A different lens for deeper understanding
Genetic Brain Profiling (GBP): a reflective tool
Sometimes, understanding a little more about what makes us who we are can help us make sense of the way we think, feel and respond to the world.
GBP offers a way to explore our natural preferences, potential strengths and sensitivities. It can open up new questions, offer a different perspective and help us understand ourselves and the people around us a little differently.
It's not about putting you into a box or telling you who you are (I often see how people with the same profile are very different). It's about discovering more, making connections with your own experiences and considering what that understanding might mean in everyday life.
What is GBP?
GBP offers a framework for exploring your natural preferences and tendencies. It offers a way to consider why certain experiences or situations might come more easily to one person than another, and why we can sometimes respond differently to the same circumstances.
GBP is a model that explores a combination of physical dominances (brain hemisphere, hand, foot, eye and ear) together with temperament. Within the model, these physical dominances are associated with different preferences in the way we may perceive the world, how we may prefer to think, process information and respond to different situations. The real insight comes from considering how these elements interact within an individual.
Good to know
GBP is a reflective tool that can open up conversations about how you may approach different situations and what you might find more or less comfortable.
It is based on applied kinesiology and is not a personality test, a medical assessment, DNA analysis or a definitive map of who you are.
What might you discover?
Natural preferences and strengths
Recognising strengths you may have overlooked, making sense of things you've wondered about, and developing greater appreciation for your own individuality.
Emotions and stress
Exploring how you experience and respond to stress, what situations you may find more demanding, and what might help you navigate them.
Learning and studying
Understanding more about how you approach learning, what may make certain tasks easier or harder, and exploring different ways to process, understand and retain information.
Communication and relationships
How you may relate to and prefer to interact with others, and what you might need in relationships. This can open up new ways of understanding one another and approaching communication.
Everyday challenges
Identifying areas where a different approach, practical strategy or additional support might make things easier. Just because you might find something challenging doesn't mean that you can't do it. GBP just gives us another perspective on why these things may need more effort and more useful approaches.
Sometimes when we struggle with something, we start thinking that there's something wrong with us. We may compare ourselves with others, become frustrated with the things we find difficult, or focus so much on what isn't working that we forget about the things we're actually good at.
I believe we all have different talents and we all have different sensitivities. Some things come naturally to one person; others take more effort for that person. Neither makes us better or worse than another person.
Your profile may offer ideas about why certain things feel easier or more challenging, but it doesn't determine what you can achieve or how you will respond. Greater understanding can give us more insight into our reactions and more possibilities for choosing how we want to respond.
Considering GBP for your child or teenager?
As a parent, you may have spent a lot of time trying to understand your child — why certain things seem to come easily, why others are such a struggle, or why they respond in ways you don't always expect. You may already have tried different approaches and are wondering whether another assessment or profile will really add anything useful. I understand that concern.
In sessions, I often notice how children and teenagers enjoy the opportunity to discover more about themselves, while parents often tell me that they feel a sense of relief and greater confidence when they begin to see another perspective on their child's behaviour.
How can GBP help you as a parent?
Your child's profile can offer another starting point when trying to make sense of their behaviour, emotions and everyday challenges. Rather than looking for what is wrong or what needs to be 'fixed', we explore your child's natural talents, sensitivities and individual ways of experiencing the world.
When we see things from a different perspective, we may find different ways of responding – with greater clarity and compassion, more confidence and practical strategies that make everyday life a little easier.
What might your child discover?
Children and teenagers often enjoy discovering how they experience and approach the world. It can help them recognise strengths they hadn't noticed, understand why some things feel easier while others take more effort, and find different ways of approaching challenges. Rather than focusing only on what's difficult, we also bring attention to what they naturally enjoy and what comes more easily.
How will it help with school?
I see how children and teenagers start enjoying school more, focus better and become more efficient in learning and homework when they begin to understand how they learn best and discover approaches that work for them. I work with them to find more effective ways of learning, understanding and remembering their schoolwork, and to explore practical approaches to homework and exam preparation.
Beyond GBP
A profile doesn't tell us what a child can or cannot achieve, or determine what they should do. The profile is only one part of the picture. A child's experiences, circumstances, relationships and environment remain important in understanding what they may be going through.
