Hi, my name is Julia and I have been interested in Bates for around 20 years. I have myopia, worse in one eye which has a toxoplasmosis lesion from way back. Recently I have kept up my motivation by making videos about vision practices. It helps me to become clear in my own mind what I understand about something.
Motivation is an interesting thing, it can be channelled but not forced. Recently I have been thinking about attention, and the statement that natural attention follows emotion. So if you want your attention to move in a certain direction you have to form an emotional link with that direction, such as joining a group going in a similar direction and having dialogue about it.
So here I am, I only just got around to finding this forum but it looks good, and thank you for having me - i look forward to learning and sharing!
Julia, hi and welcome. Yes, Peter Grunwald (Eyebody) says intention/attention leads, then the eyes and head and body follow. This is why throwing your gaze around thinking you're "shifting" without really looking at what your eyes are aiming at won't do you much good. Your attention has to be on what you're seeing so your brain registers the image. I look forward to your videos.
Thank you, David! And Nancy! What I am beginning to learn about attention, is that there are two kinds:
the natural attention simply follows where emotion takes it, as with young children, who just look at something as long as it grabs them, and then move on to something else.
Then there's a kind of directed attention, where we decide what we're going to pay attention to, and this is where it gets complicated. We can either force our attention out of anxiety or fear (e.g. in the classroom) or we can find a gentler way to lead it towards what we want to see.
I think shifting and swinging can probably be done either way. But in either case, the result will be very different.
In my videos so far I have tried to be interesting but have to admit I usually drone on a bit, in the way that doesn't naturally grab attention, so anyone who tries to watch my videos may find they either have to force themselves to pay attention, or lose interest.
So I need to work on presentation. Learning should be fun. Seeing is fun for people like my husband who has always had perfect sight (!) and coincidentally has always been hugely interested in all sorts of little details everywhere he looks. Interestingly, he always resented that aspect of formal education that required him to sit down and regurgitate facts soullessly. He just wouldn't do it. So he didn't get his exams but he did keep perfect sight!
The question is then, how to make shifting fun? and I think the imagination needs to be captured, as well as positive emotions.
Julia, hi again. I hadn't realized you were the same Julia who posted those excellent videos, which I have pointed folks to several times over the years. I think the one which helped me the most personally was on binocular vision, though I admit I haven't looked at any of them recently. You are helping a lot of people, so yes, please keep sharing your videos. Thanks!
Don't know if you remember me. I post on the Yahoo Bates group and i-see sometimes, but pretty much get kicked off or my posts are blocked cause I fight against the 'plus' guys, so I am not on there much and will soon be too busy to post here much.
I been subscribed to your channel for a long time.
If you want to try the 'stuff' I use to keep clear eyesight close and far I will be happy to help you.
I lost my clarity in 2009 after a chiropractor broke my neck, spine. Got it back with Physical Therapy, a honest doctor, some movement stuff I learned from other docs and of course The Bates Method.
And a bit Behavioral Optometry.
Another time before neck injury; I developed double vision from those Magic Eye pictures. Just staying away from that and keeping with Dr. Bates got rid of the problem in about 2 days. This also happened to a man on here. He went to Behavioral Optometrist and is ok now.
So; maybe I have some experience that will help an 'idea, solution to your Myopia condition' pop into our minds if we talk.
I do Skype, Google Hangouts free. Or phone. See my signature for contact. For you I will break my rule of no email training.
Got one idea today after reading your post this morning;
The toxoplasmosis; When the vision is unclear, do you think of it? Do you picture your eye, the area the toxoplasmosis affected 'inside the eye' ?
Maybe find a good video by eye doctors on YouTube that show a live eye with retina... instrument inspecting the inside of a healthy, normal eye. Watch the video and memorize a mental picture of this healthy eye, how it looks inside, the area where your condition is. It's color... with normal light.
Take a computer screenshot picture of it.
Next time you notice blur, if you mentally visualize the eye having that toxoplasmosis condition;
instead remember-visualize it as being the healthy, normal eye in the video.
Do that also 1 minute at night just before falling asleep.
The videos in question? ( For anyone too lazy to google )
Will watch a few of these. ^^
This Julia?
Aaah, I've come across your YouTube videos. They are actually pretty good for those ones who have just decided to improve their vision naturally but don't know much about the subject.
And the idea itself about making them for the sake of self-mativation was excellent.
Keep it up.
I'm sure people on the forum will help your intentions.
