Beneficial Palming
November 17, 2011
Happy 4 years of Bates method to me!
Sorry for the lack of updates this month – lots of life changes and transitions going on. I didn’t forget my 4th year anniversary of this blog, though, and my own vision improvement. I started out testing the Bates method 4 years ago. After I figured out it works, it’s become a way of life. That might sound funny, but the Bates method is about self care, about recognizing that the body can regenerate and heal if allowed the time and space in the form of regular breaks for rest and relaxation.
I often palm when I need to relax, not just for the purpose of vision improvement. This has taught me the most about correct palming, since my intention to relax aligns with the purpose of palming – to rest. I’ve learned some things this way:
Things not to do while palming:
-run through to do list
-worry about a recent or future conversation
-play back stressful situations and better ways to react
-any worrying!
Things to do while palming:
-breathe in, breathe out (and that’s about it)
-If muscle relaxation is needed: make small very movements (shifts) in arm and hand position during palming helps to relax those muscles (and the shoulder muscles). For example, I rotate my wrists just a bit, which turns my forarm and for whatever reason releases my bicep muscles, which I never realized before were chronically tense.
-If the mind is busy/agitated/nervous/anxious: observe those thoughts and don’t make them worse by trying to suppress them. Then have something else to consciously return the thoughts to (something specific such as the movement of the stomach as the breath goes in and out, or a nice memory)
How to recognize correct palming:
-hands get warmer on their own
-breathing slows and deepens on its own
-eyes feel warm and moist
-field becomes darker
-any muscle twitches stop
-relaxed feeling, calmness
Long term benefits (from palming daily)
- improved memory and imagination
- better eyesight
- more energy
- more restful sleep, needing less sleep
So how much do you palm every day? If it isn’t every day, then you might not be getting all the benefit you can. I find 15-20 minutes is a good minimum which brings results. When I manage an hour per day I see jumps in my vision improvement and feeling of well being. Remeber though, palm to relax, not to try to improve the vision. Vision improvement must be invited, it cannot be forced.
November 17, 2011 at 4:00 pm
Sorrisi,
Thanks for the reminder AGAIN to do more palming. I wait until I’m really tired or have pretty bad eyestrain until I palm for more than a few minutes. I can do better.
Nancy
November 18, 2011 at 7:28 pm
Just remember to enjoy it
November 22, 2011 at 5:06 pm
Hi Sorrisi
I haven’t commented here for a while as I apparently it took me a while to realize that I had to re-register. (I’d thought it was a problem with the site.)
Congratulations on completing your thesis.
Sean
November 23, 2011 at 2:34 pm
Hi Sean, thank you!
Do you have to register to post comments? I thought anyone could. I’m thinking about moving the blog to my own platform, since I recently discovered that wordpress puts ads on it (they hide them so I don’t see them, I only figured it out after coming to my own blog after being logged out for a long time). But I’ll need a few rainy days to get that done!
I hope you’re well,
Sorrisi
November 30, 2011 at 2:19 pm
Hi Sorrisi
Yes, what happened is that I couldn’t get to see any comments so I thought there was a problem with the site and comments had been suspended. For some reason I tried registering again and that sorted it out.
November 27, 2011 at 9:24 pm
I agree with what you say on palming.
It takes me atleast 15 mts to calm the chatter in my head. Only when my mind is quiet, I get the benefit of palming. There were times when I palmed for 40 mts, but there was no significant use, because my mind was not quiet.
December 6, 2011 at 10:00 am
hi SketchGurl, thanks for your comment! It’s always interesting to hear how other people experience palming, especially that illusive experience of calming the chatter.
cheers,
Sorrisi
November 30, 2011 at 11:43 pm
Hi! I’m rather new to the Bates method and still making up my mind about whether it is worth devoting time to.
You say that you’ve been working with the Bates Method for 4 years. I just wonder: if it takes that long to improve one’s eyesight, isn’t it just better to continue wearing glasses or lenses? It’s not fun (or cheap) having to wear those, but considering all the pros and cons of doing the Bates method versus choosing not to do so, I’d be rather more willing to choose the pros and cons of wearing glasses and lenses. One of the Bates method’s most obvious cons, that it seems to take an awful lot of time, would be the most important in the decision to perhaps not bother.
