Acupoints for Integrating Primitive Reflexes

Living in our world for newborns is challenging. They need to survive in a completely different situation compared to their previous environments in their mothers’ wombs. They need to breathe and find food with their own efforts as well as move in gravitational situation. Luckily, they have a set of survival movements that enables them to live in the new environment.

The brains of the newborns are limited in function. A part of their brains that is fully active is called brain stem. Movements that come from the brainstem are called primitive reflexes. Primitive reflexes are automatic, repetitive movements. These movements are the keys to access higher functions of the brain.

The willingness of a baby to survive and move in exploring his/her new world will increase the number of neurons in the brain. Moreover, this activity will integrate the primitive reflexes to the next developmental stages. Children can have difficulties in managing their emotions or doing their daily life activities if they are not given the freedom to explore and move during infanthood.

Child development depends on reflexes integration. Primitive and postural reflexes create neural connection to the whole area of the brain, enabling the children to access the capacity of the whole brain easily in their daily life activities. Many children with learning challenges have some reflexes that have not been integrated and it can be seen that their maturity levels are different from their peer.

When the primitive reflexes are not integrated or even developed, body movements become awkward; speech delay and emotional or sensory hypersensitivity are experienced. Lack of focus becomes the major issue in many areas of life.

Unintegrated reflex is a sign that the body needs assistance for further development. Several methods such as Brain Gym, Rhythmic Movement Training, INPP, etc. could assist and facilitate the integration of the brain and learning.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is a good method for children with special needs. Based on clinical evidences, it shows that Acupuncture at a certain degree also supports the integration of primitive reflexes. After they are treated with Acupuncture, children with epilepsy, cerebral palsy, autism, etc. show good improvements.
In Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), there are some signs that show the presence of primitive reflexes, or developmental delays, related to the TCM diagnostics. Giving a child a treatment with acupuncture could diminish the sign of primitive reflexes that have not been integrated. The same thing will happen if the situation is reversed, when children receives treatments for their primitive reflexes, some signs of developmental delays (from TCM point of view) will diminish.

Remanlay Acureflex Integration (R.A.I)

Remanlay Acureflex Integration (R.A.I) is a method with a focus of exploring the acupuncture points to integrate primitive reflexes without needles. It just uses touches, certain massage techniques and energy works.

The R.A.I method explains about the development and reflexes of children from conception, pregnancy, delivery, until the first year of their lives through the Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective. This method views child development from the aspect of energy and gives a clearer explanation about energy work.  

This work develops from the observations that not every child is comfortable with needles, many children indeed have enormous stress and trauma in dealing with needles. Instead of achieving great results, the enormous stress could trigger the primitive reflex to turn on. This is the reason why not every special need children achieve great results with acupuncture, since the stress when dealing with needles could affect the number of neurons.

In my clinic, I only give needle(s) to children with emergency cases, such as cerebral palsy, epilepsy etc. because in epilepsy, seizures also affect the developments of neurons. There is one case where one of my clients had a seizure every minute, and acupuncture did help her a lot.

R.A.I is a method that stimulates and works on energy meridians without needles, all that you need is your hands and breathing techniques. This method combines meridians work with reflexes integration.