Ординатура / Офтальмология / Английские материалы / Relearning To See_Quackenbush_2000

CENTRALIZATION = RELAXED CONCENTRATION

Better Eyesight magazine, December 1922:

Question: Has Dr. Bates' method anything to do with concentration?

Answer: No, to concentrate is to make an effort. Dr. Bates' method is rest and relaxation, which cannot be obtained by concentration.

Centralization is relaxed, involuntary visual concentration. Like most other Natural Vision teachers, I rarely use the word "concentration" in my classes because most people in this society associate concentration with effort. Effort to see lowers natural vision. (Squinting is artificial vision.)

Better Eyesight magazine, April 1925:

CONCENTRATION AND RELAXATION

By Lawrence M. Stanton, M.D.

I know of no writer who has clarified the murky philosophy of concentration and relaxation as has Dr. Bates, and yet the final word has not been said, as he himself would undoubtedly avow.

Therefore, but with humblest intention, I offer a few thoughts upon the subject which is of the utmost importance to those who are striving for better eyesight.

To my students I have forbidden the practice of concentration, saying that the very word suggests strain, or else I bid them modify the dictionary's definition. I have reasoned that if by concentration you mean, as Dr. Bates says, doing or seeing one thing better than anything else, you may speak of concentration; but if by concentration you mean, as the dictionary says, doing one thing continuously to the exclusion of all other things, then you must abandon the practice as an impossibility.

Concentration, however, cannot psychologically be ignored, and recent psychology, I believe, has given us a new interpretation which is worthy of our consideration.

Attention underlies concentration, as that word is commonly used, and Ribot's [See

Psychology of Attention in Bibliography and additional excerpts in Chapter 23, "Children and Schools"] statement of attention

is very enlightening. Ribot says "that the state of attention which seems continuous is in reality intermittent; the object of attention is merely a center, the point to which attention returns again and again, to wander from it as often on ever-widening circles. All parts of the object, and then the reflections inspired by these various parts, hold our interest by turns. Even when the attention is fixed on the most trifling material object, it works in just the same fashion." This is entirely in accord with Dr. Bates' statement; it is centralization.

There are, however, two aspects of concentration to be considered—voluntary and involuntary. Voluntary concentration is an effort and, as Dr. Bates has so clearly shown, cannot be maintained without fatigue.

The highest grades of attention, to which this brief consideration is confined, are involuntary, and involuntary concentration can be defined as "a psychological equivalent of attention minus effort." In ordinary attention—that is, in voluntary concentra- tion—our thought holds the object in focus, whereas in involuntary attention (which we shall consider synonymous with involuntary concentration) the object holds our thought without our volition, perhaps even against our will. "Spontaneous attention is rooted at the very center of our being," and things that hold the attention captive, as in fascination, fixed contemplation, the

Hindu's meditation and rcvery are instances of involuntary concentration, and involuntary concentration is as effortless as the rising sun—it just happens. Then, there are those cases of [extraordinary quick reversals] of imperfect sight by one or another of Dr. Bates' methods, where it was enough for the person to see the better course in order to be able to follow it, the idea and its realization occurring simultaneously, without effort, without volition even. Contrast this with the attitude "No, I see the better course and approve it, but I follow the worse." Involuntary concentration is displayed in the case of the insect, related by Fabre and quoted by Dr. Bates, which in captivity hung downward for ten months, its whole life's span, and in this position performed all its functions, even to mating and laying of eggs, apparently without the least fatigue. Still another instance is that of Napoleon, who could work for eighteen hours at a stretch on one piece of work without the least fatigue. Napoleon speaks of his various affairs arranged in his head "as in a wardrobe." He says: "When I wish to put any matter out of my mind, I close its drawer and open the drawer belonging to another. The contents of the drawers never get mixed and they never worry me or weary me. Do I want to sleep? I close all the drawers, and then I am asleep."

The question, then, may be asked wherein does involuntary concentration differ from relaxation. If involuntary concentration and relaxation are not always one and the same thing, they often are psychological alternatives and not the opponents we think them.

To regard all phases of relaxation as purely passive is as erroneous as it is to say that concentration of the kind under consideration is associated with effort. Relax-

Chapter Ten: The Second Principle—Centralization

ation of the passive kind usually ends in sleep or sleepiness, as experienced by manv people after palming. Relaxation combined with action, on the other hand, may also be absolutely free from effort and strain.

