I promise that this blog is not turning into a book review site…but I did just read this book and wanted to share a little bit about it with you. And yes, before you ask (or run to check), it is on the approved list for Alternative Training hours for your foster license renewal.
So, without further ado, the book is called, “Raising Kids with Big, Baffling Behaviors: Brain-Body-Sensory Strategies That Really Work” by Robyn Gobbel.
True confession: my friend told me about this book two years ago. Then she put it in my hands a few months ago and I put it on my nightstand to collect dust. And I just read it last month. Don’t judge. You know how it is…when you live with trauma and hard stuff, you want it to get better but sometimes you want to escape it…and reading about it does not provide the opportunity for escape.
Also, we’ve been using TBRI for years and it’s been great. What else could there be to learn? (Please note sarcastic tone here)
But all joking aside, I finally read it. And since I know you probably need training hours AND want to read something helpful, you might as well do the same.
Now, I am not really reviewing the book as much as I am telling you about it; call it a synopsis, if you will. Let me begin by saying this: I have heard people over the years mention “owl brain, watchdog brain and opossum brain” with regards to kids with trauma but I never knew what they meant or where they’d gotten those terms.
It’s here, in case you were wondering. And here’s the thing about this book. I felt like it did a great job of building on what we already knew from TBRI.
Briefly: someone in owl brain is in their upstairs brain. Rational. Thinking. But someone in their watchdog or opossum brain is not…or are they? Honestly, once she explained it, it was so easy to see in my own child. When my child is in his owl brain, things are pretty good (as you would expect).
But…the watchdog can show up on a dime…but at least some of the time, the owl has not yet “flown away”. The owl can still be accessed, depending on how the situation is handled. Primarily: if I stay in MY owl brain, it’s probably going to help him to fully come back to owl brain more quickly.
And to be clear, my example is regarding watchdog brain, but a similar spiral can also take place with the opossum brain…and she lays that out beautifully as well. So, I don’t want to ruin any of it for you and at the same time I don’t want you to feel as though I covered it here in so much detail that you don’t need to read the book.
Read the book.
But sometimes without a firsthand account of someone’s perception of it (some may call it a review or summary), it can be difficult to choose the books which will give you the most “bang for your buck”. I know your time is limited and if I can help you make an informed decision on what a book is about (whether you choose to read it or not), and (BONUS) build on a concept you are already familiar with (TBRI) then I’ve been helpful…which is my ultimate goal.
真挚地，
克里斯