The Laterality Dimension

The Laterality Dimension relates to the left and right cerebral hemispheres, the Left-Right connection. The left hemisphere is linked to fine motor skills, linear thought, details, speech and language, reason, objectivity, and logic. The right hemisphere is linked to insight and intuition, feelings, global concepts, rhythm, images, and spatial awareness.

Laterality is associated with the coordination of the two sides of the body allowing free movement across the body’s central midline, or Sagittal Plane. This midline is an imaginary line running down the front of the body, and is commonly called the Processing Midline, as the ability to cross this midline strongly correlates with spatial perception and the processing of information in order to read, write, express, comprehend, and problem solve.

When children cannot cross the Processing Midline they find school frustrating and have difficulty following directions, understanding a lesson, copying from the board, reading at grade level, communicating what they know, or even feeling welcome on the playground. They may be clumsy and struggle with fine motor activities such as writing or tying their shoes, be poor in sports, and in general have low self-esteem. Often children with these difficulties are labeled “learning disabled” when it is actually a Left-Right processing issue.

Adults may find it hard to advance on the job due to an inability to meet deadlines or adequately solve problems, and they may have difficulty handling the stress of a fast-paced, busy family and work combination, and just feel overwhelmed.

Seniors may find their mental clarity declining, or find it increasingly difficult to make decisions. Often, too, their depth perception becomes compromised, impacting their balance and ability to safely navigate stairs and poorly lit areas.

The Solution

Left-Right integration is the neurological basis for the ability to move freely across the body’s Processing Midline. To do this, I employ the Midline Movements of the Brain Gym® program. These movements specifically activate the two brain hemispheres to operate more fully and in sync with each other, establishing a flow of neural communication left and right. When the left hemisphere, with its detailed, linear, fine point thinking, works in combination with the right hemisphere's big picture, gestalt, global functioning, we are able to process things quickly, think and feel at the same time, apply reason as well as our “gut” sense to problem solving, and relate well to others.

When children are able to easily cross the this midline, they find learning exciting, they are able to express their needs and desires, they meet the milestones of academic achievement, they find reading to be a joy, and they want to share what they have learned.

Adults find job and home responsibilities easier to manage, decision-making becomes less stressful, and they are able to handle multiple tasks more calmly.

Seniors feel mentally alert, are actively involved in life, and have better balance.