WHAT do they have to do with another? Carl Jung said, “Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.”  He’s talking, of course, of what we automatically accept about ourselves, and pointing out that we can choose to change aspects that limit us. He’s right! Do we LIKE our habits, that work so much to make us who we are? Is there an aspect we’d like to change? (If so, I highly recommend Atomic Habits by James Clear.) Neurodevelopment is highly involved in this — if we DON’T have a piece  on the…

Sympathetic Vs Parasympathetic nervous system is so 1993! In 1994, Stephen Porges proposed a new understanding about the vagus nerve and the autonomic nervous system, and the implications are still being sorted out. Implications for our physical health — digestive, lungs, heart, inflammation, and more. Implications for mental health — depression, healthy engagement with others, fear, and more. Until we had ways to easily and strongly affect the nervous system (other than breathing, etc) I was interested but on the bench.  Recently, however, I found a very effective way to quickly and powerfully affect the vagus nerves, and the lives…

“Our teenaged son suffered terribly from depression and anxiety, was cutting himself, abusing alcohol and started smoking.  He was institutionalized twice and was prescribed high doses of anti-depressants and anxiety medications.  He saw a psychologist and a psychiatrist.  All of these things either heightened his depression or did little to help our son.  Then I met Ruth.  She taught our son various movement therapies and in a relatively short period of time, he was completely off his medications, began taking college classes, changed jobs, and is now planning a trip with siblings! Before Ruth’s help, NONE of these things would have been possible! In his…

I’m seeing more young people — mostly male, but a female or two — coming to me with issues of going out into the world.  Fortunately, there’s ways to help them grow into that prefrontal cortex, where they’re confident to make decisions and find their way in life.  It’s a complex and painstaking process, but for those of you with kids — do your best to help them learn healthy real-life skills, so that retreating into a screen-world is less appealing. It’s hard enough to “launch” a garden-variety child, but when they’re on “the spectrum,” oh my heavens!  After one…

When I listen to someone on the phone, asking for help, usually for their child, I try to guess what will best help him or her.   And then God laughs.  A good belly laugh at my folly, I think, because whether the it’s anxiety, or attention and focus issues, or difficulty reading or test-taking — the potential causes are numerous. Most of my programs will help most of the people, but I’m learning the trick to really figure it all out is to keep an open, neutral mind when I see the person.  Maybe their eyes aren’t working as…

(This isn’t Christian, but it looks as though he felt this way) Christian’s mom stopped me in the hallway.  “Not one!” she said, holding up a finger for emphasis.  “Not ONE phone call from the principal.  Not ONE phone call from the IEP coordinator.  Not ONE phone call from the classroom teacher” since their first appointment with me, two weeks before. Michele hated getting the calls.  She’s a super-achiever, very accustomed to hard work resulting in success, she and Christian’s dad had worked hard at parenting, and still their 10 y/o was having some fairly pronounced difficulties focusing, behaving and…

Therapeutic neurodevelopment solves problems people assume can’t be solved.  In one swoop, many of the problems that vex us most get help: mental health, efficiency, productivity.  It lifts moods, calms and relaxes. Brings parents, teachers, therapists and more to a new, better, “normal” Connections don’t need to be continually reinforced It’s a marvelous way to ward off the difficult parts of aging — memory, balance, flexibility! Learning! Social skills! Clumsiness into grace! Memory! Writing blocks! What’s not to like? Come to a class for you, and for the people in your life.