Mindfulness And The Body  

SENSORY MOTOR AMNISIA (SMA) 

An explanation as to why pain develops. 

When the cortex, the brains control centre, loses its ability to sense and manage muscles due to repetitive stressors like injuries, accidents, surgeries, emotional and physical traumas, or repetitive activities, muscle relaxation becomes challenging. Incorrect movement patterns may develop causing habitual muscle contraction that goes unnoticed by the cortex. Somatics explores habituated tension resulting from such stressors. Every time we experience stress, we experience muscle tension. If we keep experiencing stress, we keep experiencing muscle tension. This muscle tension can there for become a habit and this means we are no longer aware that it’s there (SMA) 

 

PANDICULATION 

A Solution 

The good news is that because Sensory Motor Amnesia (SMA) has been adaptively learned by the brain, we have the ability to retrain the Sensory Motor Cortex of the brain to sense and move the muscles more efficiently and effectively, reversing the effects of SMA. This technique is called pandiculation, we all do this naturally when we indulge in a big yawn. If you’ve ever seen a dog or a cat arch their back when the get up from a nap, or watched a baby stretch their arms and legs as they wake up, you’ve witnessed a pandicular response. It may look like a stretch, but when we pandiculate we are contracting muscles that have been inactive. This is a great example of how a pandiculation resets our muscles and prepares us to get up and go. 

When we pandiculate we are consciously increasing our brains awareness of the contracted state of the muscle, from its current resting sate, this is followed by a conscious slow, controlled, deliberate lengthening of the muscle to a complete relaxed state. The key is ensuring the cortex senses and feels the sensation of the whole process – from muscle contraction to slow lengthening to complete relaxation. The practice is all about quality and awareness, not the quantity of repetitions, making it unique and effective. 

 

EXPLORING REFLEXES 

Reflexes are part of our shared human experience, helping us navigate life, safeguard ourselves, and maintain balance. However, complications arise when we become ‘stuck’ in these reflexes, impacting our ability to move freely and influencing our perception of self and the world around us. The following section provides a concise overview of the reflexes addressed in clinical somatic education, shedding light on their role in our physical experience and aiming to restore a sense of unimpeded and balanced motion. 

 

RED LIGHT REFLEX 

At birth, we embody the Red Light Reflex, akin to a newborn’s fetal position. As we routinely engage in activities that pull us into a forward-flexed posture — like texting or working at a computer — the Red Light Reflex influences our stance. Emotions like worry, fear, depression, sadness, or anxiety can amplify its effects. Recognizable by raised shoulders, a depressed chest, a forward-flexed trunk, internally rotated limbs, a head forward posture, and more, the Red Light Reflex intertwines physical and emotional elements. 

The Red Light Reflex may be the cause the following symptoms: 

Neck pain Pain in the thoracic spine 

Dowagers hump Depression & Anxiety 

Tension headaches Carpal tunnel 

Lethargy Hip and Knee problems 

Tinnitus Abdominal Discomfort 

Shuffled gait Breathing problems 

Collapsed arch Jaw pain, TMJ teeth grinding 

Shoulder immobility Constipation and frequent urination 

 

GREEN LIGHT REFLEX 

The Green Light or Landau Reflex marks the beginning of a child’s journey into movement and exploration. As infants transition from the comfort of their initial forward flexion, they engage curiosity and develop motor skills like lifting their head, sitting, crawling, standing, and walking. However, stress and constant demands in our lives can lead to habitual contraction of posterior muscles. This results in a distinct posture characterized by drawn-back shoulders, externally rotated limbs, anteriorly rotated pelvis, and a pronounced arch in the back. We may also have this posture when experiencing joy or excitement. 

The Green Light Reflex may be the cause of the following symptoms: 

low back pain 

plantar fasciitis 

lower extremity pain in the hips, knees and feet 

neck pain w/restricted movement 

shoulder issues and pain at scapula 

overworked and overactive 

stress & anxiety (overwhelm of type A personality) 

 

TRAUMA REFLEX 

 

The Trauma Reflex can emerge from one-sided repetitive activities like computer mouse usage, carrying a child on a specific hip, or engaging in predominantly one-sided sports. Additionally, injuries or surgeries on one side of the body, such as a sprained ankle, knee or hip replacement, or a shoulder injury, can trigger this reflex. In response to trauma, individuals may unconsciously cringe and twist away, a protective response. Observable signs of the Trauma Reflex include asymmetry in posture, with one shoulder lower than the other, head tilted to one side, pelvis elevated on one side, imbalance through the feet, and a potential twist in the torso. 

The Trauma Reflex may be the cause of the following symptoms: 

SI pain 

sciatica 

scoliosis 

bursitis 

frozen shoulder 

tennis elbow 

uneven gait 

hip and knee pain/replacements 

carpal tunnel syndrome