Attended by Bates method teachers, NVI practitioners, visual trainers, holistic practitioners, as well as by opticians, ophthalmologists, orthopticians, osteopaths, psychotherapists and all those willing to take their vision in their own hands.

One of the main issues of this conference was to introduce italian practitioners to important contributions already been made during previous international conferences (Virginia beach, Berlin, Paris) or available in Internet.

Another one was to help different kinds of approaches to meet each other and share.

So it was an italian conference meant for Italians. All the presentations were completely written down and translated into italian; no translations were made into other languages (this may change in the future, though).

This conference's main topic was Vision and Emotions (Last year was Vision & space perception). And it turned out to be a very involving and moving experience for all participants. At the end of the conference an informal panel was created to investigate means and ways to establish a national association of vision educators, to promote the Bates method and other natural approaches to eyesight improvement.

Here is a brief commentary on lectures, Presentations and papers

Vision and Emotions. People with imperfect sight are toned between a conscious effort to see and unconscious negative emotions associated to good vision. Every practitioner, specially those trained psychologically immediately detect "resistance" in their clients about seeing and being seen, seeing and express emotions. Going through these themes is a great opportunity for personal growth as well as the basis of vision improvement. Pier Luigi Lattuada (Psychotherapist and one of the first to introduce NVI in Italy) has particularly touched these issues in his workshop and his presentation. Also Daniela Giovati (orthoptician and Bates), Marisa Martinelli (Psychotherapist and NVI), Antonella Adorisio (Jungian psychoanalyst) introduced this theme from different angles.

Vision and posture. Gianni Bazzani is the man who introduced posturology in Italy, by translating the works of B. Bricot. Posturology is a medical branch and is better known in France and not so in USA and UK: pity, because it can be a bridge between osteopathy, craniosacral, Bates and orthodox ophthalmology. On a similar line we reintroduced Peter Grunwald's work.

To Bates and craniosacral was devoted the presentation of Lydia Cattani.

Pinholes (here called Rasterbrille, in the German way) They can find many different uses is vision recovery. Laura Canepa (orthoptician) reported on this, but many interesting points came also in the presentations of Daniela Giovati and Peter Mansfield.

Serious conditions of the eye Anna Corallo and Lydia Cattani talked about their experience with near blindness. Also Tonino Casula had recovered from legal blindness in a way similar to Meir Schneider and has become since then an expert of visual perception. The study of Grace Halloran and the essay of Sandra Merideth where also introduced..

Together with Rosemary Gaddun also Giorgio Ferrario (Bates, science of movement) stresses the importance of awareness and being centered in the process of vision recovery, and also Daniela Giovati and Pierluigi Lattuada pointed at the same issue..

Breath and vision were introduced by Margherita Martani and Susanne Harpner.

Maurizio Cagnoli (Buena Vista) introduced Ray Gottlieb's approach about presbyopia

Bruno Feldman demonstrated that in the accommodation controversy, even among the ranks of ophthalmology there are different theories, some of which congruent with Bates'.This document is available at Documents

Everybody has been involved by Giuseppe Urselli in his original Tai Ji for vision .

Seminars and Workshops

Pierluigi Lattuada (. A) " Vision and Emotions ".

Giuseppe Urselli (B) Tai Ji for vision "

Tonino Casula (C) "Two eyes better than one"

List of lectures and presentations

Adorisio Antonella Seeing and been seen

Banker Deborah Simple acupressure points for eyesight

Bazzani Gianni, How far do eyes reach...in the body?

Canepa laura If Bates had the rasterbrille

Casula Tonino You learn to see just like you learn to ride on a bicycle

Cattani Lydia Vision , relaxation and meditation.

Corallo Anna Talkin' about my eyes

Feldman Bruno History of accommodation theories

Ferrario Giorgio Being present to oneself and eyesight improvement

Gaddun Gordon Rosemary Reptilian brain, dissociation and seeing from the core.

Giovati Daniela "That's my secret We only see well through the heart. The essence is invisible to the eyes "(S. Exupery)

Gottlieb Ray Presbyopia reduction

Grunwald Peter The eye- body reflexes

Halloran Grace Integrated therapeutic approach in serious conditions of the eyes

Harpner Susanne Breath and the dry eye syndrome

Kiesling David Difficulties in accepting the Bates method

Lattuada Pierluigi Think without mind, see with no eyes

Mandolini Massimo Biofeedback and vision

Mansfield Peter The School of Vision Education approach Case studies

Martani Margherita Experiences of Vivation and vision improvement

Martinelli Marisa Psychological resistance to vision recovery

Merideth Sandra Cone power

Whiteford Aileen Personal journaling and vision improvement

All the above in Italian can be ordered by mail (€ 20,00)

Some documents from the first and second conference are beeing translated into english, thanks to Max Mandolini. Go to Documents

3rd. conference of holistic vision in Italy
21, 22, 23, 24 May 2004, in Florence. For the moment only a report in italian is available

tel +39 0765 608283 fax 0765 608200 (Maurizio Cagnoli)

email conference@metodobates.it

Go to the page of international conferences

Go to Documents