Refreshing Vision: Opening the Windows of the Soul

By Dr. Glen Swartwout

Refreshing Vision may be the most comprehensive natural vision improvement manual available. If you are looking for guidance on how to enhance your perception of the world of light and get more meaning out of what you see, this could be the book you need. In addition to specific activity programs geared toward special needs such as sports performance and learning abilities, deeper issues involving biochemistry and biophysics are also addressed head on in this tour de force by Dr. Swartwout, named Holistic Optometrist of the Year by the International Society for Holistic Optometry. Try this approach in the comfort of your own space and benefit not only from the author's decades of groundbreaking clinical work in this field, but also his father's pioneering work that is the foundation upon which that work is laid.
This book pulls no punches, also introducing levels of care that may require further professional assistance, and the availability of the author to help guide you and your doctor or other vision practitioner to success. More than a book, it is an entry point to a new way of looking at vision...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dr. Glen Swartwout
• Release date: Mar 18, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301173396

Dr. Glen Swartwout

Dr. Glen Swartwout graduated Magna Cum Laude with honors in Environmental Earth Sciences and Chemistry from Dartmouth College, and received his doctorate at the top of his class in Vision Science with honors in Optics as well as Leadership, being inducted into both Beta Sigma Kappa and the Gold Key Honor Societies at the State University of New York in Manhattan, where he trained at the largest outpatient vision clinic in the world. He served as Editor, Vice President and President of the American Optometric Student Association serving 4000 international student doctor members. He is the author of over 50 professional papers, books, and software programs. His first professional office was in Tokyo, Japan. Over 5 hours of educational videos are available at http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLU01IZ_ZEdvilvv_c6SM9x7Ffp_i_CzJk

Book preview

Foreward

As a young boy, I was lost, awash in the sea of compulsory public education. I was a C student in second grade, and was becoming nearsighted, pulling my space world in to magnify the symbolic world of written language. My father was a pioneer in the field of vision development, and during the following summer, he put me through an intensive training program of activities designed to stimulate development of a wide range of visually related functions, including spatial awareness, focusing, teaming, tracking, depth perception, timing, Eye-Hand coordination, thinking, sequencing, orientation, memory, visualization, and simultaneous integration of all these functions with other related neurological circuits including balance, speech, and hearing. I have been an A student ever since, and my myopia has not progressed as it most likely would have through the many years of subsequent schooling.

I can still recall my experience as a child practicing many of those training activities, and even coming up with variations that my father later included in his Manual of Optometric Forms and Procedures for Visual Training, used by Doctors of Optometry around the world.

When I completed my own doctoral training at the State University of New York, State College of Optometry, and the University Optometric Center, the largest outpatient eye care clinic in the world, I established my first professional practice... in Tokyo, Japan. I supervised the establishment of the Optometric Center of Tokyo, including the translation of my father's methods into Japanese. We demonstrated his work along with other innovative methods of visual training for the first time in the Japanese culture.

Now it is my time to share this remarkable work with the rest of the world...

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Preface

Welcome to the Neuro-Fitness Training program. NFT can make a tremendous difference in the lives of both children and adults. I hope you will make a commitment for yourself or your family to join us in building a better future, from the inside out.

Neuro-Fitness Training is a natural fruition of my years of experience in fields like visual training (thanks to my father, J. Baxter Swartwout, O.D., F.A.A.O., F.C.O.V.D., who helped to pioneer the field), intelligence education and biological medicine. I have designed these programs to support self-help on a home basis.

Each individual begins the NFT process with a different set of abilities and challenges, and unique needs relevant to their life path. Visual training, one of the foundational fields of this work, helped thousands of pilots develop the visual abilities needed to pass the visual requirements to qualify to fly during the middle of the 20th century.

When no test results are available, analysis of symptoms can point to the best areas in which to begin. For a simplified home approach, it is possible to start in Phase 4, level 2, bringing in additional support from previous levels if adequate progress is not forthcoming with practice. Some more specialized visual development needs of young children and those with deeper binocularity issues like strabismus (crossed or wall eye) and amblyopia (commonly mislabeled 'lazy' eye) are covered in the Appendix as well as some of my other books on degenerative eye conditions like cataracts, glaucoma and macular degeneration.

