The Eyes Have It!

Heard from a client earlier today. He's been doing so well and I'm so proud of him, but up popped a bit of a demon that was causing him some alarm. Seems he's been having issues with his vision and it got to the point where he hit Google ("Oh man!") and started doing some research (double "Oh man!"). Well, he'd decided there was a good possibility that he was suffering from Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder (HPPD). Of course, he was frightened with the prospects of his disease. And, of course, he doesn't have it.

But he had no other explanation for the floaters, light and light-to-dark sensitivity, auras, etc. he was experiencing. And this is after our talk of a week or so ago about the impact of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems on vision. The sympathetic nervous system, which prepares us for the fight of our lives, dilates our pupils, allows for distance vision, and dries up our tear glands. The parasympathetic nervous system, which puts us back together after the crisis has gone, constricts the pupils, allows near vision, and generates tears.

Knowing that these physiological dynamics occur as a direct result of stress and relaxation, and knowing how panic sufferers so often dance between these two states; is it any wonder some funky stuff may go on with our vision? And, finally, knowing about our intense internal awareness and how we so often catastrophize and assume the worst, is it any wonder these physiological goings-on so often lead to distress and, ultimately, panic? But, take heart; as knowledge is power. Simply knowing of such dynamics gives us a huge leg up in terms of managing our perception and response to such presentations.