Occupational therapy is helping adults and teens find theIr inner balance
Bouncy swings hang over a large green mat, and one wall is dotted with fluorescent climbing apparatus. A blue and orange tunnel rests against the opposite wall. It’s a typical occupational therapy room, also known as a sensory gym, with one major difference — the client. With the therapist, stands 27-year-old Shevy. With painstaking effort, she’s intently focused on keeping her balance while standing on an exercise ball.
Shevy is one of the adults and teens turning to OT to help them find inner balance. These adults are experiencing life–altering changes through their OT sessions. Their treatment is based upon the rapidly evolving understanding of the different components of the brain and how they impact a person’s ability to succeed at all stages of life.
Imagine a mother who struggles to compute her reactions to touch, a highly sensitive sense. She doesn’t cope well when being touched and may therefore get angry when her kids do so. She probably struggles to overcome this reaction and gets upset with herself when she makes no progress.
Yet, she’s not really capable of changing her instinctive response simply by willpower. Her body is experiencing a fight/flight/freeze/appease (autonomic) reaction. Her brain has (incorrectly) interpreted this information as dangerous, and she’s reacting reflexively.
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