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Introduction

Vision is based in how we see the world from our own personal perspective. Most of the activities presented in this book can be done by most people without the assistance of others. When feasible, I commend having someone who has a natural interest in facilitating your development (and their own) help you. The reason is that you (both) will get much more out of the same amount of practice. This is because we each have our own unique perspective which does not (not yet in this generative Earthly biologically based life experience) match up with what another person is able to see. We cannot see our own blind spots... But others may. The most effective way to facilitate another's growth in such a situation is to act as an extra sense, an additional source of biofeedback, a source of meta-information about the self. This can be as simple as making a non-verbal, non-judgmental sound as feedback when a mismatch in performance occurs, or it can be in the form of questioning the internal awareness of an experience immediately afterward. This Socratic method of facilitating self-regulated, autonomous learning reduces stress and makes the process more fun for more enjoyable, faster and deeper learning. When you get in the flow of this, you will both be having a ball!

Suggestions for helpers

Make training fun for helpers as well as the learner.

As an assistant, let the work you do be an exploration with the learner, and be sure to exchange roles to build empathy and understanding of the challenges of the task on your part, as well as deeper learning and development for the student.

Each exercise that is given offers opportunities to discover the creativity and curiosity of your child as well as your own creativity.

There is no right or wrong way of doing these games. Guidelines will be given. It is a process of self-discovery for each person.

Discover how we each perceive our world and using these exercises find new ways to perceive the things around us.

When a task is completed first let your child tell you how they performed. His own awareness will grow if it is self-directed.

Let him discover different ways to approach the task in order to accomplish the goal.

Encouragement and repetition are the keys

Always stress the phase of performance that was accomplished.

Explore ways of asking questions to help him analyze his own performance.

Let the learner supply the answers.

Spend just enough time on the exercises so that they remain a challenge and fun.

Optimizing effectiveness

Factors that help leverage visual and neurological development:

Stable electromagnetic brain environment (see Electromagnetic Pollution Solutions).

Balanced brain biophysics and chemistry (Biofield Analysis).

Self-directed action.

Guiding attention through questions.

Bringing awareness to sensory biofeedback within the activity.

Sustained focus of attention.

Slowing down.

Creating interest in the activity.

Regular reinforcement of successes.

Frequent modification of the activity to sustain challenge without frustration.

Application of new skills in activities of daily living.

Accentuating meaningfulness both through utilizing relevant content and by drawing out identification of functional relationships between specific activities and daily tasks, such as reading, writing, spelling, sports, memory, driving, or work.

Suggestions for the Classroom Teacher

Here are some suggestions for management of students with visual motor dysfunctions. Research shows that about 40% of students in the classroom are likely to have some degree of undetected visual dysfunction that can interfere with learning.

Suggestions:

Point out differences in visual information, but keep parts few to start and work up.

Use clues of folding, lines, templates, etc. to teach spacing on paper.

Move to chalkboard if progress with written work at desk is slow.

Emphasize phonetic approach to reading.

Encourage the use of finger while reading, liner while copying.

Keep explanations to outline form.

Tell while you show.

Use lots of concretes (blocks, rods, pennies, water volumes, etc.) for teaching arithmetic

Reduce the amount of seat or desk-work.

Test orally or by audio or videotape, rather than by written exam to evaluate progress.

Do not penalize for poor handwriting.

Increase time separation for writing papers.

Assign written or arithmetic tasks of short duration.

Teach analysis and organization of chalkboard and paper work by demonstrating possibilities.

Enable the student to use chalkboard for some writing. Close eyes to enhance the feeling of movement.

Teach similarities and differences by matching and comparison.

Teach spelling by writing, rather than verbally.

Reduce excess paper and material on the student’s desk to reduce distraction and confusion.

Increasing size, reducing number of parts, and closing eyes will help to emphasize awareness of movement in writing.

Encourage child to talk to self or repeat instructions and actions.

Teach verbalization of visual information such as shape, color, size. Label and classify.

Reduce peripheral visual distractions by eliminating glare, alter seating arrangements, etc.

If copying from board is difficult, supply information to be copied at the desk.

A pencil holder may be helpful if pencil control is a problem.

Substitute activities involving manipulation of concretes (blocks, rods, etc.) instead of paper and picture abstracts.