In any case it is the matter of effort and strain that concerns us most, rather than a question of concentration or relaxation...

surely nowhere is intensity so impressive as in calmness. To be calm is not to be oblivious, and to be intense need not be to strain.

Another thought about relaxation is this: Obstacles to relaxation may prove sources of relaxation. An instance of which is found in the noise that is keeping us awake when wishing to go to sleep. If we sufficiently relax, if we accept the disturbance and sleep in spite of it, not only is the obstacle overcome, but because overcome it in turn becomes rather pleasantly associated with going to sleep. When again we desire to sleep, we find the noise soothing rather than annoying, and really a source of relaxation instead of an obstacle to it

Involuntary concentration without effort is equivalent to relaxation in action. If you can achieve such equilibrium; if you can perform your mental functions without strain as Fabre's little insect performed its physical; if you can, whatever your particular captivity, hang by your feet head downward without effort, then "be my friend and teach me to be thine."

[Stanton's] Note: Some of the quotations in this article and some of its material are from "The Power Within Us," Charles Baudouin.

From Perfect Sight Without Glasses:

As popularly understood, concentration means to do or think one thing only; but this is impossible, and an attempt to do the impossible is a strain which defeats its own

end. The human mind is not capable of thinking of one thing only. It can think of one thing best, and is only at rest when it does so; but it cannot think of one thing only.

Trying to think of, or see, only one thing continuously is staring. To think of one thing best is centralization.

C E N T R A L I Z A T I O N — T H E SOCI VL

C O N N E C T I O N

is a society that teaches children not Югпоч and not to centrah/e.

Regardless of Bates opinions on aco m- modation, he proved that mental mdphvsi- cal principles ol movement and centralization are essential for clear vision, and that ii thev arc interfered with, vision will lower

We unwittingly teach our children bow to lose their sight by discouraging—evtn pun ishing them for movement and centraliza tion. After studying the principles of naturd beeing, it is no wonder so many people have

Babies point. Pointing is natural. No one teaches a child to point, or to move. Central­ ization and movement are learned naturally and automatically.

In our society children are often told, "Don't point." Pointing is considered rude. A man from Africa once attended my intro­ ductory lecture. After the lecture he com­ mented on how strange our culture is, not allowing children to point or yawn.

When we watch the documentaries on tele­ vision about the natives who live in the forests of Brazil, we see that adults and children fre­ quently point. Pointing is centralizing.

In the previous chapter, I stated that chil­ dren are often told to "sit still." Add to this the warning to never point, and what we have

blurred vision in this society. Oftentimes it is the rebellious children in

this society who keep their normal sight. Thev keep moving and pointing, regardless of the consequences. This is a subconscious, primitive drive to maintaining normal vision and health.

CENTRALIZATION—THE HEARING CONNECTION

See Figure 9-7; The Vestibulo-Ocular Con­ nection.

When hearing is normal, we hear one sound best at a time,

If you are attending a concert, you can selectively "tune in" to one instrument at a time to hear it the best. You listen most atten­ tively to the violin, then the piano, then the drums, then the trumpet, etc. You continue to hear the entire orchestra, but one instru­ ment is heard best.

You can be Ustening to the radio while dri­ ving a car, and hardly notice the noise from the engine. When a strange noise is heard from the engine, the auditory attention shifts from hearing the radio best to hearing the engine best. During this time, you may not even be aware of the words spoken or what tune is being played on the radio. After

returning the attention to the radio, you are hardly aware of sound from the engine. This is called centralization.

Notice in both the above examples, the sound waves reaching the eardrum are the same. The mind has the ability to centralize on one particular sound and it is designed to do so.

Margaret Corbett, in her book Help Yourself to Better Sight, writes:

Sounds that do not bother normal ears do bother the defective ear because it hears so many sounds, all distorted, confusing and irritating.6

The auditory system is designed to be used like the visual system.

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A N D D I F F U S I O N

Close your eyelids, and pretend you are in a large auditorium. Imagine there are a hundred people around you in a large circle about fifty feet from you.

Now, imagine there are fifty conversations (two people per conversation) going on simultaneously.

Try to comprehend all of the conversations simultaneously. Do this now for about thirty seconds, if you can!

To comprehend fifty conversations simultaneously is, of course, impossible to do, and the attempt to do the impossible is stressful!

