neuromovement

FOLLOW IVANA
Facebook: @mauimovementlessons
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivana-gadient-8b21a536/

CONTACT VERENA
email: vera9nyc@yahoo.com

RESOURCES recommended by Ivana

"Wheelchairs are a HUGE conversation. It is best to create a trusted, knowledgable and openminded team that you hand pick to help you successfully seat your loved one"
https://aci.health.nsw.gov.au/networks/spinal-cord-injury/spinal-seating/module-6/wheelchair-seating-a-complex-puzzle

TALK TOOLS: for finding a therapist, and continuing education.
https://talktools.com
 

FEEDING MATTERS: Parent Support Network
"Feeding Matters is a great organization, started by two moms. They pursued chasing the CDC for a stand alone diagnosis and code called PFD pediatric feeding disorder. They dedicated five years to this and it came to pass this year. They have a lot of free resources and supports for parents."
https://www.feedingmatters.org
 

JABBERMOUTHS: Speech, Oral-Motor, and Feeding Therapy
"This is Jewel's latest SLP who is amazing!  I highly recommend Jenn, she is licensed in HI and AZ and does Zoom lessons. Highly skilled, highly educated, great instinct, grew up around disability and very comfortable around our families. She can teach premature babies to latch on to both breast and bottle!"
https://jabbermouths.com/

THERAPISTS AND THERAPIES in episode

ARLENE WARD is the owner of Genesis Rehabilitation Ltd., a vocational rehabilitation and disability management company based in Nanaimo, BC. Their goal is to keep workers at work. She is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Northern BC Canada.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/arleneatgenesis/

JUDITH HEUMANN is an internationally recognized disability advocate who served in the Clinton and Obama Administration and was a Senior Fellow at the Ford Foundation.
https://judithheumann.com

KAREN ERICKSON, PH.D. is the Director of the Center for Literacy and Disability Studies, a Professor in the Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences, and the Yoder Distinguished Professor in the Department of Allied Health Sciences, School of Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
https://www.med.unc.edu/ahs/clds/directory/karen-erickson/

JENNIFER BUCK, MA, CCC-SLP, owner of Jabbermouths Therapy, is a licensed and certified Speech-Language Pathologist with over a decade of experience in working with individuals with disabilities. 
https://jabbermouths.com

NEUROMOVEMENT THERAPY: Anat Baniel and NeuroMovement® (ABMN®)
Anat Baniel, a student of Moshe Feldenkrais, developed and evolved NeuroMovement® from 30+ years of experience with thousands of clients using practical applications of brain plasticity principles. The Anat Baniel Method® approach is founded in neuroscience and the biodynamics of the human body, and utilizes movement and the 9 Essentials to create conditions for the brain to wake up and upgrade its own functioning.
Read more about the Nine Essentials:
https://www.anatbanielmethod.com/about/neuromovement/neuromovement-and-9-essentials

HIPPOTHERAPY: an approach to physical therapy where the patient rides horses in order to address physical health.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5175116/

AYSO VIP: provides a quality soccer experience for individuals whose physical or mental disabilities.
https://ayso.org/play/vip/

PRODUCTS

KINDERPACK produces baby carriers that are small-batch made, exclusively in the USA in sizes to fit infants, toddlers, and even preschool sized children.
https://mykinderpack.com

Find and Follow Carole and Wisdom Shared:

• https://www.caroleblueweiss.com/
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The Wisdom Shared Team

• Audio Engineering by Steve Heatherington of Good Podcasting Works
• Production Assistant and Marketing Coordinator: Kayla Nelson
• Production Assistant: Becki Leigh

Ariana Speyer is an experienced editor, writer, and copywriter turned Anat Baniel Method NeuroMovement® (ABMN®) practitioner. She lives in New York City with her husband Pat and their nine-year-old daughter, Calliope. In this episode, Ariana shares about life with Calliope, who has a rare genetic syndrome called Sturge Weber Syndrome, and how ABMN® has made a difference in their health and well-being. Ariana underscores that people are more multidimensional than their diagnosis, and reminds us how isolating it can be to live outside of society’s so-called norms. When you break it all down, we’re all seeking to belong and to be part of a welcoming community. Learn more about Ariana and her work at arianaspeyer.com.