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Dedication

This book is dedicated to A.M. Skeffington, O.D., and his successor as President of the Optometric Extrension Program Foundation, my father, J. Baxter Swartwout, O.D., F.A.A.O., F.C.O.V.D., my first mentor and best patient. Please send him good thoughts, as he helped so many others, including myself, for over 50 years, and at 90 years old now, he can use our prayers.

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Solutions

[go to Table of Contents]

Self-help Neuro-Fitness Training (NFT) Course Outline

Neuro-Fitness Training (NFT) is an integrated multi-phasic approach to optimizing neural functioning. NFT plays an important role in prevention, rehabilitation and enhancement of both cognitive performance, such as learning and memory, as well sensorimotor functions including Eye-Hand coordination involved in athletics.

The Neuro-Fitness Training concept was developed by Dr. Glen Swartwout in 1994, based on his years of work in several functional rehabilitation fields. NFT is designed to assist anyone increase their mental and physical abilities as part of their total wellness plan.

There are 5 phases in NFT which parallel the 5 phases of balancing body chemistry and bio-physics found in Dr. Swartwout's 5 phase health system. Dr. Swartwout recognizes that achieving optimal health is more than merely having a balanced body. We should all strive to make the best of our mental abilities as well. Above all, we must direct our energies always toward that which will benefit our spiritual life.

Phase 1 consists of Preparation through correction of internal and external factors that influence neural development and performance. Of particular importance are implementing an individualized support program of energetically correct Biofield catalysts to support bio-spiritual coherence, as well as elimination of key risk factors related to diet, supplementation, water, air, light, ergonomic building and furniture design, daily activities and other lifestyle regimens based on bioenergetic resonance evaluation. Some basic concepts will be presented in the next chapter, and more detail can be accessed in my other books, such as my Materia Medica. A Biofield Analysis consultation provides the starting point for exploring the unique individual impact of these foundational factors in time and space in preparation for an effective, efficient NFT and accelerated self healing and development program. A perfect entry point to Phase 1 and 2 is a Biofield Analysis, which is available on written request via email. Remote Biofield Analysis, a process which has been used successfully for over 20 years with thousands of people, is a simple, painless, accurate, fascinating and profoundly effective way to peek into your bioenergetic physiology of light from another person's (surrogate) perspective. It can help reveal the blind spots in our growth and healing processes that are impossible for us to see for ourselves. Such preparation is essential in many cases to achieve the desired end result by removing the blocks that often hinder neural responsiveness to otherwise well selected therapy, especially where interferences exist such as toxicities (e.g. the heavy metal lead impairs accommodation and learning), allergies (e.g. food reactions produce unstable neural chemistry states that impair the ability to build on past improvements and demonstrate a normal functional learning curve in this work), unstable body chemistry (e.g. blood sugar fluctuation from caffeine or a glass of soda can alter cognitive performance by several grade levels), and unconscious avoidances (e.g. suppression zones in the visual fields produce unconscious blind spots for one out of three people). If a neuron's energy is being constantly depleted by a chronic stress pattern, it simply cannot respond to even the most appropriate stimulus, and if its chemical or energetic mileau is unstable, state dependent learning leads to lack of integration and inconsistent performance over time.

Some basic factors that will be covered further in the next chapter include:

Consumption: drinking water; diet

Environment: air, lighting, design, furniture/posture

Body: walk, swim, bicycle

Mind: read versus watch TV

Spirit: daily prayerful meditation, and a more reflective, contemplative approach to life and learning.

Phase 2 provides Stimulation of underactive or underutilized neural pathways and supportive functional patterns. Effective means of stimulation vary with the specific pathway to be rejuvenated. Massage, stretching, movement patterning, self expression, and direct sensory neuron stimulation are frequently beneficial modalities for this re-awakening stage of neural activity. Phase 2 consists of phototherapy (color specific pathway stimulation) and other activities and catalysts as determined in the Biofield Analysis. Please be as specific as possible in describing the challenges or frustrations you and/or your child are experiencing, as this helps us direct our testing to discover your individual needs. Write via email for a remote Biofield Analysis, which will provide guidance on natural remedies to support systemic coherence, resulting in enhanced capacity for learning as well as accelerated self-healing.