It’s the one thing that’s struck me the most since I started familiarizing myself with the method and the people doing the Bates Method: exactly what are the benefits of not having to wear glasses, other than not having to wear glasses? Are we so vain? It would be easier to choose for the Bates Method if it worked more quickly and for more people.
Thank you for your time!
December 1, 2011 at 8:09 pm
I’m sure Sorrisi will reply soon, but until then, here is my own experience on this topic:
I did temporarily give up on the Bates methods a couple of years ago, essentially. This was after having some improvememnt in vision, mind you…I still almost totally ceased doing the practice, the excuse being that life got in the way (this past year I was involved in a chronic circumstance that was very stressful for me, probably the most stressful year of my life).
But here’s the thing: although I haven’t been practicing the method (and I was never really hardcore with it very long, by the way…maybe a year or two at most) I’m forever different. I no longer rely on glasses constantly…and I never will. So even short-term practice changed the way I relate with the environment, eliminating all motivation (on a psychophysiological level) to wear glasses constantly the way I did for the 6 years prior to starting to practice.
I guess what I’m trying to say is, yes, it’s possible to start the method and then kind of give up. But you don’t just automatically revert to wearing glasses 24/7 again, even a few years after stopping intense practice.
Of course, I know I’ll see it through eventually. And I have realistic expectations: better vision, less headaches, better posture, and a lower lens prescription. Perfect vision isn’t necessary, though it’d be nice if/when that happens eventually (assuming I see it through that far, that is).
December 1, 2011 at 8:13 pm
So yeah, I say, just forget about it and go for it. Try it for a year; you have nothing to lose. Then you can analyze the pros and cons next year at this time once you’ve evaluated the results yourself.
The first few months can be very frustrating.
December 1, 2011 at 8:26 pm
Oh and btw: I never completely eliminated glasses, even at the beginning. I often wore/wear glasses optimized for a closer distance; they give your eyes room to relax a bit more and refocus. I think it’s impractical in this day of age for the majority of people to completely eliminate glasses. Now I just use them when I need them.
December 2, 2011 at 10:32 am
Dear FMR,
Thank you for your reply! A couple of thoughts come to mind though: I asked what is so appealing about not having to wear glasses or lenses except for reasons of vanity or convenience (not having to wear glasses and lenses is certainly more convenient, cheaper, etc.). You don’t wear glasses constantly anymore. Yet how good is your vision? I could probably stop wearing glasses all the time as well, without doing the Bates method at all. I’m just not too sure whether there’s much of a point (my vision is also probably worse than yours). It’s interesting that you brought up the word ‘motivation’, because while you may no longer be ‘motivated’ to wear glasses constantly (because of the Bates method), you are seemingly not motivated enough to keep up practicing until you don’t need to wear glasses again at all.
Also, you say I’ve got nothing to lose if I try it for a year, and that the first months can be very frustrating. But isn’t that some sort of ‘losing’: time I’ll spend on it, without any guarantee that it’ll work for me. And I may have nothing to lose, but I’d rather not gain nothing more than ‘frustration’ either. If chances are slim that it’ll work for me, I’d rather not try and avoid the frustration altogether.
I do think, that perhaps having more than one pair of glasses might be a good idea. I’m shortsighted, but I surely don’t need -6 diopters glasses to read something within two feet of me.
What I’m looking for – but it may not exist – is something that is efficient enough that, say, in one year’s time of practicing for 45 minutes a day (max!), I’ll be able to enjoy much better eyesight. Perhaps a complete reversal is a bit too ambitious, but I would hope for the possibility of going from -6D to vision that is at least 20/70 at all times.
Thank you for your kind reply!
