Primitive Reflex Integration Case Studies

Submitted by Heather Dubose

Ty is the youngest of my two children and I began using Rhythmic Movements [From the Brain and Sensory Foundations course] with him shortly after starting it with his older sister, primarily because I wanted this to be a family process since we all can benefit from better brain function no matter who we are or how young or old.

It was about 10 months ago when I began using the RMs with Ty. He was two and a half years old at that time and the primary challenge I sought to address was his excessive clinginess. At home he was extremely clingy with me, constantly wanting to sit on my lap during meals and insisting that I always go with him to use the potty, brush his teeth, get dressed, etc. He would not allow my husband to help him and whenever we encouraged him to either do something independently (which he had been able to do in the past) or to let Daddy help, he would cry and plead for only Mommy to be with him. A second challenge I was interested in addressing was sleeping through the night. He was fully potty trained by two-and-a-half years old, however, he would typically have to get up and use the bathroom at least once a night, bringing me with him, so I was curious to see if this program might have an effect on that and help him sleep through the night.

When I first introduced Ty to the Rhythmic Movements, he loved doing it at nap time and it was a great way to get him relaxed and sleepy, which was wonderful! We did this for about four months from March through June and then got a little off track for awhile, but started doing Rhythmic Movements again at bedtime in the Fall. I also started doing some of the reflex integrations [from the Brain and Sensory Foundations course] with him in the Fall (four months ago) when I began doing them with his older sister since it was a time for the three of us to play together and it was an easy way to make it fun and appealing for both of them.

Although I have used all of the primitive reflex integrations with Ty at some point since I was using all of them with his sister, for Ty I focused mostly on FPR [Fear Paralysis Reflex] and Moro [reflex] to address the clinginess and Spinal Galant [reflex] to address sleeping through the night. I have also been mindful of using Heart Connection with him, especially if it’s been a rough day or when he’s struggling with something. I’ve also shown him how to do the Brain Tune Ups and he loves doing the cross crawl. He didn’t want me to help him and he was so proud of himself when he figured out how to do it, which was super fun to see!

Over the summer, Ty turned three and went back to preschool in the Fall, two mornings a week. He had no problem separating from me for school, but at home he was still insisting that Mommy be the one to come with him for every task (getting dressed, using the bathroom, washing hands, brushing teeth, etc.) even if it was something he could do all by himself or his dad was there to help him. I began doing FPR and Moro integrations [from the Brain and Sensory Foundations course] with Ty at the end of October and within a month his sense of independence improved significantly! He is now much more willing to allow his dad — or even his sister! — to help him when he wants help getting dressed or brushing teeth; during the day he usually uses the bathroom all by himself (and often specifically tells us not to come with him); and while he does still request to sit on my lap at dinner sometimes, he’s much better at sitting in his own seat for most meals.

I am also happy to report that Ty started sleeping through the night much more regularly after only a couple weeks of working on integrating his Spinal Galant reflex [from the Brain and Sensory Foundations course]. He occasionally still gets up in the middle of the night or early in the morning to use the bathroom (and still wants me to come with him even though he uses the bathroom independently during the day now), but thankfully this has finally become a rare exception rather than the norm.

Even though this wasn’t a primary concern I thought about addressing in the beginning, I also want to mention that when I was studying the Moro reflex in this course and discovered that an unintegrated Moro can affect the immune system, I decided to try it out with him. When Ty began attending preschool at age two (this is now his second year in preschool), he was constantly coming home with runny noses whenever school was in session. As soon as he got over one, a week or two later he would get a runny nose again. That of course wasn’t as much of an issue once March hit and schools closed, but when he started preschool again this past Fall, he did end up getting a runny nose for a week or so once in September and again in October. At that time I had resumed my studies in the Brain & Sensory Foundations course and after learning about the “Three Thumps” and placing the hands over the kidneys, I used both of these only a few times and since then - more than three months ago - he has been healthy and free of any colds or runny noses!

Working on these movements with Ty has taught me that keeping it light and fun absolutely does make the process smoother and more successful! It definitely makes it less stressful for everyone involved. Ty is generally easy going and loves movement, quality time with his mama, and anything related to songs and music, so working with him on these movements has been a great experience!

[Edited, emphasis added]