You are welcome to share the wisdom from this episode. Please be sure to credit: “_Ep. 10, Ariana Speyer, Courtesy of Wisdom Shared Podcast with Carole Blueweiss._”

In my conversation with Ariana, we covered a lot of ground. Here are some of the highlights.

1. Parenting a child with special needs in some ways prepared Ariana and her husband for the COVID-19 pandemic, “Because risk-benefit analysis is something we've been very used to doing since my daughter was very little, and that's something people are grappling with a lot of: Is this worth it? Does this make sense? Is the benefit worth the risk? You know, all of those questions we have to ask ourselves now all the time we were already pretty used to asking ourselves, like, is it worth it to have an MRI?”
2. We discuss labels, and how the bureaucratic drive to quantify every special needs child is an ongoing challenge for parents. “If I were to talk about her as a human, as somebody that I love, I would say she's silly. She loves to dance. She's nine years old. She enjoys all kinds of music and hanging out with her grandparents and watching movies. If I was going to talk about her labels, I would say that she's non-ambulatory, non-verbal, and she has multiple disabilities.”
3. Bedside manner isn’t something every doctor is trained in, but it can make all the difference. “Ideally, a doctor will come with a certain amount of positivity and kind of connectedness. That makes you feel safe and like you're working together collaboratively to figure out the next best thing.”
4. The Anat Baniel Method, or ABM Method, provided a transformational, movement-based way of working with Calliope and a new career and community for Ariana. “From the very beginning, I just felt a visceral response to the ABM approach, which is so gentle. And so hard to describe—giving Calliope movement experiences that she wouldn't have on her own in a way that would develop her own potential.”
5. In ABM, resting is part of learning. “Rest is so essential to how ABM operates in every movement lesson. There's so much resting and that's a time when you can kind of notice differences and noticing differences in our work is the fundamental unit of learning. So having intensive practice time, and then resting in between to see what happens with how the system takes that information in is an interesting model. And it's been shown to work pretty powerfully.”
6. It’s hard not to compare your neurodiverse child’s development to “typical” children. “Every birthday was incredibly painful and the uncertainty felt more overwhelming than it does now. There's something to be said just for the passage of time and it not being so fresh, but…there's always going to be grief.”
7. Having a community of other special needs parents can be really good medicine. “The support of that community is essential for mitigating or at least bonding over all of these challenges so that they feel less isolating and also less scary.”
8. I always ask parents who I interview how they take care of themselves. For Ariana, it’s a combination: “ABM movement lessons saved my sanity and my body during the pandemic. I've become very dependent on them in a way that I hadn't anticipated would be possible. Going for walks has been another thing that I've found incredibly therapeutic. And then other than that, you know, trashy TV, ice cream, and beer.” 

TERMS, TREATMENT MODALITIES, and RESOURCES in this EPISODE

ARIANA SPEYER
https://www.arianaspeyer.com

ANAT BANIEL AND NEUROMOVEMENT®
https://www.anatbanielmethod.com

EMDR
https://www.emdr.com

EQUINE THERAPY
https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/types/equine-assisted-therapy

FRUIT-EZE
https://www.fruiteze.com

MUSIC THERAPY
https://www.musictherapy.org

SUZANNE MORRIS, Speech Therapist, Virginia
https://www.new-vis.com 
 

STURGE-WEBER SYNDROME
https://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/diseases/7706/sturge-weber-syndrome

THE WORLD’S BIGGEST PIANO MAT by SMART PLANET
Search for this product online and purchase from your preferred retailer.
 

