At the July, 2007 Rhythmic Movement Training with psychiatrist Harald Blomberg, MD, we got to see the work in action when a mother came with her one year old daughter, Sophie. Sophie was born premature, had complications in the hospital, and severe developmental delay. She had no control of her head and couldn't keep it from flopping around. Her development was at the stage of a newborn infant. According to her mother, her hands were nearly always in closed fists and out to either side of her head. Sophie had never walked, crawled, sat up or even rolled from back to front.

With Sophie on her back Dr. Blomberg began the rhythmic movements with her. We could see the intense concentration on her face while she experienced the stimulating movements. Within minutes Sophie started doing things her mother had never seen her do. She turned her head back and forth from side to side on the mat. Her hands relaxed and began opening and closing. After about 15 minutes, while Harald continued the movements, Sophie grabbed a necklace her mother dangled in front of her and she brought it to her mouth. Her first midline movement! (Midline movements are critical to proper brain and body development.)

Then Dr. Blomberg did the movements with Sophie on her belly. Her legs started kicking and she lifted her head off the mat—movements she had never done before. Sophie smiled and made cooing noises at her large audience. After a while Sophie found her thumb (another midline movement) and started sucking on it for the first time. At the end of a half hour session, Sophie's mother lifted her into a sitting position and Sophie held her head up on her own for several seconds. Sophie’s mother was overjoyed. Dr. Blomberg's students were inspired.

According to Dr. Blomberg, with continued proper movement activities for brain stimulation, Sophie will grow and develop normally.

© Sonia Story, 2007

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