Personal accounts from individuals using the Bates Method:

http://www.seeing.org/visiontd/casehist/index.html

That whole website is actually is very good source of info on the Bates Method.

I'm beginning to lean towards testimonial-based research in order to support the more specific point I want to make, which is that healing your eyesight is not only possible but it's also gratifying, and obviously life-changing.  I really want to go deep into the attitudes of people who have had success and those who have had failure. What about their attitude hindered, halted, or improved their use of the Bates Method?  There is a very common theme of children being more successful with the Method not necessarily because of their young bodies but their playful attitude is what helps them figure out how to relax.  Each individual has a unique strain which can be addressed through various techniques that ultimately lead to relaxation.

ENTRY #5 + #4

The Bates Method is my choice of a topic to research.  The mechanics of the method to be more specific.  How the eye is affected by the activities in the mind, and how the eyes see anything at all are a couple questions I will be addressing.  I think those are important questions because the answers will help elaborate on the credibility of the method.  I will also be discussing some seemingly inherent assumptions behind optometry and the eyes. There seems to be a belief that certain parts of the body, such as the eyes, are irreparable and doomed to whatever mother nature decides for them. What I will be attempting to dispel in a pithy but credible sort of way is the assumption that poor vision is a congenital and constantly degrading trait of the eyes. Vision is an ever-changing and delicate psychological process.

Ideally I will be using not only William Bates' own research but Frans Donders' and other prestigious ophthalmologists as well. 
The actual act of the Bates Method may involve swaying from side to side on your feet or just a simple covering of the eyes with your palms.  The importance lies in how you are thinking about what you are seeing.  Open and receptive thinking helps create a healthier relationship between your brain and your eyes. The Bates Method is meant to retrain your mind allow your eyes too see rather than try to make them see, which usually causes strain.  A lot of the practice is a crafting of "tricks" to relax your eyes so that when done frequently enough, it becomes habitual.

Since the subject is a bit recondite yet controversial, I'm guessing that Dr. Bates' research will be one of my primary sources. I'm going to try my best to include research from others that either supports or contradicts the Bates Method but since I have had personal success with the method I feel as if it's more accommodating to the reader. The purpose of this research writing is for personal reassurance, thought provocation, and a way of supporting something that could benefit many people's lives.

Since I have personally used the Bates Method, I feel an emotional connection to it. My musical practice and whole life has been affected in positive ways through using this method and I hope that the outcome of this project will encourage people to use natural methods to improve their eyesight instead of glasses or contacts. Glasses and contacts are commonly attributed to the further degradation of the vision and this is something that my peers and I have personally experienced. Another potential outcome of this project will hopefully be a renewed perception of how the reader uses their eyes.

This subject relates to anybody really. Even if the reader has 20/20 vision, they can still learn something about the eyes and how to prolong their clear eyesight. I imagine this article being in a holistic living, or naturopathic magazine for ages 20 and up but I would hope that the information, which has existed since yoga has, would spread as far as possible. The method is not limited to any age group, or eye condition which comes as the biggest surprise to most people.

Question List:

• How does the eye function?
• How the do our thoughts affect how our eyes behave?
• How does strain affect the eyes?
• How do glasses affect the eyes?
• What methods can be used to relax the eyes?
• Why do people and professionals assume that their vision is unchangeable?
• Are the orthodox theories behind the structure and function of the eye outdated?

ENTRY #3

            Out of the possible research options, I'm leaning towards the Bates Method, how sound effects matter, or Crystals.  Since I am personally connected through my own practice of the Bates Method, it will most likely be my choice for the topic to research.  My life has been changed in positive ways from practicing the Bates Method and I feel it my honor to present the possibilities to others because it has improved my quality of life so drastically.  The most interesting aspect of the Bates method is how simple but effective it is for improving eyesight.  Why spend money on glasses only to further degrade our vision by wearing them constantly?  Why deal with the rain on the lenses or the itching of contact lenses when you can practice good vision?  I hope that my research on that topic will inspire people to practice natural vision improvement.

            If I were to research how sound effects matter I would probably begin with Cymatics, the study of how sound creates patterns in matter.  I would then hopefully find a way to link it to music and our system of tuning and how that effects us.  My main intention would be to find out how our biology is affected by sound and the music we listen to.

             Another area of greater interest to me is a deeper look at the formation, use and structure of crystals.  This is an area I am least familiar with and think it's a good choice for me since I think crystals are mysterious and beautiful.  For this topic I would probably begin with how they are used and then take a deeper look into the structure.  Then I would hopefully have gained some knowledge to further specify what it is about crystals I can write about that would be informative and interesting.

               My main goal is to be informative and interesting.  To write a pithy article that's also thorough and only slightly technical to appeal to a more well-educated crowd as well.  The pithiness should draw in those who are simply interested or perhaps researching the topic and need a tertiary source.

        

ENTRY #2

Subjects to research:
- Bates Method, how does it work?
                 Method for eyesight improvement developed by William H Bates, an Ophthalmologist in            the early twentieth century.  He was a respected eye surgeon who was displeased with the trend          he was seeing in his patients who would get glasses for a small correction but end up needing              higher prescriptions over time.  He spent decades studying various eye conditions and                          discovered that the one thing that would seem to help the most was relaxing the extra-ocular
         muscles and the mind of the patients.  The Bates Method is simply a way of relaxing the eyes              and the mind
- Crystals, what are they and what can they do?
                 What exactly is a crystal?  What are they used for?  How are they formed? What can they             be used for?
- Electromagnetic sensitivity
                 What would support or contradict the existence of this condition?  A condition where the            sufferer's mood, health and overall well-being is significantly affected by the presence of                    electromagnetic waves.
- "Chemtrails"
                  Are said to be trails of various fibers, heavy metals, and toxic compounds that differ from           condensation trails.  There is much controversy as to what exactly these trails are.
- Sound's effects on matter (Cymatics)
                   How does matter effect sound?  How does sound effect matter?  How does this relate to             music? How can this knowledge be used?

ENTRY #1

The primary question that arises when I think of a semester-long research project is, "How is this going to relate to my art and my education?".  What I want is to research something that is going to help integrate my studies from one department at Cornish to another.  Some topics I've thought about include the therapeutic effects of music on the body and mind, the history and role of equal temperament tuning, or other cultural music such as Indian or Turkish music.  Less musically related would be questions such as how crystal structures interact with subtle vibrations of matter, what relationship does the Mathematical Fingerprint of God have with mathematical areas of study, what is the torus and how does this pattern represent stability, and how does the Bates Method of Natural Vision Improvement work?  Most of these questions are recondite so an explanation would obviously be necessary.  I wouldn't want to make the paper dry either but I might actually use MLA format for citations just to be thorough. Since I'm interested in tons of different subjects, it will be good for me to focus on one and really wrap my mind around it. I'm really geared towards studying the Bates Method because it has a personal connection to myself and my experience but researching other worldly music would be related to my World Music Traditions class and it would be nice if I could somehow kill two birds with one stone in terms of homework or projects.