On the 23rd I am attempting to give an introduction to the Bates Method for a small gathering at a social club I belong to. Hopefully, I will get at least 6 people there but I may get zero. The club is very casual almost all the members are connected to the arts in Seattle. I plan on talking a little bit about what brought me to Bates, Bates himself, and then go into key principles and concepts found in Bates, and explain the conventional vs. the extraoccular muscle hypothesis of accomodation. Finally, we would all have some time with charts on the wall for everyone to experiment with their eyes.
I am looking for pointers and thoughts on how you all would go about this is you were giving the "seminar". How do people best digest this information? What are peoples first questions regarding NVI? Misconceptions about their eyes?
I plan on conducting the evening in a way that is conducive to comfort and relaxation so maybe they will have some breakthroughs at the end.
Although I will not present myself as a teacher, I think relaying this information and taking the time to simplify it and clarify for presenting to others will help me understand my own journey and process with the Bates Method. I am an introvert which has trouble talking confidently in social situations so this event will be a success for me regardless of what happens.
I think it's great that you are stepping out of your comfort zone to bring the Bates Method to others! My suggestion for help is to check out some videos on the internet where people are talking about NVI. For example, here is a workshop that Dr. Leo Angart gave: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6842552229982266221#">http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... 982266221#</a><!-- m -->. Maybe there is something from Meir Schneider that you could find as well?
From a personal perspective I think that people with myopia will listen the most if you present a balanced combination of scientific information and hands-on practice. Too much 'background' and they will get bored and too much practice without a background will have them doubting their own experience. Just even trying to explain the Bates Method to my best friend was difficult. I found that I had the most success when I simplified it into: "As myopes we tend to freeze our gaze, to stare, to try to see everything, but that's not the way someone with normal vision sees." And then having her do things like shift and call out to me what the colour of each object was that she shifted onto before shifting again. And I had her look out the window and instead of staring I told her to draw a continuous infinity symbol around the landscape with her eyes, paying attention all along the movements (I picked that one up from Clark Night). These were really simple ways of breaking up her habits for immediate recognition of how seeing can be done differently. When she did the infinity exercise she was shouting, "OMG! I see SO MUCH MORE when I do it that way!!" - and this is a girl who has already had LASIK!
However you are feeling when you are presenting just remember to breathe easily and be aware that whoever comes is really genuinely interested in what you have to say. It'll be just a bunch of myopes speaking together about their experiences - don't worry about being the center of attention - just remember that you are the medium between their interest and the subject they are interested in - you are all in this together!!
SeeThe Leaves, that was excellent feedback! Exactly the kind of thing I was looking for. Cool that you have worked with a friend before and they got some benefit.
I'm glad you mentioned that I might lose their attention if I go into long explanations. There is so much I want to tell them about Bates but I guess I should just write it out along with the URLs to this site and other resources and pass it out at the end of he evening.
Which reminds me. What are everybody's favorite online resources? By the way I feel really blessed to get help from you all!
Otto,
Good for you! We need to spread the word about this as widely as possible. I agree with all the good advice seetheleaves gave. If I were doing this now with a group (I've only worked with one person at a time), I'd think of the points I want to make, then use simple examples or stories for each, again, trying not to overwhelm them. I'd probably start with a very brief description of what NVI is, then go into emphasizing that it's possible, for everyone. People who were extremely nearsighted like Peter Grunwald or Meir Schneider who grew up reading Braille, are inspirational to me. I'd mention how glasses retard progress, and the fear/anxiety that may come up when removing them, so it's a good idea to go slowly especially if you have a high prescription. I'd give them a taste of palming as an example of how important relaxation is.
I guess I'd want to whet their appetite for more and start to turn them into believers, so yes, a list of resources like this forum and Effortless Vision and Carina Goodrich and Greg Marsh is probably a good idea. If you have a chance you might want to listen to the Greg Marsh audio intro class I posted recently in this thread: http://www.iblindness.org/community/view...f=1&t=2008, just for some ideas. Good luck -- it will be great! You might learn more than anyone else. I've taught math to high school kids and computer programming and dreams and a lot of other things, and I learn from every student. Let us know how it goes.
More good advice. Thanks Nancy! I will definitely check out some or all of those teachers(greg, leo, meir). Great tips in your first paragraph. This really helps. I don't need to brag about all the things the Bates Method can cure, either. I will just stick with myopia and hypermetropia. I just want people to experience this stuff for themselves. Keep It Simple Stupid will be a guiding principle in my presentation.
I also worry about getting an openly doubtful or argumentative skeptic and how to handle them so as not to disrupt the proceedings. But, I guess, like it was said, those that show up will have an interest in the material.
Otto,
Skeptics often want attention, or are trying to desperately cling to an idea they know in their heart of hearts is wrong and are secretly hoping you will give them the proof they need to change their mind. They need faith and that comes from within. Humor helps, as does pointing out openly that you don't want them to derail the rest of the "faithful", like saying "You may be the one person on earth whose visual system won't respond to the Bates Method (feed their attention need), but would you be able to reserve your negative comments so the rest of the group can learn something?". I'm sure you will do fine.
otto Wrote:... I also worry about getting an openly doubtful or argumentative skeptic and how to handle them so as not to disrupt the proceedings. But, I guess, like it was said, those that show up will have an interest in the material.
You might even get a 'plant' sent in from the local Opthalmologic Society or something... That could be very disruptive.