December 2, 2011 at 6:19 pm
I was never at -6, but I was at -5 when I started. I’ve been stable at -3.75 (doctor’s office measurement, still probably a slight overcorrection though) since 2007 when I last did the Bates Method practice seriously. I can see fine with -3.25D glasses for driving, and I never use anything stronger. The point I’m at now, it’s halfway decent enough. In other words, I function fine. That’s why I lost a lot of the motivation to continue the method. Though I’m probably going to restart in two weeks and try another year’s worth of practice to see if I can get down to -3.0 and stable 20/80 in that time. Based on my past experience, it will be doable. So I’ll be practicing along with you, Sorrisi, Nancy, and the others.
Here’s what I would do in your position:
Find a way to get some glasses that are roughly -4.5D, whether from your doctor (ask for a strain-relieving prescription for computer work) ro wherever. Make sure they’re balanced properly for your eyes. Wear them as much as possible. Only use the -6 when you really need them, like driving. Take the glasses off frequently so you slowly get used to only using them when needed. You will probably find you use them for everything except reading. That’s fine. Do that.
Do the palming at least once per day. If nothing else, palming is the best thing you can do…the other Bates concepts are more habits than things to do. Palming works because by blocking out light for a certain amount of time, the photoreceptors are allowed to reset. The result is enhanced sensitivity, which improves your contrast sensitivity. During the day, we are subjected to a lot of bright light, computer screens, etc, which takes a toll on the retina and causes more eyestrain. Palming counteracts this effect. When your contrast sensitivity is better, your eyes can focus better. It also helps you to relax the over stimulated visual system.
You can also soak your eyes with a clean warm washcloth once or twice a day. A lot of eye doctors recommend this. I think it helps with almost every aspect of eye and vision health, including allergic reaactions, eyestrain/focusing issues, high pressure, and maybe delaying the progression of the early state of cataract in people of that age who have it. Palming also can help to reduce eye pressure, as it’s a form of meditation for the visual system.
But I wouldn’t worry too much about going hardcore into Bates and becoming a fanatic. The Bates method isn’t meant to be a bothersome practice. Just find what works best for you and stick with it until you have the results you are looking for. it’s like losing weight…doable in theory, but nearly impossible for many people.
Good luck! I’m sure Sorrisi will reply soon.
December 2, 2011 at 10:32 pm
Thank you for your answer! A lot of food for thought!
One question that pops into my head concerns palming. I read on this blog about research that shows that time spent outdoors in daylight is important to avoid becoming myopic. Yet when you palm, you are effectively shutting the light out. Wouldn’t it be better to spend more time outdoors?
As I understand it, the benefit of palming comes from letting the rhodopsin in the eyes regenerate? Wiki says that that takes a maximum of 30 minutes. Does that mean that there is no point in palming for more than 30 minutes?
After palming, for a little while you’ll have better contrast sensitivity, but how long does that last, seeing that light very quickly bleaches the photopigments in the eye again? (that is, I’m having a bit of trouble figuring out exactly how palming would improve your eyesight. Shouldn’t just lying on your bed eyes closed in a somewhat darkened room be as effective?)
Thanks!
December 2, 2011 at 11:41 pm
>I read on this blog about research that shows that time spent
>outdoors in daylight is important to avoid becoming myopic. Yet
>when you palm, you are effectively shutting the light out. Wouldn’t
>it be better to spend more time outdoors?
I have read this numerous times, too. Apparently, both light and dark are necessary for optimum functioning. I like to think of it as calibrating the dark point and light points of the system. Sorrisi may chime in about saturation, if she is that type of engineer (I’m not sure which type she is).
Like you, I also read that it takes 30 min to reset those molecules to the original configuration. I doubt that palming for longer than that is always non-productive. I bet there are circumstances in which the benefit can be greater for longer durations. How or why, I don’t know. That’s why my name is FMR. It stands for “Future Myopia Researcher”, a title I gave myself a few years ago to keep myself on track with my future goals in the area of optometric research. I hope to become an eye doctor and vision researcher in the future.
