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MIND AND SIGHT

RESOURCES

Paul's Pathway To Normal Vision


A 3-Step Plan

This article will guide you along the most direct route to recovering your
vision in the shortest possible time. If you need additional support, I have
included articles that target specific challenges. Turn to them when you
need them. On my website, www.mindandsight.com, you will also find a
more extensive explanation of the rationale behind natural vision recovery.

Note: This program is for educational purposes only, and not intended to replace the need
for a licensed qualified physician. You must be under the direction of your eye doctor while
attempting to apply any of the information presented.
Introduction

This program is based upon the work of Dr. William H. Bates, who discovered
the mind's role in vision around the year 1900. After 25 years of study, I
have been able to develop his understanding into a practical at-home
approach, Paul's Pathway to Normal Vision.

Because Paul's Pathway is a return to your natural and normal way of


functioning, it doesn't require the learning of any new skills—only the
recovery of your natural innate eye/mind habits. The process of regaining
vision may at first seem complex, but in fact it's quite simple. The difficulty
arises only because modern thinking is unaccustomed to the concept of
making gains by letting go. Ancient Chinese thinking describes it well in the
phrase, "Yield and overcome."

As you follow this step-by-step plan, you will learn how you are, in fact,
producing the tension, first in your mind and then in your eyes, which
interferes with your natural way of seeing. I will show you how to completely
let go of this tension, so that your mind and eyes can function in a normal,
natural manner. The result will be the return of the brilliant clear vision that
you were born to have.

To help you track your progress, I have incorporated various objectives


highlighted in gray like this throughout the text

Let's begin what may be the most exciting journey of your life.
-3-

STEP 1
Achieve The Proper Level Of Mental And Physical
Relaxation

The objective of Step 1 is to completely relax your mind and body. This step
does not require you go without lenses; nor is it about getting clearer
eyesight—those will come later. You are to simply relax deeply, to a level
that is common to many of your friends and neighbors, but may, or may not
be common to you. After you have laid this foundation of relaxation, you will
proceed to apply it to your vision.

Please turn now to the Levels of Relaxation Scale accompanying this article.
Take a moment to familiarize yourself with each of the five levels of
relaxation. When you've finished, determine the level you are currently on.
You may find some overlap in the characteristics you observe for Level I and
II, but the higher levels are discreet.

ca I can now identify my current level of relaxation to be

Your first objective is to reach Relaxation Level IV, where you are no longer
striving and the level necessary to recover most of your vision. Later, if and
when perfect vision becomes the objective, you will practice while at Level V,
which is effortlessness. I am going to walk you through some techniques to
relax you, tools that have worked consistently with my clients. Use these
techniques even if you are familiar with other relaxation techniques because
they have been designed and tested to bring about the kind of mind/eye
relaxation needed for vision recovery. We'll begin with palming.

Palming Practice Routine

1. As with all the methods you'll be using in Paul's Pathway, remove


your glasses or contact lenses before beginning.

2. Rest your elbows on a desk or large pillow placed on your lap.


Close your eyes softly, and cover each eye with the palm of each
hand, cupping your palms slightly so as to not touch your eyeballs.
This will block out most of the light.
-4-

3. Some people find that counting backwards while palming from 5


over and over again deepens their relaxation. Use this technique if
it works for you. Palm for three minutes.

4. Take your hands away from your eyes but keep your eyes closed.
Sit resting your eyes for three minutes. Continue to count
backwards from five if this deepens your relaxation.

5. Go back to palming, alternating between palming and eye closing


until ten minutes are up.

Note: If at any point while you're palming you begin to feel tense or uncomfortable,
stop palming. Just continue your relaxation. Return to palming only if you feel it
would be helpful. Continue like this for 10 minutes.

Determining Your New Level of Relaxation

Now, evaluate your current state of relaxation to see whether you've reached
Level IV. How do you feel? You will know you have achieved Level IV
because your arms, legs, cheeks, and jaw will feel heavy or numb. Your
breathing will have dropped to originate from your lower diaphragm. And you
will not have a feeling anywhere in your body of your nerves being on edge.
All of the characteristics of Level IV will be experienced at once.

If you've achieved Relaxation Level IV, congratulations! If, however, you've


evaluated yourself at Levels I, II, or III, or appear to have a mixture of
characteristics from several levels, you may need a little more practice. Try
relaxing for 30 minutes or more by palming and perhaps one or more of the
routines described in the appendix titled Relaxation Routines. Use whatever
routine works best for you. Practice your preferred routine until you can
attain Level IV relaxation within ten minutes. This may take you anywhere
from a few minutes to several weeks.

If none of the routines resulted in greater relaxation, you may need more
fundamental assistance. Refer to the article included in this package entitled
Solving Your Inability to Relax that takes up the vital mind condition called
central fixation. Many people, even those without problems with relaxation
can speed up their vision recovery by practicing it.

When you can relax to Level IV within ten minutes, you are ready to proceed
to Step 2.

u I can use one of the relaxation routines to reach Level IV in ten


minutes.
-5-

Step 2
Identify Your Style of Eye Tension

The relaxation level you have achieved enabled you to relax deeply with your
eyes closed. This released tension from all of your body including your eyes.
However, for most of you, just opening your eyes will bring back the tension
because of strongly entrenched habits. This eye tension comes from a
habitual state of mind that is constantly striving to see.

Seeing, like hearing, taste, touch, and smell are designed to operate
passively. We can consciously direct our eyes to what we see but cannot
directly control the quality of our sight by trying to see. In order to see well,
our mind must be in good condition to receive and process the light rays that
constantly stream in from every direction. This calls for a receptive, effortless
state of mind that is brought about only by relaxation.

Although you cannot directly prevent your eyes from tensing by physically
trying to stop it, knowing how you tense your eyes will enable you to know
when you need to relax. It will also keep you from purposely replacing the
tension in your eyes just because you are accustomed to seeing in this
manner.

The four most common eye muscle tensing styles are:

♦ Squinting

♦ Hard Blinking

• Forced Eye Opening

• Squeezing In

Let's take a look at these styles one by one. Keep in mind that you may be
engaging in more than one of these habits.

♦ Squinting

Narrowing or squinting to see is, by far, the most common form of adding
physical tension to the eyes. Your eyes may be chronically locked into a
squint—either an exaggerated or very subtle form. Look at your eyes with a
mirror. Normal eyes are comfortably wide open.
>

-6-

♦ Hard Blinking

The normal blink is so light that it almost cannot be felt. If you feel yourself
pushing down at the bottom of your blink, then you are using the hard
blinking style to continually reinstate your eye tension. Like squinting, the
hard blink improves your vision for a few moments, but it must be repeated
frequently. The forced nature of seeing this way will cause your vision to
deteriorate over time. Some people who use a hard blink both push down at
the bottom of their blink and spring their eyes open. Try blinking your eyes
so lightly that you can hardly feel it. Did that feel uncomfortable? If so, you
can be sure that the hard blink is your style of adding tension to your eyes.

