LoveLight, Inc., a local non-profit, is sponsoring 2 workshops in Kent on Blomberg Rhythmic Movement Training (BRMT): Level I on Saturday, April 13th and Sunday, April 14th and Level II on Saturday, April 27th and Sunday, April 28th.
The goal of these workshops is to provide participants with an introduction to primitive reflexes, rhythmic movements, and related concepts, for the purpose of applying this knowledge in the participants’ personal and professional lives. Rhythmic movements, adapted for children and adults, are based on the infant’s sequence of natural developmental movements in utero and the period identified by Piaget as the sensorimotor stage – these movements are necessary for the maturing of the nervous system and the inhibition (integration) of the primitive reflexes. Primitive (first) reflexes are automatic, stereotyped movements controlled from the brain stem; these reflexes serve an important purpose developmentally, but if they remain active, can hinder one’s ability to learn efficiently and function optimally. For example, the Spinal Galant Reflex - which results in a twisting of the body when triggered by stimulation next to the spine - plays a role in the birth process but may cause difficulties in sitting still for a student whose back is touching his chair. Likewise, an active Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex (TLR) may result in poor balance, “toe walking”, and coordination challenges; and an active Symmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (STNR) may cause difficulty in holding up one’s head when sitting, weak arm muscles, vision problems, “W-sitting” on the floor, and poor coordination between upper and lower body.
For professionals in such fields as education, awareness regarding this area of development could be helpful in recognizing the difficulties some students may be experiencing and the importance of incorporating movement into the curriculum. Professionals in health-related fields have found RMT to be a useful addition to their practice.
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Swedish psychiatrist Dr. Harald Blomberg, who developed Rhythmic Movement Training, and other practitioners of RMT have seen improvements among the people they’ve worked with not only in motor and emotional development, but in the areas of reading, writing, speech, and attention as well.
For information regarding the workshops, please contact Betsy Justice at (330) 673-5839 or lkjusti1@kent.edu