Foundational therapies, covered in more detail in the exercise chapter may also include:

Shiatsu; Yoga; Patterning

Massage: eye points; foot/hand/body points

Stretching: Eye Stretch; Head Rotation; body stretches

Patterning: Cross Pattern Walk; Ball on String

Expressing: mime; drawing; story telling

Sensory: color

Phase 3 is a program of daily neuro-developmental activities to support simultaneous Integration of all these essential, and ultimately synergistic functions. The best entry point for Phase 3 and 4 is to have a thorough neuro-developmental evaluation by a behavioral vision specialist in your area. Phase 3 emphasizes simultaneous Integration of all re-awakened neural pathways. Bringing awareness to the coordinated use of feet, hands, speech, audition and vision provides a broad-based challenge that gently opens the mind and frees the spirit. This phase enhances social skills and readiness for teamwork, such as required in sports. It also provides the foundation for the development of powerful yet sustainable skills of attention.

Aspects of multi-sensory-cognitive-motor perceptual developmental training include integration of all the major players in the bio-body suit:

1. Foot: illusionary walk, tap

2. Hand: wall illusion, clap/slap

3. Speech: reading, singing, reciting, naming

4. Ear: rhythm: metronome, music, clap

5. Eye: looking, seeing, reading

Phase 4 develops the key neural abilities required for facile and sustained Attention. The abilities to concentrate without losing awareness, to direct attention accurately and effortlessly, to maximally enrich neural input and processing through the seamless integration of the right and left sides, to sustain focus in order to achieve a continuity in the flow of meaning, and to refine attentional skills to meet the most challenging demands of academia or competitive athletics. Phase 4 cleans out the 'cobwebs' in the critical attentional mechanisms that serve as the key link between the mind and the environment. For many people, this is a rate-limiting step in the perceptual process.

This process of visual skills training can be organized into several levels, each involving particular techniques and abilities that will provide functional building blocks for succeeding higher levels of development, all of which will be laid out in detail for you in the Activities within the exercise chapter:

1. Concentrating Attention: Central, Peripheral integration activities such as Continuous Motion, Yardstick and Bead, and Form Recognition Field

2. Directing Attention: Fixation, Pursuit, and Saccade eye movement activities such as those involving Laterality, Directionality, Perspective (and potentially Yoked prisms), as well as Vergence (eye teaming) training such as with the Planoscope activity, where you get to be the captain of your own spaceship (and potentially the use of Prism flippers).

3. Enriching Attention: Monocular (one eye), Biocular (simultaneous awareness of the two eyes' separate visual inputs), Binocular (two eye) development strategies leading to Stereopsis (binocular depth perception for full 3D spatial vision lacked by at least one out of three people). These activities also incorporate multi-sensory inputs, such as Coding at Chalkboard.

4. Focusing Attention (including the physiological process of Accommodation) including potentially utilizing the Loose Lens Rock activities, +/- Flippers, and T-chart biofeedback.

5. Refining JND's (Just Noticeable Differences) emphasizes the development of subtleties of consciousness and awareness of refined physiological function for greater awareness, discernment and efficiency, including Threshold observations, Kinesthetic awareness, and emphasis on the Eyes, Posture, Body movement, Breath and Isolations. Potentially, activities such as Lens ordering can be accessed with professional assistance.

These levels of development within Phase 4 may utilize particular materials and techniques such as:

#1 yardstick, telescoping pointer or folding ruler; charts

#2 planoscope; (prism flipper); charts

#3 Red/Green anaglyphs; Red/Green charts; ('Squinchel' loose prism)

#4 (loose lens; lens flipper)

#5 (lens ordering; loose cross cylinder & T-chart)

Accessing some of these more advanced materials (in parentheses) may involve working with your local behavioral optometrist, who will be in the best position to understand the processes and procedures in this program, and will have access to the necessary optical technologies.

Phase 5 trains the thinking skills of Perception. Thinking, remembering, and analyzing, as well as both creative and repetitive forms of productivity are critical especially in the academic and work environment. Evaluation and training of specific mental skills or strategies enhances these abilities, increasing such measures as I.Q. The beginning point for Phase 5 is a Structure of Intellect (SOI) evaluation, based on the work of J.P. Guilford and Mary Meeker. Individually appropriate workbooks are available through SOI Institute.

