Couverture de The Berne Podcast with Dr. Sam Berne

The Berne Podcast with Dr. Sam Berne

The Berne Podcast with Dr. Sam Berne

De : Dr. Sam Berne - Holistic Eye Health
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 Welcome to The Berne Podcast, a thought-provoking and informative journey with Dr. Sam Berne, an expert behavioral optometrist, and holistic health practitioner. Delve deep into the world of functional vision, eye wellness, and natural solutions for common and complex vision issues. Each episode explores Dr. Berne’s unique physical vision therapy protocols, integrating natural and holistic techniques to improve eye health, enhance vision, and support overall well-being. Whether you’re curious about functional vision therapy, seeking non-invasive ways to care for your eyes, or want to learn more about natural approaches to eye health, this podcast offers valuable insights for practitioners and individuals alike. Join Dr. Berne for engaging discussions, expert interviews, and actionable advice that will inspire you to see the world in a whole new way—naturally and holistically. Hygiène et vie saine Médecine alternative et complémentaire
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    Épisodes
    • Generation Alpha & the Nervous System: Why the Eyes Are the Gateway to Regulation

      Generation Alpha & the Nervous System: Why the Eyes Are the Gateway to Regulation
      Feb 15 2026
      Join Dr. Berne’s Next Online Workshop: The Perceptual Field™ Seeing Clearly Under Pressure Vision, Pattern Recognition & the Nervous System A 4-Session Small-Group Immersion with Dr. Sam Berne Link: https://www.drsamberne.com/workshop/the-perceptual-field/ Join Dr. Berne For His Only In-Person Workshop in 2026, Beyond the Eyes Vision, Perception & the Nervous System — An Immersive Retreat: A 3.5-Day Small-Group Immersion Exploring Vision as a Whole-Body, Nervous-System-Driven Process. A Perceptual Ecology Immersion at a coastal field experience in embodied seeing Link: https://www.drsamberne.com/workshop/beyond-the-eyes-vision-perception-the-nervous-system-an-immersive-retreat/ Generation Alpha is the first generation born fully into the digital age. Screens from infancy. Online learning as normal. AI as background noise. But what is this doing to their nervous systems — and their perception? In this episode, I talk about how Generation Alpha is growing up visually overstimulated yet perceptually underdeveloped — and why the future of health lies not in more information, but in embodied regulation. Through the lens of FVIB™ (Functional Vision Integrative Body), I discuss why breathing, movement, posture, primitive reflex integration, and visual awareness are essential tools for raising regulated humans in a dysregulated world. This is not about fear of technology. It’s about reclaiming perception. Welcome to The Berne Podcast. Today I want to talk about Generation Alpha — the children born roughly from 2010 onward — and why I believe they are the most neurologically challenged and potentially the most perceptually gifted generation we’ve ever seen. BREATH And I want to connect this to my work as a perceptual educator and the framework of FVIB™ — Functional Vision Integrative Body. Because what we’re seeing isn’t just an attention issue. It’s a regulation issue. Who is Generation Alpha? Generation Alpha is the first generation born into: • iPads from infancy • streaming as normal • online learning • algorithm and content • AI integration They have never known a world without screens. And here’s what concerns me — not from a fear perspective — but from a physiological one: Their nervous systems are developing inside constant visual stimulation. That changes perception. The Core Problem: Overstimulation + Under-Regulation These children are: • visually hyper-stimulated • vestibularly under-challenged • physically less integrated • breathing more shallowly • spending less time in horizon-based environments And when you combine that with reduced nitric oxide production from chronic mouth breathing and indoor living, you begin to see: • attention instability • anxiety • sensory overwhelm • learning challenges • sleep dysregulation This is not pathology. It is adaptation. But adaptation comes with cost. Why This Is a Perceptual Issue In FVIB™, we look at: • eye-body coordination • primitive reflex integration • breathing patterns • lymphatic flow • posture • light exposure • nervous system tone Vision is not just eyesight. Vision is how the brain organizes experience. And if a child’s visual system is constantly locked into near-field screen engagement, the brain adapts accordingly. Peripheral awareness narrows. Breathing becomes shallow. Sympathetic tone increases. The body lives in mild threat mode. Nitric Oxide + Oxygenation Let me connect something important here. When children: • breathe through the mouth • live indoors • have minimal nasal breathing • experience chronic stress Nitric oxide levels tend to drop. Nitric oxide is essential for: • vasodilation • oxygen delivery • cerebral perfusion • immune regulation Low nitric oxide doesn’t “cause” disease — but it contributes to poor oxygen delivery to brain tissue. Over time that stresses cognition. You see this in sleep apnea patterns, attention instability, and even early metabolic changes. Breathing matters. Nasal breathing matters. Movement matters. What Generation Alpha Actually Needs Not more content. Not more apps. They need: • horizon-based visual engagement—let me explain WHAT IS Horizon-Based Vision Engagement (HBVE) Horizon-based vision engagement simply means letting your eyes rest on far-distance, wide-field views— the natural horizon — instead of locking into close, narrow, screen-based focus. Think: mountains, ocean, desert, long trails, ski slopes, open fields. Not staring — soft, panoramic seeing. Why it matters (in plain physiology) When you engage the horizon: 🧠 Your brain shifts out of “task mode” Near vision (screens, books, phones) activates focused attention and sympathetic tone. Far vision activates global awareness and parasympathetic regulation. Translation: your system feels safer. 👀 Your visual system rebalances Horizon viewing: • relaxes the eye muscles • restores peripheral awareness • ...
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      13 min
    • Why Relaxation Sometimes Makes You Feel Worse (And What Real Regulation Actually Is)