♦ Forced Eye Opening

Chronically forcing your eyes open past a point where they would
naturally be open creates tension and is another style of tensing to see. If
you frequently "adjust" your eyes by opening them wider, you are using this
style of tensing. Again, the adjustment may enable you to see a little better
but in the long run is hurting your eyes and eyesight. Normal eyesight
requires no action on your part other than to comfortably open your eyes.

♦ Squeezing

You may be squeezing or pushing your eyes in at the sides, either when you
are opening your eyes, or when your eyelids are already open. Squeezing is
si milar to squinting but it doesn't give your eyes the same narrowed
appearance. It may be very subtle, but it can be identified. Close your eyes
comfortably for a minute and lift your eyelids; be careful not to engage any
muscles that affect the round shape of your eyeballs. Specifically, are you
really pushing, or squeezing in at the sides of your eyes to alter their shape?

I can now identify that my style of eye tensing is

Releasing Your Eye Tension

You are now going to experience what it feels like to tense your eyes and,
then, what it feels like to open your eyes without tension.
-7-

Easy Eye Opening Practice Routine

Note: When you first practice this routine, you may feel uncomfortable or somehow "wrong"
to see without your usual eye tension. That is because your eyes and mind have become
accustomed to seeing with strain—being tense has actually become "normal" for you. As you
begin to see without strain, however, you will quickly realize that seeing effortlessly is not only
easier but eventually results in normal eyesight.

1. Close your eyes and rest for 3 minutes, slowly counting backward from
5 to 1, over and over or palm as you learned earlier.

2. Feel all of your facial muscles letting go, including your jaw. Allow
your eyeballs to feel like they are soft, round, and free. Continue this
until you relax to Level IV (as described in Step 1).

3. With Relaxation Level IV in place, briefly open your eyes by allowing


your eyelids to move straight up as lightly and effortlessly as you can.
Do not use even the slightest excess muscular action. In particular,
watch that you do not affect the shape of your eyeballs in the process
of lifting your eyelids.

4. Keep your eyelids open for only a second, then close them.

5. Check your level of relaxation. If you have lost Level IV, relax deeply
with your eyes closed until you regain it. See below if you are having
difficulty knowing when you slip from Level IV. Again, open your eyes
for only a second to a non-descript area such as a wall, carpet, or
ceiling.

6. Repeat this procedure for five minutes, relaxing to Level IV and


opening your eyes without tension. Most of your time should be spent
with your eyes closed, relaxing to Level IV, followed by brief easy eye
openings.

If you are having difficulty realizing when you are losing Relaxation
Level IV, this will help you:

a. With the Levels of Relaxation Scale at hand, sit in a chair where


you can face a blank wall and also so that you can turn to face a sign
or a set of letters that you cannot easily read.

b. Relax to Level IV and open your eyes to the blank wall. Using the
Relaxation Scale, observe if you still have the characteristics of Level
IV.
-8-

c. Now, turn to the sign and look at the letters. (Letters you do not see
well cause you to lose your relaxation.) Again, go over the Scale to see
if you have the characteristics of Level IV or have dropped to Level III
or II.

d. Repeat these steps until you can clearly tell when you have lost
Level IV.

Symptoms of Release

Certain reactions commonly take place when people release long-stored


tension in the area around their eyes. If you experienced any of these
symptoms—as a result of relaxation only and not from tension—that's a good
sign, a sign that you are making progress releasing stored tension. These
symptoms include:

• Stinging and tears in the eyes, by far the most common reaction

• Eyes feel tired and worked out

• Twitching or spasms in or around the eyes

• Aching around the eyebrow bones

• Aches and pains in the eyeballs

• Headaches - less common

• A pulling or straining sensation upon putting on your lenses (which are


beginning to feel too strong). This is common one week after
beginning the program.

What symptoms of recovery did you experience?


Take a moment to jot down any experiences or observations you had about
your eye-tensing style and any symptoms you had when you practiced this
technique:
_9 _

Your Eyes without Strain

Whatever your experience with the above procedure, if you opened your
eyes while in Relaxation Level IV, you were releasing long-held tension, even
if you did not experience any of the symptoms. When you continue to
practice Easy Eye Opening, the stinging or other symptoms will disappear as
you release even more of your eye tension. You may also be experiencing
much improved eyesight lasting for seconds or longer. As soon as your
relaxation is lost, so will your improved eyesight.

By doing Easy Eye Opening, you now know what it feels like to use your eyes
without strain. Although your relaxed state may have lasted only a few brief
moments, you have learned an important lesson that will put you on the path
to recover your eyesight. Clear vision is effortless, merely opening your eyes
and letting the light enter is all you need to do. Your eyes and mind will do
all the rest, allowing you to see well without consciously doing anything else
to help the process.

Continue to practice Easy Eye Opening whenever you get the chance. When
you find that you are tensing your eyes, using one of the styles of tension,
this is an alert for you to relax. In this way, you will begin to connect
clearing your eyesight with relaxation, an important step that will speed your
progress toward normal vision.

You now have the foundation for better vision. You may have even seen
i mproved vision with flashes (less than a second) or spells (several seconds)
now in place. In the next and final step, you will learn to extend your
successful vision to minutes and hours. Extending your success means to
learn the habit of remaining in Level IV or V throughout most of the day.

❑ I can relax to Level IV, open my eyes to a blank wall and know that I
am staying in Relaxation Level IV.
- 10 -

Step 3
Maintain Normal, Receptive Vision

In Step 3, you combine the ability to release mental striving (Step 1) with
the knowledge of using your eyes without strain (Step 2). Having learned to
relax deeply, you must now learn to control your relaxation so that you are
not pulled back into your old habits of straining to see.

Some things you look at are more likely than others to evoke the mental
striving and resultant eye tension that lowers your vision. Reading unfamiliar
signs is commonly more difficult than other objects because of your
subconscious habit of straining to read them. For example, you may see
distant branches on a tree very well. However, letters of the same size and
viewed at the same distance may be seen very poorly.

In order to practice developing your ability to maintain your relaxation,


regardless of what you are looking at, I have developed a Scenes Ladder that
ranks scenes as they are increasingly more likely to be draw out your old
habits of straining to see them.

