Is a stressed out, sympathetic dominant nervous system getting in the way of your child’s brain development? And how can you know?
First, you need to know about 3 major parts of the brain and how they work.
- Amygdala: The Amygdala is the primitive brain, which means the primary focus of this structure is survival. This is the part of the brain that amplifies emotion and tells the autonomic nervous system to go into sympathetic, fight or flight mode when the body is stressed or afraid (more on that later!).
- Hippocampus: The Hippocampus is what gives us the ability to learn from experience, which is especially important for a developing brain. Remembering details and storing memories are the primary focus of this structure, so when it isn’t functioning properly learning at school and at home can be difficult.
- Prefrontal Cortex: The Prefrontal Cortex is what makes humans different. This is the last part of the human brain to fully develop, and it allows for problem solving, critical thinking, and creative thinking. Without a functional Prefrontal Cortex the brain is unable to analyze and interpret our experiences.
Second, there is an occurrence known as Amygdala Hijacking which happens when there is a build-up of physical, chemical, and emotional stressors. Once the brain is on overload, the Amygdala can hijack the brain, which causes the body’s response switch to stress to be stuck “on”.
The Amygdala, the Hippocampus, and the Prefrontal Cortex work together in such a way that when the Amygdala is dysfunctional, the Hippocampus and Prefrontal Cortex are affected. What this means for the brain is it is focused on emotion, stress, and fear rather than learning from experience and problem solving.
The great news is that we have the ability to deep dive and see how the nervous system is functioning in a non-invasive way. Using our Insight Scanning Technology, we can read the nervous system and identify areas where your child may be experiencing overload so that we can correct the system with gentle and safe chiropractic care.
If you are interested in learning more or would like to set up your first visit and scan here at Move•ment, Contact Us and we will help you get started!