Find and Follow Carole and Wisdom Shared:

• https://www.caroleblueweiss.com/
• Subscribe to my YouTube channel
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The Wisdom Shared Team

• Audio Engineering by Steve Heatherington of Good Podcasting Works
• Production Assistant and Marketing Coordinator: Kayla Nelson
• Production Assistant: Becki Leigh

Jill Bolte Taylor, PhD, is a Harvard trained and published neuroanatomist. In 1996, she suffered a stroke and as a result, she could not walk, talk, read, write, or recall any of her life. It took eight years for her to completely recover all function. In 2008, Dr. Taylor gave the first TED talk that ever went viral. Her memoir My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey spent 63 weeks on the NY Times bestseller list and is translated in over 30 languages. Dr. Taylor has written a new book that is coming out on May 11, 2021.

In this episode, Anat Baniel and Jill Bolte Taylor discuss:

• Jill’s new book Whole Brain Living: The Anatomy of Choice and the Four Characters That Drive Our Life; 
•  why Jill wrote this book, which she calls her “gift to the world”;
• if you want to improve your vitality, well-being, and freedom, it is ALL about differentiation;  
• the four characters of the brain, their purpose, and how to access them to make better choices in your life; 
• the importance of sleep for a healthy brain;  
• related questions from the audience.

ABOUT BERIL TOKCAN
After studying graphic design in Milan and visual communication in Sydney respectively, Beril Tokcan returned to her homeland Turkey in 2003 and founded her design studio in Istanbul.

She came across the Anat Baniel Method® NeuroMovement (ABMNM) in 2012, while in search for a method to help her son, who was diagnosed with PVL /CP due to premature birth.

She completed the ABMNM Professional Training in 2015 and consecutively all the ABMNM Mastery Programs (for Children with Special Needs, for Vitality and Anti-Aging, and for High Performers). She also completed Kids Yoga, Yoga Therapy and Jeremy Krauss Approach trainings and participates in the ABMNM Professional Trainings as an assistant.

She works with children and adults at her practise in Istanbul, offering private lessons, group classes and workshops, with the mission of transforming the impossible into possibie and making positive changes in people’s lives.

Beril is the author of ‘I Am Free Now’.

www.beriltokcan.com

Instagram: beriltokcan
@devinim

Anat Baniel Method® NeuroMovement® Practitioner
www.beriltokcan.com
www.devinim.ist
 

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
(list compiled by Beril)

BOOKS

Awareness Through Movement,  Moshe Feldenkrais

Hardwiring Happiness, Rick Hanson

Hold Onto Your Kids, Dr.Gordon Neufold & Dr.Gabor Maté

Kids Beyond Limits, Anat Baniel

Move Into Lİfe, Anat Baniel

Parenting from the Inside Out, Daniel Siegel and Mary Hartzell

Positive Discipline for Children with Special Needs, Jane Elsen, Steven Foster & Arlene Raphael

Rising Strong, Brené Brown

Soft Wired, Michael Merzenich

The Brain That Changes Itself, Norman Doidge

The Brain’s Way of Healing, Norman Doidge

The Whole Brain Child, Daniel Siege and Tina Payne Bryson

Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain, Sharon Begley

Trauma-Proofing Your Kids, Peter A.Levine, Maggie Kline

HEALTHCARE PRACTITONERS

Dr.Paul Jordan
drjordan@drpauljordan.net
https://drpauljordan.godaddysites.com/

Dr.Roy Nuzzo 
Overlook Hospital, Summit NJ
973-306-9388
video.popc@gmail.com

Dr.Joseph C. D’Amico
212-757-6440
Info@drjosephcdamico.com

SPML
http://www.podopediatrics.net/spml
Facebook Group: SPML - Selective Percutaneous Myofascial Lengthening

Anat Baniel
415-847-1311
scheduling@anatbanielmethod.com

Judith Dack
judithdack@uptownstudio.ca
416-481-2381

Beril Tokcan
www.beriltokcan.com
Instagram: beriltokcan

EXCERPTS FROM THE INTERVIEW
You are welcome to share the wisdom from this episode. Please be sure to credit: “Ep. 7, Beril Tokcan, Courtesy of Wisdom Shared Podcast with Carole Blueweiss.”

You have all these dreams about what's next in your life.. ... suddenly it's all washed away and you're left with a big unknown.

