Portland NeuroMovement® Practitioner Phoebe MacRae works with a young student on the treatment table. With gentle touch she guides the student to make new brain by feeling the power of the pelvis when twisting the body.

Finding gentle,
Brain-based support

If your child has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), periventricular leukomalacia (PVL), or cortical visual impairment (CVI), you may already be navigating a long list of therapies and medical appointments.

Many parents describe feeling both overwhelmed and hopeful.

They want to give their child every opportunity to grow, yet worry about pushing too hard or missing something important.

This is where NeuroMovement® can make a difference.

NeuroMovement® for

Cerebral Palsy,

HIE, PVL, & CVI

These Diagnoses can Feel OverwhelminG

Children with CP, HIE, PVL, or CVI
often face challenges such as:

  • Muscle tightness, stiffness, or spasticity

  • Low muscle tone (hypotonia, sometimes called “floppy baby”)

  • A mix of high and low tone in different parts of the body

  • Difficulty with balance, coordination, and movement

  • Visual processing struggles that affect learning and interaction

  • Fatigue and frustration during daily activities

  • Pressure to “catch up” with peers through repetitive drills or exercises

Traditional therapeutic approaches often focus on strengthening or stretching specific muscles.

The traditional approach overlooks

the most powerful driver of change: the brain.

Why Traditional Approaches are Limited

Many traditional therapies seem to help, but often rely on working very hard and repeating exercises until exhaustion.

Parents are told this effort will result in progress.

BUT…

If you are working HARD at learning something
you are also learning that it is HARD!

Real learning is about creating
new brain connections.

The best learning feels
effortless, exciting, and full of discovery.

And your child’s brain is capable of remarkable growth when given the right conditions.

This is where NeuroMovement® shines.

How NeuroMovement® Works

NeuroMovement® is an evidence-based approach that uses gentle, mindful movement to provide the brain with the information it needs to change and grow.

Rather than forcing a movement or repeating it until exhaustion, a NeuroMovement® practitioner creates safe, exploratory “micro” movements that awaken the brain’s ability to:

  • Discover easier, more efficient patterns of movement

  • Gain or Improve head control, balance, stability, and coordination

  • Enhance comfort and reduce strain

  • Expand visual processing and sensory integration

  • Support learning in a calm and joyful way

Anat Baniel Method® NeuroMovement® upgrades the functioning of the brain by using a natural body-brain process to create new learning and new wiring.

This new wiring helps children with CP, HIE, PVL, and CVI encounter and relate to the world differently.

What Parents Notice

Families often report meaningful changes in their child after NeuroMovement® lessons, such as:

  • More relaxed and fluid movement

  • Improved Head Control

  • Increased ability to participate in play and daily activities

  • Improved tolerance for handling, transitions, and appointments

  • Greater comfort in their body, with less effort and strain

  • New sparks of curiosity and engagement

These changes may seem small at first, but they open doors to larger developmental shifts over time.

Phoebe works with child with Spastic Cerebral Palsy. Child is lying on the treatment table and together they are playing with stacking brightly colored bean bags.
After his first lesson he began tolerating riding in his car seat IMMEDIATELY following his first lesson.
I have been a prisoner in my own home for 8 months because he would not last for 3 minutes without becoming absolutely inconsolable, arching and cutting off his air supply, having seizures, etc.
Today we traveled 90 miles with just a break to drink a bottle.
— LB, mother of a child with multiple diagnoses, including cerebral palsy and seisure conditions. Dayton, WA

Why Gentleness Matters

Children with neurological diagnoses are often asked to work very hard just to accomplish simple movements.

This can be exhausting for both child and parent.

NeuroMovement® takes a different path.

Lessons are gentle, respectful, and designed to reduce effort rather than increase it.

By working GENTLY with the brain
instead of against the body,
progress is natural and sustainable.

“I meet your child exactly where they are,

without judgment.

And from there, growth unfolds

naturally.” - Phoebe MacRae

Phoebe works with a young client with Cerebral Palsy. She sits behind him while he is on the treatment table. She is gently helping him explore how his leg can move.

Explore NeuroMovement® for Your Child

If you are seeking a complementary option that respects your child’s uniqueness and helps unlock new possibilities,
I invite you to explore NeuroMovement®.

Click HERE to Contact Phoebe

Book a free, online consultation here