Emotions and behavior
The atmosphere:
The session takes place in a calm, joyfully focused energy, trusting all possibilities. This way a child will discover by him/herself, what his/her possibilities are. Then questions such as: “how do I do this” are then heard less frequently, because from within the body this “how do I do this?” is being created. The power is within you! Feel and follow your body, become aware how it helps you and the rest will fall into place
Helpers:
What I tell the children is: nature is your helper, feel the wind, hear the sounds of the birds, feel the warmth of the sun, see the sparkle of the stars and the quietness of the moon, feel your body in everything it does. It is your helper when you write, read, and do math, especially when you think “I can’t”. There are always the birds, who bring you the letters, when you do reading and spelling, they can even whisper these in your ears. Everything you need is in you and around you, always helping. It is unknown what it is exactly, you can feel that it is.
Parents:
What I tell parents is that the natural body movements really are the yoga movements. Children often perform these movements naturally. It is a natural that bodies move. The body moves, trembles, yawns, feels, rocks, etc to help you cope with life. This is how you feel that you are alive in connection with your energies. Negative thoughts are just that, you may know and feel them, and let go gently, step by step. Everything is open, you never know what will happen, happiness and joy is , sadness and fear, all part of our lives. Then you can teach this to your children.
Strengths:
Treatment is based on the way children process information from the outside world, the sensory information processing and the effects of this on their emotional development. I also observe their strengths and look at their intellectual profile, if this exists. Questions like: are they strong visually, feelers, kinesthetic, musical , are they more inward or outward directed people. Is the child a collector?
There are aspects within the development which are called strengths and other aspects offering possibilities to grow and develop. Often you see in very young children, which are developmentally challenged, that the process of sensory information processing, develops differently. Children are a little more clumsy in their dressing skills, social skills and learning skills. This may have repercussions for the physical as well as the social emotional development. Whatever diagnostic name this may be given, it can usually be treated successfully.
Fears
We draw together about fears, nightmares, fearful thoughts, scary movies, monsters, etc. They have something to tell you. You can let them gently be in your breath. They bring you the power force residing within your body. The warmth of the sun can help you find that power, the shining stars are bringing you light and your breath is bringing you: “I am brave when I dream”.
Emotions
In movement play, the emotion of anger or fear appears. A simple question: “Are you experiencing this more often?”, in this relaxed movement state of mind, makes a child talk about it and find solutions to solve this and to let it go in kindness. The victim hood may change into a lighter way of living. Surely, you are born to shine!
“I Can’t do it” Breathing is helping you to do
A Child named Jack, age 4½ years, said to me in a session: ”I can’t, I am a cannothing, I am a nothing knower person, etc. The last session I told him that there is always a “Yes I can” friend walking next to the “I cannot person” and that your breath brings you there. This one time “I cannot” was so very strong, that I took him by the hand, and opened the door to the garden. We breathed “I cannot “ outside into the garden, surrounded with all the loving energy in the world. I told him, that next year, many beautiful flowers would be made from that. You saw him relax. Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, appeared patience to try to draw something new, and even though at first he did not immediately succeed, he did after 2-3 tries. Before, he did not want to try again and did not try again after he failed once.
He was so happy!. His father and I were stunned.
“Mistakes”
A very well known saying is: If you do not make mistakes, you are unable to learn! Try to do everything “wrong”, what is it that you learn then? The saying: the more mistakes you make the smarter you become is hanging in the waiting room. In Holland we often use the saying: “When you try learning happens”. Very often the children say this already from within themselves. Many times in group games The one who makes the most mistakes is the winner and vice versa. It tells something about winning and losing.
Sensitivity, HSP, attention and concentration:
Children with a different way of sensory information processing , may experience challenges in daily life and emotional skills. They may not only be inwardly or outwardly reactive, children may also, from one moment to the next, without any reason, change their behaviour from very quietly playing a game to very busy, angry, temper tantrum, crying and sometimes kicking or hitting. This behaviour is often caused by the emotions such as feeling overwhelmed, and powerless. The emotions, which triggers these reaction are often played out using stuffed animals, dolls, or in drama with myself and/or a parent.
Therapy also consists of giving advice, related to the organizing system within the nervous system, the proprioceptive system. It also helps to develop the awareness that you can give heart presents to yourself such as trust, love, light, “yes, I can”. the positive affirmations. The proprioceptive system also helps to regulate the amount of alertness in the body, which leads to better attention and concentration and less outbursts in the behaviour.
Sometimes it is necessary to put in place a more specific program: the pressure brush program according to Wilbarger. Practical advice for home, school and day care is part of the therapy program.
The game of playing in a tunnel made from elastic material or fleece, like this one on the photo’s will helps to develop the body consciousness and relaxation through pressure touch and kinesthesia, to benefit concentration.