Reactions described by students include: strain, diffusion, confusion, scattering, effort, chaos, impossibility, freezing, locking, tension, breathing stops, the body freezes, and even blurred vision.

These reactions can occur just by thinking about diffusing hearing, showing how cen-

tralization and diffusion are primarily mental. Diffusion is confusion is stressful.

Now pretend you are listening to only one of the conversations best. Let it be a pleasant conversation! Do this now for about thirty seconds, and for the rest of your life!

Notice how much more "centered" you now feel compared to the diffused experience a few moments ago. Students often describe this experience as peaceful, relaxing, possible, easy, and so on.

The parallels are identical to vision.

CENTRALIZATION—THE UNIVERSAL

CONNECTION

From Chapter XI, "Centralization," in Perfect Sight Without Glasses:

... Since centralization is impossible without mental control, centralization of the eye means centralization of the mind. It means, therefore, health in all parts of the body, for all the operations of the physical mechanism depend upon the mind. Not only the sight, but all the other senses— touch, taste, hearing and smell—are benefited by centralization. All the vital processes—digestion, assimilation, elimination, etc.—are improved by it... .The efficiency of the mind is enormously increased. The benefits of centralization already observed are, in short, so great that the subject merits further investigation.

Centralization is a universal principle. Living beings tend to organize and unify. For example, we have organs in the body that "specialize" in certain functions. The heart pumps blood, the digestive tract assimilates food, the lungs breathe, and so forth.

When any living being dies, entropy (diffusion) begins. The body dissolves into its elements and becomes diffused ashes.

Above, we discussed how centralization relates to sight and hearing. Centralization also applies to touch, smell, and taste. Movement and centralization apply to all sense perceptions. When either movement or centralization is interfered with, sense perception diminishes.

In nutrition there is a concept called "food combining." Certain types of foods do not digest well together with other types of foods. For example, starchy foods do not digest well with proteins. Different chemical environments are created in the stomach for starches and proteins. If starches are eaten with proteins, neither are digested well—the stomach is confused. Similarly, fruits are generally best eaten without starches or proteins. The concept is centralization.

In the game of chess, one of the key objectives is to gain control of the center of the board. Much of the strategy in chess is based on control of the four center squares. From the center, pieces have the greatest mobility and are more powerful because they are free to move to any other parts of the board quickly to attack or to defend.

Pieces placed on the peripheral parts of the board have much less mobility and are generally less powerful.

For example, a knight placed in the center of the board can move to eight different squares; when located in the corner, it can only move to two squares The knight has four times as much mobility and power when placed in the center of the board. Control of the central squares often determines who wins the game.

Centralization allows greater movement. They go together.

Centralization is powerful. Diffusion is weak. Centralization conserves energy. Diffusion wastes it. A martial arts master is powerful because he is centered. He does not waste energy. Many people who meditate say they feel more relaxed and centered.

The sun, which provides essential energy for life on Earth, is at the center of the solar system.

"The eye of the hurricane is calm."

C E N T R A L I Z I N G — T H E T W O P E N C I L S

Many students, before emolling in the vision classes, would probably answer the question, "If you had perfect clarity right now, would everything be clear simultaneously?" with "Yes" The enrolling student may be thinking, "Wouldn't it be nice to see everything clearly again?'''' He thinks that when he had normal vision in the past, everything was clear simultaneously. This idea is incorrect, and needs to change to improve vision.

^ E X P E R I E N C E C E N T R A L I Z I N G — T H E T W O P E N C I L S

See Plate 8: Centralizing—The Two Pencils.

Hold two different colored pencils vertically, about 12 inches out in front of you. Place the erasers at the top. If there is lettering or designs on the pencil, face them toward you. Separate the pencils horizontally by about 16 inches. If you are a high myope, you can bring the pencils closer to you and closer together.

In this example, a yellow pencil is held on the left, and a green pencil is held on the right. Remember to breathe abdominally, blink frequently, and have a mobile neck as you do this activity.

Note: This is not an eye exercise. The purpose of this activity is to demonstrate the

truth of centralization, which is the normal, correct way of seeing all day long.

Pretending you have an imaginary pencil attached to, and extending out from your nose, "sketch" the yellow pencil. "Sketching" is simply a movement of your visual interest from one point to another. See Chapter 12 for more on sketching. The cones in the fovea pick up the sharp detail and color of this pencil. Without shifting your attention to it, wiggle the peripheral green pencil. The rods pick up the unclear movement and shades of gray from the green pencil. If you did not already know that the peripheral pencil is green, you might not be able to say what its color is now.

