© 2025 J. Moffitt. Registered U.S. Copyright Office. Polyvagal Acupuncture®. Most primitive reflex training programs, particularly those focused on pediatrics, emphasize postural and motor pattern reflexes such as ATNR, STNR, and TLR. Yet many of my early classes omitted the most foundational layer of the reflex hierarchy: the freeze responses. Startle, Fear Paralysis Reflex (FPR), and Core Tendon Guard Read More
© 2025 J. Moffitt. Registered U.S. Copyright Office. Polyvagal Acupuncture®. First Published on Down the Polyvagal Rabbit Hole, March 2024 https://polyvagalacupuncture.blogspot.com/2024/03/tonic-labyrinthine-reflex-tlr.html Author: Dr. Jennifer Moffitt The Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex (TLR) is one of the earliest reflexes to appear in human development, emerging in utero and typically integrating by 4–6 months of age, though postural traces often persist
© 2025 J. Moffitt. Registered U.S. Copyright Office. Polyvagal Acupuncture®. The Landau Reflex emerges around 3–4 months of age and typically integrates between 12–24 months, depending on trunk tone maturity and the resolution of earlier primitive reflexes. It appears only after foundational flexor patterns—particularly the Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex (TLR), Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (ATNR), and residual Moro
© 2025 J. Moffitt. Registered U.S. Copyright Office. Polyvagal Acupuncture®. This model proposes an integrated framework for understanding the pathomechanisms of subclinical adrenal dysfunction, connecting deep physiological drivers to downstream clinical expressions. It serves as a working theory for practitioners who observe localized, non-systemic patterns of circadian dysrhythmia and persistent sympathetic dominance in their clients.
© 2025 J. Moffitt. Registered U.S. Copyright Office. Polyvagal Acupuncture® The Current Understanding of Long COVID in Western Medicine Long COVID, officially known as Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 Infection (PASC), presents with symptoms such as fatigue, brain fog, dysautonomia, and exercise intolerance. Despite its prevalence, Western medicine has yet to identify a unifying mechanism behind
© 2025 J. Moffitt. Registered U.S. Copyright Office. Polyvagal Acupuncture®. Autonomic dysregulation, often referred to as dysautonomia, reflects an imbalance within the autonomic nervous system (ANS) that disrupts its ability to fluidly transition between activation (defense) and rest (return to homeostasis). This imbalance manifests with a range of clinical symptoms, including heightened vigilance, muscular tension,
© 2025 J. Moffitt. Registered U.S. Copyright Office. Polyvagal Acupuncture® The fight-flight (FF) response is a short-term survival mechanism mediated by the adrenal glands and regulated by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. This endocrine cascade bypasses neural pathways, such as the vagus nerve, to prioritize immediate survival. In TCM, this dynamic is represented by the relationship
Yang-Type Sympathetic Dominance and Adrenal Fatigue The ANS can become dysregulated in various ways, with two primary Yang-type subtypes: Yang-Type Sympathetic Dominance Adrenal Fatigue. Both represent different stages of yang overactivation within the sympathetic system, but their effects and characteristics differ. Understanding these two subtypes provides insight into how prolonged sympathetic activation influences physical and
