Books, Brochures, and Chapters>Book: Siegel, Daniel J. and Bryson, Tina Payne (2011-10-04), The Whole-Brain Child, Random House LLC, Retrieved on 2013-12-27Source Material [books.google.com]
Folksonomies: Memes
27 DEC 2013
The Upstairs and Downstairs Brain
Our amygdala (pronounced uh-MIG-duh-luh) is about the size and shape of an almond and is part of the limbic area, which resides in the downstairs brain. The amygdala’s job is to quickly process and express emotions, especially anger and fear. This little mass of gray matter is the watchdog of the brain, remaining always alert for times we might be threatened. When it does sense danger, it can completely take over, or hijack, the upstairs brain. That’s what allows us to act before we think. It... 1 
notes
notesOur instinctive, more primitive brain overrides our logical, more advanced from time to time. Children are even more prone to it.
27 DEC 2013
Exercise of Directing a Child's Focus
OK, Nicole, while you’re lying still, move your eyes around the room. Even without moving your head, you can see the lamp over on the table. Now look over at your baby pictures. See them? Now look at the bookcase. Can you see the big Harry Potter book there? Now look back at the lamp. Do you see how you have the power to focus your attention all over this room? That’s what I want to teach you about, but we’re going to focus your attention on what’s going on inside your mind and body. Close yo...
1 An example of teaching a child how they can direct their attention at will.
27 DEC 2013
Have Children Tell Stories to Reduce Anxieties
A toddler falls and scrapes an elbow. A kindergartner loses a beloved pet. A fifth-grader faces a bully at school. When a child experiences painful, disappointing, or scary moments, it can be overwhelming, with big emotions and bodily sensations flooding the right brain. When this happens, we as parents can help bring the left hemisphere into the picture so that the child can begin to understand what’s happening. One of the best ways to promote this type of integration is to help retell the s...Having children tell and re-tell stories of traumatizing experiences can help them understand and master their feelings of it.
27 DEC 2013
Connect to a Child's Left-Brain Before the Right
when a child is upset, logic often won’t work until we have responded to the right brain’s emotional needs. We call this emotional connection “attunement,” which is how we connect deeply with another person and allow them to “feel felt.” When parent and child are tuned in to each other, they experience a sense of joining together.
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It’s also crucial to keep in mind that no matter how nonsensical and frustrating our child’s feelings may seem to us, they are real and important to our ch...A strategy for dealing with chidren, who lack the emotional regulation for logical thinking. Calm them by connecting to their feelings, and then attempt to rationalize with them.
