Hugs are essential for healthy brain development. The Weizmann Institute of Science has shared new findings that indicate that the hormone oxytocin – the love and cuddle hormone – is also essential for embryonic brain development.
More specifically, oxytocin plays a role in blood vessel formation in the pituitary gland, which controls several physiological processes such as stress, growth, and reproduction.
One of the most exciting tools of Neurodevelopmental Movement® is the “fetal work” that replicates the well-researched activities that take place during fetal gestation. Children with less than optimal fetal environments, such as those exposed to alcohol, drugs, or high stress during pregnancy, revisit some of the stress and release the hormones that would have ideally been present during a healthy pregnancy.
While this sounds lovely, the actual journey asks the child to challenge the deepest of their hormonally-influenced relationships with the world.
When it is assumed that any given child is “born with“ rage or anxiety or low cognition, NeuroDevelopmental Movement® consultants will challenge this assumption by replicating the fetal Developmental Sequence at some point during the child’s NeuroDevelopmental program.
The results can include a lifting of anxiety, a greater bonding with parents, and a sense of safety in the world. While this is not an easy journey for many children, it reaches into the very deepest of their held assumptions about life and asks the child’s brain to reframe these.
A big job for a little people, but an amazing journey.