Educational Kinesiology and Brain Gym

Domain XII · Complementary, energy & biofield · Paul E. Dennison, Gail E. Dennison · 1989

What it is

Educational Kinesiology (Edu-K) is a movement-based learning programme, not a psychotherapy. Brain Gym is its best-known part: a set of 26 short movements, with a goal-setting routine and repatterning techniques, used mostly in schools, by parents and by allied practitioners. A training provider…

Format

• Formats. (a) Daily classroom or home routines done together by adult and child; (b) a short warm-up routine, PACE, made of four movements; (c) private consultations ("balances"), typically one to two hours, focused on one goal; (d) skill-specific menus of movements and classroom games.
• Session count. No fixed course length is published for clients. Consultations are goal-by-goal. whether the manual gives a recommended number of sessions.

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• Edu-K is a training programme and set of activities rather than a phased therapy. The published structure is:
• Core course (Brain Gym 101). Covers the 26 basic movements, a five-step goal-setting process and two repatterning techniques; 32 hours of training. Some courses are run over six evening sessions of about 2.5 hours, combining the 26 movements with stress management, behaviour management, motivation and personal development.
• Further levels. Brain Gym 101 is the prerequisite for intermediate, advanced and professional courses. Further training can lead to a licence as a Brain Gym Instructor/Consultant or Movement Facilitator.

Evidence status, as the guide reports it

• Evidence status (one line): academic reviews found no good evidence that Brain Gym produces the neurological or learning changes claimed (Hyatt 2007; Spaulding, Mostert and Beam 2010); a 2018 practice alert from the Council for Exceptional Children's Division for Learning Disabilities judged the…

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Is there physical contact? Was it explained beforehand, and do you feel free to say no or stop at any point?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Does it involve intense or unusual breathing? Have you been told about the medical conditions for which that is not advised?
• Does it involve fasting, a special diet or 'detox'? Have you discussed this with your doctor?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• Drift into promising academic or neurological results; dual roles (therapist and course seller).
• Clients or parents told that repatterning will "rewire" a learning disorder; explore expectations (5.6).
• Clients (or parents) expecting it to fix dyslexia, ADHD or a medical problem: correct this gently. Shame about clumsiness. Any pain or dizziness.
• Pressure to report improvement; ratings that never change (stop using it). Working: consistent personal gains and the client using the scale independently.
• Financial strain from tiered courses or consultations; group pressure; the client feeling judged. Working: the client makes an informed choice and stays engaged with needed care.

Problems the guide addresses

• Stuck: no change after the movements
• Resistance, embarrassment or scepticism
• Overwhelm, dissociation or trauma reactions
• Non-adherence with home practice
• Ruptures
• Clients, parents or schools expecting a cure
• Physical problems during movement
• Touch concerns in groups
• Muscle testing, costs and commercial pressure

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.