“There are numerous reasons why a baby may have neurological dysfunctions. They can be due to genetic differences, in-uterine problems, birth trauma, trauma after birth, nutritional difficulties, and environmental /social factors.” — Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen
I was just reading an interview with the seasoned, famous and well-versed embodiment-worker and somatic education pioneer Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen, when I came by the paragraph I just quoted. I was quite surprised to see her listing reasons for neurological dysfunctions but NOT mentioning vaccines. In fact, there was no mention of adverse vaccine reactions, even if rare, in any of her interviews that I’ve read (and none in the lectures of Moshé Feldenkrais either.)
It might be that some are convinced that adverse reactions from vaccines are extremely rare, however, there’s also people who are under the impression that such events are not as rare as one might think, and given the amount of cumulative shots administered nowadays, more likely to happen than in the past.
The truth may be one or the other, yet I’m surprised that such a big topic is excluded from discussion altogether.
One of the reasons why I’m personally concerned, is the safety of my own brain. Aren’t the brain and nervous system the cornerstones of somatic education, of The Feldenkrais Method, and all related methods? I was especially shocked to read about a recent Review by Janet Kern, 2020, in Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology, “Examining the evidence that ethylmercury crosses the blood-brain barrier”:
And further, 22 studies from 1971 to 2019 show that exposure to ethylmercury-containing compounds (intravenously, intraperitoneally, topically, subcutaneously, intramuscularly, or intranasally administered) results in accumulation of mercury in the brain. In total, these studies indicate that ethylmercury-containing compounds readily cross the blood-brain-barrier, convert, for the most part, to highly toxic inorganic mercury-containing compounds, which significantly and persistently bind to tissues in the brain and [..] degenerative, inflammatory, and necrotic alterations were seen [..]
In fact I was not just “shocked”, but was properly alarmed—as all of my doctors always told me that vaccine ingredients such as methylmercury or aluminium will be expelled by the body, without a trace, and I need not worry. So far the consensus was that after a fortnight at the very longest, there’s no such ingredient (adjuvants) to be found in the body anymore; not in the blood, not in the liver, not in the lymphatic circulatory system. It just never occurred to the researches to look inside the brain. That was, until recently (1971 apparently.)
Well, you might argue that most modern vaccines don’t use methylmercury or aluminium anymore. And that, either way, the topic of vaccinations doesn’t have a place in somatic education and embodiment practices. And I can’t argue about that, since vaccines are indeed not my field of expertise.
However, this here is a personal blog, and not a lifestyle magazine and advertisement platform. I want to be able to discuss the topic of somatic education, learning, developmental delays, et cetera, openly, without deliberately ignoring vaccines for whatever reason, and not be hushed and losing a good part of my clients when raising concerns or asking questions. After all, it’s for the safety of my own brain and my own nervous system. Shouldn’t I be aware of dangers, risks and consequences when making decisions? And shouldn’t I be able to think of my client’s past decisions (and consequences thereof) when working with them on their current problems?
