This post continues a small series on the topic of common issues that arise for students in the process of improving their vision.

No Time! “I can’t do my vision games now, I don’t have 30 minutes to spend on this….”

Remember that a little bit of something is much better than a whole lot of nothing.  If you have 2 minutes you can do a vision activity.  Although it’s great to have regular time to set aside for your vision games,  when you don’t have that time you can still do just a little bit.  Don’t let your “Keeper” (refer previous article) self-talk you out of doing anything at all with the excuse that you don’t have a lot of time.

In fact, the vision activities will be more effective done 5 minutes with full attention and relaxation than 30 minutes of distracted and tense time. Remember in an ideal world you are doing a little bit of vision improvement activity in and amongst your other daily movements.  A bit of Near Far Swing as you walk down the street, a bit of Magic Nose Pencil while doing the washing up, a touch of Palming after your computer session, a spot of Sunning when you step out of a dark building…..And the results of this will help inspire you to find the time for more dedicated vision sessions, and the results of that will help to motivate you to include the activities in little bits during your daily routine….and so on!

Should haves! ‘I should have done this when I was 18….’ Do you stop yourself from doing things now by beating up on yourself for not having done it already? This is another great avoidance technique that helps us stay stuck right where we are.  Ahh, self-recrimination can be an excellent time waster. Keep yourself in the present with the knowledge that you are ready now, and what has gone before is what you were ready for then.  You may not have been capable, as there were other things you were learning at that time. Accepting where you are now is vitally important to moving forward and making changes.  Here I am, and let’s get started! Now is the time…..

The Plateau! Many students, especially those with a medium to high degree of myopia or hyperopia do encounter this stage in their vision improvement.  It usually happens after a student has been doing well with their vision, and achieved several dioptres of improvement . Then the progress towards visual clarity seems to stop, and they don’t go backwards but neither do they continue forwards.

When this happens it almost always means that it’s time to really begin addressing some of the emotional issues relating to our vision. The visual system is saying ‘this improvement is all well and good, and now you know it can be done, but I am not changing any further until some of the fundamental causes of my condition are addressed’. Yes, improving vision is about working with the symptoms of visual blur, but to achieve complete and long-lasting change the underlying causes must also be worked with, otherwise those causes will continue to re-create the symptoms.

In this context it’s interesting to note that sometimes people will return to a myopic state in the years following corrective eye surgery. It seems clear that in these cases a physical altering of the structures creating the blur is not enough for permanent effect. It makes sense that the causes must also be addressed for the condition to truly be healed.

We have discussed how our Keeper finds ways of sabotaging our decision to be committed to vision improvement. Here at the plateau I believe there is an even deeper part of us that is putting the stop on progress. Unlike the Keeper’s desire to stop change from happening, here we have finally reached a part of us that actually insists on some fundamental changes being made.

Where do we start? For those who developed refractive error in childhood there will be a part of us that remains frozen at that age or stage of maturity.  This is the part of us that is capable of the most joyful wonder at the miracle of life and nature and the world, full of love and innocence. It is the part that can look at a butterfly or flower and be totally immersed in the visual beauty of that object, allowing light waves and life energy to flow between the the looker and the looked.

It is also the part of us that is most vulnerable to hurt and fear. Something in our experience created a need to shut down that flow, to protect this child from the world with a wall of visual blur. We may also now be protecting this vulnerable child inside us with behaviours and thought patterns that stop us from taking risks in life and relationships. This is the ‘inhibition of impulses’ spoken about by Wilhelm Reich.

To regain our ability to see with that joyful wonder and childlike clarity, to bring this hidden part of ourselves back into active life within us, we must start to address the needs of the vulnerable child.  We do this in a variety of ways as part of an ongoing learning process, so be sure to take your time and go in baby steps.

1.       Acknowledge the existence of this part of yourself, and the importance of his/her presence in your life.

2.       Notice the restrictive ways in which the Keeper protects this child and find different ways to protect the child that allow new and fun experiences to be OK, (this includes letting the world in through your eyes!) and find other jobs for the keeper to do in your psyche.

3.       Allow the child to express his/her desires in your life. It starts by going quietly inside and gently asking the child what it wants, it might be to do some drawing, to play on some swings, to go for a walk or a swim, even to occasionally eat an ice-cream cone. ACTUALLY physically do these things, give full attention to what you are doing, and feel how much you can allow yourself to enjoy them. It’s vitally important to have FUN!

4.       Allow the child to express his/her emotions in your life. Make a safe way for this to happen, and know that in the beginning there may be a lot of pent up emotion to come out. Make it OK for yourself to cry, laugh, shout and whatever else you and that child need to express. Again, drawing is an excellent way to access and safely express the emotions of the child. It’s vital to accept that YOUR FEELINGS ARE IMPORTANT!

5.       Find an emotional healing modality and teacher that suits you. Talk therapy can be helpful to discover WHAT….but I do find that the most beneficial, quick acting and long lasting therapies are those that allow you to physically and vocally EXPRESS your emotions in an appropriate environment.  We need to get this stuff out of our bodies, and human vocal expression is designed to do this. You can find ways to do this on your own as well, just ensure you are safe and have a trusted person to support you whenever possible.

6.       Find ways to spend time with people that make your inner child happy. Find ways to help him/her feel safe in situations that make you tense. Talk to your inner child like you would a physical child under your care.

Please be very nurturing about this process, nurturing to your vulnerable child and to every other part of yourself, including the Keeper (really!) It is when your child and Keeper both feel safe and nurtured, and you are relaxed, that you will have your most amazing clear flashes, and can also sustain the ongoing gradual improvement beyond the Plateau!

Previous articles on our website and free audio downloads will give more information on this topic and it is also addressed in the Practical Guide to NVI book and Personal Eyesight Training Kit.

Remember the Christmas season has started here with our November Only offer of $50 off the Personal Eyesight Training Kit. (Coupon Code: NOVGIFT) PET student Julie Adams in Texas comments:

“Carina, your passion for improving vision is very obvious in your audios and book.  It is inspiring to me and helps to keep me going in what otherwise might be simply an overwhelming endeavour.  It’s like I have a friend who has a personal interest in my well-being and vision and we get together every time I listen to one of the audio lessons.

I have to say it is quite different from other vision improvement courses and techniques I have tried to utilize over the past years.  I never was able to sustain them for over a couple of months or so – it just didn’t seem to matter.  Your program is different because you have developed a support system for your students that works, at least speaking for myself!  And it works even though I’m halfway around the world.  Thank you.”

Next time…..

• Further suggestions on working with your mental and emotional ‘holding patterns’
• How keeping a journal helps
• Sustaining a nurturing attitude towards your eyes

UPDATE: We have received some really interesting questions in response to this article so we have put together a question and answer blog post for you: Q & A From November Newsletter