How to Work with Toddlers

Recapitulation:
The process of repeating behaviours or patterns, often unconsciously, to address unresolved issues or to replay scenarios for better understanding.

Ontogeny:
The development of an organism or individual growth, referring to personal evolution and maturation.
Phenotype: Observable behaviour or expression that others can notice and reflect back, often shaped by early experiences.

Groundhog Day Analogy:
Using the movie "Groundhog Day" to illustrate the concept of recapitulation and the process of learning and healing through repeated experiences.

Compression Phase of Birth:
The initial stage of birth where the world closes in, characterized by pressure and the need to push forward.

Direct Recapitulation:
Repeating behaviours that were successful in earlier stages of life, often as a coping mechanism.

Avoidant Recapitulation:
Avoiding behaviours or situations that were harmful or unsuccessful in the past to prevent recurrence of pain or failure.

Superciliary Archway Depression (SAD):
A physical indentation on the forehead resulting from compression during birth, indicative of birth trauma.

Retroflective Identification with the Perpetrator: Reenacting harmful behaviours on oneself that were initially inflicted by others.

Epidural-Induced Relational Trauma:
The impact of maternal epidural use during birth on the child's ability to form intimate relationships due to perceived abandonment during pain.

Recapitulation in Relationships:
How early traumas, such as those experienced during birth, can influence adult behaviours and relationships, often leading to avoidance or repetition of harmful patterns.

Birth Trauma and behaviour:
The connection between birth experiences (e.g., compression, rotation, finishing birth) and lifelong behavioural patterns.