The gap was getting larger and larger every day. Our doctors kept telling me .... “They were born prematurely. We should wait a little more.”

There's that motherly instinct saying, “something is wrong,” but you're hoping it's all fine because the doctor is saying it's all fine.

There should be a more humane way to connect with him and see where he's at and to help him get to the next step, not go 50 steps ahead. I had no idea what it could be, but I knew there should be a way so that’s when I started doing my research,

I had no idea how much movement has influence on the brain's potential to learn and change it.

It[ABMN] works in different ways with each child because each brain is unique.

I was feeling very alone and isolated. I thought no one got what I was going through. I built these big walls around me and I just wanted to be inside with the two kids I just didn't want to have anything to do with the outside world.

I started to see a psychologist. And one of the things that she told me really struck me. She said, “You have to put the oxygen mask to yourself first,” which I found out to be very true. 

I said out loud that I have a child with special needs. And that was the breaking point for me because before that, you know, of course I have a special needs child, but I couldn't verbalize it. 

The ABM training was wonderful because you could look into each other's eye and understand each other and feel each other without, without needing for words, it was such a safe place to be. 

I went to the[ABMN] training to learn the tools to help my son and other children, but I had no idea how much it would change me as a person. 

We need to see where the child is and offer different ways for him to figure out how to get to the next step.

He's a child with confidence and determination and motivation because he figured things out for himself. And by me slowing down and by me connecting with him and by me giving him the space, he figured things out.

At one point he left his walker and started taking steps. And there was more fluidity in his walk and he opened up his arms and he said, “I'm free now.”

When he was diagnosed, we went to see a couple of neurologists and all of them basically gave similar answers of what he will never be able to do in life. 

How come they can speak so firmly about things that my son will never be able to do in life? He's only one year old. It's just that motherly instinct saying, I'm going to do everything in my power to help him improve his potential.

Sports has been a part of our journey, a big part of our journey because that's where he likes to challenge himself and wants to play together with his friends. And I see that as the best therapy.

Trust your intuition in whichever path you want to take. And do a lot of research. Not everything will be useful for your child, but find your own rhythm and pace and what works for you. Don’t wait for answers to come to you.

No one has a magic wand. It's a long process and it can be hard. But it can also be joyful and fun. Just embrace it all and take care of yourself. I wish I had started taking care of myself and helping me heal earlier. 

Find parents that are going through similar journey and process because you do need someone to walk this path with. 

I don't believe in labels and I don't think we need words like special or unique or extraordinary. I think each child is unique and special and extraordinary..... By labeling them, you're pushing them outside of the circle. 

Be open enough to listen, but then listen to your intuition and let that be the guide in your decision-making process. 

The most important thing is that the child can learn and if they can learn, they can always learn more. 

Find and Follow Carole and Wisdom Shared:

• https://www.caroleblueweiss.com/
• Subscribe to my YouTube channel
• Follow me and send me a message on Facebook
• Follow me and send me a message on LinkedIn
• Follow me on Instagram
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The Wisdom Shared Team

• Audio Engineering by Steve Heatherington of Good Podcasting Works
• Production Assistant and Marketing Coordinator: Kayla Nelson
• Production Assistant: Becki Leigh

A Conversation with Special Guest Donna Jackson Nakazawa
Donna Jackson Nakazawa is an award-winning science journalist, an author of six books, and an internationally recognized speaker. Her work explores the intersection of neuroscience, immunology, human emotion, and new opportunities and ways for healing. She is the bestselling author of The Angel and the Assassin: The Tiny Brain Cell That Changed the Course of Medicine.

In this episode, Anat Baniel and Donna Jackson Nakazawa discuss:

• the smallest cell in the brain—microglia—how it works and its function as an immune system; 
• groundbreaking discoveries about the brain and how microglia link mental and physical health;
• how chronic stressors and trauma affect the brain and this microglia cell;  
• why safety is the number one factor for health and learning; 
• well-regulated adults can have an enormous positive impact on children with special needs;
• how writing can be used as a tool to reset the nervous system (“neural re-narrating”).

