Primitive Reflex Integration Case Studies

Submitted by M.S., Physical Therapist

My 20-year-old son, Matt is diagnosed with ADHD, PTSD, major depressive disorder and social anxiety. Matt was disorganized – clutter followed him everywhere. His car was a mobile garbage dump. You could not see his bedroom floor as it was so piled with junk. He would lose homework assignments, forget to turn them in, or only partially complete them. He would forget about appointments or upcoming meetings. He had extreme emotional dysregulation to the point where he even questioned if he was bipolar. He diagnosed himself (correctly) with misophonia in the 7th grade as the sound of people eating, breathing heavily, coughing… sent him into flight or fight. He could not eat dinner at the table with the rest of the family unless he had ear phones in and his sweatshirt pulled up around his face. He held his body stiffly, shoulders often elevated, ball of foot landing with gait. He was frequently sick, hospitalized numerous times for gastritis. He was home schooled for a month in 6th grade secondary to a cough tic. He was taken by hospital to the ER three times secondary to panic attacks. He is an asthmatic. He is prone to sinus infections and had pneumonia in the 12th grade. He experienced major traumatic events when he was 7 and then again when he was 16. He was put on medication for anxiety and depression at the beginning of 12th grade.

"He had extreme emotional dysregulation to the point where he even questioned if he was bipolar."

We tried numerous avenues through the years to help Matt, including acupuncture, cranial-sacral, sensory integration, neurofeedback, emotional freedom techniques, the emotion code, counseling, medication, supplements… Some of these did help Matt to a certain extent but none of them hit the core of his problems. Then I enrolled in the Brain and Sensory Foundations course!

I spoke with Sonia directly before starting a program with Matt because I was concerned that it could bring up serious emotions. She instructed me to work on my own FPR [Fear Paralysis Reflex] and Moro [reflex] prior to working with Matt. I did and was able to start helping Matt without “too” much fear. We started with the PACE and all four rhythmic movements 6X a week. At first Matt was so stiff that he moved like a board. All movements had to be done passively for the first two-three weeks before he was capable of performing them on his own. After doing the rhythmic movements for two months approximately 5X week, I started having Matt work on integrating his Fear Paralysis Relfex, Moro and TLR [Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex]using a 5- step balance program as recommended by Sonia.

All seemed to be going well until about 2 weeks into the integration when Matt had (quickly passing) bouts of depression and overwhelming anxiety. Since that time things have only been progressing.

We added integration for his palmer-babken to help with night time teeth grinding and to help improve manual dexterity required with his guitar playing. Plan to add integration for his SG [Spinal Galant Reflex] and Babinski when changes from the present work appear to be settling down.

The improvements I see in Matt are astonishing. He keeps his room clean and his rug vacuumed. He cleans out his car on a daily basis. He does his homework completely and hands it in on time. He has not forgotten any appointments even though he is now in college and has numerous activities to self-manage. His mood is much more stable and he is no longer volatile. He continues to work with his counselor on esteem issues but I strongly feel that these will only continue to improve as more reflexes are integrated and brain pathways developed. He has not had any more bouts of depression or trips to the ER.

Matt no longer holds his body rigid. Shoulders are relaxed, rib cage down. He now displays a consistent heel-toe gait pattern. He has not been sick in over 2 months which is unusual for him. Foods no longer bother his belly and his frequent headaches are a thing of the past. His asthma is getting better and he rarely needs to use his inhaler. He no longer enters a room like a massive storm cloud. He can eat at the dinner table with the family and is now enjoying small family gatherings.

"He no longer enters a room like a massive storm cloud."

I am so impressed with the results I have been seeing with Matt, especially after all the years I’ve been searching for avenues to help him with his struggles. I am so thankful for Sonia and this course -- there are no words to express my heartfelt appreciation.

[Edited for length and clarity; emphasis added]