When it’s time to listen, do you ever notice your child’s brain just “go savage”?
As neurologically-focused pediatric and family chiropractors, we look at kids under the Perfect Storm umbrella of sensory challenges, ADHD, etc, and we usually break them into groups. There are raging bull kiddos, who are impulsive, anxious, and hyperactive, and there are drunken bull kiddos who are focused on concentration, memory, and emotional regulation challenges. The third camp is a combination of those two, but most kids have a predominant or what we would call primary category.
STUCK IN SAVAGE MODE
I met with an awesome kiddo, who is absolutely a raging bull, and his parents today. As I was explaining to them how the nervous system works, how subluxation and stress on the nervous system lead to these challenges, and how we’d be able to help him with chiropractic, he opened up. He described to me what his challenges are and explained that a lot of times, when he is supposed to be doing his homework or listening to his mom or teacher, his brain and body just go “savage”.
His parent’s primary goals are to help with his concentration and focus in school, to help him fall asleep easier at night, and end his addiction to video games. Many children who struggle with ADHD, anxiety, and anger issues are particularly drawn to video games due to the challenging nature of the games, which can help alleviate the symptoms caused by their overactive fight-or-flight nervous system.
It is internally overstimulated via what we call subluxation, so the sympathetics are running the show – that’s the gas pedal and stress fight or flight system. When there’s that subluxation, the brake pedal – the calm, concentration, emotional coordination, and regulation – is suppressed. So it’s no wonder these kids love video games because it’s nonstop, full-speed action.
HOW TO HELP YOUR CHILD GET UNSTUCK
A child whose nervous system is subluxated and stuck in that sympathetic mode will only be comfortable in sensory seeking, talking, touching, moving, grooving, and fidgeting activities.
They’re comfortable there because that’s what their brain is used to doing. So what we try to do for so many of these kiddos is put in discipline, changes, or workarounds that say you can’t get to that, you can’t have your video game unless you do your homework first.
Their brain is wildly uncomfortable doing homework because it’s quiet and calm. So that is a nightmare sort of step for them to get over to get to their favorite thing in the world. What we actually need to do is back that all the way up and ask, why are they struggling so much in the quiet and concentration times? Why is it so easy and addicting for them to be in high-stress situations? It’s because the brain is in a constantly high-stress situation. That’s what subluxation in the perfect storm does.
If this sounds like your kiddo, who struggles to fall asleep, concentrate, listen, follow directions, and is just going, going, going too fast all the time, you need to learn how to get their nervous system unstuck. Check out our PX Docs directory to find your local PX Doc that can give you the hope, help, and answers you are looking for.
Please share this with a mom, dad, or somebody whose child is too much on the gas pedal and in savage mode and too little on the brake pedal, calm down mode. Let’s help some more kiddos get out of savage mode and into a successful, healthy, thriving mode like they’re supposed to be.
