Kids and Kinesiology - Trust is Key
Kinesiology (pron: Kin-easy-ology) is a safe, natural, and supportive modality to work with adults and kids. It helps one move through their issues, often permanently. But let’s focus on what happens in a kid’s kinesiology session at Zode…
Kid’s often find it hard to express themselves. They simply don’t have the language development or the awareness of what is happening. But they are also like little sponges and often don’t have the emotional baggage that adults have, so they can, at times, change their behaviour in a single session.
Because I use muscle monitoring, I can access the issues and behaviours and the “why” directly from the body. Using muscle monitoring means clients don’t have to verbalise everything. If the child is too young to muscle monitor – no worries – I can access the child’s body and emotions through his/her carer or parent using a technique called surrogacy.
I love working with kids.
They are curious, open to explore, and happy to share if they feel they are in a safe place. This is one of my greatest goals for the first session. I will connect with what the child loves. I question and listen to the child – not the parent unless needed. We laugh, have fun, use tools such as cards, crystals, oils, sprays, textas and even Lego people to support each child to trust enough to begin to express themselves.
When their little nervous system relaxes and they feel safe….the work can truly begin.
Each session is unique and child centred. If your little darling is chucking a tantrum and refusing to come into the clinic – fine, “let’s chat through the door until you feel ready”. If they don’t want to leave mum/dad/carer to go on the table – that’s OK, “how about I sit on the floor next to you?”
The point is your child is supported in all ways to feel safe and allow me into their world so I can support them. We find the issue of greatest concern. The kids effectively run the session – both through muscles monitoring and using their senses/ideas to decide what they need most in the moment.
Yes, we chat. We laugh. I do corrections as I go, and I will usually give some Home Play to support your child to integrate and benefit from the session. Oh, and every kid loves a crystal or sticker to acknowledge how great they’ve been.
Quite often, Mum arrives with a child who is curious or nervous. By the end of the session the atmosphere has relaxed, and the child is jumping off the table saying, “I feel better, let’s go” or “what’s for dinner mum?”, as if the issues they arrived with no longer exist.
As I said they are sponges and most receive what they need easily and quickly.
Here’s a few examples of recent sessions with children.
Recently I had a wonderful session with a little 5yo girl. She had BIG emotions. These emotions often made it hard for her to make friends. We worked on her confidence and ability to calm herself for a few sessions and then began to address the BIG Emotions and why she had them.
Mum reported recently that her daughter has made a couple of local friends and is finally experiencing big belly laughs and imaginative, childlike play which she hadn’t expressed much of before.
To culminate our work, I invited her to show me where the emotions “happy, sad, angry” were held on “the girls” and to show where her own biggest emotion was (which she called frustrated).
She chose a colour for each emotion, she coloured in where she first felt the emotion and where it went. We worked out some breath and body movements that could take the emotion either away or make them bigger or smaller - which ever she felt was needed.
We closed the session with her choosing an animal card and a colour card. Tangerine and Otter....Perfectly synchronised as both were about being playful, childlike and imaginative.
But I don’t want to go to the pyjama party!...
This is what a very articulate, aware, 4-year-old boy said when his childcare asked the kids to dress in their PJ’s for the week. This little guy needed to know what was happening and a desire for things to be perfect or a certain way. We focused on control and what it would feel like if he let go of that a bit. After 6 sessions mum he had improved so much but the PJ party at school was worrying him because “you don’t wear PJs to school” and his older sister had said “I wouldn’t go to a pyjama party”.
Working with this and enabling the boy to feel in control of what to expect and what to wear, there was a breakthrough. The next day (the day of the party at child care)….I received this feedback….
“Thank you so much for the session and for holding space for us. I have seen such a change in him over the last few months and love that he takes ownership in his own growth journey.
I am happy to share that we had a successful morning, getting up and ready was easy and playful. He’s taking it all very seriously, reminding me to make sure daddy puts him in his Foxy pjs tonight for the next PJ day tomorrow.
Another successful day. Woke up happy and excited about going to school. We couldn’t find his bunny robe, but he was ok about it. “
The benefit to the whole family by this little boy accepting and moving through his need for control meant a much calmer household overall and has allowed for changes to happen and new possibilities to open.
If you have a child and would like to seek some alternative therapy and support where s/he will feel heard, supported and safe as they work with what’s going on, please reach out to me.
I have a homebased clinic in Maroubra NSW. I focus mostly on the emotions behind what is going on but can also work with anxiety, trauma, sleep concerns and confidence.
My details are: www.zode.com.au | hello@zode.com.au | 0414 566 456
If you mention this blog, I am happy to give you 10% off your child’s initial appointment. I also run sibling sessions – for kids in the same family who maybe having communication or sharing issues. Same Family, Same Issue.
From my Heart to Yours
Zoe Jack - Holistic Kinesiologist