The improvement in contrast sensitivity is nonlinear, and plays out over long-term durations I have found. During times when I palmed frequently for several weeks at a time, I noticed steady, gradual improvement in color intensity over those weeks. Sure there is a quick improvement that happens immediately after, and lasts for 5 min to several hours, too, but it’s the longer-term adaptations that interest me more. Interestingly, you can also see better in bright light, too, after practicing palming for several weeks consistently. It’s as if the dynamic range (there’s another engineering phrase for Sorrisi) of the photoreceptors was broadened at both extremes…an improvement in the “gain regulation” And there is the improvement in depth perception and vergence that follows after several more weeks, and then the apparent improvement in the nearsightedness itself, say of 1/10 to 1/4 D, that is readily noticeable after say a month or two. That’s why I said it can be frustrating in the beginning weeks. There isn’t as much gain initially.
Closing my eyes or just going into the dark never worked as well, perhaps because my eyelids strain when purposely closed (when palming, you can leave them open and relaxed if you want). If this worked, then everyone would wake up with better vision every morning after sleeping in the dark. Though this is somewhat common, it’s not the rule. Perhaps the massage effect of the hands on the eyelids also plays a role in relaxing all of the eye and face muscles. In any case, I’ve found that you have to block out nearly all the light for it to work best. And don’t worry about seeing colors or lights (unless you’re generating them by pressing too hard, which you don’t want to do). They say you’re supposed to imagine blackness, but I’ve found it’s better just to let whatever is happening happen. In fact, after 15-20 min of palming (I haven’t done it this longin a very long time, but perhaps I will tomorrow or tonight) I often start seeing some swirling phenomena or patterns. Another ten minutes, and you’re done. I also used to do short intervals of alternating light and dark exposure, said to improve circulation in the eyes musch like soaking.
December 3, 2011 at 8:19 pm
Thank you! Sounds reasonable!
Interesting that you will go into research. Where are you at the moment in your goal of becoming an eye doctor?
December 6, 2011 at 9:58 am
great discussion! sorry for the delay – I had my phd defense (and passed!)
lots questions here from iSighed, I’ll try to be brief and just supplement what FMR already wrote (thank you!)
Bates method – does it need to take 4 years to get where I am? No, it really took about 6 months of dedicated practice, and then I got quite busy and haven’t practiced/progressed much. So if you spend a year of dedicated practice, I think you can come a long way. Keep in mind a good teacher will help you learn the basics much faster than if you’re on your own. If you want to teach yourself, then give yourself a year and a half – half a year to patiently learn by trial and error, and then a year to solidly use what you learned by practicing daily.
If progress is slow – what’s the point? I think there is a big point, especially for myopia. Every diopter I reduce my prescription lowers my risk of retinal detachment. That’s a big motivation. I know Meir Schneider considers the Bates method as a great way to reduce the likelihood of getting cateracts or developing glaucoma, this is based on his experience and I hope he eventually finds a way to quantify this observation. Another benefit I consider is that glasses get lost and contacts get dust in them, it’s nice that I am not dependent on them. Even now when I still use glasses for my work, I don’t wear glasses in my free time and being able to see without my glasses comes in handy quite often. There are many situations when riding my bike in rain or conditions when the sunlight is reflecting off many surfaces or directly in my eyes when I see MUCH better without glasses. I actually don’t wear glasses at all cycling anymore because I’ve found I am safer without them. I know some people are motivated by vanity or the cost of glasses/contacts, every reason is valid. It’s equally valid if you don’t see any of these things as benefits, or if you don’t believe it will work. I remember when I started, after extensive thinking and online research, I figured out I had two choices – I could just ‘risk’ it and find out for myself if the method works, or just go on with my life and not know. If you’re not willing to ‘risk’ trying, that’s fine! No one can tell you it will definitely work for you, or how long it will take. To do this method, you have to reach a point where you’re willing to let go of controlling those outcomes, and I realize that that is something that is not possible for everyone.
