Restoring Your Eyesight: A Taoist Approach

236 Pages·2006·1.19 MB·English

by  Doug Marsh

RESTORING
YOUR EYESIGHT
A TAOIST APPROACH
DOUG MARSH
FOREWORD BY
THOMAS R. QUACKENBUSH
Healing Arts Press
Rochester, Vermont
C
ONTENTS
FOREWORD by Thomas R. Quackenbush
INTRODUCTION
PART ONE: EXCESS
1 THE CHASE
2 LOSS
PART TWO: THE WAY
3 RHYTHM
4 SOFTNESS
5 RETURN
6 BALANCE
7 WHOLENESS
PART THREE: HARMONY
8 VIRTUE
CONCLUSION
FOOTNOTES
NOTES
BIBLIOGRAPHY
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ABOUT INNER TRADITIONS
BOOKS OF RELATED INTEREST
COPYRIGHT
RESTORING
YOUR EYESIGHT
“Doug Marsh’s obviously deep understanding of the Tao illuminates the most
interesting aspects of Dr. Bates’s work. This is one of the best books on Natural
Vision Improvement I have read, and I will recommend it to all my vision
students!”
Elizabeth Abraham, co-founder of
the Vision Educator Training Institute “Taoist readers will wonder how they
missed applying these principles to their suboptimal eyesight. It’s clear from this
book that the Bates Method is not so terribly isolated and unique, but is in tune
with an impressive variety of research, both historical and modern.”
Dave Kiesling, director and founder of
www.iblindness.org, dedicated to the Bates Method
F
OREWORD
In May 1999 I received a lengthy e-mail from Doug Marsh regarding his interest
in Natural Vision Improvement (NVI). Over the last seven years we have had
many communications on this topic.
Now Doug contributes Restoring Your Eyesight: A Taoist Approach to the
relatively sparse and much needed library of NVI books in his “motivation to
reach out to others.” I am surprised and pleased to discover Doug’s book is on
par (yes, a pun on his love of golf!) with books written by professional NVI
teachers.
His theme of Taoism is appropriate, since both NVI and Taoism teach a way
of life that is in balance and harmony with nature—something many of us have
not yet achieved, not by conscious choice, but because of the severe imbalances
that modern culture presents to us. Taoist philosophy includes “rhythm, softness,
return, balance, and wholeness.” There has hardly been a better description of
the attributes associated with good eyesight. In my work, I use the right
brain/left brain theme, which ultimately steers us toward the same goal of good
eyesight. Both philosophies emphasize relaxation, movement, and centralization
(which Doug has coined “concentric focus”). These principles are presented and
described very well herein.
The damage caused by modern industrialization and technology is explored in
part 1, “Excess.” Why are the majority of people living in “civilized” societies
unable to function normally—without crutches on their noses or in their eyes?
Doug presents good answers.
The ancient wisdom of Taoism as related to NVI fundamentals are primarily
offered in part 2, “The Way.” It is important to understand that NVI really is “a
way.” Most students of NVI understand it to be a series of eye exercises done for
twenty minutes per day. However, this is not entirely correct. NVI is a process of
relearning how to see the correct way—the way most of us learn naturally,
automatically, and subconsciously in the first year of our lives. Dr. Bates stated
that these are “habits” and are meant to be used “all day long.” And as I like to
remind my students, anyone can relearn something they used to do perfectly.
I should add that a specific spiritual teaching is not needed to improve one’s
eyesight, however, the philosophical concepts common to both are needed. On
an amusing note, I once had a potential student tell me she did not want to attend
my classes after attending a free introductory lecture, because she concluded I
was teaching “Presbyterian” vision. Just for the record, I had only discussed
“presbyopic” vision, no religion!
Have you ever seen your vision fluctuate? Perhaps while on vacation you have
noticed that you often see better. Or, conversely, when under excessive stress,
you may have noticed that your vision is not entirely clear, or even that it is
crossed-eyed. Have you ever noticed that after wearing glasses for a few hours
and then taking them off, your vision is more blurred than before you put them
on? Then, after a few more hours of not wearing them, your vision gets better
again? If so, then you have experienced NVI, and you have contradicted the
theories of virtually all eye doctors who dogmatically proclaim that it is
impossible for eyesight to improve naturally. The theory (a guess) that eyesight
cannot improve is so ingrained in the orthodox professionals that, sometimes,
when improvement is measured and verified, they will say their previous
examinations were in error! That may not be a reassuring thought to many
people!!
An optician once told one of my students that she (the optician) only needed
her stronger glasses when she was under high stress. Since vision fluctuates for
everyone, and most people know this, it is curious that eye professionals, in their
professional practice, adhere so strongly to theories that contradict their own
experience. As a holistic dentist once stated, “They can’t teach you what they
don’t know; and they can’t lead you were they won’t go.” Go to authorities who
have been taught that your eyesight cannot get better naturally and have no
experience with people’s eyesight improving naturally, and most likely you will
not improve. Go to authorities who have been taught eyesight can improve
naturally and have lots of experience with people’s eyesight improving, and your
chances are a lot better. Flaws and confusion within the optometric and
ophthalmologic professions are covered in part 3, “Harmony.”
Doug’s writings include his own struggles with glasses and contact lenses, as
he wonders how, for instance, to rid himself of these torturous crutches—an all
too common plight of people all over the world. The theories of myopia being
hereditary, and presbyopia being due to old age, are shattered by simple facts.
But to what can we attribute myopia and presbyopia? Dr. Bates showed us that
they are due to stress—not just any stress, but specific strained, mental,