Now shift your attention to the green pencil. Sketching the green pencil, notice its details and colors—which you could not see when you were sketching the yellow pencil.

Now wiggle the peripheral yellow pencil. The peripheral yellow pencil is now almost, or maybe even completely, gray and it has much less detail compared to when you were sketching it in the beginning. No peeking!

Of course, in reality, the yellow pencil has detail and color, but you cannot see them while sketching the green pencil. Centralization is the acknowledgment, and the mental cooperation with the fact, that only the central object is clear and most colorful. Peripheral vision has little to no color, and is much less clear than the central vision.

There is some diminished color in the peripheral areas of the visual field because there are some cones in the peripheral part of the retina. Still, color perception is always best in the center. More on this in Chapter 17, "The Retina."

As stated above, people who have blurred vision diffuse; they try to see everything equally clearly simultaneously. As Bates pointed out many times, this is impossible to

do. The attempt to do this strains the visual system, and always lowers sight.

Alternate sketching each pencil, proving to yourself that you see best—by far—only where you centralize.

Now try to see both pencils equally clear and sharp—simultaneously. The best you can do is to place the attention in the center, between the two pencils, and then spread out your attention, trying visually to grab both images at one time. Notice that neither pencil is clear now. It should now be obvious that sight lowers instantaneously when you are diffusing.

Now bring the pencils a little closer to each other and sketch one at a time as before. You may now notice more of the peripheral pencil, but it is still less clear and colorful than the pencil you are sketching.

Continue this activity, slowly bringing the pencils closer to each other and alternating sketching one pencil at a time. A person with excellent centralization skills will be able to notice the other pencil is less clear—even when they are touching!

Practice centralizing more and better each day until it becomes a habit.

C E N T R A L I Z I N G — T H E P E B B L E G A M E

^ E X P E R I E N C E C E N T R A L I Z I N G — T H E T W O - P E B B L E G A M E

Place two pebbles about 14 inches apart, one to the left and the other to the right. This is like the two pencils activity, except the area of centralization is smaller.

Sketch the left pebble with your nose-pencil. If you are a high myope, bring the pebbles closer to you so that the one you are sketching is seen more clearly than the peripheral pebble.

If you are a high farsight, you may want to use your reduced glasses for this game. The pebble you are sketching needs to be more clear than the peripheral pebble.

Remember to have a head movement. Breathe abdominally and blink frequently!

While noticing the left pebble's detail, texture, colors, three-dimensionality, and so on, say out loud, "The other pebble is less dear!" Is it? The right pebble should be significantly less clear than the left pebble you are sketching.

No peeking over to the right pebble! Some students peek, and then reply, "No, they both look the same to me! "This is not how the game is played!

Once you notice that the left pebble is more clear than the right pebble, shift over to the right pebble and sketch it. While noticing right pebble's detail, texture, colors, etc, say out loud, "The other pebble is less clear." Is it? The left pebble should now be significantly less clear than the right pebble you are sketching.

If the peripheral pebble seems equally or more clear than the central pebble, you are diffusing and need to practice this game frequent!}; until you experience the peripheral pebble as less clear than the one you are sketching.

If your vision is such that the pebble you are sketching is not clear at this time, do not be overly concerned. It is more importanUt this point, that you notice the otherpebbk is less clear than the one you are sketching. If this is still not true because of serious vision problems, then pretend it is true. Remember, vision is primarily mental. Natural vision teachers have seen many types of vision problems improve.

Alternate back and forth three or four times spending about seconds on each pebbu

Be sure to say out loud "The other pebble is less clear" each time you sketch a pebble.

The main principle in this game is centralization. Centralization is the attitude of mind that you see one central point best, and everything else out in the peripheral vision is significantly less clear. [I realize I am being repetitive, but this principle is extremely important.]

Notice we do not say "The other pebble is gone." Peripheral vision is essential vision, and we want to have excellent peripheral awareness with the rods. Rods pick up movement. However, since peripheral vision is much less clear than the central vision, peripheral vision is secondary to central vision.

You may agree that it only makes sense to have the primary visual attention where vision is best—and that place is exactly in the center of the visual field.

