Next Level Neuro
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The Top 5 Takeaways from the Applied Neurology Framework Masterclass
Why What You Do First Matters Most
Let me guess.
You stretch your clients.
Mobilize them.
Breathe with them.
Maybe even toss in a few applied neurology drills you’ve learned.
Sometimes they feel better.
Sometimes they don’t.
And sometimes the same issue keeps coming back like a bad habit in stretchy pants.
You’re not alone.
Most practitioners, whether they’re coaches, therapists, or trainers, don’t lack tools—they lack a process.
A framework.
A way to think and sequence applied neurology that respects how the nervous system works.
That’s why the Transformation Ladder Framework from Next Level Neuro has changed the learning curve for our students and professionals looking to integrate neurology with clients.
It gives you the roadmap for how to assess, intervene, and advance based on where your client’s nervous system actually is.
In this week’s Neuro-News, we’re highlighting the Top 5 Takeaways from the April 2025 Masterclass—plus a review into the Transformation Ladder itself.
If you missed the live event, think of this as your ultimate review, and you can rewatch the replay here.
Here is what we are going to do for this educational piece.
We are going to give you the top 5 takeaways and then go into the why behind them all.
Top 5 Takeaways from the Transformation Ladder Masterclass
1. “Sometimes You Have to Regulate Before You Can Activate.”
If your client is in a sympathetic (fight/flight) or freeze state, jumping to drills won’t land.
The nervous system must feel safe before it can adapt.
Why it matters: Most therapists skip this step—and it’s costing their clients real progress.
Regulation isn’t a warm-up. It’s the foundation.
2. “Write This Down: Your Tools Actually Jump Into the Ladder at Level 3.”
Most of the drills you’ve learned—manual therapy, movement, breathwork, vision, vestibular—start at Level 3.
Translation? If you’re skipping Levels 1 (Regulation) and 2 (Fuel), you’re likely missing the nervous system completely.
3. “Regression Is Not Always the Answer.”
When a client is plateaued, the instinct is often to back off. But sometimes, what they actually need is more complexity—not less.
Takeaway: Add cognitive load. Challenge the frontal lobe. Progression can be the breakthrough, not the risk.
4. “Anytime Your Client Doesn’t Respond—Kick Back to the First Two Levels.”
When things stall, it’s rarely the drill that’s broken. It’s usually an issue of safety or under-fueling.
Pro Tip: 90% of problems live in Levels 1 and 2. Start there.
5. “Most People Accidentally Jump Into Integration Before Isolating the Sensory Systems.”
Practitioners love to stack vision, vestibular, and movement drills—but often skip isolating each one first.
Result: Overwhelm. Integration without readiness = inconsistent results.
Regulate Before You Activate
You can have the best drills in the world—the perfect eye pattern, the sharpest vestibular reset, the ultimate proprioceptive challenge.
But if your client’s nervous system isn’t regulated?
None of it will work.
This is the principle at the heart of the Transformation Ladder Framework from Next Level Neuro:
Regulate before you activate.
What Does Regulation Mean?
Regulation is the nervous system's ability to move in and out of stress states.
A regulated client can:
- Tolerate challenge
- Recover from stress
- Integrate new inputs
A dysregulated client might:
- React strongly to a light vestibular drill
- Feel more pain after eye work
- Fatigue quickly after proprioceptive stimulation
It’s not because the drill is wrong.
It’s because the cup is already full.
The Problem With Skipping Regulation
Most coaches, therapists, and trainers are taught to start with movement.
Stretch. Mobilize. Strengthen.
Add stimulus. Create adaptation.
But if the nervous system is already perceiving threat (due to trauma, illness, inflammation, poor sleep, etc.), you're adding more input to an overloaded circuit.
The result?
- Poor results.
- Client frustration.
- Practitioner burnout.
What Regulation Looks Like in Practice
Regulation tools include:
- Alternate nostril breathing
- Long exhale drills
- Somatosensory inputs (touch, smell, sound)
- Gentle head movements
These drills help the nervous system feel safe.
They downregulate threat.
They open the door for learning.
Why This Principle Is Paramount To Your Clients Success
When you apply "regulate before you activate":
- Clients improve faster
- Sessions become more effective
- Regressions happen less often
- Clients feel better, not just more mobilized
In short, you stop spinning your wheels.
This is what separates technicians from transformational practitioners.
Regulation is not the warm-up. It’s the foundation.
And when you start here, everything else works better.
Regulate before you activate. Regulation is not the warm-up. It’s the foundation.
Transformation Ladder Overview: The Five Levels
The Transformation Ladder is a five-level framework designed to help practitioners integrate applied neurology in a progressive, safe, and effective way.
- Level 1: Inhibition & Regulation – Calming the nervous system to reduce threat.
