Vision and “Visions”:

Connections between Eyesight and Consciousness

Ever wonder why we close our eyes when we meditate? Or why we call intuition “second sight”? Do we really have a “third eye”? Did you know that 80% of the information we receive from our environment comes through our eyes? Even light filtered by closed eyelids controls most of our vestibular (balance) system. What’s the difference between “perception,” “insight,” “vision” and “enlightenment”? And why do we say things like, “I’ll believe it when I see it,” or “Remember the bigger picture”? If eyes are “windows to the soul,” then what do vision problems reveal about our Consciousness?

Very few people have “perfect” vision. Even “20-20” isn’t always perfect. I first learned about the difference between sight and vision after a 1998 brain injury left me unable to read print or tolerate florescent or flashing lights. I experienced nearly constant vertigo and migraine headaches. I’d had my eyes tested by more doctors than I remember: always 20-20 sight. Yet I was visually disabled! Someone finally referred me to a holistic optometrist—someone who specializes in brain-eye-body coordination, i.e. vision, rather than simply sight. People who specialize in full body-mind vision include visual therapists, ocular balance therapists, neuro-optometrists, behavioral or functional optometrists, and some vestibular experts. Each specialist connotes a slightly different background or educational model, but they all realize vision can involve more than just eye shape or eye health.

So, how does the visual system work? To simplify a very complex process: cells in the retina convert light into neural signals, which eventually reach the brain via the optic nerve. These signals carry information about color, form and motion, asking the brain to create a picture of our world. If the world were an archeology site, the eyes would be tools, the optic nerve hands, and the brain an archeologist. The eyes sift through and find artifacts, but they need the brain and hands to direct the digging. The brain also makes sense of these discoveries, creating storylines and interpreting the details. Recognizing that the brain functions best in a relaxed state, in 1920 ophthalmologist William Bates published a book called Perfect Sight Without Glasses, in which he claims all vision problems arise from tension rather than genetics or eye shape. Bates and other natural vision correction systems suggest exercises to relax the brain, while strengthening eye muscles and improving coordination. Though controversial, his book sparked ongoing research in connections between mental/emotional processing and eyesight.

Of course, Bates did not begin the study of mind-body vision. The 5000 year old Vedas from India provide the earliest written exploration. During Kundalini yoga (KY), practitioners keep their eyes not only closed, but also rolled upwards and inwards. This action stimulates the third eye energy center (“Ajna”), and improves balance and concentration. KY is more active than other forms of yoga and emphasizes repetitive movements, so the closed, upward-focused eyes become a still point. When they reopen, eyes feel more relaxed and the mind clearer. Another KY technique involves alternate leg kicks crossing over the midline, which integrates left and right sides of the brain. Since vision occurs bilaterally, an integrated brain translates to better binocular function. In Hatha yoga, looking down the nose during “tree pose” similarly works to activate mind-body balance and the third eye. Colored light therapy can also open or close the visual field, depending on the color. In use since the early 20^th century, colored lights may work because they stimulate chakras through their corresponding colors.

In May 1998, just after I had accepted a four-year doctoral scholarship and fellowship in English Literature, I was rear-ended at a red light. My brain ricocheted as the car flew 20 yards forward, knocking me out when my head hit the headrest. Talk about a life changing accident! I used to read six to eight books a week and write 30+ page papers in two days; my injury left me unable to read print longer than five minutes per day. Simultaneously, I could no longer ignore my ability to “read” intuitively. Attempting to rebuild a destroyed processing system, I tried everything from vision therapy to gotu kola, from headstands to prism glasses. Each piece contributed, but it wasn’t until I embraced more esoteric ways of “seeing” that my eye and brain function fully corrected. I finally ditched my glasses in 2006 after a meditation convinced me to accept my ability and calling to offer past life readings.

On my last teaching trip in Chicago, I interviewed my former behavioral optometrist, Dr. Jeffrey Getzell. (Ironically, my desire for vegan food had led us to lunch at a place called Blind Faith Café.) I wanted to know if my experiences and observations matched things he himself had known and observed. During my 18-month visual therapy program, I had noticed that my entire reality shifted every time I went through something he called a “transition—when the brain is reorganizing its visual input.” In my own life as well as coaching people going through vision changes, I’ve noticed that very rapid perceptual changes can be traumatic. Old beliefs and patterns drop away as we allow naturally good vision to return. Dr. Getzell confirmed my suspicion that for many adults, visual improvement coincides with increased Consciousness.

According to Louise Hay’s Heal Your Body, astigmatism corresponds to a “fear of ‘seeing’ the self.” Near-sightedness indicates “fear of the future,” while far-sightedness refers to a “fear of seeing the present.” As a medical intuitive, I love checking in with Louise Hay, but I’ve also noticed that people are incredibly complex. Sometimes one area shuts down in order to awaken another, and the process itself holds value. The writers of ancient Greece tell of Cassandra and Tiresias, both blind prophets. Researchers now believe the medieval mystic and holistic health visionary Hildegard von Bingen received her famous visions during the aura stage of migraines. Sometimes, the eyes shut down so that we can truly see. As Helen Keller put it, "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart."

In exploring connections between eyesight and Consciousness, non-judgment and non-attachment become key concepts. Judgments create blinders—both literal and figurative. Attachments cause us to fixate, limiting our awareness. If we judge a vision problem, we hide some possible solutions from ourselves. When we get attached to 20/20 sight or totally healthy eyes, we miss peripheral gifts from the experience. Here we can learn from both the ancients and The Secret about the differences between intention and attachment. Imagine and invite clarity to your vision and visions. Focus on your third eye so you remember it’s there. And then … relax. See with heart. Your reality will shift.

Laura Bruno is a Medical Intuitive, Life Coach and Reiki Master Teacher: 775-750-9140 or visit www.internationalrenaissancecoaching.com.