Brain Gym Parkinson

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JoAnna Shaw

CONSONANTS CLEARlY, A D

UNDERSTOOD EVERY WORD.

THE FOURTH SESSIO : 9/6/06, 10 - 11:30 A.M.Bill chose to work on his voice today.

Pre- _. _. He lOId me a story about his dog, and demon-

howl when Bill would hit high notes

cblriJJlet.His voice was breathy, his conso-

i difficult to understand him. His

dido't like the sound of his voice.

He also p. his clarinet. It was hard for him to produce a

sound, and there was no discernible melody. It sounded more

like playing a scale to warm up.

Learning Menu: Spinal Walking*, Navel Radiation*, and

Movement Reeducation* on feet and calves. His focus was to

relax the tendon guard reflex*.Post-activity: Bill told me the same story about his dog. This

time he enunciated his consonants clearly, and I understood

every word. There was breath supporting his words. His eyes lit

up as he noticed the difference. He reported that the internal

sound was still not to his liking, although the external sound

was significantly different.

Compared to the conclusions of our prior balances, in which

his voice had become progressively less audible, for him to

have a strong voice at the end of the balance was a big shift.

Then Bill played his clarinet. It seemed difficult until he took a

sip of water, then the music started to flow. He played "It Had

to Be You" and smiled at his accompli hment. It was verysweet. I felt serenaded.

During this session we played with the Energy Bal1 (a toy

with a battery that

THIS TIME HE ENUNCIATED HIS lights up and makes

a siren sound when

two metal conduc-

tors are touched,

available from most

stores that sell science-based toys). In the three prior sessions,

he had not been able to get it to light up and make a sound.

After sipping about half a glass of water, this time he was finally

able to get the ball to light up and make its sound. Again he waslearning something about the importance of sipping water for

conducting the electrical energy in his body, and especial1y his

brain.

Besides playing his clarinet, Bill's homeplay was to do the

fol1owing self-help activities that emphasize relaxation of the

tendon guard reflex: the Foot Flex, the Owl, the Energy Yawn,

Bel1y Breathing, and a variation of the Energizer.

reversed. (His diaphragm would contract rather than relax when

he breathed in.) I learned that he played the clarinet, and still

had one in his room. So playing his clarinet became Bill's per-

fect homeplay in order to practice his breathing. He was also to

sip water through a Krazy Straw, a device that reeducates the

sucking reflex.

I trained Bill's caregivers to assist him with his Brain Gym

homeplay. The following are excerpts from the notes that I

made during the fourth balance session, when Bill's voice came

forward.

G B RAIN GYM W IT H P EO PL E

H O H AV E P AR KIN SO N'S D ISE ASE

Can Brain Gym help my speech?" This was the question

posed to me by an elder in a local retirement community.

Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the

al nervous system that often impairs the subject's motor

and speech. Bill had been diagnosed with the disease thir-years before, and he had other health challenges that

red him to receive twenty-four-hour professional care.

had heard about Brain Gym@through his leadership role

he resident council that approved expenditures within

ment community. Seeking to train caregivers and

tial assistants in the B .

program. with a goal 0

ing falls. I had recen

presentation to the adJi11iIristra

tors. Bill had r ecei\ one of

my brochures and a copy of a

Brain Gym- Journal' enti-tled "Lifelong Leaming- (July

2005, Volume XIX, o. _) for

his review.

Brain Gym, like the

Educational Kinesiology sys-

tem of which it is a part, is a

movement -based educational

el. Its instructors and consultants do not diagnose, treat, or

mpt to cure any medical condition. We seek to support indi-

als in noticing the correlation between their goals (or

nce of goals) and their daily patterns of movement.

ugh a five-step balance process, we help them learn new,

effective patterns of movement.

ll asked to meet with me to explore whether Brain Gym

d help him regain his vocal tone and enunciation. He had

pleted a series of physical and speech therapies, but was

struggling to be heard and understood. Parkinson's can

t swallowing, and hence the speech, as it progresses, and

had been told that there was nothing more to be done. So

n Brain Gym help my speech?" was his first question to me,

lated by his caregiver.

s I am careful not to make promises I can't keep, my answer

ill was, "I don't know. Many people have been able to reach

ical and mental goals with Brain Gym. I don't know if it

help you unless we give it a try. One key to success is thatbe able to do your homeplay* activities every day, to rein-

e the balances we'll do. It will help if I can train your care-

rs to help you with the homeplay."

ll committed to try out Brain Gym for a few sessions to see

it would go. For his first half-dozen balances, we met once

sometimes twice a week. In those initial balances, Bill

ed he was quite dehydrated and that his breathing was

nna Shaw, Oregon, U.S.A.

