Written by Dr. Tiffany Martinez
When most people think of vision therapy, they picture exercises for the eyes. What I’ve come to learn is that vision therapy is really awareness training.
Our brains learn not only through doing, but also through thinking about doing. Research shows that people who only imagined practicing the piano still improved almost as much as those who physically practiced. The brain doesn’t always distinguish between thought and action. Awareness itself changes the brain.
When I first started attending vision therapy seminars, my whole being felt disconnected. I was dissociated, tense, and unsure of myself. I didn’t feel safe being seen. But I had recently experienced something that helped me question that belief, just enough to stay open. I wasn’t ready to volunteer, so I did what felt natural. I observed.
I’ve always been a strong observer. Over time, I had become someone who watched from the sidelines. As I observed others doing vision therapy, I began to imagine myself in their place. Quietly, I would ask, “How would I do if I were the one up there?”
That simple act of imagining opened something new in me. My visual system began to wake up through awareness alone. I realized that I could engage in visual thinking by observing others. My brain was practicing without my body having to perform the task.
Through this process, I began noticing more about myself. I became aware of my own patterns, my reactions, and the quiet background thoughts that shaped how I moved through the world. Awareness gave me space to see which patterns helped me and which ones no longer served me.
Fast forward three years, and I would hardly recognize that earlier version of myself. Now, I am often the first to volunteer. I seek out experiences that stretch me, not to prove anything, but to see how I respond and to create more opportunities for growth.
All of this began with observation. With awareness. With allowing myself to watch before I acted.
Vision therapy taught me that awareness is the first step toward integration. It is how we begin to bring the disconnected parts of ourselves back together.
Reflection
Vision therapy is more than eye exercises. It is a path toward greater presence and awareness. It helps us notice how we move, think, and feel, and how these patterns shape the way we see the world. The more aware we become, the more choice we have in how we respond.
Awareness creates the space for transformation. It is where vision truly begins.
Awareness is the foundation of vision. What we see changes when we begin to notice how we are seeing.
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Dr. Tiffany Martinez, OD
Eyes of NM Family Optometry
