It’s Not Rocket Science

*Please note- this blog post was written during my time at Brain Fit Academy Inc. I have since continued this amazing work under my own company- Brain FUNdamentals LLC. I hope you enjoy!

When parents (or teachers or therapists) first start to learn about Primitive Reflex Integration, it might seem a little daunting. It can seem like a lot of information, but let me tell you a few things:

First:

It's so worth learning about.

Second:

It's not rocket science.

When you take it down to it's most basic level, what you are doing when you work on primitive reflexes is getting to the root cause. You're working on the part of the brain that is the first to develop (the brain stem) and integrating the brain and body so that both can perform better- more easily.

And the reason why I say it's not "rocket science"? Well, the reason is because reflex integration is just movements. It's different activities, exercises, movements- whatever you want to call them, that can change the brain. They change the brain because they continue the work wherever the reflex got "stuck" or "interrupted" and help the brain and body to integrate (or finish) the innate movement patterns that all of us have as babies.

So when you stop to think about it, movements aren't that hard to learn, right? Have you ever learned a new dance, or an exercise routine at the gym? If so, then you can learn how to do Primitive Reflex Integration. 

Yes, there is information about the reflexes that you may want to learn. And yes, understanding the patterns can help you to recognize them in your children or in children you work with. But ultimately? It's not that difficult and it's not as complicated as it might seem. You don't need to be a therapist, or a doctor. You don't even need to be a parent. You just need to have the willingness to think "outside the box" and be open to a different way of looking at challenges.

At Brain Fit Academy, we help families to "trust the process". In other words, understand that what we do might not always seem straight forward, but to trust that it works. We may have your child doing an activity that seems like it is unrelated to their issue, but because we understand how primitive reflexes affect different areas, we target the reflex that is at the root of the problem. That's why it can look different from other therapies you may have tried before. 

I can tell you that as a parent whose child went through the program, I wasn't quite sure about everything in the beginning either. I would watch my coach working with my son and would ask questions now and again, but it wasn't really until I went to the 3 day adult class and started learning more about the reflexes (and experiencing them myself!) that it became easier to "trust the process". 

After all, knowledge is power, right? And like I said, Primitive Reflex Integration isn't rocket science. When I took the time in my schedule to delve more deeply into the learning, not only did I make more and more connections to my son, I also made more and more connections to myself! In return, I understood why behaviors were happening with my son, I understood why behaviors were happening with me and the progression for both of us took off!

Learning about Primitive Reflex Integration can seem a little daunting to some. It can seem like there's a lot of information. But remember this- it's totally worth it, and it's not rocket science.What it is, is a way to understand your child (or children you work with) others in your family, and yes, even yourself!