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HAPPY DE VEL OPME NTS

After sixteen meetings over a period of L X months, Bill

wrote a nice testimonial letter in support of the retirement center

training caregivers and residential - istants in Brain Gym. In

his letter, Bill said, "I have worked bard in this program. It bas

improved my speaking, strength.a m

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feelings, and physical sensations differed depending on their

focus. This was helpful to them as, at the start of the program,

many had encountered difficulty accessing the self-awareness

equired for noticing.

In the pre- and post-activities and learning menu, I taught

about differentiating the Puppet (one-sided or homolateral)

movement from the Cross Crawl (contralateral) movement.

Here they learned about relaxing their reflex into one-sided

movement (arm and leg automatically move at the same time on

he same side of the body) so that their contralateral core pos-

ural movement pattern might be restored and active when theychose to walk, write, read, or use other life skills. Every partic-

pant preferred the Puppet movement when starting the pro-

gram and when under stress. Again, the muscle checking

helped them learn about relaxing muscles for the Puppe IDO\'e-

ment and activating muscles for the Cross Crawl.

I noticed that many of the participants' automatic movemen

were similar to the developmental reflexes I see in children and

adults with learning and other stress-related challenges, except

more pronounced. In particular, these participants often had a

high degree of reactivity between the movements of their eyes

and of their body (a developmental reflex known as the asym-

metrical tonic neck reflex or ATNR). When I would ask some-one to follow the movement of an object with her eyes, it was

not unusual for her arm or leg to follow the same path.

In most balances, the learning menu included Dennison

Laterality Repatterning, Three-Dimension Repatterning*,

Homolateral Reflex Repatterning*, or Total Core

Repatterning*. NavelRadiation* before TH ES E E LD E RS W E RE LE A RN IN G

repatterning also H O W T HE IR T HO UG HT S,proved a helpful

learning menu item. F EE LI NG S, A ND P HY SIC AL

In my experience the

repatteming processes, SENSATIONS DIFFEREDunique to Brain DEPENDING ON TH EIR FOCU S .

Gym@ and Edu-K,

have the greatest success in allowing the movement of the eyes

to differentiate from the movement of the body and letting less

effort be used in such activities as reading, writing, and walk-

ing. Those who experienced some degree of this differentiation

after several balances that included repatterning were the same

individuals who seemed to make the best progress toward their goals.

At the start of each session, we would explore through mus-

cle checking how well, after doing their homeplay, the partici-

pants could sustain relaxed muscles for the Puppet movement

and looking at parallel lines and active muscles for the CrossCrawl and looking at an X.

One thing that I explained in the very beginning was that,

when we do a balance, all parts of the brain begin to cooperate.

This means that the various areas of the brain (for thinking,

feeling, action, and so on) can function more effectively as a

unit. Generally, patterns in pre-activities show an imbalance

toward thinking too much or reflexive action, with little con-

nection to feelings. So those who allow their feelings to come

up in the balance process are (and were, among these partic

pants) the most successful in achieving their goals.

POSITIVE FEEDBACK

Many heartwarming testimonials came from the SOPS

project. Even during the introductory workshop, many car

givers said that they noticed changes in the walking gait of the

loved ones. Some participants who had shuffled their feet an

walked as if falling forward began picking up their feet an

transferring their weight from one foot to the other.

One caregiver called me to say, "Tom would not be walkin

today without your program." Tom had been completel

dependent for all of his self-care needs. Before the Brain Gy

program. he couldn't lift his arm more than an inch on his ow

After a fe\\' sesSlODS.be was walking, dressing himself, feedin

the garbage!

One described as "debilitating fatigue

before the progralIIl. HeI' energy level was so low that she w

unable to spend m time with friends as she would ha

liked. She strug ed to _ her hair in the morning, and had

use a wheelchair to hop. Ye her energy began to shift from t

first day of the "Introduction to Brain Gym" workshop. At t

end of the workshop she spoke up, saying, "I was a skeptic

She told the story of how hard it had been to dry her hair a

how this had changed after the first day of the workshop. In h

last balance session, she shared how she had recently walk

through the Colorado Airport without a wheelchair and how s

could now enjoy shopping at Macy's with a friend.