Do not think you have poor vision for everything if you cannot see things
such as small lettering or faces. Scenes that involve lettering or faces are
often strongly associated with subconscious tensing and tend to be less clear
until you develop the ability to maintain your relaxation. During those periods
when you go without wearing lenses, notice what you see well and what is
blurry.

With each practice, begin by relaxing to Level IV with your eyes closed and
move up the Scenes Ladder while staying in Level IV.

The Scenes Ladder

Note: If you are farsighted, you will find a modified scenes ladder in The Scenes
Ladder and Your Specific Condition included in this package.
6. Unknown letters and
HEaasrideer
eye chart letters

5. Known letters and large


signs

4. Faces and TV screens

3. Known objects such as


furniture and cars

2. Scenes of nature such


as trees and grass

1. Blank and non-descript


scenes such as blank
walls, ceilings, and carpets

The Scenes Ladder Practice Routine

1. Begin by relaxing to Level IV. Use whatever method worked best for
you in Steps 1 and 2 (For more indicators of Relaxation Level IV refer
to the Levels of Relaxation).

2. Just as you did in Easy Eye Opening, open your eyes while maintaining
your Relaxation Level IV.

3. While maintaining your Relaxation Level IV, open your eyes on to the
easiest rung of the Scenes Ladder, i.e., a blank or non-descript scene
such as a wall, ceiling, or carpet.

4. Take a moment to monitor yourself. Do you still have the Level IV


indicators that you had a few moments ago? If you have lost Level IV,
i mmediately close your eyes and regain that level.
- 12 -

5. While in Level IV, continue alternating opening your eyes on the easy
scene and closing them. Practice this for about 30 minutes, keeping
your eyes open for longer and longer periods as you find you are not
losing Relaxation Level IV. During this time your blinking should be so
li ght that you hardly feel it.

6. Practice until you can easily keep your eyes open while remaining in
Level IV. When you find that you can easily keep your relaxation to
Level IV for 45 seconds or longer with only brief, occasional losses,
you're ready to move up to the next scene of the ladder. Maintaining
your relaxation for 45 seconds usually means that you could do it for
much longer if you desired. Continue, in this manner, with each
subsequent rung until you can retain your relaxation for 45 seconds
before moving higher.

7. Begin each subsequent practice by starting at the bottom of the ladder


and view the scene for 45 seconds while taking your normal light
blinks. Continue up the ladder, stopping at the rung prior to the one
that causes you to lose Level IV. Practice like this for one half hour.
With each successive scene your vision should be quite clear.

❑ I can relax and maintain Level IV with scenes on the first rung
for 45 seconds with light blinks.

❑ I can maintain Level IV with nature scenes for most of one half
hour.

❑ I can maintain Level IV with objects for most of one half hour.

❑ I can see familiar faces and familiar lettering while maintaining


Level IV for most of one half hour.

❑ I can maintain Level IV relaxation with unfamiliar lettering and


signs for most of one half hour.

Adjustment for Distance

If you have difficulty seeing the objects in a scene clearly, it may be because
the distance between you and the object is causing you to strain and lose
your relaxation. Adjust the distance to a point where you see the object well
and can maintain Relaxation Level IV. As you gain the mental control you
- 13-

need to maintain you relaxation with that scene at this distance, gradually
move the object to a more challenging distance.

Practice Throughout the Day

In working on the Steps so far, you've limited your practice to periods that
you have set-aside during the day. To completely break your strongly held
eye/mind habits, however, you must practice seeing with relaxation
throughout the entire day. Whenever you get the chance, bring your mind to
Relaxation Level IV or V and practice your Scenes Ladder routine wherever
you happen to be. Do this at every opportunity, such as during commercials
on TV or at your desk. Soon, you will develop the habit of relaxing and
seeing clearly whenever you get the chance.

• Most of my day is spent in Relaxation Level IV

Achieving Normal Vision

If you want to completely regain your normal vision, you can do so by first
reaching the very deepest level of relaxation that I call Level V. At first, it
will normally take you 5-10 additional minutes after you have relaxed to
Level IV to achieve this level. Follow the same process as before, only
remaining in Level V for at least 45 seconds at each rung of the Scenes
Ladder.

u I can reach Relaxation Level V and maintain it with blank walls.

u I can maintain Level V with nature scenes.

u I can maintain Level V with objects.

u I can maintain Level V with television and faces.

u I can maintain Level V with unfamiliar lettering and signs.

A Last Word

It is important for you to practice as directed. You will, as I did, have a


tendency to look at something you cannot see well and then relax to see it
better. This will not help you. Instead, you must concentrate on extending
and expanding what you can see well.
- 14-

Above all, we are very interested in how you are doing, and would love to
hear from you. Write to me at Paul@mindandsight.com

•••
Supplemental Articles

If you need extra guidance practicing Paul's Pathway, you can refer to one or
more of the following articles that are included in this Basic Vision Recovery
Series.

For Step 1: Learning to Relax for Vision Recovery and


Solving Your Inability to Relax

For Step 2: Identifying Eye Tension

For Step 3: The Scenes Ladder and Your Specific Condition

www.mindandsight..com
0 2001Mind & Sight R esources
All Rights Reserved. Material may be reproduced for personal use only.
- 15 -

Appendix A

LEVELS OF RELAXATION

Level I
THOUGHTS: constant leaping, rushing, thoughts
NERVES: highly on edge, wired
MUSCLES: chronically tense (e.g., hunched shoulders, clenched jaw)
BREATHING: originates from the nose, shallow and constrained
* VISUALIZATION: mind is sent toward the desired memory which is fleeting and sketchy

Level II
THOUGHTS: rushing, but not prominent
NERVES: moderately on edge, but easily noticed
MUSCLES: certain areas are tense
BREATHING: freely from the nose
VISUALIZATION: mind sent toward object, memory of object is momentary and vague

Level III
THOUGHTS: infrequent, quiet, calm and not intrusive
NERVES: slightly on edge
MUSCLES: portions of body feel weighty
BREATHING: originates from both the nose and diaphragm (middle stomach)
VISUALIZATION: memory of the object comes slowly without seeking and lasts for
moments

Level IV
THOUGHTS: quiet, few thoughts
NERVES: no awareness of nerves
MUSCLES: much weight to the entire body at once, including cheeks and jaw
BREATHING: drawn from the diaphragm exclusively, 3-6" below navel, full flow
VISUALIZATION: mind receives object in seconds, fades in seconds

Level V
THOUGHTS:
NERVES:
MUSCLES: SAME AS LEVEL IV
BREATHING:
VISUALIZATION: receives the object immediately and accurately without sending for it,
can he sustained without recalling fbr 20 seconds or longer

* Visualization means picturing a very small familiar object, such as a pencil eraser, period at the end of a
sentence, or flower.

mindandsight.com
© 2001 Mind & Sight Resources
All rights reserved. Material may be reproduced for personal use only
- 16 -

Appendix B

MIND AND SIGHT


RESOURCES

Disclaimer: This program is for educational purposes only, and not intended to replace the need for a
licensed qualified physician. You must be under the direction of your eye doctor while attempting to apply
any of the information presented.