If and when I ever get up the gumption to follow in Otto's noble and brave footsteps (which I have vowed will only be when I have complete control over my eyesight) - my fallback backup failsafe position to such skeptics/plants will be to ask them what they know about neonatal eye antibiotics, hypnosis, pseudo foveas, and the optic chiasm. They will not have an answer. I will then ask them to please be quiet and listen then, since they don't know everything.
Oh! Wait - the perfect way to handle an aggressively negative skeptic: Ask him/her politely to stop being a 'bully' and listen! Bullying is a very hot issue right now, and the others in the class will probably chime in on your side.
It's probably not easy for many people to swallow this Bates stuff, especially if well-meaning people (like us) try to shove it down their throats. Therefore, I don't think it is a very good idea to come off as too one-sided or uncompromising. I know that there is not a whole lot of room for compromise in the Bates method, but I suggest that you cover the topics that are easier for others to accept and understand. In general, I feel that if a topic is controversial in our own community (like the wearing of glasses, how often exercises should be done, etc.). Relaxation though, seems to be a common-sensical concept. "Relaxation is good for the eyes" should be readily accepted by any reasonable being, so you might want to cover that a bit. Then, if you decide to describe any exercises, I suggest talking about palming and swinging, which are more easily understandable than others. Tell them that the benefit to the eyes depends on how often and how long these are done, but also be sure to mention that any amount of palming and swinging will bring about some degree of benefit, especially in the form of relaxation. Not everyone you talk to may have the goal of improving eyesight. If this is the case, you will likely want to point out that eye exercises have benefit that extend beyond the vision. Palming and swinging, I have found, are both useful in reducing mental stress, something that is useful in maintaining decent health.
Above all, I would approach this speech as something of a "show and tell" kind of thing. You want to discuss the basics, along with a couple of exercises that people can actually try out for their own benefit, but I don't think that you want to force anything upon anyone. Depending on the enthusiasm of your audience, you may or may not want to go into detail on the controversial differences between the conventional view and the Bates view. I personally believe that a presentation would be more effective if the Bates method is not seen as something that is exclusive of conventional optometry.
Of course, I am sure that my beliefs may not necessarily align with those of the other members in this forum, but I'm putting it out there, because I believe them to be true. Good luck on your presentation.
Thanks for the advice, Pikachu. I think you are right in thinking it would be best to avoid the controversial aspects of Bates, though, ultimately, I'm going to have to feel out my crowd to see how far I should take it. And, yeah, relaxation is mos def the point to emphasive.
@Nancy:
It was a treat to hear the voice of someone on the forum. You were a great caller on Marsh's webinar/podclass. I could really relate to what you had to say and your openness was helpful and endearing. I hope you listen back on your call from time to time, maybe even record you own copy so you have a marker of where you were at in that moment of your journey. Then you could look back and see how you've changed.
My respect for Greg really went up after listening to that class. He has a such a gentleness in his communication skills. He is actually very skilled at leading the class and guiding the excercises, no pushing. I think he mentions that he practices internal martial arts and it shows in his circular style of leading and harmonizing with the pupils. Anyways, that was a tangent but I really enjoyed that audio and, Nancy, I'm rooting for you. =)
My presentation is coming up in 2 days. I have only one for sure that sound excited to attend. Regardless, it will be a good experience!
Otto, thanks -- your comments about me on the Greg Marsh audio really touched me. Yes, I was drawn to Greg's gentleness too, a stark contrast to being shouted at constantly when I was a child and getting scared into strong glasses. For almost the past year it's been more important for me to feel relaxed and safe than to see clearly, and with this new focus my vision is steadily and slowly improving. Good luck on your presentation -- if I were doing it, I'd think of what I'd have wanted to hear myself when I started wearing glasses. You'll be great!
Ha ha ha!
One woman showed up and then had to go almost right away because she was afraid of catching a cold from me. Nevertheless, it was exciting getting the space all set up for the class and anticipating people coming in. Just from the little bit I talked to the woman that showed up I realized that I need to really work out what I want to say about bates in concise terms, practice talking about it and put some reminders on note cards.
I will try again next month! You betchya!
Well, it's 'that woman's loss -- she could have had the teacher all to herself for a personal lesson! Yes, use what you learned this time to make next time better, and keep a positive attitude, both of which you are already doing. Nice going.
Heya Folks!
Late last month I gave my presentation at my social club. Four people showed up to hear what I had to say. They were all really easy to talk to and good listeners, a great group. I felt lucky.
I tried to entice people by announcing that I would supply gourmet pizza. Not sure if this helped the turn out but it felt good to offer it. I started very casually after finishing a slice and asked everyone to introduce themselves and say what brought them there that night. I had 2 ladies that were pretty profoundly myopic from early childhood, another lady that always had excellent vision but was having close reading difficulty in middle age, and lastly, a man in his thirties that didn't need glasses until a freshman in college and now never takes them off. I introduced myself and related my mixed experience and 5 year journey playing around with bates with varying amounts of commitment.
I don't want to go over everything I said but I found my notecards very useful and felt I spoke pretty well on the subject. They seemed open and interested so I covered all the principles of Bates (shifting, swinging, palming, memory, imagination,central fixation), the concept of strain, and some other stuff about the process of healing ones eyes.
We did a little palming and shifting with well lit snellens. One of the women noticed a marked improvement after 5 min palming which I found gratifying.
After I closed the presentation everyone expressed gratitude to me for sharing and everyone seemed to really enjoy it. Yay! Such a good experience! I am really proud of myself for doing this. It was a growing experience for me and I will do it again in June. I encourage you all to get out there and share your knowledge!
