Primitive Reflex Integration Case Studies

Submitted by Angela Preston, Occupational Therapist

I worked with John, an adult man [who came] from a past of chronic trauma. He had significant anxiety, depression, and a Bipolar diagnosis. He took on marathon running as a coping mechanism and became a workaholic, preferring not to go to his previous home, where he suffered domestic violence. He had quite extreme clinginess towards his wife and fear when she went out of the house. It was quite an issue. John has been practicing Sahaja Yoga meditation for the past 5 years and has overcome an enormous amount through this practice. However, it was not until he started the Rhythmic Movements (RM) [from the Brain and Sensory Foundations course], that he was able to push through some very deep-seated fears and overcome some sensory processing difficulties and anxiety.

I facilitated teaching him the Brain Tune up [from the Brain and Sensory Foundations course] initially and he found the cross crawl very difficult and could not do it, he also became very dizzy when attempting this. The hook ups were almost impossible for him to learn, due to his reduced coordination and balance. We had to break the movement down and do it sitting down, with me demonstrating it multiple times. Currently he can do the cross crawl and hook ups with relative ease. We started doing the four RM, first passively in August 2020 and after a few months of doing them intermittently (maybe twice a week and only for a minute or two – all of them), he was able to do each one actively for about a couple of minutes each. The first time I did the RM passively for him, he reported nausea. His body was very ridged and head wobbling all over the place with some of the RMs with his whole spine moving. There was only movement which looked somewhat rhythmical.

For reflex integration, because he had already been doing the RM for some months, I started with the Moro reflex isometric activity [from the Brain and Sensory Foundations course] in November 2020, due to his sensory processing difficulties with auditory, touch, balance, and movement. He enjoyed this one very much and did it whenever he could, approximately 3 times per week, in the beginning and since March 2021 up to 5 times per week. He loves both RM and Moro reflex best. He did the best he could to do the movements regularly. John has rigidity in his neck and requires a pillow under his head for all exercises on his back. I would have to correct him often, to ensure the quality of the movement was there, as he would get his left and right mixed up regularly.

At the same time as starting the Moro reflex, I felt he would benefit from integration of his hand reflexes. He is always seeking oral input through food, tea, and coffee and has trouble with constant chewing on nuts and anything crunchy. His handwriting is very messy and all over the page and he is “all thumbs” with fine-motor tasks. I checked for this reflex and found it to be very active both sides, particularly the Palmer/Babkin Reflexes, although left was slightly more noticeable than right. I taught him the stimulation and isometric integration activities for the Grasp and Palmer/Babkin reflexes [from the Brain and Sensory Foundations course]. We instantly noticed a significant increase in the quality of his handwriting, which was previously very messy, and now looks very flowing and cursive. Also, a slight improvement has been observed in his reading capacity, (he can slow down and read words slightly better). John did the isometric integration activities 3 or 4 times per week since late November 2020.

The next reflex chosen was the Fear Paralysis Reflex, due to his separation anxiety and low self-esteem, difficulty with breathing, fear in groups and difficulties sensitivities to touch and auditory sensory processing. Once he started with the RM and Moro reflex integration, all of the above were noticeably reduced, with the fear in groups and separation anxiety greatly reduced. We did the stimulation (No 1) and isometric integration activity, first passively, about 5 times in 2-week period and then he started to do it actively, while sitting up and listening to a beautiful raga, he enjoys and that has a wonderful soothing rhythm. After the 3rd time of stimulating and integrating the FPR, John had a significant ‘meltdown’ sobbing for some time.

John told me his mother (who died when he was 26 years old) used to leave him alone as a child regularly for hours and that he used to imagine all sorts of horrible things had happened to her and that a few times, she would forget to pick him up after school. I suggested we do a 5-step balance process [from the Brain and Sensory Foundations course]. We started by setting a goal, which he said was to have better memories of his mother and early childhood. The goal was “My mother is the best mother she can be and does the best she can to raise me in a loving manner”. We then did all RM followed by, a passive FPR integration. After this, he went to sleep for a few hours. When he woke, he felt a bit disorientated, and he had a big drink of water and then did the repatterning sequence. John reported he felt very grounded in his body after that, and he then told me he could see himself being held, lovingly by his mother. He slept for 12 hours that night, and since then he has been much more settled and happier in general.

The tools from this course have been such a blessing for this man. He is finding his balance and can take more control of his life in all areas, positively impacting his marriage and family life.

Edited for length and clarity, emphasis added]