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Vision and Movement Therapy
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How Does Vision Work?
Clear vision is the result of numerous processes, as described below. Even though you may not be aware of it, your eyes are constantly moving. When you notice something that catches your attention, you look more closely at it to get more detail. Nerve cells in your brain respond to the edges of things and begin to form a mental picture (Guyton and Hall, 1996, p. 654). Very small, unconscious movements of your eyes (called saccades, microsaccades, and drift) generate more detail in your brain. Meanwhile, the nerve cells in your extraocular muscles (muscles that move your eyes) tell the brain where each eye is looking. When both eyes look at exactly the same point in space, your brain calculates how far away you are looking, and tells your ciliary muscles to focus your lenses at that distance. However, if your eyes are looking at points in space that are only 1 millimeter (or even less!) apart from each other, vision may be blurred. In summary, clearest vision occurs when your eyes are constantly moving and both eyes are working precisely together. A course of vision and movement therapy insures that your unconscious eye movements are occurring and that both eyes are precisely coordinated.* What Causes Vision to Get Worse?
Vision can get worse when any part of the visual process is undeveloped or gets interrupted. The most common cause of vision problems is stress. Stress causes tension in your neck and shoulder muscles, right? Stress can also cause tension in your eye muscles, which reduces the automatic eye movements and interferes with your ability to focus. The stress that causes vision problems can be physical or emotional. Both kinds of stress can be eliminated by Chandelle Hesselgrave's Vision and Movement Therapy programs.* Perhaps your eyes never worked together, so you have amblyopia (lazy eye), or an eye that turns inward or outward. Your situation is a developmental (neurological) issue that can be addressed by Chandelle Hesselgrave's Developmental Vision and Movement Therapy, described below*. Which kinds of vision problems does Vision and Movement Therapy help? - Functional (nearsighted, farsighted, astigmatism)
- Stress-related (response to stress or traumatic experience)
- "Aging eyes" (presbyopia, over-40 syndrome)
- Neurological/Developmental (amblyopia, eye turns)
- Medical, as an adjunct to medical care (cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration, optic neuritis, diabetic retinopathy, etc.)
How Does Vision and Movement Therapy address vision problems?*
First, we start with an assessment to determine which factors are interfering with your vision (functional, stress, nutritional, lifestyle, physical or emotional trauma, developmental/neurological issues, facial tension, etc.). Then, we design a program that addresses your specific vision factors. Vision and Movement Therapy draws from a wide range of disciplines, including behavioral optometry, nutrition, psychology, the Bates Method, acupressure, and others. Your program may include eye exercises, modifying your workspace, postural training, Emotional Freedom Technique, dietary changes, Bodywork, or other activities depending on your individual needs. Most people find their vision programs are fun, interesting, and relaxing. What is Developmental Vision and Movement Therapy?
Developmental Vision and Movement Therapy is based on how your brain controls your eyes. When your body moves in particular ways, called developmental movement patterns, specific cells in your brain are stimulated. When these brain cells are stimulated, a mental map of the relationships between your body parts is created in your brain. This map is the foundation for spatial awareness, which informs the visual centers of your brain how to interpret visual input. Most people skip one or more of these patterns, which creates a strain in their visual system and eventually interferes with their vision. Mastering all of the developmental patterns fills out your mental map. The developmental movement patterns also enhance the connections between the right and left hemispheres of your brain, so they can communicate with each other. Your right hemisphere controls the movements of your left eye, and your left hemisphere controls the movements of your right eye. When both hemispheres communicate with each other, they can coordinate the movements of both of your eyes so they can work together. When both eyes are working together, you see three-dimensionally, and your eyes send consistent messages to the part of your brain that focuses your lenses. If you have amblyopia ("lazy eye"), your brain is not paying attention to the image from one of your eyes, and the vision from that eye may be worse than your other eye. Through gently stimulating the amblyopic eye, Chandelle Hesselgrave's Vision and Movement Therapy can turn it back "on" and restore its ability to see clearly. While other practitioners may try to "force" your lazy eye to "work" by making you wear a patch on the other eye, most people find that approach stressful and ineffective. Instead, Chandelle Hesselgrave's Vision and Movement Therapy provides pleasant stimulation to the amblyopic eye, so that it can begin to participate in seeing without strain or stress. Why is Postural Training part of Vision and Movement Therapy?
One of the many nerve pathways that govern your eye muscles actually originates in your upper back, then goes through your neck and into your brain (Guyton and Hall, 1996, p. 659). This sympathetic nerve pathway influences all three sets of your eye muscles (extraocular, ciliary, and iris). In order for the nerve signals to pass effectively through this pathway, your spine needs to be in good alignment. When your spine is out of alignment, it can pinch or bunch up the nerve cells that carry the signals, and your eye muscles don't get all the instructions they need to respond appropriately to your environment. Postural training insures that the nerve cells in your back and neck have the space they need to effectively send their messages to your eye muscles. What kind of Bodywork is used in Vision and Movement Therapy?
Bodywork is part of your Vision and Movement Therapy program because the visual centers in your brain are informed by the relationships between the various parts of your body (Guyton and Hall, 1996, p. 654). There are tiny nerve cells in all of your muscles, called proprioceptors. These nerve cells tell the brain what's happening in the muscles, so the brain knows where you are in space. When your body is out of alignment, your brain gets "mixed signals" about where you are, so it has difficulty knowing how far away to focus your lenses. When I do Bodywork, I look for places in your body that are out of alignment. Then I draw from over 15 years of study in the fields of Anatomy, Movement Analysis, and Movement Therapy to determine what is needed to restore alignment. Bodywork may involve postural training, developmental movement patterns, light touch, firm touch, acupressure, stretching, yoga, or the use of visuokinesis (images that change what your body is doing). When your body alignment improves, your body moves more freely and your visual system gets consistent signals about where you are in space. Bodywork may involve lying down, sitting, or moving through the room. You will be fully clothed during all Bodywork sessions. ---------------------------------------------
* The description contained herein refers solely to Vision and Movement Therapy as it is practiced by Chandelle Hesselgrave, M.A., Certified Vision Educator, Movement Therapist, for the purpose of restoring visual function. It is in no way intended to describe Vision and Movement Therapy as practiced by any other professional or organization. Reference: Guyton and Hall. (1996). Textbook of Medical Physiology.
© 2005 Chandelle Hesselgrave, M.A. 978-263-1800
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Vision and Movement Therapy - 279 Mass Ave., Arlington, MA 02474 - 978-263-1800
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