Movement and Vitality

What a wonderful transformation after 6 NeuroMovement lessons over 4 months. When this boy presented, he was diagnosed with Inattentive ADHD, performed repetitive rocking movements, spoke in a monotone voice, had sore hips, retained reflexes and poor balance. You can see from the before photo that it was hard to climb (that's as high as he got a year ago) and most of the movement was generated from using his arms and legs as his neural representation of his torso was less refined. After 3 movement lessons he no longer had hip pain. You can see from the video that he is organizing his movement more throughout the skeleton now, moving his spine and lower back and has developed a relationship between the movement of his head and pelvis. What was impossible a year ago is now possible - to climb to the top of this rock wall and hit the button! What I find the most incredible working with this almost 10 year old boy, is his attention to the conversations we have during his lessons. We've pretty much covered everything from theorizing about the Bermuda Triangle to crop circles and everything else in between. 😄 He is brilliant and has an amazing imagination which he is now refining excellently toward problem solving. He is more engaged socially now, and recently wanted to participate in a local theatre production, which he now has a role in! I absolutely love working with kids like him, who show us their incredible potential when we approach learning and movement in a slow gentle supportive way. ❤️🧠

Here's what his mom had to say about his amazing progress:

"Before we came to see Lorrie we had tried many different types of therapy and doctors to help us understand our son's motor delays. While he was diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia his motor issues persisted and around age 9 began preventing him from participating in team sports and experiencing life without pain. Lorrie saw immediately that he had rigid movements and explained how the brain and body work together. Through the last four months we have seen our son experience less pain in more complex movements. He is more regulated emotionally, he is more confident in groups of people. He is happier and is doing things he previously could not. We took him to this climbing park exactly one year ago and last year (before photo) he was unable to climb 3 feet up the wall and this year, he hit the button at the top! (video) I am certain that is from the work he has done with Lorrie. I have seen his retained fetal reflexes integrate and now his vestibular and ocular reflexes are improving. He knows better where he is in space, he can better climb trees and do things he wants to do. He also loves spending time with Lorrie, she is wonderful with him and that has mattered so much. We are so grateful for everything that has been accomplished for our son and we look forward to even more milestones being reached."

Giggles 😂 + singing🎵 + functional movement = profound learning.

This was one of my favourite moments with a very sweet client to help her improve walking. When she came to me she initially didn’t arch her lower back well and because our brains are incredible problem solvers she figured out another way by using her legs to contract inward for stability causing muscular contraction in her feet and ankles. Prior to movement lessons, Physiotherapists tried to get her to stand up without using her hands. She couldn’t do it and practicing limitations further engrains them. When we provide a fun engaging environment for learning the results can be quite profound even after one movement lesson. At the end of her first lesson she spontaneously picked up a toy from the floor and stood up with it in her hands causing her mom to regain hope that she would find an effortless path. I am grateful to witness these miracles often. When the ideal conditions for learning are provided, the brilliance of a child’s mind is a beauty I will never tire of. ❤️🧠

Giggles 😂 + singing🎵 + functional movement = profound learning. This was one of my favourite moments with a very sweet client to help her improve walking. When she came to me she initially didn’t arch her lower back well and because our brains are incredible problem solvers she figured out another way by using her legs to contract inward for stability causing muscular contraction in her feet and ankles. Prior to movement lessons, Physiotherapists tried to get her to stand up without using her hands. She couldn’t do it and practicing limitations further engrains them. When we provide a fun engaging environment for learning the results can be quite profound even after one movement lesson. At the end of her first lesson she spontaneously picked up a toy from the floor and stood up with it in her hands causing her mom to regain hope that she would find an effortless path. I am grateful to witness these miracles often. When the ideal conditions for learning are provided, the brilliance of a child’s mind is a beauty I will never tire of. ❤️🧠

Wonderful to see "Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience" publish this research paper "From fixing to connecting—developing mutual empathy guided through movement as a novel path for the discovery of better outcomes in autism" detailing the approach of the Anat Baniel Method® NeuroMovement® and the Feldenkrais method. ❤️🧠.

