I stopped wearing lenses about 5 months ago (for myopia) and started doing the Bates' drills and using the great charts from Ray Gottlieb. After about a month or two I had made excellent progress.
Since around February I've been in a bit of slump, but I've learned quite a bit during this time. I think I've isolated the main remaining area of tension in my eyes. I initially thought it was at the back, since that's where I felt it. However, I've come to believe it is actually at the top. My ability to deliberately relax this area is non-existant.
In the mornings while I'm still a bit drowsy I use imagery (which is easy to attain while dozy) to relax my eye muscles, and I've become quite proficient at relaxing the majority of my eye muscles. If I do manage to relax this area somewhat the moment I open my eyes it returns. It feels to be somewhat connected to the usage of my eyelids.
A week or 2 ago I had a really clear moment (as if I had put on my contacts) and the tension felt in the back of my eyes appeared to be gone. I had no idea what I had done, of course.
You sound like you're getting good at mental imagery while in what some call the "alpha" state, which is an incredibly powerful state, so see if you can continue the imagery when you open your eyes, instead of trying to see anything. Perhaps while doing the long swing so you aren't distracted by what's in front of you.
Just one suggestion. There's tons of stuff to try.
Dave
Site Administrator
"Half of our funny, heathen lives, we are bent double to gather things we have tossed away." - George Meredith
What drills did you find most useful for relaxing your eyes?
To answer your question, a tense neck can have a negative effect on the eye muscles.. so when sleeping, my recommendation is to sleep on the back or the side.. don't sleep on the stomach. That should help loosen up the neck muscles.
