2013

Fuch’s Dystrophy

“I was diagnosed with an eye condition called- “Fuchs”. The prognosis in most cases is blindness. When I first visited Dr. Berne, my symptoms included foggy vision, diminished night vision, and sporadic eye pain. Mayo Clinic advised that if my symptoms worsened, a cornea transplant would be needed to save my eyesight.

“Dr. Berne has worked with me for the past eight months. He gave me a series of eye-brain exercises. After working with Dr. Berne, I am happy to report that my eyeglasses prescription has been reduced, the “foggy” vision is almost non-existent, and my night vision has improved greatly. So much so, I am no longer uncomfortable with night driving.

“Dr. Berne’s treatments have made a huge difference in my life. My goal is to never have
cornea transplants, and I am confident, because of Dr. Berne I will definitely accomplish that goal.”

— 8/6/2013

“Over the last 6 years my eyes have been improving as I have done emotional work and made dietary changes. No regular optometrist I have ever been to has been able to explain or even accept that, let alone guide me in making advantage of the correspondences I have noticed between my physical and emotional states and my eyesight. Sam, on the other hand, speaks this language of correspondences fluently and has been able to lead me toward so much greater insight in the past few months of our acquaintance than I had been able to find on my own until now – I am thrilled to have found him to work with!

“One consultation, a day-long workshop, and constantly reaching deeper into and practicing what I have learned with Sam have been enough to show me already amazing things about how my vision relates to my present health, my past, and my potential. The work makes room in my body as well as in my mind to “see” things in new ways and learn to respond afresh instead of following old paradigms.

“One example of Sam’s innovative tools are “training glasses” that distort one’s vision. The first pair I tried on felt strange and took some getting used to, but my immediate physical response to a second pair was shocking! Immediately when I put them on I felt the visceral sensation of a way of being in the world that I have long feared and avoided.

“Just think of how the world looked to you at some time when you were greatly alarmed. The reverse happens as well. Putting on a pair of training glasses that make the world look a certain way visually can apparently make you feel the same way physically that would have made you see that way. That makes sense if you know what it is like to wear a prescription that is not quite right – it can be nauseating, confusing, and uncomfortable so many ways.

“Wearing a certain prescription all the time as I do thus enforces a certain way of being in the world – one forgets how to leave the comfort zone even if it has limitations and uncomfortable points, and one’s emotional and physical world begins to be missing parts.

“Sam encouraged me to try feeling out the space that these training glasses put me in, take a break if I needed it, and be okay with what I was experiencing. Just wearing them was difficult, but it gave me much to ponder.

“It turns out this experience was as groundbreaking as it had felt for me. The next day I was reading without my glasses and searching for greater focus. I was amazed to realize that what I was feeling at successful moments of focus was the feeling of wearing those training glasses that had made me so uncomfortable.

“So, now there is a correlation for me between my being in the world in that very way that I have feared and avoided and being able to achieving visual clarity, and I am suddenly compelled to face my fears in this area as I feel them. Having experienced the training glasses makes all the difference in my knowing that I am safe here and giving me courage to keep pressing into new ways of encountering the world.

“I have had a lot of previous pieces to understanding my relation to my eyesight to put together with this work with Sam, so may be in a better position than many to see the benefit now, immediately – but I encourage any of you who are inclined to be skeptical as I once was to pay attention and start watching Sam’s videos or checking out his books or visit if you can – see if it isn’t well worth it.

“Some days I feel my eyes sharpening toward the distant mountains. It takes courage for me to see that far. I feel that courage I am developing in seeing is seeping into my work elsewhere. My goal is to see clearly, even more spiritually than visually, in order to bring to life what I envision for my growth and future with more grace and success. Vision training has been so far one way of retaking my own course in life instead of continuing in one that I learned “through prescription.” Sam reversed his own heavy prescription years ago and is a model for me of the powerful vibrance that can come through living in one’s own skin and seeing through ones own eyes. I have confidence in the training I am doing with him, and hope that I will soon be free of glasses too.”

— 3/22/2013

“After going to a conventional vision therapy practice, I found Dr. Sam Berne.
He treated my eye difficulties as completely interconnected to every other part of
my mind and body. He told me that I had a strangle hold over my eyes, and he
began teaching me how to let up some of my control. Letting go was a challenge
for me. Being a perfectionist was my nature, as I loved my detail. Several times
he lowered my glasses prescription. The lack of extreme clarity was at first infuriating,
but I realized I felt much more relaxed, my eyes were not straining, and my eyesight improved.

“As my eyes improved, I became more articulate, more flexible, and I became more open to new ideas.
I also became more comfortable with myself. My improvisational dance became better. Thank you Dr.
Berne for your expertise”

— 3/2013