<p>The reptilian brain controls the body’s most basic, involuntary actions, like heartbeat, breathing, body temperature regulation, and balance. It consists of the brainstem and the cerebellum (which joins the limbic thalamus by the reticular activating system). The cerebellum is the most densely packed area; surprisingly, this is where 80% of the brain’s neurons live (Herculano-Houzel, 2010). Used mostly for gross movements and balance, parts of the cerebellum are involved in the coordination of language, memory, and reasoning (Schmahmann, 1997). Interestingly, new literature suggests that the cerebellum plays a significant role in regulating the cerebrum, both via white matter (sub-cortically) and via grey matter (cortically) (Schmahmann, 1997, 1998, 2000; Teicher, Anderson, &amp; Polcari, 2012). This is the part of the brain that is cradled by the hand of a loving mother, and the part of the brain that also unconsciously senses the absence of her hand, in situations of neglect (Fisher, 2014, p. 23).<br></p>