Relaxation Routines

These are relaxation routines that I found most effective with my clients in
the order of what was best for people who could relax most easily, to those
routines that were successful with people who had more difficulty. After this
li sting, I have added some specialty relaxing routines that everyone might
test.

Generally speaking, in the office, I would first try simple eye closure, and if
this did not relax them deeply enough, I moved down the list to palming,
sunning, and then alternating between sunning and palming. About half of
my clients could relax well with either eye closing or palming, but the rest
needed to alternate between sunning and palming. As soon as you have
succeeded with alternating between sunning and palming, it won't be long
before simpler routines will also work for you.

You are much better off if you can practice relaxing anywhere and at any
ti me. The habit of tensing to see is often deeply rooted and may take you
considerable time relaxing to replace it. The simpler the routine is for you,
the easier it will be for you to turn to it.

Remember, the objective is not merely to do the routine but to gain deeper
relaxation as indicated by the Levels of Relaxation scale found in the
appendix. Your specific objective is to achieve Level IV or V relaxation within
10 minutes.
-17-

A. Eye closing

Use this routine if you find you can relax from simply closing your eyes and
consciously letting go. Time yourself for three full minutes using a watch with
a sweep second hand. Did you find that you could keep track of time, and
deepen your relaxation as found on the Levels of Relaxation scale? If so, this
si mple routine is probably all you need. Use other relaxation routines, such
as palming, only if you wish.

B. Palming

Some of you will find that you can best relax by the palming routine
presented in the Paul's Pathway article. If palming relaxes you quicker and
deeper than eye closing, use this as your main relaxation routine. Palming is
often very relaxing or merely tenses you, and you should decide early if it is
for you.

Palming should be comfortable and pleasant to do. Some people can palm
with ever deepening relaxation for a long time. However, I found that many
people could only palm successfully for a short time before they begin to
tense. Monitor yourself for this, and stop palming just as soon as you believe
it is not relaxing to you. It may only be a minute or two. Continue relaxing
with your eyes closed until you feel you are ready to palm again for a short
ti me:

C. Sunning

Many people relate light and warmth to relaxing. Perhaps we have innate an
ability to relax in the warm sunlight. If sunning produces a soothing feeling
and enables you to relax, this can be a real treat for you.

By using either a 120-watt indoor spotlight, in a holder bought at any


hardware store, placed about 6 feet away from you, or the actual sun, sit
comfortably allowing the light to shine on your closed eyelids. It is often
helpful to turn your head gently from side to side a few inches, allowing the
warmth of the light or sun to pass over your closed eyes. If the sun is too
bright, turn so that you are not directly facing it. If the light is too bright,
back up from it until it is just comfortable.

Since this routine simulates the relaxation of sunning on a beach, many find
it especially relaxing. It is good to sun like this for as long as you find that it
is peaceful and relaxing, changing to another routine such as palming to
alleviate boredom. When teaching, I routinely had people alternate between
-18-

sunning and palming approximately every three minutes, suggesting they


stay longer with the routine they enjoyed most and found most relaxing.

D. Counting backward

Use counting backwards to strengthen the relaxation affects of the other


routines. Especially, if you have difficulty with rushing thoughts, counting
backward will probably be a strong addition to your other relaxation routines.
Often the above routines are interfered with by worried, intruding thoughts
or a subtly anxious frame of mind. By counting backward from five
repeatedly, you can place your mind on the neutral thoughts of the numbers.
In this way you can let go of negative, tensing thoughts or an anxious frame
of mind. Try adding counting backward to the other routines of eye closing,
palming or sunning.

I often chose 5 as the number to count backwards from because, until your
mind is calm and relaxed, it is easy to forget what number you are on. If
you have many rushing thoughts, it may help to repeat the number 1 over
and over until your mind settles enough to keep track of counting backwards.
Count at whatever rate seems comfortable; eventually you will find that
silently saying a new number with each out-breath is a good pace. Do not
try to visualize the numbers, but do not try to prevent it if a picture of each
number arises naturally.

E. Alternate Palming and Sunning Using Counting Backwards

If you have never really relaxed at will very easily, this routine of alternating
between sunning and palming is often very powerful. Also, include counting
backwards with this when and if it seems to help you relax.

This routine of alternating between palming and sunning with counting


backwards was the one routine I used for everyone who had difficulty
relaxing. I suggest that you alternate about every three minutes; staying
longer with the routine you enjoy more, and using the other to break any
monotony that develops. Some of you may prefer to strictly do three-minute
intervals of each routine with a timer.

Suggestion: Use a friend as a guide if you find that you need help with the
discipline of staying with your routine. For instance, many start their routine
but frequently talk themselves out of continuing, feeling they are too busy or
are not successful. Your guide can time you, and tell you when to switch to
the other routine, and, in this way, assist you in staying with it the routine
for at least 30 minutes.
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SPECIALTY RELAXATION ROUTINES

1. Long Standing Swing

This routine is for those who are very restless physically, and have a hard
ti me sitting down to relax. After doing the. long-standing swing for 5
minutes, you may be able to settle enough to sit down and alternate sunning
and palming as described above.

Standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, keep your head and shoulders
as one unit, lift your left heel and turn your head and body to face a wall to
your right. Now swing back, lifting the other heel, until your head and body
face the left wall. The body should be loose with your arms moving freely.
Your eyes should be comfortably open allowing the scene in front of you to
appear to move rapidly in the opposite direction you are moving.

A comfortable pace is about 20 complete back and forth swings per minute.
Start with one minute and work up to five.

2. Dead Man's Pose

Sometimes any instruction just makes a person try harder. For those of you
who make an effort to do everything, it is often best to start with this dead
mans pose of relaxation.

Lie on the floor or a firm bed, loosen your belt or any clothing that is
restrictive, and spread your arms and legs comfortably. This is all.
Complete permission to do nothing at all for 10 or 20 minutes is all that is
necessary. Set a timer. Add counting backwards only if it adds to your
relaxation.

3. Memory of alphabet letters

Some people automatically relax to recall something neutral or pleasant.


