Diffuse expanded attention activates relaxation pathways in the body and expands our conscious awareness.

Last week I attended a talk by an osteopathically oriented integrative doctor of optometry and I had an “ah ha” moment that was so delightful that I couldn’t wait to share it with you.

The subtitle of the talk was, “learning challenges and neurological deficits related to vision disorders,” and she talked about how the way we use our eyes affects our brains.

One of the things that came up was how young folks, in particular, are so much more depressed, anxious, and sleep-disrupted than ever before because they focus so much on electronics.

Apparently, diffuse expanded attention activates relaxation pathways and chemical cascades in the body.

She said, “in order to un-do the effects of hyperfocus, which leads to anxiety, you must move your gaze frequently to the horizon.”

Now THAT got my attention.

Expanded, diffuse attention, and the horizon are phrases we hear all the time in osteopathy. In fact these are the very concepts that open the door to more advanced levels of skill and experience — the kind of experience that has us able to remain simultaneously aware of the big picture (Does this patient love their life? Do I love my life?) and the infinitely small (What does that subtle feeling tell me about the patient’s body? About my own body?).

Incredible things happen when we attune through diffuse, expanded attention. Osteopathic treatment can expand awareness anew. People become more aware of distant things like birds, clouds, and stars . . . as well as local things like subtle communications from the body, mind, and spirit. Meditators, martial artists, and yogis also speak of these things, and science is beginning to catch up.

Osteopathy shines a unique lens on the reciprocity between the nervous system, the energy body, and the physical body. Anxiety affects all of it, and all kinds of supportive interventions can be useful.

Diffuse, expanded attention is the opposite of hyper-focused attention

When we are stressed or anxious, in some level of survival mode (fight-or-flight) our perceptual field narrows, sometimes dramatically. In this state, we lose track of anything that isn’t right under our noses. We experience overwhelm, misplace things, forget the reason we came into a room, have accidents, and tune out the world. In extreme anxiety or panic attacks, vision can literally be reduced to a single point. This is called Tunnel Vision or Peripheral Vision Loss (PVL).

One of the quick fixes for anxiety is to breathe into a paper bag. This lets you receive the carbon dioxide you are exhaling which stimulates the parasympathetic (opposite of fight-or-flight) nervous system. We’ve explored the more elegant way of maintaining adequate levels of carbon dioxide through nasal breathing (but let’s stay focused here, pun intended!).

I’m always in learning and connection mode. I’d LOVE to hear about your experience with attuning to the horizon, while exploring the healing eye practices, and anything else you care to share about your brain, body, and life.

Keep me posted, offer a pearl or ask a question in the comments below or the bubble in the lower right hand corner of your screen 

Thank you for being here.

In Celebration of your Emerging Glow & Flow,

Dr. Michelle Veneziano
& the Flow is Medicine Community