      Why Relaxation Sometimes Makes You Feel Worse (And What Real Regulation Actually Is)
      Feb 7 2026
      Welcome to The Berne Podcast. I’m Dr. Sam Berne. Today I want to talk about something that surprises a lot of people. Why do some people feel worse when they try to relax? They meditate. They lie down. They do breathwork. They get massage. And instead of feeling better, they feel: • dizzy • foggy • emotional • disconnected • heavy • or strangely unsettled Most people assume that means something is wrong with them. But very often, it doesn’t. It means their nervous system doesn’t need relaxation. It needs regulation. Those are not the same thing. ⸻ SEGMENT 1 — RELAXATION VS REGULATION Let’s clarify this first. Relaxation usually means: • slowing down • becoming passive • reducing effort • letting go Regulation is different. Regulation means: • organized input • coherent movement • balanced sensory information • a felt sense of safety • connection between body and brain Relaxation can sometimes lead to collapse. Regulation leads to coherence. And for sensitive nervous systems, collapse feels terrible. ⸻ SEGMENT 2 — WHY SOME PEOPLE FEEL WORSE WHEN THEY “RELAX” Here’s what I see clinically. Many people are living in chronic sympathetic activation — always on, always alert, always processing. So when they suddenly stop: • lie still • close their eyes • slow their breathing their system doesn’t experience relief. It experiences loss of orientation. The brain loses reference points. The vestibular system gets confused. The body doesn’t know where it is in space. That can show up as: • dizziness • drifting sensations • emotional flooding • fatigue • or a sense of disappearing That’s not healing. That’s nervous-system disorganization. ⸻ SEGMENT 3 — SENSITIVE SYSTEMS NEED ORGANIZED INPUT This is especially true for people who are: • intuitive • perceptually sensitive • highly empathic • creative • or have spent years taking care of others These nervous systems don’t respond well to passive interventions. They need: • gentle rhythmic movement • bilateral coordination • distance vision • light resistance • agency — meaning you choose the pace In other words: They need participation, not collapse. They need engagement, not shutdown. ⸻ SEGMENT 4 — COMMON EXAMPLES You might recognize this if you’ve ever: • felt worse after yoga • gotten foggy after meditation • felt disconnected after massage • crashed after a “relaxing” weekend • or become emotional when you finally slow down That doesn’t mean those practices are bad. It means they weren’t matched to your nervous system at that moment. Healing is not about forcing calm. It’s about restoring organization. ⸻ SEGMENT 5 — WHAT REAL REGULATION FEELS LIKE Real regulation usually feels like: • warmth returning to your body • clearer thinking • easier breathing • smoother movement • a sense of being present • feeling more like yourself Not floaty. Not collapsed. Not spaced out. More embodied. More here. That’s coherence. ⸻ SEGMENT 6 — PRACTICAL GUIDANCE Here’s something simple you can start noticing: After something you do — movement, therapy, rest, or even a conversation — ask yourself: Do I feel more embodied… or more disconnected? Do I feel clearer… or foggier? Do I feel more myself… or less? Your nervous system gives feedback immediately. That’s your compass. And here’s an important principle: If something costs you regulation, it’s not aligned. No matter how “good” it’s supposed to be. ⸻ SEGMENT 7 — THIS IS NOT ABOUT FIXING YOUR BODY I don’t believe in fixing bodies. I believe in restoring relationship. Relationship between: • your nervous system • your movement • your perception • your environment Healing happens when the system feels safe enough to reorganize itself. Not when we impose calm from the outside. ⸻ CLOSING + INVITATION If you’ve been feeling confused by your symptoms… If relaxation hasn’t been helping… If you sense that your nervous system needs something different… This is exactly the kind of work I do privately. In Vision Intensives, I help people restore nervous-system coherence, perceptual clarity, and embodied regulation. Not through quick fixes. Through listening to how your system actually works. And remember: Your body isn’t failing you. It’s communicating. Trust that.
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      6 min
    • When Relaxation Makes You Dizzy: The Hidden Brainstem–Vision Connection