Others find it a chore and tense to the task. If you know you enjoy
visualizing or recalling, you might give this a try.

In this relaxation routine you recall each capital letter of the alphabet with
your eyes closed. Determine in your mind if the letter is straight, curved, or
open on the each of four sides. Take up the next letter. For instance, the "B"
is straight on the left, curved on the top, curved on the right, and curved on
the bottom. The "C": is curved on the left, curved on the top, open on the
right, and curved on the bottom. Going through the entire alphabet this way
can be very relaxing.
-20-

4. Your Favorite Colors

Some people relax better by visualizing or simply remembering. If you find it


easy to recall colors, then this routine will probably be relaxing to you.
Always evaluate yourself according to the Levels of Relaxation scale.
Choose your three favorite colors and recall them each as vividly as possible.
Go from one color to the next, repeating them over and over again for 3 full
minutes. Let go of each color when it comes to you and comfortably take up
the next one.

5. Going Down the Elevator

An interesting routine that some people have found successful is to imagine


they are going down an elevator and relaxing a little more with each passing
floor. Finally, they get out at the bottom very relaxed. They then repeat the
i magined elevator ride.

Mindandsight.com
© 2001 Mind & Sight Resources
All rights reserved. Material may be reproduced for personal use only
MIND AND SIGHT
RESOURCES

Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes only, and not intended to replace the need
for a licensed qualified physician. You must be under the direction of your eye doctor while
attempting to apply any of the information presented.

Solving Your Inability to Relax


(Learning to Concentrate without Tension)

STEP 1 SUPPLEMENT

By Paul A. Anderson

If relaxation routines such as palming, sunning, eye closing and counting


backwards are not working, you may have a more fundamental problem with
tension. The very style of your thinking is probably striving and narrowing
instead of opening and receptive. Concentrating in this manner is common
today, causing many problems, including tension and poor eyesight. In this
article, I will show you how to open up and relax so that you can concentrate
in a receptive way. Solving your difficulty with concentration will enable you
to remain relaxed even when you are very busy. The solution to this
problem with concentration is also an excellent pathway to complete vision
recovery.
-2-

TYPES OF CONCENTRATION

Normal Concentration

The mind was meant to operate receptively. Thoughts don't have to be


sought after, nor does information have to be seized upon. When
concentration is normal, the thought of a memory is enough. There is no
work to it. Haven't you ever told a friend who was trying too hard to recall
something "Just relax and it will come to you"? To illustrate this to yourself,
try to concentrate very intently on each and every word individually that
someone is saying on TV or the radio; you will quickly realize that you are
not concentrating well at all. This example is, of course, an exaggeration, but
does reveal that attempting to focus too intently hinders rather than helps
concentration. Perhaps you are doing this without knowing it.

Normal concentration occurs when your awareness is spread out to receive


all things coming your way, such as sounds, sights, thoughts, etc., but
receive the focus of your attention best of all. The smaller this central point
of focus, the better your concentration. There are many different levels of
concentration of your sight and thoughts, from very sharp at the center to
increasingly blurry or vague toward the periphery. For example, you see
many things while walking down a crowded street, but see and think of the
things you are looking at directly best of all. Think of a drop of water falling
into a still pond, the largest impact is at the center with smaller and smaller
waves radiating away from that center. At the outer edge, the wave is so
slight as to be hardly noticed.

Faulty Concentration

With faulty (overly intense) concentration, you go after a sight, sound or


thought instead of allowing it to come to you. When you do this, you are
really attempting to exclude information from peripheral parts of your
awareness in favor of just this one central thing. This overly narrowed form
of concentration stresses your mind, which was meant to be open and
receptive. You may have unwittingly acquired this constricted form of
concentration in the classroom when your teachers asked you to focus on
just their words.

If you strive toward the object of your attention, you will not have the fluid
mind condition to let go of each word or thought in order to concentrate on
the next one. You will lack the letting go element of normal concentration.
Remember the earlier illustration of listening too intently to a speaker? The
striving ultimately causes you to be torn between your last focus of attention
and your current one. Since both our eyes and mind are constantly moving,
3

we must let go in order to think of and see the next thing clearly. You will be
able to see how well you let go in the demonstration below.

Correcting this form of concentration will enable you to relax deeply because
relaxation is the very essence of letting go and allowing our awareness to
spread out. People who cannot relax often try to do everything, including let
go. If this is what you do, you already know that relaxation routines do not
necessarily help you relax. They may even be a source of stress!

LEARNING CORRECT
CONCENTRATION
Demonstration

Do not use lenses for the following demonstration or later practice because
they will interfere with your ability to let your awareness spread out to
receive all things. They have a distinct tendency to focus you toward just
what you are looking at.

1. Take the lampshade off of a lamp, exposing the light bulb. Turn it on
or leave it off, whichever you prefer. Sit in front of it where you can
see the bulb fairly well.

2. Now look away from that light bulb toward any other object far enough
to see the bulb less clearly because it is now in your peripheral vision.
This may be 2 to 10 feet away or more; whatever it takes to see it less
clearly than when you look directly at it. Notice that you can see the
li ght bulb less clearly in your peripheral vision and allow it to be there
comfortably. It should be a comfortable feeling; you should not feel
li ke you want to see the bulb better than you do.

3. Look further away from the bulb if there is a pulling of your attention,
which is a desire to see the bulb equally well when looking away. This
pulling sensation is your inability to let go of sights in your periphery
and see (and think) of them less clearly. This is the problem I have
been talking about.

Correct concentration allows your mind to see and think of the light bulb less
clearly when you look away from it. You have just learned the rudiments of
proper concentration and started on a course to improve your concentration
and relaxation.
5

Did you notice if you had a torn feeling between the light and looking away
that made you feel that you still wanted to see the light clearly even though
you were not looking at it? Did you yawn when you looked away and saw
the bulb less clearly? Was it a surprising released state for you mentally
when you were far enough away to let go of seeing the light clearly?

That yawning was a release of tension because you were not trying to see
but, instead, were receiving your sight and thoughts. By practicing in this
way, you can, by increments, lead yourself to become fully relaxed and at
the same time develop excellent concentration skills. Every moment you
spend practicing will be of value to you. In six months time or less, you can
become better focused, more relaxed and well on your way to recovering
your vision.

Extending your Ability to Relax and Concentrate

By moving two objects closer together while keeping one in your peripheral
vision, you can steadily correct your concentration.

1. Take two coffee cups and place the first (target cup) in front of you on a table
or the floor, at a distance you can see well, but not necessarily perfectly.

2. Place the second cup about 5 feet away and to the side of the first cup. Both
cups should be approximately the same distance from you.