emotional, and physical vision habits. In a wonderful way, Doug helps us to
understand terms like “force, stress, strain, pressure, and tension,” and
“concentration”—terms that are often misunderstood. By relearning natural
vision habits and principles Doug has been rewarded with excellent
improvement “accumulated dramatically over the long run”—as have I. Thomas
Chavez, a homeopath and one of my NVI students, in his book Body Electronics,
defines health as freedom, which resonates with Doug’s own NVI process as
being “a liberating journey.”
Doug describes many supportive holistic therapies including massage,
Feldenkrais, Alexander Technique, craniosacral therapy, and myofascial release.
Any therapy that truly supports relaxation, movement (circulation), and
centralization (relaxed visual concentration) will accelerate the improvement of
one’s eyesight.
Since there is a strong correlation between certain “functional” vision
problems (nearsightedness, farsightedness, and presbyopia for example) and eye
disease, many people are also seeking NVI for preventative reasons. Ignorance is
not bliss when it comes to eyesight.
Bottom line? Lower the power of your prescription glasses and/or contact
lenses (safely and legally if for driving), use your own eyes more and more, and
restore your eyesight by relearning natural vision habits and principles. Since
1983 I have watched thousands of my own students improve their vision. Many
thousands more have improved under the tutelage of other NVI teachers.
Educate yourself and reap the rewards!
I believe Doug’s book will be a valuable aid for those seeking the truth about
eyesight and how to take care of it in a natural way. In fact, I will now be using
Doug’s excellent information in my NVI classes. Motivation, patience,
perseverance, and commitment are necessary, but the rewards are—most likely
—far beyond what one might currently expect.
As one reader of my book stated, this process “could actually be called
Relearning to Live.”
Sounds Taoist to me.
THOMAS R. QUACKENBUSH
Thomas R. Quackenbush is a vision educator whose seminal book Relearning to
See fully articulates the Bates Method of natural vision improvement.
I
NTRODUCTION
A tree as great as a man’s embrace springs from a small shoot;
A terrace nine stories high begins with a pile of earth;
A journey of a thousand miles starts under one’s feet.
The bright path seems dim;
Going forward seems like retreat;
The easy way seems hard.
LAO TZU1
THE SEED
Without warning, my blurry vision spontaneously cleared to virtually 20/20 sight
for a few seconds. At that moment I knew what the expression “breathtaking”
meant; the sheer exhilaration almost caused me to stop breathing. My stunned
reaction occurred because my high-prescription “Coke-bottle” glasses were in
my coat pocket while I was walking along the sidewalk! It had been almost
thirty-five years since I’d been able to see that clearly and naturally with my own
eyes, unaided by the artificial clarity of strong glasses.
I’d heard of people having a religious experience or a spiritual awakening.
Whether the emotional surge I had at that moment of sudden visual clarity could
be described in such potentially life-altering terms, I can’t say for sure.
Regardless of the significance of such an overpowering sensation, the event
dramatically changed my notions about eyesight and vision health. It gave me a
whole new “outlook” on life.
The reason my glasses were in my pocket that day wasn’t because I’d broken
them. Rather, I had been purposely not wearing them for long periods as part of
my experiment with Natural Vision Improvement (NVI), also called the Bates
Method. A few weeks earlier, I had purchased an obscure paperback originally
published in 1929 entitled Better Eyesight Without Glasses, by Harry Benjamin.
I had been following Benjamin’s advice each day when, out of the blue, I was
rewarded with such remarkable yet fleeting clarity. The planted seed had begun
to germinate.
Not only has my commitment to improving my eyesight by natural means
been personally fulfilling, it has also been a motivation to reach out to others.
My NVI “tree” has branched out to bear fruit in the form of the book you are
reading.
TAO
You may once have said to someone, “The journey of a thousand miles begins
with a single step” and not realized you were dispensing a gem of Taoist
wisdom. If you’re unfamiliar with Taoism, its origins date back about twenty-
five hundred years ago to a wise old man by the name of Lao Tzu (other
variations: Lao Tse or Laozi). Legend has it that this mysterious man wrote the
Tao Te Ching (pronounced “dow deh jing”). The immense wisdom contained in
this surprisingly short but classic work is truly remarkable. Good things do come
in small packages, because the Tao Te Ching is a lucid masterpiece on the art of
living. The messages are both philosophical and spiritual. Learning to be guided
by the inner rather than the outer light is a huge part of coming to grips with
what life throws us. Understanding the concept of inner and outer vision is
equally relevant in regaining the purity and clarity of natural eyesight.
The theme on which this book is based is the concept of Tao. It is an elusive
term that is difficult to precisely translate into English. The first parallel that
Westerners may immediately think of is God, but the Tao is not defined as a
personal, judgmental deity. According to Huston Smith, it is literally translated
as “Way” or “Path” it’s the mystical way of reality, the eternal rhythm in the
universe, nature, and human life.2 George Lucas’s Star Wars characters could
perhaps just as easily have said, “May the Tao be with you.” Or instead of
“going with the flow,” we could say we’re “going with the Tao.”
Tao Te Ching, then, can be roughly translated as “The Book of the Way” or
“The Way and Its Power.” The over forty different English versions of the
ancient Chinese text give an indication of just how challenging is the task of
creating a definitive translation. The versions I’ve chosen to quote throughout
the book are by Gia-fu Feng and Jane English, Thomas Cleary, Ellen M. Chen,
and Stephen Mitchell.