Brain Fitness

, , , , 0 comments

Fight the Effects of Digital Addiction with the 20/20/20 Fix

Are patients in your waiting room reading the assorted magazines your staff has carefully selected? Or are they glued to their screens, checking email, catching up on social media, or playing Candy Crush? My guess, based on the pristine covers of magazines in waiting rooms I've visited lately, is that they're glued to their phones and tablets.

people-at-table-look-at-various-devices

Just how many hours a day are we spending looking at a screen? Apparently the average American is screen-fixated for more than 11 hours per day, according to a new Nielsen report. 11 hours! It's no wonder that we're seeing new problems crop up from our digital addictions.

Electronic screens are slowing us down – we read 25% SLOWER on screens than when we read physical books or magazines, so we spend more time on a screen just to glean the same information. That extra time increases the eye strain that we're experiencing, but there's more than eye strain going on here. Viewing a computer or digital screen often makes the eyes work harder, in addition to working longer. The high visual demands of screen viewing make users of computer and digital screens much more susceptible to developing vision-related problems.

Those that spend 2+ hours a day with a screen (and remember, most Americans are spending 11 hours!) are highly susceptible to developing Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS), which is contributing to many unhealthy eye symptom. Many people don't even realize they're suffering because they've become so used to the effects of their digital addictions!

Computer Vision Syndrome can cause:

  • Eye fatigue
  • Blurred vision
  • Headaches
  • Neck pain
  • Dry eyes

Daily living with electronic devices of all sizes overworks the muscles that control your eyes. The eyes take in millions of bits of information, and we don't stop to think twice about the visual stimulation we're encountering. We are so used to holding screens close to our faces, making sense of pixelated images and screens with glare, that we don’t even realize that we're putting our eyes through a strenuous workout day after day! Such repetitive stress can cause great harm, and it's vital that we stop staring at our screens (not this second – this is important!) and think about how we can take care of our eyes, which are the gateway to our world!

Fortunately, there is a simple but incredibly effective fix to help the constant eye strain we subject our poor tired eyes to, whether we are 3, 33, or 83. Simply put the 20/20/20 Rule into practice!

The standard 20/20/20 Rule is: every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break and look at something 20 feet away.

I've modified this simple tool for eye health in a way that will also boost brain fitness.  We know that brain fitness has so many different components. I've talked previously about the need for movement and activity to help keep the brain fit, which in turn helps the eyes. This week, let's focus on keeping the brain active by working to maintain and increase eye fitness, because ultimately, eye health and brain fitness are intimately related.

The 20/20/20 Rule for Brain and Eye Fitness

  1. 20 – every 20 minutes GET UP and walk a few steps (or more) away from your electronic device.
  2. 20 – take 3 deep breaths lasting approximately 20 seconds each.
  3. 20 – look AWAY as far as possible for 20 seconds. Make sure you actually focus on the FAR focal point.

Be sure to set a timer or alarm to beep, buzz, or ding to remind you to follow the 20/20/20 Rule. It may seem annoying at first, but bring it into your life, embrace it, and it will soon become a lifelong habit as automatic as brushing your teeth. Your brain and your eyes will thank you.

Parents, teach this to your kids now, before they have all kinds of health and academic issues. Make it fun or even goofy – practice silly walks or making faces during the digital break, but be sure your kids take time to stare off into space (literally) instead of just focusing in on a screen mere inches from their face.

Focusing all day on close screens “locks” some of our eye muscles, and just as you can develop hamstring problems from overuse at the gym, convergence insufficiency can develop from over-straining our eyes. Peering closely at a 3” screen has to be balanced with exercising our eyes with near-far activities.

PuzzleArt-therapy-system

The PuzzleArt Therapy System has hundreds of activities to help develop and improve near-far ability and other visual skills that can lead to improved eye health and brain fitness.

Take time today to step away from your device, breathe deeply, and look away (far, far away!) from all that draws you in on that digital screen of yours.  The 20/20/20 fix  is a great start to digital recovery and eye health!

Alli Berman is a Brain Fitness expert and the Eye Brain Fitness Guru. She has been an artist, author, educator, creativity consultant, workshop leader,  perceptual and sensory products and programs developer, and motivational speaker for the past 30+ years. Berman has served as an educational advisor to the American Academy for Anti-Aging Medicine for over 30 years, and she is the founder of The Art of Rehabilitation and Anti-Aging Art. She created the PuzzleArt Therapy System in collaboration with behavioral optometrist, Susan Fisher, OD, and through consultation with neuroscientists around the world. Berman uses the system herself on a daily basis to keep her own brain as healthy, engaged, and challenged as possible!

Security Code:
security code
Please enter the security code:

Submit

, , , 1 comment

Stand Up for Brain Fitness!

