There's Smiles, but There's Also Tears - Brain FUNdamentals

*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!

I looked up at his mother.  He had just excused himself to go to the bathroom and we both knew why. 

It was so that he could cry-privately.

I had been working with this 10 year old (a different child than in my previous post titled “The Smiles are the Reward”) for probably about 4-5 months.  We had been using various modalities including Primitive Reflex Integration and Brain Gym® to get to the root cause of his anxiety.  Although this client was making small gains, his mother and I didn’t see a big breakthrough- until that day.

At the beginning of our session, after we did our settling-in activity, we started talking about his goal for that session.  When we work with kids (or adults) at Brain Fit, we always set a goal-an intention- to help the movement activities to be more powerful. 

On that particular day, his mother joined us for the goal-setting piece.  And, as we discussed particular goals, he was making suggestions as to what the goal could be, but we knew there was more- something deeper- that we hadn’t gotten to yet.  We’d been working on integrating many different primitive reflexes- but we hadn’t gotten to the one I knew he needed- Fear Paralysis.

But- you may be wondering, why not? If I knew he needed to work on Fear Paralysis, why hadn’t I done that with him? 

It’s because he wasn’t ready.  

At Brain Fit, we use a type of Applied Kinesiology we call “muscle checking”.  It’s a way to get information from your subconscious mind using the reaction of muscles in your body.  Some of you may have experienced it if you’ve ever been to a chiropractor or wholistic practitioner (some of them use the technique). 

To determine what reflex to work on, we ask the body and mind what it needs on that particular day using various muscle checking techniques.  Until that day-I’d never been told by this client’s body (using muscle checking) that it was time to work on Fear Paralysis.

But guess what? After he came back from the bathroom, I did a few movements with him to help him to calm his body and then I muscle checked him to find out the reflex that was needed for that day.

And…you guessed it- it was Fear Paralysis.

Those tears, that need to let go- was reached that day.  It opened the door to integrating the Fear Paralysis reflex, and it was the turning point in his treatment.  From that point on, the improvements soared until a few months later we was ready to be released from the program.  

Anxiety? Tremendously improved.

Confidence? Gained.

Happiness? Felt.

I never want to make a client cry- but sometimes, in order to make progress-

The tears need to say what the heart can’t.