Blog
The Neuroscience of Being Human and How Open Floor Practice Can Help!
Open Floor International practice allows us to learn how to be in our bodies and in relationships well. Open Floor International teaches principles that are core to being human. Open Floor International practice increases attunement with self and others, awareness, neural pathways, thought/emotion circuits, mindfulness, and empathy. It provides a safe container to work with our nervous systems and those of others. It encourages shifting out of our stress response system and into our social engagement system. It creates opportunity for challenge and comfort, both of which are needed for human growth.
Intrigued? Ready to give Open Floor a try? Come join Open Floor International Teacher-in-Training, Cori Hildebrandt, MA, LPC WI, LPCC MN for a 3-Part Open Floor Series starting October 8th, 2023. Come join us and workout your system from the top of your brain to the bottoms of your feet!
Developing Empathy in Children
Empathy is a function of the upstairs brain, and a skill that needs to be developed. According to Siegel and Payne Bryson, a wonderful way to cultivate empathy is to “ask simple questions that encourage the consideration of another’s feelings…” Simply draw the child’s attention to the feelings of others.
Fostering Self-Understanding in Children
Self-understanding uses higher level parts of the brain to interpret emotions and sensations that come from the lower parts of the brain. According to Siegel and Payne Bryson one of the best ways to foster self-understanding in children is to “ask questions that help them look beyond the surface of what they understand…”
Bibliotherapy: The Whole-Brain Child
I had the privilege of seeing Dr. Dan Siegel speak in California years back, he is one of the leaders in the field of psychiatry. The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind by Daniel J. Siegel, MD and Tina Payne Bryson, PhD has been on my bookshelf unread for years. The whole time, I was reading it, I kept thinking, I should have read this earlier! Everyone that interacts with kids must read this book!