How does palming help? Why do we want to shut out the light? Bates said quite simply that the sunlight strengthens the eyes and palming rests them. Yes, sunlight is good, but of course, so is rest. It’s like aerobic activity. The heart needs a good period of time each day to beat faster and work harder. It also needs periods of rest to regenerate and become stronger. Without the rest the heart would become weaker and the risk of infection greater. The eyes are obviously very different, and the Batesian view is not that the eye muscle needs to be stronger, but I hope you see the similarity in terms of balancing active use with rest.
You present a good argument for only needing to palm 30 minutes, but that is not the only mechanism at work. Vision is very mental and visual strain can be related to tension in other muscles (neck/shoulders especially), so a longer rest will rest all of the muscles to a greater degree, as well as the brain. It takes at least 15 minutes of calm breathing to calm the autonomic nervous system to a parasympathetic response, so it’s possible to wonder if the most beneficial effects are achieved only after this stage is reached.
Why cover the eyes instead of just closing them? Many reasons, the palm of the hands warm up the eyes, which is very relaxing. It is also possible to increase the sensitivity of the hands. The hands are in contact with the skin around the eye orbit, and it is possible to feel tension in this area. After some practice, it is possible to start to notice when the areas are tense, and what can be done to relax it. The hands provide a feedback so that you know when these areas have relaxed or if they have started to tense again.
Should you do it? Well, the simplest thing would be to try it out and then see if it benefits you. Spend at least as much time practicing the Bates method as you do reading/researching/discussing it, otherwise you end up wasting your time!
December 6, 2011 at 9:11 pm
Thank you for this thoughtful reply! Inspired and inspiring!
With replies like this, I have a hard time figuring out why it seems so hard for people to get motivated to get some work done. Maybe it’s just my misperception, but the amount of people who’ve successfully improved their vision seems somewhat low. On this blog too, there are quite a few regulars responding from time to time, but rarely is actual lasting improvement reported. Yet that would be most effective in encouraging people to give it a shot.
December 7, 2011 at 7:27 pm
hi iSighed, thank you. regarding low motivation to practice, or the lack of success stories that you have noticed: I think life in general gets in the way of practicing for most people. At first I thought, wow, I was able to make so much improvement during my PhD, that means anyone can do this! But as I’m going through interviews and moving into the ‘real’ (ie not academic) world, I am seeing that although I worked for many hours, I had a luxury of flexibility, which definitely helped me during my early Bates method practice. I think the biggest barrier is getting started, and despite job/family/life pressures, to put the time in. During the first three to six months, one needs to have the motivation to learn the method, think about the method, practice the method, and be enthusiastic about it – all of that without knowing if the method will work permanently. The vision fluctuates a lot, so some days great improvements are apparent while other days it seems like the eyes are back to square one. To keep putting in the time for enough months until one is definitely sure that the lowest fluctuations in vision are better than the best vision at the start takes true commitment. This is something that I can imagine is very difficult with a full time job (and let’s face it, whose full time job stops at 40 hours per week?). Once this period is over – then it is easy to put in the time! But few make it so far, I would say most people see temporary improvement at various stages, but don’t persist in practicing during busy times or when the vision seems worse than normal. Persisting is (in my experience) what leads to permanent improvement. Gaining permanent improvement is life changing, and for various reasons we have an internal resistance to that as well.
So while I used to be quite disappointed at the number of success stories, I think now I am happy at the range of people I have encountered who have made modest improvements, or who have at least reported that for the first time ever their prescription did not get worse! Success is relative, and I think if the method brings even a little relaxation to someone (even if their prescription doesn’t change), it is still beneficial.
if you’re looking for case studies, it is possible to find them by digging through teaching websites and so on. I think the easiest course of action is to learn and practice (at least a few times) palming, shifting, central fixation, swinging. If temporary improvement is observed, then I’d say it’s likely with consistent practice it will become permanent. It’s faster than browsing online for success stories.
best,
sorrisi
December 8, 2011 at 1:29 am
To add, I think people do what is most important at the moment. Whatever is driving you crazy more than anything, is the thing you’re going to focus more on correcting.
