Heal Thyself Institute

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Heal Thyself Institute 🧠 Brain-First Chiropractic & Neurologic Rehab
⭐️ Primitive Reflex Integration
🌿 Functional Medicine & Nutrition
💥 Laser + Advanced Neuro Therapies

10/02/2026

Why is this jump such a big deal?
Because this jump took a LOT of work!

It didn’t start with practicing jumping over and over again. It started with working on all the pieces his body needs to make a movement like this happen, balance, core stability, body awareness, coordination and timing.

Little by little, those pieces started coming together.
And then… he was able to jump.

This is one of those moments that might look small if you don’t know the work behind it.

We do.

And we are SO excited for him and all of his hard work!

09/23/2026

Speech is a whole lot more than words.

Producing sounds requires coordinated movement of the lips, tongue, jaw and respiratory system, and for some kids, those underlying motor skills can be challenging.

Here, Dr. Waldo is using something incredibly simple: a party blower.
The goal isn’t the party blower itself. It’s giving this child an opportunity to practice things like lip closure, controlled airflow and coordinated movement of the mouth.

When we turn practice into play, kids are often much more willing to keep doing it.

Simple activity. Specific purpose.

09/22/2026

The brain doesn’t need a perfect setting. It needs the right input.

One of the things we hope families take away from working with us is that supporting development doesn’t have to become another complicated thing on the to-do list.

Kids are already moving, exploring, climbing, playing and interacting with the world around them.

Sometimes it’s simply about recognizing an opportunity and using it.
A nature walk can become an opportunity for movement and sensory input. A playground can challenge balance and coordination. A game can work the eyes, body and brain together.

You don’t always need special equipment or a perfectly planned activity.
Sometimes you just meet your child where they are, use what’s around you, and keep living life.

09/20/2026

Today we’re celebrating the person behind Heal Thyself.

If you know Dr. Waldo, you know his brain is pretty much always working. He’s always asking another question, digging a little deeper, learning something new, or trying to figure out why something is happening, not just what to call it.

That curiosity is a huge part of what built Heal Thyself into what it is today. But even more important is how deeply he cares about the people who walk through our doors.

We’re grateful for the knowledge, passion, determination, and very busy brain, he brings here every day.

Happy Birthday, Dr. Waldo! 🎉❤️

Help us wish him a happy birthday in the comments!

09/11/2026

They thought they were just making snow angels in the sand.

But this simple movement pattern is also one we can use when working with the Spinal Galant primitive reflex.

The Spinal Galant develops very early in life and should fully integrate as the nervous system develops.

When it remains active, you may see things like:

• Trouble sitting still
• Constant wiggling or shifting in a chair
• Difficulty with focus and attention
• Sensitivity around the waist or lower back
• Difficulty with coordination
• Bedwetting in some children
• Sensory issues

Movements like snow angels can be incorporated into a larger primitive reflex program to work on this pattern.

We love finding fun, simple ways to incorporate reflex integration into activities kids already enjoy.

09/10/2026

They’re all hitting the same little lights… but they’re not all doing it for the same reason.

Each of these kids came to us with different struggles, different symptoms, and different goals.

With BlazePods, we can change the activity based on what we’re working on with that individual child, adding eye movements, balance, coordination, reaction time, direction changes, crossing midline, or even a cognitive task.

And then we watch what happens.
Can they find the target quickly?
Can their eyes and body work together?
Can they stay organized when we make it harder?
What changes when we adjust the task?

The lights make it fun.
But the activity AND what we’re watching for, can look completely different from one child to the next.

Because the goal isn’t to give every child the same exercises.

It’s to figure out what this child needs.

09/09/2026

Sometimes a family comes in with a list of things that seem completely unrelated.

Handwriting is hard.
Getting dressed takes forever.
Certain foods are a no-go.
Their body always seems to be moving.
Coordination is harder than it should be.

For many autistic and neurodivergent kids, these aren’t necessarily separate problems.

We start by asking what skills the brain and body need to successfully do those things.

Postural control. Eye movements. Coordination. Sensory processing. Motor planning. Primitive reflex development. Fine motor control.

The goal isn’t to change who a child is.

It’s to understand where they’re struggling, build the skills we can build, and make everyday things a little easier.

And sometimes, the thing that brought a family through our door is only the beginning of the story.

Handwriting looks like a hand skill… but there’s a whole lot happening before the pencil ever hits the paper.A child nee...
09/08/2026

Handwriting looks like a hand skill… but there’s a whole lot happening before the pencil ever hits the paper.

A child needs enough core and postural stability to sit and work. Their shoulders and arms need to provide a stable base for the smaller movements of the hand. Their eyes have to find their place, move across the page and shift between near and far. Their hands need strength and control. And primitive reflex patterns can be another piece of the puzzle.

That’s why when a child is struggling with handwriting, simply practicing more handwriting isn’t always the answer.

Sometimes we need to look at the skills underneath the skill.

And because so many of you have been interested in this lately, we’re working on something specifically for educators, practical ways to support the brain and body during the school day, without adding another complicated thing to your plate.

More on that soon!

Save this one for the next time you see a child struggling with handwriting.

09/06/2026

It looks like a pretty simple movement game… but there’s a lot happening here.

He has to see the arrow, figure out which direction it’s pointing, understand what that means for his body, plan the movement, and then actually do it…. all while balancing and getting ready for the next one.

So in just a few seconds, we’re challenging visual processing, spatial awareness, motor planning, balance, coordination, attention and brain body communication.

And the best part? It doesn’t have to be complicated.

A few arrows, some floor space, and you’ve turned a simple movement activity into something that asks the brain and body to work together in a whole lot of ways.

Sometimes the simplest activities have a lot going on underneath them.

Save this one to try later!

09/03/2026

Handwriting is the struggle we see.

But handwriting requires so much more than just the hand.

Before writing can feel easier and more automatic, the brain has to coordinate visual tracking, hand-eye coordination, shoulder and postural stability, proprioception, motor planning, and precise control of movement.

Primitive reflexes can be part of that picture, too. The Palmar reflex can influence how the hand grips and releases, while patterns like ATNR and STNR can affect things like crossing midline, coordinating the eyes and hands, and keeping the body stable while the hand is moving.

So, we put the pencil down.

An activity as simple as rolling a ball along a line gives us a way to work on some of the foundational skills underneath handwriting,  instead of simply practicing handwriting over and over again.

Because when a child is struggling with a skill, we don’t ask, “How can we practice this more?”

We ask, “What does their brain and body need in order to do this more easily?”

Sometimes the best place to start isn’t where the struggle shows up.

Address

2590 Northbrooke Plaza Drive Ste 301
Naples, FL
34119

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 1pm
2:30pm - 5:30pm
Tuesday 11am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 9am - 5:30pm
Thursday 11am - 5:30pm
Saturday 9:30am - 1:30pm

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