      When Relaxation Makes You Dizzy: The Hidden Brainstem–Vision Connection
      Jan 31 2026

      To learn more about Dr. Berne’s Vision Intensives send us an e-mail: appointments@drsamberne.com

      To join Dr. Berne’s March Online Workshop go to: https://www.drsamberne.com/workshop/the-perceptual-field/

      To sign up for Dr. Berne’s In-Person Retreat go to: https://www.drsamberne.com/workshop/beyond-the-eyes-vision-perception-the-nervous-system-an-immersive-retreat/

      In this episode, Dr. Sam Berne explores why some people feel dizzy, foggy, or disconnected when they try to relax — and why this is often not an ear problem or aging issue, but a brainstem prediction response. You’ll learn how vision, motion, and nervous system safety are deeply connected, why relaxation can trigger protective shutdown in sensitive systems, and how gentle, choice-based sensory work can help restore stability. This episode reframes dizziness as a perceptual and neurological pattern — not weakness — and offers a new understanding of how the brain and eyes work together to create a sense of safety.

      Keywords vision, dizziness, brainstem, nervous system, relaxation, perception, sensory input, eye health, somatic movement, meditation Summary In this episode, Dr. Sam Berne explores the intricate relationship between vision, the nervous system, and the experience of dizziness. He discusses how relaxation can sometimes lead to feelings of dizziness due to the brainstem’s protective mechanisms. The conversation emphasizes the importance of understanding the brain’s predictions about safety and movement, and how vision plays a crucial role in regulating our nervous system. Dr. Berne offers insights into practical tools for improving vision and overall well-being. Takeaways The vision intensive helps explore your vision and nervous system. Relaxation can sometimes trigger dizziness due to brainstem responses. Dizziness may be a protective mechanism of the nervous system. The brainstem assesses safety and control in movement. Vision is interconnected with bodily sensations and safety. Meditation can lead to feelings of dizziness if not approached correctly. Gentle sensory input can help stabilize vision and movement. Peripheral awareness is crucial for reducing visual overwhelm. Reconnecting the brain and body can improve vision. Understanding the brain’s predictions can enhance relaxation experiences. Sound bites “When relaxation makes you dizzy.” “Are my eyes connected to my body?” “Your system is not broken.” Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Vision and Relaxation 01:56 Understanding Dizziness and the Brainstem Connection 04:40 The Role of Vision in Nervous System Regulation
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      6 min
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