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VTP - Resolving Tunnel Vision

This exercise helps trauma survivors shift out of tunnel vision by using mindful eye movements to scan the surroundings. Tunnel vision activates the stress response in the body by narrowing our field of vision, but we can calm the nervous system by changing how we view the environment. The exercise involves slowly moving the eyes in a figure 8 pattern while breathing deeply and gently stretching the neck to stimulate the vagus nerve and activate the relaxation response.

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Elizabeth Fernandes
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41 views

VTP - Resolving Tunnel Vision

This exercise helps trauma survivors shift out of tunnel vision by using mindful eye movements to scan the surroundings. Tunnel vision activates the stress response in the body by narrowing our field of vision, but we can calm the nervous system by changing how we view the environment. The exercise involves slowly moving the eyes in a figure 8 pattern while breathing deeply and gently stretching the neck to stimulate the vagus nerve and activate the relaxation response.

Uploaded by

Elizabeth Fernandes
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Resolving Tunnel Vision

This exercise helps to shift out of the tunnel vision often


experienced by trauma survivors. This exercise can help to
release trapped trauma energy in the body, by using our eyes
to scan our surroundings mindfully, helping us to feel safer
and calmer in our bodies.

Why this exercise helps


• The eyes are very important in polyvagal theory. We need to
remember that the eyes are not connected to the brain, they are
the brain, making them a part of the central nervous system
(Wapner, 2020).
• When we get triggered, our eyes become very focused, and they
can feel very tight and strained.
• Stress controls our visual field more than we think (Wapner, 2020).
When we experience stress, one of the physical changes occurs in
our vision. Our pupils dilate, and our vision narrows- which is what
we call ‘tunnel vision’ (Wapner, 2020).
• This tunnel vision activates the body’s stress response, that being
the sympathetic nervous system (Wapner, 2020).
• We can turn off the body’s stress response by altering the way we
view our environment. Using the following eye tracking exercise can
help to calm your nervous system.
• Our eyes are controlled by 12 extraocular muscles that go all the
way down into the suboccipital muscles which border the upper
cervical vertebrae. The extraocular nerve endings have direct
contact with the vagus nerve. Thus, eye movements help to
stimulate the vagus nerve, which has the effect of calming the
body’s system (Schwartz, 2020).
• The mindful breath and slow body movements in this exercise
activate the parasympathetic nervous system, helping to calm the
body (Schwartz, 2020).
• This exercise also involves gentle stretching of the neck. Your vagus
nerve passes through the neck, thus gentle stretching of the neck
muscles results in feelings of relaxation through stimulating the
vagus nerve (Schwartz, 2020).
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Guided Meditation/Body Scan
• Find a safe place to sit (chair/floor/bed).
• Orientate yourself around the room with your eyes, breathing
deeply.
• Look where you are, look at what is around you.
• Notice how the ground feels beneath you- remind yourself of the
support the floor, the bed, or the chair is offering to you.
• Slowly start to bring your awareness into your body, starting from
the bottom of your body.
• Bring your awareness to your toes
o How do your toes feel?
o Is there a color associated with your toes?
o Is there a feeling?
o Is there an emotion?
o Is there a numbness? A buzzing? A Feeling of pain? Feelings of
calm?
• As you breathe in and out, move your awareness from your toes to
your calves asking yourself the same questions.
• Asking yourself the same questions as you move on to your knees,
your thighs, your buttocks, your back, your pelvis, your stomach,
your chest, your arms, your hands, your neck, your head, and lastly,
your face.
• As you breathe in and out, move your awareness from your toes to
your calves asking yourself the same questions.
• Asking yourself the same questions as you move on to your knees,
your thighs, your buttocks, your back, your pelvis, your stomach,
your chest, your arms, your hands, your neck, your head, and lastly,
your face.
• Is there a part of your body that needs attention? Bring your
awareness to this part of the body.
• Bring awareness to the sensation or emotion that comes up.
• What is that body part feeling or what does it need to feel?
• What are these parts of your body telling you?
• Acknowledge the sensation/emotion. Sit with this sensation or
emotion for as long as you can.
• When you are ready, take a deep breath in and release with an
exhale.

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Exercise
• With the movement of our heads, we are going to use our eyes.

• Use your eyes to scan all the way up, down and around in the
shape of a figure 8.
• You can hum at the same time to maximize the benefits of this
exercise.
• Extend your neck gently as you look around.
• Notice that your eyes are re-accommodating to looking all the way
outside the tunnel vision that we normally experience in a fight or
flight state

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• With trapped trauma in the body, one can experience twitches in
the body (neck and face). This is often because, at certain
moments in our lives, we were not able to scan our surroundings
appropriately due to the perceived threat or perceived lack of
safety.
• Try to practice this every day to get the best results in terms of
making long-term changes through neuroplasticity.

References
Schwartz, A. (2020, July 1). The vagus nerve and your health. Center for
Resilience Informed Therapy.
https://drarielleschwartz.com/the-vagus-nerve-and-your-health-dr-
arielle-schwartz/#.YgUiO99Bw2w

Wapner, J. (2020, November 16). Vision and breathing may be the


secrets to surviving 2020. Scientific American.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/vision-and-breathing-
may-be-the-secrets-to-surviving-2020/

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