Jarod’s Story
Emotional Outbursts
Jarod, age 6, had a difficult time being “settled” in his body. He would get extremely upset when his mother would leave his room at bedtime, he was unable to sit through dinner without an emotional outburst, and he would throw a tantrum when he did not get his way, screaming and crying uncontrollably.
Jarod’s mother wanted him to be able to participate in a family dinner calmly, be able to go to sleep after she put him to bed, and to be able to handle disappoints with more emotional control. While our goals for Jarod were focused, his success would prove impactful for many areas in his life and development.
“This is a huge deal for him [riding his bike without training wheels]. Something just ‘clicked’ and I think it has much to do with the Brain Gym work!”
The underlying cause of Jarod’s outbursts rested in an over-reactive midbrain and the poor cross-lateral functioning of his brain-body system. Fortunately, he loved the Brain Gym® movements, which offered a simple, fun technique to further our goals. By calming the highly reactive lower brain and stimulating the higher cognitive centers where forethought and self-control reside, Jarod was slowly able to gain better control of his behavior.
After five sessions, Jarod’s mother described him as being “quite settled in his body.” Putting him to bed was a much more pleasant experience for both of them and he could now sit through dinner with very little upset. They both were delighted to find that the emotional outbursts were easier to “turn around” and find a peaceful state. One of the most amazing things for his mother is that Jarod started riding his bike – without the training wheels!
Christina’s Note
The Limbic System, or mid-brain, is responsible for interpreting the world around us and immediately assessing whether or not we are safe. It is the engine of motivation, determines where we focus our attention, and is responsible for spatial awareness (where we are in space and how we move in relation to objects around us). The sensory motor movements of Brain Gym strengthen the nerve fibers between the Limbic System and the neocortex (upper brain), which increases our ability to control our behavior, allows us to be less impulsive, and helps us to think more clearly when emotionally upset. Basically, we are able to think and feel at the same time. With stronger neural connections between his upper brain and mid-brain, Jarod was not only able manage his own behavior but also ride his bike because of his new found spatial awareness and physical coordination.