Anxiety and Depression

Riley is an exceptionally sensitive and kind 16 year old. As a young child she experienced much of her daily life as distressing and challenging. As such, over time she developed persistent anxiety, suffered from depression, and experienced very low self-esteem. As she entered her teen years, Riley would frequently use cutting to cope with stress and would isolate herself from social situations, feeling rejected by her peers. She was often tearful, easily startled, and withdrawn. By the time Riley came to me, she had been seeing a counselor since 8th grade.

Riley has a close and open relationship with her mother, and together they established Riley’s goals for our sessions. Ultimately Riley wanted to feel good about herself and to be confident and “comfortable in my own skin.” She also wanted to be able to control her distraction so that she could listen attentively and act with thoughtful intention instead of being impulsive. This was particularly important with boys, who would quickly engage her in unhealthy relationships.

Riley responded immediately to the sessions, and after just the 4th one, Riley’s counselor reported that she seemed calmer overall. By the 6th session, Riley reported several changes after which, when experiencing two very stressful events, she was able to manage her emotions without cutting. Riley shared that, to a large degree, her anxiety and depression were “handled” and a major trauma of three months ago was now “in the past.” She was also beginning to communicate with her peers and not isolate and disengage as she had done in the past. Riley was happy to report that, with the approval of the teacher, she had begun to sit in on a class with her friend instead of eating lunch alone out in her car. Shortly after this, Riley offered to paint a mural on a classroom wall and the teacher thought that was great.

After 9 sessions, Riley’s mother reported that communication was beginning to flow – that of all the communication skills they had learned from past counselors, and my coaching in specific communication techniques with Mom, Dad, and Riley, was working. Difficult situations once muddled with upset and tension are now resolved much more quickly. In addition, both Riley and her mother feel that whatever anxiety she experiences now is within the normal range for a teenager.

At this time, we have completed our 12th session, and Riley has not cut herself in over a month and counting. And, significantly, Riley reported that she told her counselor that she no longer needs to see her because she has nothing to talk about to resolve. She is socializing more and emphatically stated that she is “happy without having to have a boy in my life!” She is feeling good about herself and is comfortable in her body, is engaging with her friends, and is able to work through difficult emotional situations without self-harm. At this session, in another milestone, Riley’s mother said she is stepping out of overseeing our sessions. She feels Riley can drive herself and no longer needs mom’s follow-up, feedback, and guidance. Riley now has the ability to plan and carry through with goals on her own.

Much of the work with Riley focused on re-patterning of the primitive reflexes. Primitive reflexes are neural/muscular reactions to stimuli and are active in our first year of life. Typically they integrate into higher functioning neural patterns as a natural progression of our development. For various reasons, however, these primitive reflexes can remain active, or retained. Retained primitive reflexes can underlie a myriad of problems for both children and adults, such as difficulties with sensory processing and perception, concentration, listening comprehension, social/emotional development, ADHD, and much more.

Movement lies at the heart of all learning, thinking, and relating, and re-patterning uses particular sensory motor movements to release active primitive reflexes. This results in an integration of the reflex into a higher level of functioning, in essence, “switching off” the reflex. As Riley’s sessions progressed, we focused on several of the primitive reflexes that relate to sensory processing, social/emotional patterns, and safety.