Primitive reflexes evolve into postural reflexes, shaping the myofascial patterns as children grow. The cranial nerves, originating in the more primitive regions of the cervical spine and brainstem, regulate these reflexes. They play a critical role in early development by directing movement patterns that support higher-order functions like walking, running, and fine motor function in the fingers. The cranial nerves integrate into the central nervous system, regulate the developing middle jiao, and coordinate the body's fight-or-flight response. These reflexes also contribute to the development of the limbic system, the central hub of our emotional brain. Infants often experience movements and external stimuli as life-threatening. Each developmental milestone, such as achieving head control, or sitting involves exploring movement, biochemical self-regulation, and establishing new vagal pathways to ensure a parasympathetically neutral environment.
In childhood, when primitive reflexes are not integrated properly, they are called retained. Retained reflexes in children interfere with normal motor and sensory development, causing developmental delays, myelin issues, gait coordination delays, visual tracking deficits that contribute to ADD/ADHD, behavior issues, vision and hearing issues, lack of confidence, striving and perfectionism, emotional dysregulation, and feelings of overwhelm or hostility. Children raised in sympathetically charged environments that include fear, violence, addiction, abuse, or abandonment also show marked retention of these primitive reflexes well beyond the time they should have been inhibited. The age at which these events take place will affect not only the developing personality but also the buffering capacity in bonding and social interaction, and the developing physical body (muscles and frame). Over-criticism, chronic emotional invalidation, or highly emotional, reactive parenting can often overwhelm a sensitive child's nervous system, preventing full integration. Intervention at this stage with physical or occupational therapy in the form of reflex integration is highly successful for leveraging neuroplasticity in children, often resulting in normal development previously believed impossible. (Pryor) (1] (Gieysztor EZ, 2018) (3)As children mature and enter educational settings, they must integrate advanced levels of behavior (mediated by the ANS) to incorporate social interactions, a process known as socialization. (Porges S. W.) This phase involves managing primitive responses to external challenges, including potential conflicts. For instance, while a young child might react impulsively to a peer taking a toy through biting or aggression, maturity helps them learn more socially appropriate responses. The limbic system interprets nerve impulses from emotional experiences and assesses potential threats, integrating this information with the vestibular system. A child's sense of time, space, and safety—reflected through muscular responses—are learned reactions to early stimuli. Ideally, through proper socialization, children learn to avoid behaviors that could lead to harm and navigate social environments effectively, minimizing physical and emotional risks.
It was previously believed that these reflexes nearly always integrate in childhood and are largely ignored in western medicine unless needed to rule out an upper motor neuron defect such as a stroke or to establish brain death. New data have emerged, however, that primitive reflexes are NOT always integrated in childhood, are reactivated in any kind of trauma and can remain active for years following a traumatic event in both children and adults (Mastagova). For the purposes of this discussion, it is helpful to clarify what is meant by trauma, since it is unique for each person. Trauma, simply put, is any physical or emotional event that overwhelms the buffering capacity of the nervous system to maintain a sense of calm and to maintain an optimal environment for growth, rest and repair. Trauma is an internal experience in chemistry and emotional hormones, modulated by the ANS. The buffering capacity of the nervous system is created in childhood. (2]
Adults reactivate primitive reflexes after any type of trauma, either medical or emotional. Once activated, these individuals experience higher states of anxiety, restlessness, agitation, paranoia, and anger due to these higher levels of circulating stress hormones. These hormones target the HPA axis and are associated with high inflammation, spasticity, pain, autoimmune issues, demyelinating disease, and cardiovascular disease to name a few. During states of fight-or-flight, parasympathetic activity is inhibited as resources are mobilized for defense and flight, in particular the gut Since these are involuntary processes, most adults don’t even know that a reflex has been reactivated. Many first responders, military personnel after combat, and medical staff show marked reactivation and engagement of these primitive reflexes.
A more descriptive term for what happens internally when primitive reflexes become active or remain un-integrated might be "primitive instincts" or "primitive emotions." Svetlana Mastugova, in her work with Reflex integration and PTSD refers to these as negative patterns of self-protection. Adults generally do NOT know when they have reactivated a reflex. Moshe Feldenkrais, founder and creator of Feldenkrais Technique (TM) said that all negative emotions in the end result in flexion, representing patterns of resistance and muscle tension.
[1] ACE is an indices of Adverse Childhood experience and is considered to be reflective of early developmental trauma.
[2] Hippocampus-Pituitary-Adrenals
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