3. As you did with the light bulb, practice looking first at the target cup to see
how well you see it, then shift your eyes or head to look at the second cup.
As with the light bulb, the objective is to learn to stay sufficiently relaxed so
that there is no sensation of pulling or desire to see the target cup well.
Instead, allow yourself to see it less clearly in your peripheral vision.

4. If you are not able to let go of seeing (or even the desire to see) the target
cup as well as the second cup, move your second cup gradually further away
until you get that comfortable feeling while seeing it less clearly.

. Once you can let go and see your target cup in your peripheral vision when
looking at the second cup, move it a little closer. Check to see if you can see
it less clearly when you look at your second cup. If you get that pulling
sensation or a desire to see both cups equally well, close your eyes, rest, and
look again at your second cup. You may need to close your eyes and rest
them for up to a minute or two.

Important: Do not jump ahead and move the cup too closely too soon. Keep your second
cup at a distance where you can see the target cup less clearly and without tension. When
you have the heavy desire to see the target cup as well as the second cup, close your eyes and relax
for a full 2 minutes. If you still get that pulling sensation, dose your eyes and relax for 3 minutes or
longer until you reach a deep level of relaxation. (Level IV or V on the Levels of Relaxation page.)
-5-

6. Occasionally you may have to separate the cups a little further than you once
had them. After repeated failure to see the second cup less clearly but yet
comfortably, move it back to your starting point for the day and practice
again seeing the one cup in your peripheral vision less clearly, looking back
and forth. Make sure that you do not experience any tension to see it better!
Any sensation of wanting to see the target cup as well when you are looking
away means you have lost your poised concentration. Stop and close your
eyes and rest until you can do it easily again.

You will eventually be able see the second cup less clearly when it is placed
right beside the target cup. Subsequently, you will see one side of one cup
better than the other. The last step will be to move that cup gradually away
from you. With perfect concentration, you will be able to see one side of one
cup better than the other at a distance of 30 feet.

Central Fixation-The Concept

Your eyes see best at the center of your sight, and see everything else
peripheral to that center, increasingly less clearly as it is further away. When
you look at a leaf on a tree, you see the leaf better than all that surrounds it.
Everything else, i.e., the rest of the tree, the grass, etc., is seen less clearly
the further away it is from the leaf. This is central fixation.

The mind operates with central fixation too. Although many things can be on
your mind at once while walking down the street, the words of a friend you
are conversing with are thought of best. Central fixation of mind parallels
central fixation of sight.

Practicing Here and There

You can practice improving your concentration almost anywhere, anytime.


Just find two objects in your surroundings that more or less match the
distance apart of your cups at home. (Remember, all practice is done
without lenses). It could be a picture on a wall, one side of versus the other,
or any two items that are close enough to be seen fairly well yet far enough
apart to allow you to practice seeing worse when you look away to the other
object. Wherever and whenever you practice, you will be improving your
concentration, relaxation, and laying the foundation to improve your
eyesight.

Mindandsight.com Revised 2/01


© 2001 Mind & Sight Resources
All rights reserved. Material may be reproduced for personal use only.
1

MIND AND SIGHT


RESOURCES

Disclaimer: This program is for educational purposes only, and not intended to replace the need for a licensed
qualified physician. You must be under the direction of your eye doctor while attempting to apply any of the
information presented.

Learning to Relax for Vision Recovery


STEP 1 SUPPLEMENT

By Paul A. Anderson

Relaxing can be difficult for some, yet everyone can learn to relax completely. Often, the
difficulty for those having trouble is getting started on the right foot. When I began with
relaxation routines, nothing seemed to happen! I would sit with my eyes closed for a long
while, and it seemed my thoughts just kept churning away, never really slowing down,
until finally I would ask myself "am I really relaxing?" The answer was always no!

What follows is how I found my way out of this difficulty and was able to learn complete
relaxation. First, I had to learn that relaxing was not something I had to do. Rather, it was
something I /et happen. And learning to let this happen takes time, at first, especially if
you seem never to be relaxed. I would not be surprised at all if you were really impatient
with your relaxation, expecting it to "happen" in just minutes. Instead, if you are a person
who never seems to be relaxed, do not expect anything for at least twenty minutes.

It helps to vary your routine


Try either palming or sunning (see descriptions under Relaxation Routines on the site) for
3-minute intervals each, and then switching to the other one. If you find you are
comfortable with one, then stay with it longer than the 3 minutes. Switch, though, after
- 2

the three minutes if you find you are beginning to get anxious. Continue switching back
and forth like this between palming and sunning for 20 minutes. When sunning, do not sit
close to the light! The light from the lamp or sun should not feel bright on the closed
eyes. If using the sun, this may mean facing away from the sun toward the bright sky.
You should not feel that you are shying away from the light after your eyes have had 30
seconds to adjust. Comfort and peace are the feelings you want to experience.

A Sample Practice Routine


1. Sun for 3 minutes (use a timer or glance at a second hand to know when time is up)

2. Switch to palming for 3 minutes

3. Back to sunning for 3 minutes (this time counting backwards from 5 over and over
during the 3 minutes)

4. Now palm for 3 minutes (repeating the number one over and over every time you
breathe out)
5. Continue alternating like this, every three minutes, for a minimum of 20 minutes
and up to 1 hour. Stop, and do not push on if you are becoming bored or tenser.

Count backwards over and over again


The big problem with relaxing is often rushing thoughts and it helps if you can switch your
thought to ones that are neutral, such as numbers. Do not try to visualize or "see" the
numbers in your head, just say them to yourself silently. Count backwards from 5 to 1,
and then simply repeat it. Do the counting at a rate that you are most comfortable.
Eventually though, you will find counting at a rate of one number per out breath is
comfortable.

Morning practice is often easier


For those having difficulty relaxing, the morning is a better time to practice, if at all
possible. Fatigue plays a role in our relaxing, and the fresher you are the easier it will be.
Also, the longer the day goes on, the more tense many people get. Relaxing from higher
levels of tension is more difficult. The point is that you want to begin having some
success, so make it easy on yourself.

Do not expect too much at first


If you find that after twenty minutes, you are a little quieter mentally and that some of
your muscles have relaxed, count this as a success. It is! The more often you successfully
let go of your tension, the easier it is to let go again. Give it time and you will find that
shallow relaxation, repeated often enough, adds up to deeper and deeper relaxation. Refer
to the Levels of Relaxation to measure your progress.

