Optics and Stress Control

ストレス解消のため、視界を制約したり目線を動かしては如何でしょうか。

Here are some suggestions on stress control. They seem to match some of the ideas put forward by Harvard psychiatrist Dr. Fredric Schiffer, who became a pioneer of Dual-Brain Psychology with his book, Of Two Minds.

I. Background

1. The brain’s original purpose was to function as a general CPU for stimuli received by the sensory organs including the eyes, ears, and nose.

However, with the progress of history, human beings came to enjoy more physical comfort, stability and security in their lives, thus improving their living standards.

Then the brain’s functioning and responsibility as a data- gathering and classification center for external sensory stimuli began to lose importance, and more time and energy was employed for sophisticated activities including research and analysis.

One of the more important factors contributing to this trend was the division of labor.

2. Man was a gregarious animal, living in groups to enhance security and to improve chances of finding food and shelter. Consequently, increasing members of a group would be relieved for longer hours from guard duty and night-watch duty, when they had to look out for signs of approaching animals, unfriendly tribes, fires, storms, etc., relying on their eyesight and other sensory organs to detect abnormal or unfamiliar signs, sounds and odors.

3. As a result, more people would feel secure and safe enough to pursue peace-time activities such as reading and writing, or, in more modern times, watching TV.

They may also choose to explore the realm of analysis, retrieving information to reflect upon the past, reassess the present situation, and consider possible plans and options for the future.

In this mode, however, people may unwittingly fall into the trap of anxiety over the future.

4. Consequently, the main cause for stress in its extreme forms must be idleness and redundancy of time, allowing for reflection and introspection.

In a “prison camp” or captive situation, or in a “waiting for test results” situation, the Id may send out nasty signals giving rise to apprehension, doubts and anxiety that may be more than you can handle.

This may bring a strong sense of insecurity and, at times, result in an upsurge of negative emotion, i.e. anguish over the past, anxiety about the present, and pessimism for the future.

II. Controlling Stress Visually

The best remedy should be to go outdoors, take in some fresh air, sunbathe, and get some exercise as well. Then, talk to someone to divulge and release your inner feelings.

However, if you have to remain indoors and happen to be on your own, try the following:

1. Block off the Peripheral Areas

(1) Bring your hands close to the face and, with each thumb touching the outer edge of the eyes, extend the palm of your hands straight up and shield off the peripheral areas of vision on both the left and right sides, i.e. using the hands as frames of imaginary goggles that secure a transparent lens in front of the eyes.

(2) This will ensure that the visual image captured by each eye will come from and be limited to the binocular field of vision, and thus be almost identical; very similar visual images will be relayed into each brain hemisphere.

(3) This should have a relaxing effect because, when the Ego is lodged in one brain hemisphere, the Id is apt to be in the other hemisphere. By making sure that the Ego and the Id receive almost the same visual information (albeit captured from slightly different angles) transmitted into either brain hemisphere, both entities will have the same understanding on the surrounding environment; there will be no discrepancies or conflicting views here, and the Id will not feel that the Ego is insensitive.

(4) Furthermore, because vision is artificially cut off on the sides, there will be a sense of heightened insecurity. Both the Ego and the Id will try their best to compensate for this loss of visionary information by relying on the other sensory organs, including the ears and the nose, to be on the alert for any noise or smell that may help detect any unexpected and unwanted intrusions. Thus, there will no longer be time to kill by wallowing in anxiety or pondering over personal problems.

2. Swing the Eyes

(1) Swinging the eyes laterally, back and forth from left to right, has been known to help relieve stress and anxiety, and referred to as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).

(2) The reason why this is effective can be attributed to the fact that it causes the Ego to shift brain hemispheres each time the eyes move in one direction; when the eyes shift to the right, the Ego is transferred into the left hemisphere, and when shifted to the left, into the right hemisphere.

A useful indicator in this context is the particular side of the nasal ridge that comes into view each time the eyes are swung; if the left side of the nasal ridge comes into view, the Ego will be in the left hemisphere, and vice versa.

