The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind

Siegel and Bryson define integration as “helping [the parts of the brain] work well together” (6). They advocate integration of the parts of the brain, the parts of the self, the self and the community, and, implicitly, the parent and child. They argue that when the brain is dis-integrated, or not working well together, the mind is not functioning in a healthy way. Integration requires seeing the different parts, and figuring out how to get them into communication with one another, which is the core of each strategy in the book.

Following the trend of offering dichotomies in the structure of the brain, Siegel and Bryson explain the dichotomy within the function of memory: “The memory that enables you to change your baby without knowing that you are remembering is called implicit memory. Your ability to recall learning to change a diaper (or to recall any other specific moment) is explicit memory” (71). Making memories explicit, like activating the left brain or developing the upstairs brain, is a skill that takes guidance and practice from adults. Generally, when a child has an unreasoned or intense fear following a traumatic event, it is the result of an implicit memory that hasn’t been made sufficiently explicit.