Primitive Reflexes

“This is more than a primitive reflex integration program - it is a brain maturation program”

— BRMT founder Dr. Harald Blomberg

Primitive reflexes are innate patterns held in the brainstem that help the baby develop motor coordination, strength, vision, and social-emotional bonds in the first few years of life. A variety of factors (C-section birth, birth trauma, too little time on the floor in the first years of life, hereditary factors, and more) can limit the integration of these primitive reflexes or cause them to reactivate later in life as an adult (chronic stress, injuries, accidents, traumatic experiences, etc.). BRMT movements mimic specific developmental patterns that babies use to integrate primitive reflexes. These movements are as innate as the reflexes themselves, and work to integrate primitive reflexes at any age.

For children, primitive reflex integration is used to improve attention, self-regulation, emotional regulation, vision, reading skills, academic performance, gross motor coordination, visual motor skills, body awareness, resilience, and more. For adults, this gentle, rhythmic body work technique can provide deep healing for the mind and body.

I offer courses for professionals interested in incorporating primitive reflex integration into their practice. All courses are accepted by NBCOT for continuing education credits. OTs, PTs, teachers, parents, doctors, professors, massage therapists, psychologists, lactation specialists, and social workers have all attended and benefitted from the insights and practical techniques shared in this program.

ADHD as a symptom - not a pathological condition

Rates of ADHD diagnoses have increased 42% over the past 8 years, with an estimated 11% of American children diagnosed with this “condition”. In the medical world, ADD and ADHD are discussed as neurodevelopmental disorders that can be treated with pharmaceuticals that can alter personality and brain chemistry - sometimes permanently.

ADD and ADHD are symptoms of a system that is failing our children on multiple levels.

For example - a child with an active Spinal Galant reflex will squirm when tactile (or vibrational) input is applied to their lower back. Waistbands, pant tags, the back of a chair - this child’s primitive reflex is constantly being stimulated while sitting in school. Now add an active Moro reflex, and their fight-or-flight response is triggered by sensory input. Beneath fluorescent lights and surrounded by the chatter of young peers, this child’s body is in fight-or-flight mode while they are asked to remain still for 6+ hours a day. Active STNR? Good luck sitting 90-90-90 for an extended period of time.

Imagine in this case, the child eats cereal for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch, and mac and cheese for dinner. The American diet is infamously indulgent, but even parents who strive to provide healthy food for their children may not know how our toxic food system causes systemic, damaging inflammation with effects on behavior, mental health, digestion, and regulation. Think sugar is the only ingredient that leads to hyperactivity, crashes, and health consequences? Not so - GMO grains treated extensively with toxic pesticides, dairy from cattle treated with hormones and antibiotics, and microplastics from food packaging affect the gut biome, hormone levels, and neurotransmitter levels. Gluten (a protein found in wheat and other grains) is linked to “leaky gut”, and is known to be able to cross the blood-brain barrier. Once in the brain, it causes brain inflammation and alter neurotransmission, behavior, and mood (I recommend reading Grain Brain by Neurosurgeon David Perlmutter, MD). Diet is complex, and is central to the discussion of ADD/ ADHD’s origins.

On top of active primitive reflexes and inflammatory foods, we add a frequency diet of artificial light, screens, dopamine-hit-inducing internet scrolls, and a stark lack of natural sun and grounding. The sun’s spectrum of light triggers hormonal changes at different times of day - exposure to sunlight is crucial for regulating our sleep-wake cycle and balancing hormones related to our arousal levels. When our hormones are off-balance and our arousal pathways are not properly stimulated, sustaining attention becomes a very difficult task.

When we view ADD/ ADHD as a symptom of a way of being that does not support our function, change becomes possible. All it takes is knowledge, and one small step at a time.

Symptoms of Common Primitive Reflexes

    • Anxiety

    • Fears

    • Low tolerance to stress

    • Frequent tantrums

    • A sense of being frozen or feeling stuck

    • Social isolation

    • Extreme shyness

    • Fear/ avoidance of new situations or experiences

    • Perfectionism

    • Helplessness

    • Depression

    • Hypersensitivity to one or several of the senses - especially touch, sound, and light

    • Sleeping disorders

    • Eating disorders

    • Panic attacks

    • Social phobias

    • Oppositional behavior

    • Aggressive behavior

    • Difficulty making or maintaining eye contact, or intense staring without blinking

    • Anxiety

    • Poor adaptability and resilience

    • Resistance to change

    • Sensory sensitivities (light/ visual, sound, touch, and smell)

    • Easily overwhelmed

    • Attention difficulties

    • Motion sickness

    • Poor balance and coordination

    • Emotional outbursts/ difficulty regulating emotions

    • Difficulty sleeping or settling down to sleep

    • Poor stamina - may cycle between hyperactivity and fatigue

    • Weakened immune system

    • Difficulty reading (including dyslexia)

    • Difficulty with spelling, grammar, and math

    • Clumsiness, poor coordination

    • Vision problems (no binocular vision, inability to track, poor “pursuit” eye movements, etc.)