A Conversation with Special Guest Linda Graham
Linda Graham, MFT, is an experienced psychotherapist and Mindful Self-Compassion teacher in the San Francisco Bay Area. Linda integrates modern neuroscience, mindfulness, and relational psychology in her international trainings. She is the author of Resilience: Powerful Practices for Bouncing Back from Disappointment, Difficulty, and Even Disaster and the award-winning Bouncing Back: Rewiring Your Brain for Maximum Resilience and Well-Being.

In this episode, Anat Baniel and Linda Graham discuss:

• resilience and how it can be used to deal with trauma and stress;
• five factors in using trauma as an opportunity for growth (post-traumatic growth);  
• mindfulness and compassion are the foundation for resilience;
• possibilities open up when upgrading the quality of the functioning of the brain;
• how Linda’s tools and NeuroMovement® can be used to develop resilience and create new possibilities.

A Conversation with Special Guest Linda Graham
Linda Graham, MFT, is an experienced psychotherapist and Mindful Self-Compassion teacher in the San Francisco Bay Area. Linda integrates modern neuroscience, mindfulness, and relational psychology in her international trainings. She is the author of Resilience: Powerful Practices for Bouncing Back from Disappointment, Difficulty, and Even Disaster and the award-winning Bouncing Back: Rewiring Your Brain for Maximum Resilience and Well-Being.

 In this episode, Anat Baniel and Linda Graham discuss:

• trauma and how trauma therapy has changed;
• mind and body are not separate, and the body needs to be involved to heal;  
• how positive experiences can increase brain functioning; 
•  the importance of mindful self-compassion and compassion for your child;
•  how parents can use the Enthusiasm Essential to positively impact the brain of a child with special needs. 

Conversation with Special Guest Margaret Paul
Margaret Paul, PhD, is a co-creator of “Inner Bonding ®, a 6-step spiritually based therapeutic modality that heals shame, and the resulting self-abandonment, that is often the root cause of anxiety, stress, depression, low self-worth, addictions and relationship problems.” Dr. Paul is a relationship expert, noted public speaker, workshop leader, educator, chaplain, consultant, author, and artist. 

In this episode, Anat Baniel and Margaret Paul discuss:

• the Inner Bonding process and how it can positively change you and your relationships with your children, your spouse, and others;
• what it means to be present in heart and soul, and to love yourself;  
• how to uncover false beliefs and overcome parenting challenges of children with special needs; 
• the importance of learning to take responsibility for yourself;
• how to be open to feeling and learning in order to access higher levels of knowledge. 

At the end of the podcast, Margaret demonstrates the Inner Bonding process with a volunteer.  

A Conversation with Special Guest Shelly Lefkoe
Shelly Lefkoe is a co-founder and Vice President of Lefkoe Institute, a San Francisco Bay Area firm whose mission is “to significantly improve the quality of life on the planet by having people recreate their lives and live as the unlimited possibilities they are.” Shelly has had the privilege of helping thousands of people examine and eliminate limiting beliefs, and one of her passions is working with parents.

In this episode, Anat Baniel and Shelly Lefkoe discuss:

• the importance of acknowledging what is happening right now with your child;
• observing and asking yourself: what did your child conclude from your interaction?; 
• it is okay to not know; not knowing can open up new possibilities; 
• moving from fixing to connecting with your child;
• events don’t have meaning; the “meaning” you give something is in your mind; 
• related questions from the audience.

A Conversation with Special Guest Shelly Lefkoe
Shelly Lefkoe is a co-founder and Vice President of Lefkoe Institute, a San Francisco Bay Area firm whose mission is “to significantly improve the quality of life on the planet by having people recreate their lives and live as the unlimited possibilities they are.” Shelly has had the privilege of helping thousands of people examine and eliminate limiting beliefs, and one of her passions is working with parents.

In this episode, Anat Baniel and Shelly Lefkoe discuss:

• the definition of a “belief” and how your behaviors reflect your beliefs;
• the importance of looking at behaviors you are not happy with and uncovering your beliefs;
• how to observe and become aware of what your child's beliefs are; 
• a tool for examining your beliefs by looking at the “meaning” you are giving something; 
• related questions from the audience.

