11. Leveraging the Power of the Brain to Change Itself to Transform Clinical Outcomes With Adults and Children With Special Needs With the Anat Baniel Method

Focus Areas: Experiential Workshop, Supporting Behavioral Change The brain can change in positive directions at all ages. The challenge is how to harness this potential. The Anat Baniel Method (ABM) offers a scientifically based clinical NeuroMovement approach for recovery of function that intentionally takes advantage of this remarkable potential. The method defines Nine Essentials–conditions the brain requires to reawaken the process of differentiation and integration to form new connections and create new and effective patterns of action. The method shifts the focus from “fixing” to “connecting” with the patient. Many traditional therapeutic modalities tackle the limitations and functional deficits by trying to have the patient perform the missing, lost, or diminished function, often times limiting the focus to a small part of the body and experience of the patient, leaving the brain without the neural resources to create a successful outcome. In this theoretical and experiential presentation, we will discuss the importance of viewing the brain as a large, nonlinear, dynamic information system that organizes the person as a whole—physically, emotionally, cognitively, and socially. We will demonstrate the potency of this approach resulting in functional outcomes that exceed common expectations. The method evolved from the observation of powerful and consistent outcomes in thousands of clients suffering lost function due to illness or trauma including brain damage, accidents, childhood developmental disorders, degenerative diseases, and aging. The method also has been applied successfully with high-performing athletes and musicians needing to overcome career-limiting pain and injury. As neuroscientist Michael Merzenich, wrote: “Scientists have defined the ‘rules’ governing brain plasticity. Anat Baniel, working in parallel along a completely different path, has defined almost exactly the same rules in practical and understandable human terms as the Nine Essentials that should contribute richly to clinical intervention.”