- Level 2: Fuel – Ensuring the brain has the oxygen and glucose it needs.
- Level 3: Sensory Input & Activation – Introducing movement, sensory drills, and proprioception.
- Level 4: Integration – Stacking inputs and combining systems for functional challenges.
- Level 5: Real-World Application – Training the nervous system in life-like conditions.
*Takeaway: Most practitioners skip Levels 1 and 2 and jump straight into activation and integration. This is why they see inconsistent results or why progress eventually plateaus. Now let’s break down the ladder rung by rung.
Level 1: Regulation & Inhibition
This is where it must begin.
If your client is dysregulated—in a sympathetic or parasympathetic freeze state—you won’t get far.
Goal: Reduce perceived threat in the nervous system so it can safely receive inputs.
Tools:
- Alternate nostril breathing
- Long exhale drills
- Breath holds
- Cold exposure
- Gentle tactile and smell inputs
- Sound work (low tones, vibrations)
- Eye tracking, slow head turns
Example: A client with a high trauma history or chronic pain may need multiple sessions of regulation before you even introduce a sensory input.
Why it matters: A dysregulated system is like a cup already filled to the brim.
You add more, it overflows.
---> Nothing integrates.
Bonus: Reassessment after drills shows whether the nervous system responded. Always retest range of motion or balance.
Level 2: Fuel
Your brain can’t change if it’s starving.
Goal: Provide the metabolic resources for neuroplasticity (oxygen, glucose, CO2 balance).
Focus Areas:
- Breathing: Exhale-focused drills, rebreathing with hands or bag to elevate CO2 levels (which drives oxygen into the cells).
- Nutrition: Orange juice, coconut water, or quick-digesting carb sources for glucose; avoid keto and low-carb for neuro rehab.
- Macro balance: Fat, protein, and carb ratios that support myelin formation, neurotransmitter health, and recovery.
Plateau Tip:
When a client stops progressing, return to Level 2.
Under-fueling is a huge cause of stagnation.
Example in real life:
Kathy (NLN founder) hit a plateau during a period of high activity.
She thought she was eating enough.
But her performance dipped, recovery suffered, and progress reversed.
Turns out she was under-eating by 700–1000 calories per day.
Once she fueled better, results came back quickly.
Level 3: Sensory Input & Activation
Now we can play with drills.
Goal: Deliver precise inputs to improve proprioception, reduce threat, and drive new neural patterns.
Tools Include:
- Vision drills (smooth pursuit, saccades)
- Vestibular drills (balance progression, head turns)
- Somatosensory inputs (foot mapping, facial input, vibration)
- Cranial nerve activation
- Nerve glides and joint mobilization
Important: If regulation and fueling are incomplete, these tools will backfire.
Drill Example:
Vestibular balance progression.
Start with eyes open, feet together.
Add head turns.
Then test eyes closed.
Isolated inputs often work better than complex integrations early on.
Caution: Don’t jump straight to full workouts, VOR, or complex drills without a stable foundation.
Level 4: Integration
Here we layer the systems together—if your client is ready.
Goal: Stack sensory inputs into movement, training, and daily activities.
How:
- Combine vision + balance
- Add breathwork into dynamic movement
- Integrate vestibular drills with task complexity
Examples:
- Eyes tracking while walking
- Breathing tempo + lifting sets
- Stability challenges with proprioceptive layers
Pitfall:
Jumping to integration too early.
If someone’s nervous system isn’t ready, this causes overwhelm.
Bonus Concept:
Integration isn’t always fancy. It might be layering breathwork into warm-ups or cueing gaze shifts during squats.
It’s practical.
You meet your client where they are.
Level 5: Real-World Application
You’ve built the foundation. Now it’s time to use it outside the session.
Goal: Translate neuro gains into behavior, performance, and adaptability in daily life.
Strategies:
- Use drills before/after sports, meetings, or stressful events
- Challenge inputs with unpredictability and cognitive load
- Simulate environments that mimic real-life stressors
This Level Includes:
- Coaching decision-making + emotional regulation
- Using applied neurology for confidence, pain-free living, and expression
- Encouraging independent use of tools
What it Looks Like:
- A golfer uses a saccade drill pre-swing
- A trauma client breathes into their hands before therapy
- An athlete stacks vestibular + proprioceptive + decision-making drills before a match
This is where capacity becomes competency.
This is where you change lives.
If you have yet to watch the full Masterclass, click here.
If you want more information on our Mentorship, click here.
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- What Happens In Our Brains When We Sleep
- Is Co2 or O2 Breath Training Better For You & Why
- How Do I Know Which Area of the Brain to Train?
- How The Brain Feeds And Why That Matters To Your Brain Health
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