Uncategorized Archives - Page 11 of 14 - Primitive Reflex Integration on the Surrey/Sussex Border

The reason why you over-react, misinterpret, get seasick and need to have the last word…

Perhaps you’ve read about retained primitive reflexes already. Perhaps you are on programme already for your child…

But did you know that retained reflexes can be hereditary?

In clinic, around a quarter of my clients are adults. Just like me, six years or so ago, some parents who have started their children with reflex integration programmes, having read a little bit about primitive reflexes, have recognised things in themselves and decided that it’s time to start investigating their own reflex profiles.

In some cases, people have suddenly twigged that, despite the fact that they sailed along at school apparently unencumbered, they were actually having to work a lot harder than they needed to in order to achieve.

In adults, retained reflexes are behind the following behaviours:

anxiety
depression
procrastination
over-reactions to minor things
constant anger
pain – in particular lower back pain
excessive shyness
motion sickness
phobias
addiction – in particular to smoking
misinterpreting things
finding it difficult to take in instructions
blurting and interrupting
perfectionism
always needing to have the last word
feeling victimised
road rage
inability to relax

What would it be like to not have any of the above “traits”? What would it be like to be able to relax fully, feel at ease, and be the person you were born to be?

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Support for SEND parents in crisis: Finding your own balance

The SEND world is like walking a tightrope above a ravine…

As SEND parents, we are under constant strain to protect the interests of our children and fight their corners. It’s really tough.

When people bring their children to me, I can see myself with my son, six years ago when we started working with our legendary reflex integration practitioner. I often see, just as he saw in me, that parents need support so they can feel “safe” in the world just as much as their children.

Our therapist never told me that I’d benefit from work on myself – I came to that conclusion myself – partly because I’d seen such a miraculous transformation in my son and wanted to see what it’s like to change! (I also wanted to know whether I really did have any retained reflexes… because… you know…. I’d always done well in life, and couldn’t possibly be anything other than neurotypical).

I wish the more integrated version of myself could give the six years ago version of myself a big hug and tell myself it was all going to be ok – because it IS ok. And I’ve made it ok, thanks to the fact that I admitted to myself that I needed support.

So now… a quick thanks to our therapist, as well as Gill Brooksmith, Janice Graham, Gaynor Ralls (in fact, if it were not for Gaynor, I would have given up when FPR kicked in on several occasions – making me doubt myself and procrastinate!), and also Moira Dempsey for her incredible knowledge and enlightening reframing of the way I now look at things.

By admitting that I needed to be supported by others, and by working on integrating my own retained reflexes, I feel like a new person.

I have been practising for a couple of years now, but I would not have seen myself in this role six years ago at all. Now it defines me: watching the incredible transformations in my clients, I know that I’ve finally found my vocation.

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A child’s guide to their first appointment

Hello! I’m Emma and you’ll be coming to see me in either Horsham, Dorking or Cranleigh soon!

Everyone in the world has things they are brilliant at and things they have to work hard to do.

I only discovered that I had to work much harder than I needed to when I was a grown up.

I discovered that by doing a set of easy movements every day for just a few minutes, I felt less worried. I also found it easier to sleep and found it much easier to concentrate and to sit still!

By doing these little exercises every day, it is easier to move and to think.

I wish I’d been able to come and see someone like me when I was at school!

When you come to see me, I might ask you to draw me a picture of yourself, or write something. If you don’t want to draw or write, that is ok! You can play with my Rubiks cube or do some building if you like.

Next, I’ll ask you to do some funny tricks for me – all very easy. These are not “tests” – I am just seeing how your brain works.

Then I will show you some gentle movements, and you can tell me which ones you like best. Then you will go home, and you’ll do these movements every day until we next see each other.

You might gradually notice that things become a little bit easier! You will probably need to come and see me a few times, but I promise to try and make your visits fun!

I look forward to seeing you soon!

Corporate FPR: Fear Paralysis Reflex Neuroplasticity SSP: Safe and Sound Protocol Uncategorized

Vagus nerve hacks to regulate your nervous system any time, anywhere.

One of the things I’m most frequently asked about is how to reduce anxiety using vagus nerve hacks.

If you can’t stretch to using the Safe and Sound Protocol, or just need to know how to keep calm and self regulate ahead of a stressful upcoming event, here are a few simple things you can try, almost anywhere:

vagus nerve hacks

Music – Find a recording of Mozart’s K448 – Sonata for two pianos and stop everything else. Sit in a chair and listen. This piece of music has been proven to reduce stress – and even the occurrence of seizures in kids with epilepsy!

Mozart’s sonata for two pianos K448

Breathing – Try breathing in through the nose to the count of 4, and out through the mouth to 8. Breathe from your belly rather than ribs!
Gargling – Try very vigorous gargling – to the point where tears start to form in your eyes. When you start getting tears, it means your vagus nerve is firing. Try and keep it up for a few seconds and then relax
Hum – this activates laryngeal muscles, which get signals directly from the superior and recurrent laryngeal branches of the vagus nerve. If done for long enough, this allows us to control our breath, slow down thoughts and enter deep relaxation
Chant – chanting “om” stimulates vagus activity to the digestive tract, and is said to improve digestion and inflammation levels in the body. Chanting “om” following stressful events is an excellent way to reduce stress levels
Laugh – laughter is extremely effective in improving mood and heart rate variability. This is because we use our diaphragms when we laugh – unless we are laughing nervously, in which laughter is shallow and comes from the ribs. Belly laughs are an easy vagus nerve workout! Personally, I have a couple of video clips that I can’t watch without crying with laughter – mainly Reeves and Mortimer sketches, and also something too inappropriate to discuss in this post, but it’s a scene from The Inbetweeners.
Socialising – socialising and connecting with others is SO important. Being solitary, lonely and disconnected from others severely affects our mood and health. Being around others helps us laugh more, which, as we’ve just established, helps us keep our vagus nerve regulated…
Yoga and Meditation – PROVEN to tone the vagus nerve and reduce stress. I was even discussing this with a respiratory doctor a few weeks ago. It is only your logical left brain telling you it doesn’t work!

All the above are excellent things to do WHILE doing or BEFORE the Safe and Sound Protocol, by the way.

When I take people through the SSP, I usually demonstrate a variety of movements and massages that you can use to self regulate. Some of these powerful somatic techniques are things I used to use to stay focussed and calm at school myself – I did not realise what I was doing at the time, but now I think I was incredibly self aware to know what my body needed.

If you want to dig a bit deeper and help reduce your anxiety permanently, please come and see me in clinic in West Sussex, or book a discovery call via Zoom, or attend one of my Remaining Regulated workshops.

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