Whether home schooling or sending your teen to school under the Covid-19 requirements and restrictions, there are ways to calm yourself and your teen, reduce stress and anxiety, and create inspiring and effective learning processes for the teenager.

In this episode, Anat Baniel discusses:

• her passion for and approach in working with teenagers;
• the importance of being open and using the 9 Essentials to engage with teens;
• examples of how to create opportunities for your child’s brain to learn and evolve; 
• how the brain is built to learn and needs to learn in order to be healthy; 
• related questions from the audience.

Whether home schooling or sending your preteen to school under the Covid-19 requirements and restrictions, there are ways to calm yourself and your preteen, reduce stress and anxiety, and create inspiring and effective learning processes for the preteen.

In this episode, Anat Baniel discusses:

• the challenges of learning and studying at home, for both children and adults;
• how to connect with your child by observing (using awareness) and asking questions;
• the importance of using flexibility, creativity, and the Variation Essential; 
• how to incorporate short movement breaks during your child's online learning; 
• related questions from the audience.

Whether home schooling or sending your child to school under the Covid-19 requirements and restrictions, there are ways to calm yourself and your child, reduce stress and anxiety, and create inspiring and effective learning processes for your young child.

In this episode, Anat Baniel discusses:

• the heightened awareness in typically developing babies and young children;
• how to use the Awareness Essential with your child to potentiate the learning process;
• the importance of observing your child and asking questions to activate her or his awareness; 
• how short movement lessons, like the ones in NeuroMovement® for Your Busy Life, can be a benefit to your child during online learning; 
• related questions from the audience.

ABOUT ANNE PRATT

Website: www.indymovevolution.com

Email: anne@indymovevolution.com

LINKS FROM INTERVIEW

Treatment Modalities

• Early Intervention: https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/parents/states.html
• Anat Baniel Method of Neuromovement: https://www.anatbanielmethod.com/
• The Masgutova Neurosensorimotor Integration (MNRI) Method Set: https://masgutovamethod.com/
• Functional Medicine: https://www.ifm.org/find-a-practitioner/
• Riley CP Clinic: https://www.rileychildrens.org/departments/cerebral-palsy-program

Therapies

• Hippotherapy: https://www.americanhippotherapyassociation.org
• Occupational Therapy: https://www.cerebralpalsy.org/about-cerebral-palsy/treatment/therapy/occupational-therapy
• Physical Therapy: https://www.cerebralpalsy.org/about-cerebral-palsy/treatment/therapy/physical-therapy
• Speech Therapy: https://www.cerebralpalsy.org/about-cerebral-palsy/treatment/therapy/speech-language-therapy
• Water Therapy: https://www.cerebralpalsy.org/about-cerebral-palsy/treatment/therapy/aqua-therapy

Tools & Equipment

• Eye Tracking Devices: https://www.cerebralpalsy.org/inspiration/technology/eye-tracking

Defining the Body

The corpus callosum is the primary commissural region of the brain consisting of white matter tracts that connect the left and right cerebral hemispheres. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK448209/

Find and Follow Carole and Wisdom Shared:

• https://www.caroleblueweiss.com/
• Subscribe to my YouTube channel
• Follow me and send me a message on Facebook
• Follow me and send me a message on LinkedIn
• Follow me on Instagram
• Follow me on TikTok
• Follow me on Threads

The Wisdom Shared Team

• Audio Engineering by Steve Heatherington of Good Podcasting Works
• Production Assistant and Marketing Coordinator: Kayla Nelson
• Production Assistant: Becki Leigh

Whether home schooling or sending your child to school under the Covid-19 requirements and restrictions, there are ways to calm yourself and your child, reduce stress and anxiety, and create inspiring and effective learning processes for your preschool child.