    • Visual perceptual difficulties (especially left-right reversals)

    • Leans to one side when writing at a desk

    • Poor handwriting and poor expression of ideas through writing

    • Inability to cross midline

    • Poor balance

    • Neck pain or tension

    • Asymmetry in the body (including scoliosis)

    • Rotated pelvis

    • Attention difficulties

    • Poor fine motor skills

    More common in adults:

    • Neck pain or tension

    • Back pain or tension

    • Knee pain

    • Asymmetry in the body

    • Scoliosis

    • Rotated pelvis

    • Vision challenges

    • Clumsiness, poor coordination

    • Difficulty reading

    • Vision problems

    • “W” sitting

    • Upper extremity weakness

    • Poor posture, difficulty sitting upright in a chair - tendency to slump

    • Attention and focus difficulty – trouble staying on task, squirming or fidgeting

    • Difficulty separating the upper and lower body (can be seen by a difficulty learning to swim, especially breaststroke)

    • Slowness with copying tasks

    • Poor eye-hand coordination

    More common in adults:

    • Thoracic kyphosis

    • Neck tension or pain

    • Back tension or pain

    • Vision challenges

    • Reading difficulty

    • Weak upper extremities

    • Poor posture

    • Poor coordination

    • Toe walking

    • Sensitivity to shoes/ socks

    • Sensitive feet - may prefer to be barefoot or be averse to going barefoot

    • Problems with balance and stability

    • Challenges running or aversion to walking

    • Flat feet

    • High arches

    • Loose ankles that easily sprain

    • Tension in legs, ankles, hips, or feet

    • Awkward gait

    More common in adults:

    • Foot pain

    • Knee pain

    • Rotated Pelvis

    • May cause osteoarthritis of hip joint (when combined with retained ATNR)

    • High or low foot arches

    • Weak ankles

    • Stiffness/ tightness in ankles

    • Sensory processing challenges

    • Auditory processing challenges

    • Poor balance

    • Poor spatial awareness

    • Poor visual-perceptual skills

    • Difficulty sequencing

    • Attention difficulties

    • Vestibular sensitivity

    • Motion sickness

    • Fear of heights

    • Difficulty judging space, distance, and depth and speed

    • Poor motor coordination

    • Weak neck muscles, neck tension, and/or neck pain

    • Poor posture

    • Hypertonia or hypotonia (depending on which direction remains active)

    • Weak eye muscles, tendency to be cross-eyed, poor control of eye movements

    • Skipping words or line of print when reading

    • Letter or number reversals

    • Toe walking (especially if Fear Paralysis Reflex is active along with the TLR)

    • Preference for loose clothing, dislike of belts or pants with tags in the back

    • Scoliosis

    • Bedwetting past the age of 5

    • Extreme ticklishness

    • Attention difficulty; poor concentration & short-term memory; overall fatigue

    • May prefer to do homework or watch TV lying on the floor

    • Difficulty getting in touch with feelings

    • Restlessness when sitting or being held

    • Tightness in the lower back and/ or hips

    • Lower back pain

    • Rotated pelvis

    • Spastic colitis

    • Incontinence

    More common in adults:

    • Pain and/ or tension in the lower back

    • Hip pain

    • Tightness in the hips

    • Rotated pelvis

    • Spastic colitis

    • Repression of emotions

    • Weak hands

    • Poor fine motor skills/ fine motor coordination

    • Poor handwriting

    • Poor or unusual pencil grip; refusal to write

    • Poor speech, articulation, and communication skills

    • Difficulty grasping and releasing objects

    • Challenges with speech and articulation; speech delay

    • Difficulty expressing ideas orally or in writing

    • Hypersensitivity to touch on the palms and face

    • Stuttering

    • Jaw tension, grinding or clenching teeth

    • Tension in the hands and forearms

    • Inability to latch during breastfeeding

    • Oral fixation

    • Involuntary movements of the mouth and tongue when writing, playing an instrument or when using scissors, etc.

    • Arm waving or flapping

    More common in adults:

    • Tennis or golf elbow

    • Jaw tension

    • Poor handwriting

    • Poor fine motor skills

Children and adults present differently

Active primitive reflexes look different when comparing infants, children, and adults. Here is a breakdown of the most common symptoms seen in children and adults.

Symptoms of active reflexes in children

attention deficits

resistance to new experiences

tantrums

dyslexia

developmental delays

sensory processing challenges

poor fine motor skills

poor gross motor skills

poor visual motor skills

low or high muscle tone

scoliosis

limited social skills

toe walking

incontinence

visual challenges

reading challenges

poor self-regulation and emotional regulation

difficulty navigating daily life

Symptoms of active reflexes in adults

stress

anxiety

fear

chronic pain

neck or back pain

stiffness

tension in the body

limited mobility

poor posture

thoracic kyphosis

scoliosis

clumsiness

poor coordination

ADD/ ADHD

difficulty reading

sensory sensitivities

poor sleep

difficulty navigating daily life