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, which are impulsive, anxious, and hyperactive kiddos, and there are the drunken bull kiddos, which 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 on Savage Mode
I met with an awesome kiddo, who is absolutely a raging bull, and his parents this week. 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 really 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 main 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. So many raging bull kiddos are extra hooked and attracted to video games because the challenge that’s causing their ADHD, anxiety, and raging bull challenges is an overstressed, stuck-on fight-or-flight nervous system.
It is internally overstimulated via this thing we call subluxation, so the sympathetics are running the show – that’s the gas pedal and stress fight or flight system. In turn, when there’s that subluxation, the brake pedal – which is 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 is only going to 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 in order 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. 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.