Frontiers | From fixing to connecting—developing mutual empathy guided through movement as a novel path for the discovery of better outcomes in autism This article is part of the Research Topic Autism: The Movement (Sensing) Perspective a Decade Later View all 28 articles

If your baby recently received a Cerebral Palsy diagnosis, Anat Baniel Method NeuroMovement can help. Cerebral Palsy Guidance recognizes that "Children with cerebral palsy may benefit from this type of therapy when led by a trained practitioner." Located in Prince Edward Island, Lorrie Jollimore is certified and has 10 years of experience and a proven track record working with both children and adults with Cerebral Palsy. Get in touch if you'd like to schedule a lesson for you or your child.

The Anat Baniel Method and NeuroMovement - Cerebral Palsy Guidance The Anat Baniel Method is a movement and brain-based therapy with multiple applications, including helping children with cerebral palsy.

Spontaneous integration of posture changes between second and third movement lesson. 🧠❤️

I've been working with a wonderful client since January 2023 who had post concussion symptoms from a motor vehicle accident 2.5 years ago. Here's her testimonial below describing the outcome after 23 lessons over 6 months. What I found the most interesting are the changes in her vision as noted by her Optometrist. It was so gratifying for her to know that her vision issues as a result of the concussion were now back within normal limits. https://movementandvitality.com/vision-related-conditions-due-to-concussion-improved-after-neuromovement-lessons/

Based on some regression in the first month, I had her stop all other forms of therapy while I worked with her as even seeing an Osteopath at the same time was causing headaches. Prior to ABM she was seeing an OT, doing Acupuncture, and Vision Therapy and they were all causing headaches immediately after or during the sessions. The results of her changes and vision improvements can directly be attributed to ABM NeuroMovement® as this is all she did over the last 5 months.

"Before seeing Lorrie Jollimore my body couldn’t remember how to hold itself up. My once agile, flexible body was brick-like; stiff, heavy, and lacking fluidity. The motor vehicle accident from Feb 1, 2021, gave me a concussion and confused my nervous system, making it a struggle for me to push myself further than a simple walk. I went from deadlifting 200 pounds to struggling to carry my groceries. Post-concussion syndrome made everything worse. After almost two years of treatment with no relief, I finally found Lorrie. I started sleep-walking for the first time since childhood, which lasted for about two weeks. Within one month of therapy the daily ice pick headaches came to a halt. After two months I started to sleep sans nightmares, and the new found post-MVA rage started to dissipate. I’ve never been an angry person but after the concussion it wouldn’t take much to flare up this deep, dark, internal anger. At first the lessons were so exhausting that I needed to drink a large coffee and wait for an hour before I could even drive home, where I would almost instantly fall into a deep sleep. Now I can drive home right away, no exhaustion, no coffee or naps necessary. My brain is changing and I can feel it.

My eye doctor reports the photophobia (extreme light sensitivity) and receding point of convergence (how my eyes focus) are back to normal levels. She noticed a heightened sense of ease when doing the eye tests, and I got through the tests much quicker than before ABM treatment.
Rather than dread, I now wake up with joy and energy. I still am not sure how she does it, but I have found vitality for the first time in 2+ years. My morning “brick feet” with which I was becoming all too familiar, now have toes again. IBS symptoms are at an all-time low. I am starting to feel at-home in my own body again.

I feel light, excited for life, and I am strong! I hope that I will be a high performer athlete once again. I am not scared, angry, or in unbearable pain. The headaches are gone, the tingling numbness across my shoulder blades have halted, almost completely. Instead of every week, I now get treatment every 2 weeks, which will soon turn to every 4, until I no longer need reminders that I don’t have to live in pain. I also have less OCD and anxiety symptoms. My mind is more calm and I feel generally more whole, my body and mind reconnected, confident in everyday activities, strong to take on the day. Before finding Lorrie I saw 6 different therapists but I still felt broken. Now I see a future without pain, and without therapy." - Samara

Out with the the old office -> in with the new office! After 7 years downtown I’ve recently moved my practice to my home office to improve work life balance. AND I’ve added a second weekend for children lessons a month! ❤️🧠⭐️😃