(3) Thus, lateral movements of the eye are accompanied by synchronized transfers of the Ego between the 2 brain hemispheres, and if these eye movements are continued persistently, the Ego will be constantly on the move, with no time left for brooding and pondering in verbal terms, by making use of language resources stored in either hemisphere.

(4) Moreover, if the Id happens to be doing mischief, including brain chatter, from the brain hemisphere that the Ego is absent from, this trick of swinging the eyes from left to right and backwards will effectively drive out the Id from both hemispheres, and force it to stop its malicious antics.

3. Divide the Field of Vision

(1) At the outset, keep the line of sight level and parallel to the ground, with the eyes focused straight ahead, so that the binocular field of vision is maximized.

Then try to mimic a fish, shark or any other animal, whose binocular field of vision must be very restricted, due to facial features such as a prominent nose, that may prevent the 2 eyes from easily focusing on a common area, by splitting your front field of view into 2 parts.

For example, raise the palm of your hand in front of the nasal ridge, with the thumb close to the face, to create an extension of the nose so as to form an artificial barrier that divides the binocular field of vision into 2 lateral parts.

(2) Focus on the Extreme Corners

(a) Now turn the eyes to the extreme right, so that the left eye is deprived of almost all visual information by the central barrier, and one is totally dependent on the right eye.

(b) Similarly, turn the eyes to the extreme left, so one becomes totally dependent on the left eye.

(3) Results

(a) The artificial barrier in the middle will result in a more pronounced division of labor by the 2 eyes, each of which will be constrained and limited to gathering visual information from either the left or right side of the face, but not both.

This division of labor will be taken to extremes when the eyes are turned to the extreme right or left.

(b) Strangely enough, this exercise should help prevent negative thoughts and feelings from appearing and annoying you, and you will find relief from your greatest worries. You will regain your voice which will come out more deeper and louder. Hopefully, you will be able to sufficiently relax, as to be ready for stretching exercises.

(4) Explanation

(a) The brain consists of 2 hemispheres, the left and the right. If the visual field is split in half by an extended nose or by other methods, visual information gathered by each of the eyes will be constrained in the following manner:

Left Eye : The visual information collected will be from the left hand side. When turned to the extreme left, all the collected data will be conveyed into the right hemisphere of the brain.

Right Eye : The visual information collected will be from the right hand side. When turned to the extreme right, all the collected data will be transmitted into the left hemisphere.

(b) At any given moment, the Ego will chase visual information coming into the brain from the 2 eyes, so that its location will be largely dependent on the angle of sight.

--- If the eyes are level and look straightforward into the binocular field of vision, the Ego will more or less be centrally located and straddled between the 2 hemispheres, to catch visual information coming in from both eyes. This places the Ego in the best position to measure distance and depth, and the artificial barrier will have minimal effect. (It can be conjectured that the Id must also have access to a similar visual image.)

--- If the 2 eyes are prevented from focusing on the binocular field of vision by the new contraption, however, depth in vision will be impaired, and the Ego will no longer be able to approximate distance, thus giving rise to insecurity and anxiety.

(c) When the eyes are turned to the extreme right, the artificially extended nose will prevent the left eye from collecting visual information, and one is totally dependent on the right eye, visual information from which is relayed into the left hemisphere.

In this case, the Ego moves into the left hemisphere to catch this visual information, but the Id is left inside the right hemisphere which is without any visual information, so the Id is almost blind.

(d) When the eyes are turned to the extreme left, the right eye will be prevented from gathering information and one relies on the left eye, visual information from which is relayed into the right hemisphere.

Then the Ego is transferred into the right hemisphere to catch all this visual information, but the Id is inside the left hemisphere without any visual information, so the Id is almost blind.

(e) The Id is at a loss what to do when deprived of visual information, becomes disorientated and will stop its antics that may include fostering insecurity through brain chatter, and attempts to sabotage the Ego’s endeavors to throw its voice and speak out loud.