The Bates Method involves doing a few easy, fun exercises/techniques on a near daily basis if possible, starting with a few minutes per day, and increasing gradually to about 20 minutes per day, (if possible).
The exercises, which are deceptively easy and enjoyable, are in fact very profound, and allow the visual system to rest and relax. By doing the exercises/techniques regularly, we can quickly regain natural, relaxed habits of seeing, which assist in leading to clear, comfortable vision.
Yes, it’s possible to get to where I teach using public transport.
Skype lessons also work very well- I teach many clients overseas and within the UK this way. Many of the client testimonials on this site are from Skype clients.
The Bates Method arms you with the education to help yourself.
Diving into a swimming pool takes a level of trust and courage… just as taking the first step into anything new and unknown requires courage, a sense of adventure, curiosity, and a desire to change. These things have to come from you, and can’t be manufactured by someone else.
Nothing in life is guaranteed, not even life itself- but, if we are open to the new, have an interest in learning more, developing ourselves, taking responsibility for our own learning, motivation, failures and successes, and have a sense of adventure, there is no real limit to what we can achieve.
I understand your concern – people become very attached to their glasses, and to the financial investment they have made in purchasing them.
There is also an emotional element involved with wearing glasses; after a while, it becomes almost scary to think of being without them.
Bates Method lessons are certainly a worthwhile investment in your overall health – physical, emotional and mental (because our vision is a reflection of these aspects of our health, we need to address all of these angles in the lessons).
Everyone is completely different, as are speeds of improvement. Having a less stressful lifestyle is of course helpful..and beneficial for our general health and well-being too. But it is possible to learn how to bring calm moments and then good visual habits into that stressful lifestyle…and this helps to calm life down a bit generally too – which of course is a good thing.
Motivation is a key requisite for success- the client needs to be willing to be open to change and to put in the time (this is actually minimal) needed to relearn new, relaxed and natural habits of good vision.
The Method is easy and straightforward. Please refer to my client testimonials page if you would like further confirmation and also to the answer to “How long will it take?” on this page below. The client testimonials are all genuine quotes from past and current clients.
There are many testimonials out there on the Bates websites, as well as recent client quotes from my own teaching, to allay your concerns.
I would always recommended that you also consult an optician regarding your visual challenges.
Yes, clients do have to put in regular practise time (as with everything in life that’s worthwhile), however there’s potentially a lot to gain by trying the method out- even just one lesson would be helpful and will give you an idea as to how it works and whether you are prepared to put in the (minimal- and enjoyable) effort required.
Everyone’s vision is totally individual, and therefore, how many lessons are needed is completely different for each person. Every single person in the world has a different way of interpreting their world, and their vision is just as individual. How they think, how they live, how they move, how they feel, what they’ve experienced – this is all very individual, and yet it all affects how they see. So as a teacher, my job is to help the individual to improve as swiftly, easily, effectively and enjoyably as possible, to the point where the client feels that they know how to continue to improve their vision on their own, or with only occasional help from a teacher. I want to teach you how to do this work for yourself and to keep on getting great results.
The Bates Method may cause sudden and rapid improvement, but more often, it’s a case of weeks and months, even years. But some improvement is usually immediately noticeable, which is very motivating, and it continues throughout the process. This slowness is probably why it hasn’t yet caught on into the mainstream (though we hope it will soon!:)) In our goal-oriented, stress-filled western culture, people want quick fixes, which require no or minimal effort on their part, or else they can’t be bothered. Fortunately not everyone thinks this way, and they are the ones who try it out and reap the benefits!
Unfortunately, the “quick fix” provided by glasses or operations, doesn’t solve or heal the underlying condition actually causing the vision problem. This condition is often due to strain. The relaxing, rehabilitating, regenerating and healing effect of the Bates Method on the eyes and mind, enable the health of the eyes and clarity of vision to return, as much as is possible.
Just like any other part of the body, the eyes can make a recovery back to good health and good vision, particularly if helped with natural methods of relaxation and relearning of good visual habits. To me, this seems to be so logical and so obvious, and yet so many of us still believe that it’s impossible.