LAVONA'S STORY

Another participant, LaVona, experienced such significan

changes that she actually assisted in the second twelve-hou

Brain Gym workshop that I gave for the SOPSG Phase 2 grou

LaVona has recommended Brain Gym to other people in h

community who have a Parkinson's diagnosis. She wrote a t

timonialletter about what she had noticed in herself and othe

and told me she would be happy to have her name, as well

excerpts from her letter, used in this article.

I was a participant in the Brain Gym sessions for Parkinson

patients and their caregivers. The first day. I saw expressions

helplessness and depression. The second day. frowns we

replaced by smiles. Patients who could not talk the day befo

began talking. A patient who could not lift his arms witho

help was lifting his arms by himself. Patients were feeling po

itive effects from Brain Gym. A cheerful ftelingfilled the roo

We set goals on the second day. Parkinson s had affected

handwriting. and I wanted to be able to write larger and mo

legibly. On that very day. my handwriting improved. I have co

tinued having private Brain Gym sessions with 10 Anna. So

of my goals have been:

1. More energy and endurance so I could accomplis

more at home

2. More ability to comprehend directions

3. The ability to relax

4. More physical balance

5. An improved posture

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Jo Anna (right) and La rima formeda good working relationship.

I have progressed in all of these goals .. \(v endurance and

nergy level has so improved thai Fill 1101completely ahausted

when the clock shows L:30 p.. Even though Fm slcJl\; I

ccomplish much more in lilY Itome. I also walk, garden. and

elp care for our yard. DoiItg Bruin Gym has enabled me 10

nction much better thall I ill the past.

Following directions is . ~ easier. My understanding is

mproving, along l\ . ~: My ability to relax is also

etting better. HOl\. that is!

My balance

mproved. Ip and dOl\

also crnd

e noticed

positiveumges within

>'Self as I have

rked towards my goals. I have a long ways to go before my

oals are completely reached. But I'm excited about my progress.

I have learned that through our lives we establish patterns of

ehavior in our brains. These patterns influence our physical

nd mental health, however the negative behavior patterns can

e changed. They can be replaced with positive, healthy patterns

at will make our lives healthier, happier, and more productive.

A Sample of LaVona's Handwriting in October 2006,

Before the Brain Gym Workshop

La Vona's Handwriting After the Brain Gym Workshop

and Several Balances

As I write this article, three months after the end of LaVo

SOPSG Brain Gym program, I can report to you that she

been able to sustain her gains by doing her Brain Gym ho

play every day.

THE hE E TS OF S UCCESS

The successful results achieved by the Parkinson's sup

group participants were an outgrowth of their own desire

ability to learn about their mind-body relationship and to g

through the balance process. Educational Kinesiology was

to them. Yet, with a leap of faith many were inspired enougsign up for the program.

In my introductory comments, I invited workshop par

pants to play with the activities and to detach from wantin

change their Parkinson's symptoms. I also followed the d

ing-out concept, saying, "Are you open to the possibility

your prognosis might change? The mind is a very powe

force in this process. If you believe you can or you can't,

are right."

Many of them had previously surrendered to the "fate"

saw others experience. Many had stopped setting goals, a

encouraged them to choose a life-skill goal that they c

move toward.

There is a tendency to attribute the successes people ach

in Brain Gym to the learning menu activities they used. A

truly, repatterning did contribute much to these folks' succ

Yet their inspiration, their intention to find purpose in their

their willingness to show up for weekly or bi-weekly sessi

to stick out the tough times when feelings and memories c

up, and to do the homeplay activities also greatly contributed

their success.

There are Brain Gym~ Instructors all over the world,

some in your own area will have a wealth of experience w

ing with adults and children who had a variety of goals anvariety of physical, mental, and emotional challenges. G

www.braingym.org to fmd an instructor or consultant in y

area. I encourage you to call and interview them to determ

if they have experience in helping people with similar c

lenges and goals to your own.

I gratefully acknowledge those who invested their time, fa

ities, and money in this program. I give thanks to those w

whom I had the pleasure and honor to facilitate balances. T

were as much my teachers as I was theirs. May the work we

together bless the lives of many others, as well.

Jo Anna Shaw has been a licensed Brain Gym@instructor,

Intention Mapping70 coach. and a workshop facilitator si

1993. She has a masters degree in business, and has been

ognized by Brain Gym@International with the Outstand

Achievement Award for her contributions to the field

Educational Kinesiology. Jo Anna facilitates private sessi

and workshops in Jacksonville, Southern Oregon, and ha

website at . She can be reac

by email at. and by t

phone at (541) 899-4447 ...

BRAIN GYM JOURNAL - MARCH 2008