confident about themselves. 

Ways to make learning challenges less challenging. Ways to help kids "pivot" and be resilient throughout their day and life. 

I am grateful and proud to be a part of this company- Brain Fit Academy, that helps kids and families on a daily basis with all of this.

My "show" is going on tomorrow in the form on an online Reflex Integration course. Meanwhile, Brain Fit will continue working with all of those who find us and need help keeping their own show running. 

We're here, let us help. The show must go on!!

Just Breathe

I'm sure at some point in your life you have had someone tell you- "Just breathe!" You may have been going through a rough patch, having some kind of meltdown, been in the midst of an argument, or perhaps even a panic attack.

I know I've had people tell me this before- several times. And- I've said it to people on different occasions too. But there's some very interesting things about breathing and how they relate to stress. I found out that it's not quite as simple as we might think- to "just breathe" I mean.

Have you ever heard of the psoas (so-az) muscle? Maybe you have- if you're a doctor, OT, PT or massage therapist. 

Me? I'd never heard of it until about a year ago. And, I learned about it in an interesting way because I learned about it in relation to the work we do at Brain Fit Academy. In relation to Primitive Reflex Integration.

The psoas is a basically a large hip flexor that directly links the spine to the legs. There's actually two psoas muscles- the major and the minor. I'm referring to the major one here. But what is interesting, so, so interesting is that the psoas plays an important role in the Fight/Flight/Freeze response. Yes, that's right- the response that keeps us safe in the face of danger- real or perceived.

According to Liz Koch, the author of The Psoas Book, "....the psoas plays an important role in the survival response of the organism: the fight-flight-freeze response." "When fetal curl is activated, the psoas (along with other flexor muscles) neurologically fires bringing the extremities together into a fetal-c curve." She goes on to say that that c-curve "creates a sense of safety while protecting the soft, vulnerable parts of the body." 

Ok- so let me put that into layman's terms. When we go into a "freeze" response, the body (literally) gets pulled into a c-curve, AKA the "fetal position". The psoas- that muscle that many don't really know much about, does that. It helps "pull in" the body to that c-curve- that fetal position.

Great Amy, I get that now. But what does that have to do with breathing?

Well you see, the psoas is also correlated with our diaphragm- one of the main muscles responsible for breathing. The diaphragm and the psoas connect along the same vertebrae in the lower spine. So- when the psoas is tight, we are unable to fully extend our diaphragm. Which means- we aren't able to take a full breath!

Fight/Flight/Freeze=tight psoas=less movement in diaphragm=shallow breathing. 

So asking someone to "just breathe" when they are in the middle of a F/F/F response is probably not going to be as fruitful as you might like.

And for those that are constantly in that F/F/F mode? Breathing- real, deep, belly breaths are most likely just not happening. They just aren't because they can't!

So what do we do? Well, one of the ways we address this at Brain Fit is that we work with our clients to release some of that tension in the psoas. We do movements that help relax and stretch the psoas. Thereby, allowing the diaphragm to more fully extend. 

We also teach a Brain Gym® movement called Belly Breathing. Belly Breathing teaches how to breathe more fully into the "belly"- expanding the rib cage in all directions and allowing for more oxygen to reach the brain.

You'd be surprised at how many kids I've worked with that have had trouble learning how to belly breathe- and I'm sure it has a lot to do with the psoas muscle!

When we work with clients to integrate the MORO and Fear Paralysis reflexes, these breathing and psoas exercises and activities correspond nicely. It's really interesting to see how much more relaxed a person feels after stretching the psoas and then breathing. I feel it myself when I do the exercises along with them. Loosening up the tension in that psoas muscle can have such an impact on the breath and gives a whole new meaning to "just breathe".

The psoas is an important muscle and deserves more attention than we typically give it. Work with your own (or your child's or whomever!) and see if it makes a difference.

Hey- maybe- I can start a new saying. What do you think? 

"Stretch the psoas before the breath, that will help you calm your stress..."