Do not expect it to last at first


Those who have difficulty with relaxation are often disappointed, and do not want to
3

recognize their relaxation at all because it doesn't last very long. If your mind goes back
to the same rushing state as soon as you end your practice, do not be dismayed. It is just
that you have habits of rushing anxiety associated with all activity. Activity for you may
mean merely getting up from a chair or beginning a conversation! It did for me. Just
practice frequently and know that, in time, your state of relaxation will last longer and
longer.

Find the right routine and stick with it


For me it was sunning. I found that one day I was sitting in front of my light, and time just
slipped by because I forgot what I was doing. Twenty minutes had passed and I felt a little
more relaxed. I was amazed. I felt calmer. I knew then that I could learn to let go and so
I practiced sunning twenty minutes 3 times a day. Although I did not relax every time,
many times I did, and this was a beginning. A different routine may work better for you;
try several until you find the one for you.

It helps to use a timer


If you can get a timer at a kitchen store or drug store, it will probably help you. Set the
ti mer for the number of minutes you plan to relax doing a certain routine such as palming.
In this way, you can let go of watching the clock. Just tell yourself, "I will be doing this
until the timer goes off, so there is no reason to worry about it". This will enable you to be
more comfortable and not feel you are wasting your time, because you have given yourself
permission to do this routine for x amount of minutes regardless of your success. The big
obstacle to those who cannot relax is that their anxiety makes them impatient, and they
interpret this as being always short of time. Feeling always short of time, they feel that
they cannot waste a second!

Do not expect to see better


If you are having difficulty reaching the deeper levels of relaxation, do not make seeing
better the objective. Rather, learn to relax deeper first. Realistically, your program must
first enable you to relax deeply at will, before you can expect to restore your eyesight.
Take things in the proper order, learn to relax, and then you will find yourself seeing
better.

Have someone direct you


If you continue to have difficulty relaxing, it may be of great help to get someone to guide
you through it. It helps if your guide tells you when to start palming, and then 3 minutes
later when to stop, and what to do next. In this way you give over control to someone else
and release yourself from constantly questioning if you should go on.

Relaxing (routines) makes you nervous


If you find that you become fearful during your relaxation routines, then you may have
psychological problems that arise when your mind settles enough to focus. Don't be
alarmed by this, as I found it was quite common. Most adults to some degree use tension
as a barrier to knowing certain threatening information.
Learning to relax will mean for you the return of living without a barrier of tension
"protecting" you from knowledge that is in front of you. It is best that you have this
knowledge. I also think that you need not worry about being overwhelmed with something
4-

because you will not be able to receive knowledge that you cannot handle knowing.
I recommend that you just be kind to yourself and relax only as long as you can without
going too far into the state of tension that may be coming over you. Take it easier on days
you feel threatened by your newly relaxed state, and go deeper on those days when you
are comfortable with relaxing.
You can look forward to a new clarity about your past and present, enabling you to make
better decisions. Also, without your screen of tension, you will have more energy. The
scope of benefits from deep relaxation is much wider than better vision.

Relax as often as possible


Just as soon as you begin to have success with your daily routine, I suggest that you use it
frequently throughout the day, in all available "in-between" moments. You will find your
progress to be very satisfying if you do.

Mindandsight.com Revised 8/01


© 2001 Mind & Sight Resources
All rights reserved. Material may be reproduced for personal use only.
MIND AND SIGHT
RESOURCES

Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes only, and not intended to replace the need for a
licensed qualified physician. You must he under the direction of your eye doctor while attempting to apply any
of the information presented.

Identifying Eye Tension

STEP 2 SUPPLEMENT

By Paul A. Anderson

Many people can relax enough to see well for moments, or for what I refer to as
flashes of improved vision. But it is difficult to connect these fleeting glimpses of
i mproved vision to anything permanent. I originally disregarded these flashes
because I did not know that they were legitimate improvements. Only later did I
learn that they were indeed the beginning of my improved eyesight that was quickly
undermined by my old habits of tensing my eyes and mind.

You may not feel as though you are holding much tension in your eyes, but if your
eyesight is below normal, you can be sure that you are. You can release this tension
consciously by relaxing deeply, only to find it immediately return as soon as you
begin to look at something. This can cause your improved vision to fade after just a
flash. I have found that vision fades when old habits of tensing to see return. These
old habits are both eye tension and a subtle "seeking to see" mentality. In a split
second, you not only lose your improved vision; you also lose the very notion that
relaxation is connected to improved vision. Unless you are made aware of it, you may
think it is incredible that you could have lost your relaxation and your improved
2

eyesight so quickly.

When you put on glasses or contacts, your eyes must tense and tighten to see. If
you put on your glasses after relaxing for three minutes, you may notice that you
must blink hard or otherwise "adjust" your eyes. This adjustment is the tightening
that is needed to see clearly through lenses. Your mind, also, goes through a similar
adjustment, as you must begin to seek or strive to see to the degree of your
prescription. I can best describe this seeking state as staring, or looking to see, as if
your sight was taking place out in front of you rather than in your head.

The longer you have worn lenses and the worse your vision, the more firmly in place
the tension is likely to be. Habits of tensing your eyes and mind can be deeply
entrenched. Years of seeing through lenses cause you to believe on the subconscious
and conscious level that this is what you must do to see. Normal and natural
eyesight, on the other hand, requires no action on your part and has a different feel
to it altogether. It's a wonderful sense of freedom and receptivity.

The Release of Your Eye Tension

• Right now, you probably do not feel any tension in your eyes and strongly
believe that, other than poor vision, your eyes are not unduly tense.
However, that tension-free feeling is present only because your strain is
subconscious.

♦ Your eyes are probably not fully open as they will be when your natural
vision is returned. Your eyebrows may be pulling down, and other muscles
around your eyes are probably contributing by narrowing your eyes into a
partial chronic squint. Take a look at your eyes in a mirror. Gently probe
with the tips of your fingers around your eye sockets and between your
eyes to see if you feel any pain. Close your eyes and gently probe your
eyeballs through your closed eyelids. Any dull pain is an indicator of
tension.

♦ If you see that your eyes appear to be locked into a kind of squint, do not
try to open them wider, as this will happen naturally as you release tension.
Relaxation will take care of everything. Although much tension will be
released during the upcoming routine, some of your chronic tension will
remain and only be released over the period that you fully recover your
eyesight.

♦ You can just assume that your eyes are relaxing as the other muscles in
your body relax. Your eyes may then seem to feel strange and "loose."
You may have a strong urge to tighten them to get rid of this "incorrect"
feeling. Don't do it! Instead, continue to relax.

