Principles of Executive Function Levels of the Whole Person

• Physical – movement, posture and anatomy
• Breath and physiological systems
• Intellect – cognition, self-expression and sensory
• Personality – preferences, values and behaviors
• Emotional tone and the subjective
• Brain development & autonomic nervous system (ANS)
• Pruning and the use it or lose it principle
• Vagus nerve’s relation to physical and emotional effects

Effects of Stress on EF

• Effect on neural networks
• Cortisol and fight/flight effect on the brain
• Differences between fear and anxiety
• Getting to the basis of anger and frustration

The Gut Brain

• Enteric nervous system: the “second brain”
• Neurotransmitters in the gut that affect mood
• ADHD-gut connection
• Enhance mood and memory through nutrition

Sensory Processing

• 3 developmental levels of regulation
• Swings effect on the Reticular Activating System
• Adjustments in sensory input to create balance
• Calm the sympathetic nervous system thru sensory input

Strategies to Develop Healthy Habits

• Using your mind to change your brain
• Power of thought and visualization
• Routines and steps to build habits
• Enhancing neurogenesis and neuroplasticity

Yoga, Mindfulness and Meditation Principles

• Mind-body-breath connection
• Yoga poses for self-regulation
• Interoception to build deeper self-awareness
• Power of the pause

Breath and Regulation Techniques

• Using breath to affect arousal levels
• Increasing and decreasing heart rate and blood pressure
• Supports movement and posture
• Techniques for focus, delayed gratification and processing in the pause

Sensory Processing Strategies

• Using the sensory systems to promote self-regulation and calm the sympathetic nervous system
• Looking at rhythmicity and touch as factors in enhancing EF

Attention-Memory Connection

• Learning requirements for memory
• Emotion-motivation connection
• Intrinsic motivation to enhance processing
• The driving force of optimism and hope
• How multi-tasking is counter-productive
• Strategies that support focus and recall

Putting the pause on Impulsivity

• Marshmallows: the importance of learning to wait
• Anti-rush therapy to promote waiting
• Do-overs to teach healthy alternatives

Self-Generation and Self-Determination

• Promote delayed gratification, self-monitoring, task initiation, emotional control
• Supporting persistence to stick with dull and challenging activities
• Allowing time for processing, planning and self-correction

Strategies for Healthy Social Connections:

• Using the whole self as a therapeutic tool: emotion, modeling and positioning
• The power of relationship in therapeutic effectiveness
• Cuing and facilitation to promote participation, engagement and increased independence
• Teaching tolerance and awareness

Treatment Strategies for Challenging Emotions

• Decreasing stress to facilitate EF
• Understanding fear, as the basis for many challenging emotions
• Using the teachable-moment “failures”

Lorelei Woerner- Eisner, OTR/L, C-IAYT, RYT500, a registered and licensed Occupational Therapist, Certified Yoga Therapist and a Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga Teacher has over 20 years of practice in working with infants to seniors from a whole-person perspective. Lorelei is a recognized international lecturer and author. She has spoken across the country on a wide variety of topics related to therapy from a holistic perspective. Throughout her career, she has been driven by a passion to research, discover and create the most highly effective therapy techniques and tools to support lasting change with her broad range of clients’ needs. She has worked in pediatrics/sensory integration, rehabilitation, psychiatrics, acute care, home health, and skilled nursing settings. Lorelei is certified in: the Sensory Integration and Praxis Test, Yoga Therapy, Yoga Ed sm (a school-based yoga program), Hippotherapy, and Myofascial Release. She and her specially trained therapy dog Toma, work in a variety of settings including her private practice, Integrative Wellness Therapy. Born and raised in the Los Angeles area, Lorelei received a B.A. in Occupational Therapy from USC in 1993, a B.A. in Communications from Pepperdine University in 1986 and her 2-year Yoga Therapy certificate from Loyola Marymount University in 2007. Learn more about Lorelei Woerner-Eisner, OTR/L, C-IAYT, RYT500.