Visual Cognitive Enhancement through Intelligence Training:

Operations (abilities):

Cognition is the ability to create meaningful association with experience based on simultaneous awareness or comprehension of the biological sensorium and the the attention by the conscious spirit.

Memory is the ability to contextually encode and recall conscious experiences.

Evaluation relates to discernment of utility, validity, coherence, accuracy, reliability or consistency of information.

Convergent Production (code letter N in SOI symbolism) is problem solving where there is a perfect solution or single correct result, such as the ability to follow directions or rules.

Divergent Production is creativity, or the capacity to envision and produce multiple potential outcomes or solutions.

Content (type of information):

Figural content emphasizes direct sensory experience of material objects, such as blocks, sounds or lights.

Symbolic information typically involves two-dimensional visual patterns that stand for numbers, letters, musical notes, directions (arrows), or other concepts.

Semantic content may be spoken words, or encoded in visually presented symbolic text.

Behavioral content involves the human realm of self and others, with elements such as actions, positions, emotions, etcetera.

Product (levels of organization):

Units are basic conceptual entities (for example cognition of semantic units, or CSU, is vocabulary, the aspect of intelligence that increases the most with stimulation of vision development)

Classes are sets of units sharing certain dimensional attributes (for example, sorting objects by color, shape or size, such as helping to put away toys, or clean up a room would involve convergent production of figural classes, or NFC)

Relations are links or connections between dissimilar units, based on dimensions such as opposition, association, sequence, or analogy. This involves greater complexity than mere classification, such as organizing colored objects into a rainbow pattern, rather than just piles of each color randomly arranged.

Systems involve multiple relations interconnected as a web, network or matrix.

Transformations involve shifts in meaning and perspective, or dynamic processes like change or conversion, like making a magazine into a collage, or making up puns and jokes. The artwork of M.C. Escher provides many wonderful examples of figural transformations.

Implications are our understanding of the complex reality of the natural world, or even the less coherent and more complex human sphere, with all the relevant causalities and contingencies. This is how we learn to see the future based on prediction, inference, consequence, anticipation and intuition.

How can Neuro-Fitness Training benefit you? If you would like to accomplish more with less effort, and be able to enjoy doing so, it is worth finding out. Stop living a series of reactions to daily crisis situations and set a new course, a pro-active one, toward the future you choose!

Next, I outline a couple of programs focused toward particular common needs, one for the enhancement of sports performance, and following that, a program for enhancing learning abilities in support of academic achievement.

Sports Vision, Visual Motor Enhancement

In sports, your body is in motion, a target such as a ball is in motion, and other players are in motion, all at the same time, and action can be quite rapid and simultaneous, demanding optimization of a wide range of oculomotor and perceptual-motor abilities.

Focus (Accommodation) can be improved using a near-far, plastic chart, flippers, and biocular activities.

Teaming (Convergence) is essential for accurate localization of teammates, opponents and targets (e.g. ball, goal) in 3 dimensional space. This can be improved using near-far activities, string activities, biocular activities, and potentially with prism flippers.

Tracking (Pursuit Fixation) is how we keep the eye on the ball, any other moving target, or even a stationary target when we ourselves are in motion (e.g. a soccer goal, or a basketball hoop). We improve this ability through use of moving targets such as a finger, ball, light, peg rotator, or target rotator, all of which can present an array of smoothly moving objects. Variety of targets, activities, postures and other challenges is essential in developing any ability in order for that new ability to be generalized and accessible for use in real world situations.

Scanning (Saccadic Fixations) is needed when looking between different targets, such as players, balls and goals, or even referees, coaches and onlookers such as family. We improve this ability using a range of targets from figural elements such as fingers, objects, and lights, to symbols such as arrows, numbers and letters.

Dynamic Acuity involves the ability to maintain simultaneous tracking and focus. Imagine the dynamic acuity Ted Williams needed to hit over .400 for an entire season on baseball pitches that can move at 100 miles an hour! Clinically we develop this ability with the use of moving targets, bouncing on a rebounder, tachistoscopes to flash targets (measuring the speed of perception), and rotators that move visual targets in a circle.

Peripheral Awareness is essential for coordinated