• When you relax deeply and then open your eyes gently, they may begin to
-3-

sting and you may feel some pain or aching. These sensations are a good
sign if they've been brought about solely through relaxation. Such
symptoms are the release of your subconscious tension into your conscious
mind. Your mind is now allowing you to experience feelings that it did not
allow you to be aware of when your tension level was high. As you
progress, you will only experience this aching or stinging when you reach
deeper levels of relaxation. Once you have restored your normal vision, you
will not experience this discomfort at all because you have released all of
the tension in your eyes.

♦ You may feel like blinking hard to replace the normal feeling that you are so
accustomed to having in your eyes. Don't do it! By blinking hard, you
actually push down at the bottom your blink and tighten your eyes. This
tightening is then left in place when you open your eyes. Blinking hard will
get rid of your pain and discomfort, but it does so by restoring your habitual
level of strain, causing it to become subconscious again.

♦ The true normal blink is relaxed and has no pushing down at the bottom.
Instead, it is a mere tapping. It is as light as the wings of a butterfly and
cannot be felt. Practice it consciously on occasion.

♦ The feeling of stinging and the strange unfocused feelings may be very
strong. Practice closing your eyes lightly when this uncomfortable feeling is
overwhelming and you are tempted to replace the tension. At first, you may
have to close your eyes more than they are left open!

♦ Opening your eyes in this relaxed way you will give you your first
experience of receptive vision. Light is coming into your eyes from a wide
circle in front of you, left, right, up and down. Since you are seeing
receptively, this entire circle is a part of your new vision.

♦ Your clearest vision is now at the center of this wide field, and things are
seen increasingly less well toward the periphery. You see objects directly
beside you very poorly. Put your hand out to the side of you and notice how
vague your vision is of it when you look straight ahead. This is the way
eyesight is supposed to be. Seeing through lenses brings about tunnel
vision where your peripheral vision is disregarded. Tunnel vision is seeing
only the chair in front of you and disregarding your hand out beside you, as
if it was not a part of your visual field.

Identifying and releasing your eyestrain is a very important element in your recovery.
The specific knowledge of your style of tensing will allow you to observe the physical
aspect of your tensing to see.

Mind andsight.com Revised 8/01


© 2001 Mind & Sight Resources
All rights reserved. Material may be reproduced for personal use only.
-1-

MIND AND SIGHT


RESOURCES

Disclaimer: This program is for educational purposes only, and not intended to replace the need for a
licensed qualified physician. You must be under the direction of your eye doctor while attempting to apply
any of the information presented_

Tailoring the Path to Your Specific


Condition
STEP 3 SUPPLEMENT

By Paul A. Anderson

If you are farsighted or have other problems using the Scenes Ladder, you
will find special assistance here to use the ladder effectively.

Difficulty Seeing the Objects Rung of the Ladder

When working with the Scenes Ladder, you may find that although you can
maintain your relaxation and tension free eyes when looking toward a blank
or non-descript scene, you cannot maintain it with objects. In this case, look
at a blank wall with the object in your peripheral vision. You will find a point,
perhaps ten feet away, where you can look toward the wall, maintain your
-2-

relaxation, and see the object in you peripheral vision. (It will be blurry, as
peripheral vision is much less sharp than central vision.)

As this gets easier, move your eyes closer to the object. This may be
accomplished in a short period or take you many weeks. With practice, you
will be able to look at the object directly without losing Relaxation Level IV.

Nearsightedness

If you are nearsighted and having difficulty using the scenes ladder, it may
be that you are making the mistake of trying to see clearly. Remember
seeing more clearly will not help if blinking hard or tensing in any way
produces it. The objective of the Scenes Ladder practice is to give you
experience seeing receptively without mental or physical strain. This
prepares you to see the next scene in the same manner.

What you need to learn is to open your eyes while being firmly in Relaxation
Level IV without tightening your eyes in any respect. Using a blank wall or
other non-descript scenes will prepare you to see other more challenging
scenes with out effort and strain. The preparation is the objective of the
practice. By gaining experience seeing effortlessly, you will be teaching your
subconscious mind to let go and see. The time you spend seeing a blank wall
without effort will be invaluable as you move up the scenes ladder.

Nearsightedness and Low Light

Almost everyone who is nearsighted has some degree of difficulty handling


bright light. It may help you to skip down to the instructions on overcoming
your difficulty with bright light, and work with this simultaneously with your
nearsighted condition. Overcoming one will usually enable you to overcome
the other.

Nearsightedness and Astigmatism

If you have a fairly high degree of nearsightedness, you most commonly also
have some degree of astigmatism. Recovery from your nearsightedness will
also resolve your astigmatism. They may be from separate strains or the
same strain, but in either case, relaxation to the effortless state will resolve
both.
-3-

Farsightedness, presbyopia, reading distance difficulty

In this case, your strain is not with distance, but with closeness, so you need
to practice with a different set of scenes. In order for you to learn to see with
receptive vision, use this Scenes Ladder:

6. Small print at reading


distance

5. Medium to large print at


reading distance

4. Large familiar letters with


much space in-between at
reading distance

3. Large letters with much


space in-between about 3 feet
away

2. Small objects such as a pen or


pencil at reading distance

1. Blank paper at reading


distance

Amblyopia

Amblyopia can best be recovered by working with central


Eesir fixation. See the
supplemental article for Step 1 titled Solving Your Inability to Relax and
practice with each eye individually, covering the good eye with a patch.
Devote more practice time to the eye that sees less well.
-4-

Astigmatism Only

Again, this usually involves a problem with central fixation. Refer to the
practice in the supplement titled, Solving Your Inability to Relax.

Double or Multiple Vision

Use the regular Scenes Ladder to overcome this condition. Just remember
that your eyes will not see a single image unless you are in Level IV or V
Relaxation. The blank scenes on the first rung are especially important
because you must learn to see receptively before you will be able to practice
seeing other things well.

Seeing in Bright Light

In this case, your effort or strain is associated with bright light. You begin to
strain in the false notion that it will help you receive the light more
comfortably. Actually, the opposite is true. Practicing with this set of scenes
below (while achieving Relaxation Level IV) will allow you to see once again
in bright light without sunglasses:

5. The bright sun-lit sky

4. Trees, grass and other


natural scenes on a sunny
day

3. A shady sidewalk or the


ground on a sunny day

2. Objects indoors in a fairly


bright room

1. Indoors, in a darkened room


-5-

Seeing in Low Light

This condition is often associated with nearsightedness or


farsightedness/presbyopia. You may tense to low light and separately to
distance. To overcome this type of strain, use the regular Scenes Ladder but
gradually reduce the amount of surrounding light, starting with bright
daylight and proceeding to increasingly dimmer light for each scene.

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