Continuing the pebble game:

& Now move the pebbles about one inch closer to each other. Just like before, sketch the pebble on the left, saying out loud, "The other pebble is less clear! Wow!" (Enthusiasm is important!)

Is the other pebble less clear, even though the two pebbles are closer to each other? Do you notice more of the peripheral pebble than when the pebbles were farther apart?

"Hmmm," thinks the natural vision student, "I wonder what the ultimate outcome of this pebble game is going to be, as those two pebbles come closer and closer to each other?!"

Alternate sketching each pebble, spending 10-15 seconds with each pebble and saying, "The other pebble is less clear."

Once you notice the peripheral pebble is

consistently less clear than the one you are sketching, move the pebbles another inch closer to each other. Sketch each pebble alternately, continuing the same theme.

At some point you will notice the peripheral pebble to be more clear than it was when you began this game. However, it will still be much less clear than the pebble you are sketching.

Do not continue this game if you become fatigued or feel any discomfort. Take a rest and come back to it later if necessary. It is important to associate natural vision habits and principles with pleasure and fun.

* Continue playing this game, gradually moving the two pebbles closer to each other.

At some point you may feel your mind diffuse over the two pebbles equally. If you feel this tendency to diffuse, do one of the following:

1.Simply move the pebbles farther away from each other, and slowly move them closer together again playing the same game. The second time, you may be able to bring them a little closer together before the mind tries to grab both of them equally, i.e., before diffusing; or

2.Close your eyelids and play the same game in your mind. Move your head left and right alternately, exactly as if your eyelids were open. Say out loud, "The other pebble is less clear." Do this for at least one minute. Then, take a breath in, and open your eyelids, "zooming" to one pebble and sketching it. Some students feel a powerful "siphoning" or "tunneling" effect con-

necting them to the pebble. If you feel this effect, it is a step forward in relearning centralization. If you do not feel this effect, you will with continued practice.

In time, you will be able to bring the peb­ bles close enough that they touch each other. Sketching one pebble, you will be able to notice that the peripheral pebble, even though it is much clearer, is still less clear than the pebble you are sketching! When you reach this point you have progressed a very long way in relearning centralization.

In the above Pebble Game, if the student does not continue to move, first the periph­ eral pebble will fade away, and then even the central pebble will begin to fade away. In the last chapter, we discussed how important movement is to natural vision.

^ E X P E R I E N C E C E N T R A L I Z I N G —

T H E M U L T I - P E B B L E S G A M E

Spread lots of pebbles out in front of you.

While sketxhing one pebble, say out loud, "All the other pebbles are less clear." Are they? The peripheral pebbles should be less clear than the one you are sketching. However, the pebbles closest to the one you are sketch­ ing will be more clear than the pebbles far­ ther away.

Only the single pebble you are sketching can be absolutely clear. The light rays from that single pebble enter the very high density of cones exactly in the center of your fovea centralis. That is where you see with the sharpest acuity.

Now shift from one pebble to another, like stars in the night sky, saying out loud, "All the other pebbles are less clear." Not only is it

OK for only one point to be the clearest, it is desired. We want to retrain the mind to have its primary visual attention where nature intended it to be—in the center. While relearning centralization, it is important to remember that you do not lose your periph­ eral vision (in this case, the other pebbles).

The study of the distribution of the cones and rods, in Chapter 17, "The Retina," will help you further understand and appreciate the many differences between your central and peripheral vision.

If you need assistance with the principle of centralization, seek out instructions from a Natural Vision teacher.

One of my students missed the class with the pebble game, so he played the "raisin game" at breakfast, receiving a delicious reward for each centralizing skill!

Another of my students, W. В., said he did not really "get" centralization until we played the pebble game. In the class following the peb­ ble game, he said, "I have had pebble vision all week!" He had worn glasses and contact lenses since the seventh grade, increasing in strength to O.D. -2.50, with 0.50 D of astigmatism, and

O.S. -3.00 by age 38. He had 20/70 sight in the right eye and 20/200 sight in the left eye. Within three months after completing the eight-week vision course, his optometrist told him his sight was 20/25 in his right eye. He has since passed the California driver's vision test without glasses, and is no longer required to wear cor­ rective lenses when driving.

C. Y. reports that fish are much more vibrant, colorful, and three-dimensional while scuba diving in Hawaii.

TOM'S PERSONAL LOG: After about two years of improving my vision, while exercising in a