What are Primary Reflexes?

Humans need to move through a series of primary or early life reflexes during development in the womb and infancy in order for their neural system to become fully integrated and function efficiently as adults. Primary reflexes are defined as being innate, stereotyped, automatic movements directed by the brain stem that are intended to promote survival during the early years of life. Eachreflex is in turn initiated, integrated and then inhibited as it is superceded by more sophisticated voluntary control mechanisms directed by the higher brain centres as the child develops. These early life reflexes lay down the architecture and neural networks of the brain and each reflex builds on those that have gone before. This results in a progressive passing of control from the brain stem (which is responsible for issues relating to survival) to the prefrontal cortex and it is as these primitive reflexes are replaced that the infant begins to gradually gain control of their body. All the primary reflexes should be integrated by 2 years of age and failure of one or more reflexes to integrate can have far reaching effects on the proper neurological development and maturation of the central nervous system. Typically, if one early life reflex remains unintegrated then there are usually more than one. Each retained reflex controls aspects of posture, movement, perception and behaviour and if an individual is still partially operating from their brain stem rather than their prefrontal cortex they will have difficulties processing and analysing information and there will be coordination issues. This may be one of the factors in learning and behavioural disorders in children. Unintegrated reflexes can also result in difficulties with sensory perceptions, such that the individual may be hypersensitive in some areas and deficient in others. The significance of retained primary reflexes is that a great deal of processing capacity has to be devoted to compensating for the deficiencies, and the individual is operating out of a survival fight/flight mode and can be triggered when there is seemingly no real reason to be stressed. Over the years this can result in muscle weakness, the sort of chronic pain typical of fibromyalgia and in chronic fatigue.

Why Primary Reflexes fail to integrate

The reasons why primary reflexes may not become integrated include:

Stresses on the mother and/or baby during pregnancy and birth Insufficient movement in infancy due to being placed in car seats, carriers, bouncers, etc. Illness, trauma, injury, and/or chronic stress Exposure to environmental toxins such as vaccinations Food intolerances or sensitivities Inherited tendencies Disorders of the newborn including jaundice, low birth weight, skull distortions, problems feeding, etc. and Problems during infancy including illnesses with fever.

In addition, reflexes that have been completely integrated can later reactivate due to trauma, injury, toxins and/or stress.

The characteristics of retained Primary Reflexes

The characteristics of 12 retained early life reflexes are outlined below.

1. The Fear Paralysis Reflex (FPR)

The Fear Paralysis Reflex is a withdrawal or 'freeze' response to shock and lays the groundwork for more mature coping strategies in response to stress later in life. If this reflex is retained it results in:

Retention of the freeze response into adulthood resulting in an inability to think and move under stress Being fearful, timid, quiet and withdrawn and/or finding it difficult to express or receive affection Overcompensating for inner anxieties by attention seeking often in inappropriate ways Chronic insecurity, phobias and fears of public humiliation, embarrassment and/or failure Depression, compulsions, sleep and eating disorders Rigid, inflexible, perfectionistic and controlling behaviour with a tendency to blame others for their misfortunes Outbursts of aggression or temper borne out of frustration and confusion Reduced muscle tone and poor balance Hypersensitivity to stimuli, constant feelings of overwhelm, dislike of change, risk and/or surprises Shallow, difficult breathing Chronic fatigue

2. The Moro Reflex

The Moro reflex is a startle reflex which causes the infant to inhale and spread their hands wide with their head back and eyes wide open, followed by withdrawal. This is the primitive fight or flight reaction and should be inhibited when the baby is about 4 months old. If the Moro reflex does not fall away when it should, the individual concerned will remain in a highly stressed state for their entire life. This can manifest as:

Tension, emotionality and an inability to relax Having frequent nightmares Suffering from allergies, infections and chronic pain as the liver and kidneys become stressed Having a low tolerance of stress and change and problems with blood sugar control due to endocrine dysfunction Poor digestion (because resources are permanently diverted to the muscles) Chronically low self-esteem, insecurity and/or controlling behaviours Becoming easily overwhelmed by stimuli Poor balance and coordination Poor stamina, adrenal gland exhaustion and chronic fatigue (possibly alternating with cycles of hyperactivity).

The Fear Paralysis Reflex is the first reflex to manifest and usually merges with the Moro Reflex and is inactivated before birth. An active Fear Paralysis Reflex is often associated with an un-integrated Moro reflex and it is estimated that the majority of people suffer with either an unintegrated Moro or Fear Paralysis Reflex.