In this episode, Anat Baniel discusses:

• how we are born with a brain that is built to learn;
• that no matter what is going on, your child is learning;
• the importance of following the interests of your child, and not “forcing” learning by drilling; 
• how to look for opportunities in daily life to use the 9 Essentials, like the Variation Essential; 
• related questions from the audience.

We Are the Medicine: Prioritizing Possibilities to Mitigate Childhood Trauma and Promote Healing and Flourishing
Christina Bethell, PhD, MBA, MPH, is a professor in the Bloomberg School of Public Health University. She also serves as the founding director of the Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative (CAHMI). Dr. Bethell established and leads the National Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health.

In this episode, Anat Baniel and Christina Bethell discuss: 

• the science of thriving and the human potential for flourishing;
• the qualitative data Christina has developed to revolutionize systems for measurement;
• how childhood trauma affects parents, as well as children’s development; 
• the whole person (whole child, whole family) approach to help children and parents heal and flourish;
• moving from fixing to connecting with families in order to give them what they want and need;
• related questions from the audience.

Jill Bolte Taylor, PhD, is a Harvard trained and published neuroanatomist. In 1996, she suffered a stroke and as a result, she could not walk, talk, read, write, or recall any of her life. It took eight years for her to completely recover all function. In 2008, Dr. Taylor gave the first TED talk that ever went viral: My Stroke of Insight. Her memoir My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey spent 63 weeks on the NY Times bestseller list and is translated in over 30 languages.

In this episode, Anat Baniel and Jill Bolte Taylor discuss: 

• how to live in a place of possibilities, where Jill and Anat both live;
• the importance of creating a safe foundation for yourself (and your family);
• how NeuroMovement® and the 9 Essentials wake up the brain and drive continued growth to higher levels of functioning; 
• how Jill’s recovery process was the same as Anat Baniel’s groundbreaking work with adults and children with special needs with a variety of conditions;
• the brain is a learning machine, and it wants to learn and learn and learn;
• related questions from the audience.

Martha Herbert, PhD, MD, is a pediatric neurologist, neuroscientist, systems thinker, and writer who trained in medicine at Columbia University, Pediatrics at Cornell-New York Hospital and Neurology at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School. Dr. Herbert is author of The Autism Revolution and a certified Anat Baniel Method® NeuroMovement® Practitioner.

In this episode, Anat Baniel and Martha Herbert discuss: 

• why movement is so important to a human’s learning process;
• how NeuroMovement® and the 9 Essentials focus on, and positively impact, the process of learning;
• learning begins with differentiation—being able to notice differences;
• Documenting Hope, Martha’s research project to scientifically demonstrate that children can get better from autism, ADHD, and other chronic conditions; 
• the amazing brain and its built-in potential to develop extraordinary intelligence;
• related questions from the audience.

Michael Merzenich, PhD, a world-renowned neuroscientist, is the “father” of brain plasticity science. Dr. Merzenich was awarded the 2016 Kavli Prize in Neuroscience, for his work in discovering adult brain plasticity and applying its principles to improve the human condition.

In this episode, Anat Baniel and Michael Merzenich discuss: 

• how brain plasticity can be used to improve your life at any age;
• the key is to wake up the brain and provide the conditions for it to learn and evolve;
• “miraculous” changes can happen in a relatively short period of time;
• how trauma can impact the brain, and the role of brain training and the 9 Essentials in healing; 
• brain and body health are not separate—movement is cognition;
• related questions from the audience.

Growing the Inner Trifecta of Calm, Contentment, and Love
In these unprecedented times of the corona virus pandemic, developing inner calm, resilience, and well-being is especially important. For parents homeschooling their children, and for those with a child with special needs, these practices taught by Dr. Rick Hanson, a Master teacher, therapist, and scientist, are invaluable. 

In this episode, Anat Baniel and Rick Hanson discuss: 

• why Rick participated in the documentary A Life Unbound;
• how we can all develop the heart of resilience (calm, contentment, love);
• how we can use positive neuroplasticity to create lasting change;
• how to create positive experiences for children with special needs, and for all children; 
• quick tips for creating inner calm and a demonstration of a simple 3-breath practice;
• related questions from the audience.