I’m getting to the point where I’m getting a little frustrated with my vision lately, so I’ll be practicing improvement techniques regularly again soon. I feel the need for more improvement lately. I’m starting by palming for at least 20 minutes a few times per week, and taking a lutein and zeaxanthin supplement (these are critical for eye health, especially the retina, but the only way to get enough in the diet is eacting pounds of spinnach a day, something I wouldn’t recommend, as it’s not a healthy or realistic practice).
Pretty busy now…I won’t be on here for a good week or so…
December 8, 2011 at 8:15 pm
@ FMR: a question I asked above, but that you probably missed: “Interesting that you will go into research. Where are you at the moment in your goal of becoming an eye doctor?”
December 16, 2011 at 6:12 pm
iSighted,
I’m about to start practicing for the entrance exam. I’m not yet sure when I will be applying exactly though.
Guess what? I made a decision recently. It wasn’t really easy, but I know it’s the right decision for me. It seemed like the wrong decision initially, but that’s because I’ve been innundated with biased information regarding vision improvement.
I’ve at least tried almost every technique over the years for vision improvement from nearsightedness. Among those that have not really worked are: plus lenses, going without glasses almost entirely for months or years. Both of these approaches caused more eyestrain than they were worth, and did not significantly improve acuity. In fact, I believe the optometrists who have found via research that looking at extremely blurred images (from no glasses) and using poor posture all the time (having to lean in even slightly to see the computer, etc) have just compounded the myopic adaptation that was already there, and I just got diminishing returns.
There are however 4 techniques that I had success with. Remember, I once improved by 1.25 D. Basically, I am going to follow similar protocol again because that’s what worked for me in the past. One of those techniques was the Bates Method. Another involves nutrition and eye health. A third is eye exercises (I must stress not to overdo these; they must be done in a careful, relaxed manner, or you could damage your eyes physically by putting too much force on the retina. I won’t do these unless absolutely needed).
The 4th technique might be a shocker, but I know it’s right for me, personally: wearing glasses a good chunk of the day. I’m going to do it in a controlled way. The glasses are undercorrecting, but they are stronger than the -1 I was using (which were too weak and really no better than going without glasses). I take them off frequently(every 5-10 min), so it’s not like I’m going back to pre-NVI status. People here might be skeptical of this approach (except Sorrisi, who used to do likewise), but I can tell it is working already after just a few days. I wore my glasses more than usual during finals, and guess what? my vision bounced back in 1/15th the amount of time it normally takes!
The ones I’m wearing are half the power of the ones I used to wear many years ago, and I can see almost as well with these as I used to with those. I fully expect to have 20/30 (from 20/60 now) with these glasses in a year’s time. I would one day like to be able to relegate them to night driving, but I’m getting way ahead of myself now.
In conclusion, I believe this would be a good approach for you to consider following, too, iSighted, since you were hesitant to totally dump glasses. The trick is to obtain a roughly 1.75 undercorrection (everyone is different, so that varies) from your super strong, 20/15 distance glasses. Your vision should be between 20/30 and 20/70 in good light with these glasses.
January 8, 2012 at 8:04 pm
Hi FMR, So far I’ve found using the Bates method (and other healthy eating/relaxation habits) in conjunction with wearing reduced prescription glasses (only when needed) is the most practical and effective method for me. I have also found that when glasses are too weak, it is better to either wear none, or to wear a strong enough prescription to improve my vision to the accuity that is needed for the task at hand. It sounds like this is similar to what you’re doing as well. keep me posted how this goes for you! and of course best of luck with entrance exams!!
Sorrisi
December 8, 2011 at 1:30 am
(post # 10, 12, and 13). Thanks!!!!
January 21, 2012 at 4:31 am
Sorrisi,
I’d add to that: another option sometimes available that does the trick is to simply get closer!
Please keep your blog…even if you can’t ever update it more frequently than you have been, don’t give up on it.
January 22, 2012 at 2:44 pm
thanks for the encouragement FMR. I’ll keep up the blog, and I’d say the same to you, stay in touch! The last months have just been a huge transition for me. I’ll explain in the next blog post, which I’ve just logged on for.