3. The Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex (TLR)

This reflex helps the child master correct head and neck control and is important to balance, muscle tone, coordination, eye movement and hearing - all of which are essential to the development of an ability to focus and pay attention. Some possible long-term effects of an unintegrated Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex are:

Poor posture and muscle tone Difficulties with balance and coordination, tends to walks on their toes and has difficulty going up and down stairs Easily fatigued Difficulty judging orientation, space, distance, and speed Visual, speech, and auditory problems, and motion sickness

A poor memory and often late for appointments Relationships eventually deteriorate as they look to be rescued or validated by others

4. The Babinski Reflex

The Babinski reflex relates to spreading of the foot when it is touched and this reflex prepares the infant for walking. If this reflex is retained then there will be:

Difficulties walking and running, with frequent tripping A searching for balance in their life, and persistent feelings of not being grounded A craving for attention and praise but may often be ignored at gatherings

5. The Spinal Galant Reflex

This reflex causes arching of the back and legs and may be linked to the birth process. It is retained in most Caesarean births because the system effectively does not realise that birth has taken place. If unintegrated an active Spinal Galant Reflex can cause:

Restlessness, hyperactivity, talkativity, and difficulty concentrating Poor short term memory Lower back and spine problems, poor posture, one-sided hip problems, and/or poor coordination Incontinence, bedwetting and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and Poor endurance

6. The Symmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (STNR)

This is a transitional reflex which links the movement of the head to that of the arms and legs and which enables the baby to crawl and also helps to develop near vision. If retained, some possible long-term effects of an unintegrated STNR are:

Poor posture with movement of the arms being linked to that of the legs such that walking appears ape-like and headaches from muscle tension in the neck Problems with hand-eye coordination and vision lead to difficulties with reading and writing A tendency to take things personally, judge themself harshly and attract bullying Restlessness Chronic fatigue

7. The Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (ATNR)

With the ATNR reflex as the infant's head turns to one side, both arms also turn to that side and this is involved in the birthing process and orientation of the newborn in space, and also plays an important role in visuo-motor development. This reflex is associated with the move from dependence to independence and the development of one-sided movements. If retained then there can be:

Hand-eye coordination problems so that there is a discrepancy between oral and written performance, odd pencil grips, dyslexia, problems with maths, etc. Difficulties with balance A failure to develop a preference for handedness One-sided problems Chronic fatigue Problems with the mouth, jaws and breathing Persistent feelings of not wanting to be here

8. The Palmar Reflex

This is the automatic clasping of an object by the fingers if placed in the hand. Individuals who have retained this reflex will:

Have difficulties with fine motor control skills such as writing, speech, and ball skills Have difficulties letting go emotionally as well as physically preferring to stick with what they know Allow others to control them and find it hard to take responsibility for themselves and money

9. The Plantar Reflex

This is where the foot and toes curl if the soles of the feet are touched. It forms the basis of walking and running and if still active can cause:

Problems with gait and moving forward physically and emotionally Stubbornness, an inability to listen to advice and learn from their mistakes Ungroundedness, ideas never come to anything, they feel stuck or lost as though there is something missing

10. The Root and Suck Reflexes

These reflexes emerge in the third trimester and are suppressed at about 4 months of age. A gentle touch near the mouth will cause the newborn to turn towards the stimulation in order to find the mother's breast and feed. If this reflex is retained:

Anything touching the mouth reflexly causes the lips to come out causing speech problems, thumb sucking, difficulty swallowing and/or chewing They can also crave oral stimulation - smoking and/or eating and may have weight problems as a consequence They may need to close their eyes to process information They may sleep a lot The affected individual may have poor temperature control and be cold sensitive They may have difficulty in relationships being clingy and possessive or overfamiliar

11. The Landau Reflex

The Landau Reflex is a postural reflex needed to assist sitting and walking which helps the baby to lift its head and extend its legs and prevents them being smothered. Lack of integration of this reflex can lead to:

Poor muscle tone causing chronic back and neck pain A limitation of the field of vision Tension and hyperextension of the legs accompanied by stiffness of the lower body

12. The Rage Reflex

This reflex may be born of the inability to move shortly after birth as a result of being swaddled. The affected individual may:

Have poor anger management with a tendency to get red in the face and have tantrums if put on the spot Have learning difficulties Wet the bed Become depressed, anxious, stressed or suffer from panic attacks

Suffer from backache Become chronically fatigued Suffer fom allergies, eczema and/or asthma Have low self-esteem, be driven and overachieving and harshly critical of themself

Identifying and treating retained early life reflexes

As can be seen from the above, any unintegrated reflexes require a great deal of compensatory effort which can cause exhaustion over the years. As we age the energy available to compensate diminishes and the reflexes themselves may begin to reappear, in reverse order. This causes a loss of ability and extreme frustration with difficulties performing everyday tasks. This may be one of the causes of the emergence of chronic fatigue in mid-life and until the cause is recognised and treated will persist.