The intention isn't to label or define your child, or explain everything through their profile. It's to open up possibilities for understanding them differently, recognising what they bring to the world and finding ways to support them in the things they find more challenging.
Considering GBP with your partner or family?
GBP can be a valuable experience to share as a couple or a family. You can discover more about yourself and then explore what your profiles might reveal about the way you experience one another. Why might one person find something easy while another finds it frustrating? Why might family members respond so differently to the same situation?
The aim isn't to compare, judge or change anyone. It's to develop a better understanding of each other and discover how you can work with your differences rather than against them.
You don't need to be experiencing relationship or family difficulties to benefit. Everyone has a choice about what they feel comfortable sharing.
What does the process involve?
- We begin with a conversation and a few activities that allow me to determine your GBP.
- Then we have personalised feedback sessions, where we explore the observations, connect them to your experiences and consider what they might mean in everyday life.
- For families, the process is adapted to the ages and circumstances of the people involved. With younger children, I work primarily with you as the parent; older children and teenagers can be included directly.
I'll explain exactly what to expect when we have our initial coaching conversation. GBP is one lens among many – some people find the profiling experience valuable in itself, others explore further through coaching. There's no obligation to continue.
A few questions you might have
Is GBP suitable for people of any age?
GBP can be explored by anyone from the age of 5 onwards – children, teenagers and adults of any age. The way we approach the process is adapted to suit each person.
Is GBP a test or an assessment?
GBP is not a test or a medical or psychological assessment, and it does not involve DNA analysis. It is based on applied kinesiology and I merely confirm your physical dominances to determine your profile. There isn't a right or wrong answer, and you are not measured against some norm in society. GBP is just about who you are.
The purpose is to explore the profile and use it as a starting point for reflection and conversation.
Does my profile tell me what I'm naturally good at or what I'll find difficult?
It may highlight preferences that could point towards potential strengths. That doesn't mean that you have already developed a particular skill or that you will always find something easy. Equally, an area that may take more effort doesn't mean you can't do it. Your profile gives us another perspective on why things may feel harder and what might make them easier.
Can my profile explain how I respond to stress?
The model explores possible sensitivities and tendencies that may be worth considering, including things that could become more challenging under pressure. We use these as starting points for discussion, rather than assuming that your profile can predict exactly how you will respond.
Does my profile define me?
Not at all. It doesn't define who you are, decide what you're capable of or capture everything that makes you unique. Your experiences, relationships, environment, values and choices all shape you, and you can develop new skills and change how you respond over time.
Is my profile an excuse for things I find difficult?
No. Understanding why something may be difficult doesn't mean avoiding responsibility or deciding that you can't do it. It can help you recognise what may be contributing to the difficulty, identify your strengths and consider approaches that work better for you.
Do I need to be experiencing difficulties to benefit from GBP?
Not at all. Curiosity about yourself and the people you love is reason enough to explore. Some people simply enjoy discovering more about what makes them unique.
Can GBP diagnose conditions such as ADHD?
No. GBP cannot diagnose any medical or psychological condition. It is not a diagnostic tool and I am not a therapist or medical professional. If you have concerns about a possible condition, an appropriate medical or psychological professional is the right person to consult.
What if I don't recognise something in my profile?
That's absolutely fine. The profile is a starting point for exploration, not something you have to agree with or fit into. You are the person who knows your own experiences best.
What if I'd rather not share something?
You only share what you choose to. The intention is to create a comfortable space for you to explore your profile.
Do I have to continue with coaching after receiving my profile?
No. Some people find the profiling experience valuable in itself. Others decide they'd like to explore certain areas further through coaching. It's entirely up to you.
My training in GBP
I'm a certified Edu-Profile Consultant, trained by Dr Annette Lotter of Dr Annette Lotter & Associates to confirm GBP, give feedback on it and offer practical guidance, including ways to help children and teenagers learn and study more effectively. Dr Lotter holds a doctorate in Education from the University of Johannesburg and trained as an Edu-Kinesiologist in the USA in 1995. GBP draws on educational kinesiology, including the work of Paul and Gail Dennison.
Curious about your GBP?
Whether you're curious about understanding yourself better, considering it for your child, or wondering what you and someone close to you might discover together, you're welcome to get in touch.
Book your free 20-minute conversation →