© 2026 J. Moffitt. Registered U.S. Copyright Office. Polyvagal Acupuncture®. Etymology, Historical Context, and Core Characteristics Ashi points (阿是穴, ā shì xué) are non-fixed, temporary acupuncture points characterized by localized tenderness or sensitivity upon pressure (Deadman et al., 2007; Sun, 652 CE). Unlike the 361 classical points located along established meridians, most Ashi points lack Read More
A Clinical Framework for Polyvagal Acupuncture® (PVA) and Polyvagal Massage ™ Introduction: Defining the Architecture of Trauma Trauma is an internal physiological state that overwhelms the system. When a stressor exceeds the buffering capacity of the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS), the brain bypasses verbal processing and hard-codes survival responses into motor reflexes and connective tissues.
© 2025 J. Moffitt. Registered U.S. Copyright Office. Polyvagal Acupuncture® Primitive reflexes (PRs) are involuntary motor responses that establish foundational postural tone, orientation, and motor-sensory coordination during early development. These reflexes should integrate as higher cortical control matures. When they remain active—or reactivate in the context of trauma, emotional stress, neuroinflammation, or structural compromise—they produce
© 2025 J. Moffitt. Registered U.S. Copyright Office. Polyvagal Acupuncture® The Fear Paralysis Reflex (FPR) is the earliest-appearing defensive reflex in fetal development, emerging as early as 5–8 weeks of gestation. It precedes all motoric fight-or-flight responses and represents the organism’s first organized reaction to threat: tonic immobility. This freeze state is characterized by stillness, bradycardia, breath-holding, and
© 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
© 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® 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