Are you sitting down to read this? You might want to change that, right now and throughout your day!

young-businesswoman-tired-from-sitting-at-work

According to new research, sitting is the new smoking, but you're probably offered a seat far more often than you're offered a cigarette (does that even happen anymore?).

In fact, we're kind of obsessed with sitting in this country. As soon as you walk into someone's house you’re asked politely, “Would you like a seat?” You get on the subway and immediately scan for an open bench. You spend the day sitting in your office chair. On the weekend, you catch a movie in a theater that has been renovated with seats that recline, and once you get home, you plop into your comfy armchair. We're in a sitting epidemic, and it's bad for our bodies and our brains! It's time to stand up!

The amount of time a person sits during the day is associated with a higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and death. Many combat this by hitting the gym before or after work, trying to work in their 30 minutes of cardio, but research has now shown that sessions of vigorous exercise don't actually make up for hours spent on your bum.

“Sitting for long periods of time — when you don't stand up, don't move at all — tends to cause changes physiologically within your muscles. You stop breaking up fat in your bloodstream, you start getting accumulations of fat . . . in your liver, your heart and your brain. You get sleepy. You gain weight. You basically are much less healthy than if you're moving.”  – Gretchen Reynolds, author of  The First 20 Minutes: Surprising Science Reveals How We Can Exercise Better, Train Smarter, Live Longer

So how does standing impact the brain? Well, while the brain comprises only about 2% of the body's weight, it uses about three times as much oxygen as muscles in the body do. In total, it utilizes about 20% of the oxygen that the body takes in. Getting more oxygen flowing to the brain helps maintain cognitive function, and increasing physical activity improves oxygen uptake. Those who stand up to work increase their physical activity and therefore better oxygenate their bodies and brains, helping themselves think better and faster. Better brain health is better eye health

standing-businessman-draws-lightbulbs-gets-big-ideas

Increasing physical activity doesn't mean you have to join a Zumba class before work (though it's great if you do!). Physical activity needs to be maintained throughout the day to increase oxygen flow to the body and brain, and working in a standing position does just that! It has a positive impact on work performance, creativity, and health in general.

But maybe you're thinking that standing all day just isn't feasible for you! That's ok – there are a lot of ways to increase the time on your feet throughout your day.

  • Take your calls standing up, or better yet, walking
  • Schedule a stand up meeting or brainstorming session
  • Set your computer on your kitchen counter so that you can stand to check email/work
  • Take 5 minute standing breaks every hour during your workday
  • Take the stairs
  • Park in the last parking spot available instead of the first
  • Aim to increase your standing to 2 hrs during the work day, with an end goal of 4 hours

As Gretchen Reynolds point out, “If you can also walk around your office, you get even more benefits. You will lose weight, you lessen your chance of heart disease, and you will improve your brain. But if you can do nothing else, stand up!”

This week, do your brain a favor and set the alarm on your phone to go off once an hour. Use that reminder to stand up for brain health and longevity! For even more brain fitness, sign up for a free brain game to help you create your best day!

Alli Berman is a Brain Fitness expert and the Eye Brain Fitness Guru. She has been an artist, author, educator, creativity consultant, workshop leader,  perceptual and sensory products and programs developer, and motivational speaker for the past 30+ years. Berman has served as an educational advisor to the American Academy for Anti-Aging Medicine for over 30 years, and she is the founder of The Art of Rehabilitation and Anti-Aging Art. She created the PuzzleArt Therapy System in collaboration with behavioral optometrist, Susan Fisher, OD, and through consultation with neuroscientists around the world. Berman uses the system herself on a daily basis to keep her own brain as healthy, engaged, and challenged as possible!

Security Code:
security code
Please enter the security code:

Submit

, , 0 comments

Brain Fitness and Brain Awareness Month

School is ending for the year, the pools are opening, the sun is shining – June is here! And along with popsicles and vacation plans, June brings with it National Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month. Though that might not be as sunny a topic, it should be on the tip of all of our tongues, right along with those Rocket Pops that signify summer is here.

Worldwide, 47 million people are living with Alzheimer's and other dementias, and Alzheimer's is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States. A recent survey notes that,

“Americans fear developing Alzheimer's disease more than any other major life-threatening disease, including cancer, stroke, heart disease and diabetes.”

While we as a society fear the onset of a brain illness, we tend not to focus on brain health. Just like other organs in our body, we only notice when something is wrong.

the-brain--is-the-most-complex-organ-brain-fitness-is-vital

The brain is the most complex organ in our body. As long as our hearts are beating, our brain is the organ most directly responsible for our overall quality of life. With all that our brains are responsible for – visual processing,  motor coordination, attention, memory, executive functioning – you'd think we would spend more time and energy keeping our brains as healthy as possible, but we often don't take notice until they are no longer performing as we would like them to.

There is not currently a cure or a sure-fire way to prevent Alzheimer's or other dementias, but taking brain health seriously is a step in the right direction. While we may not yet have the key to end Alzheimer's, we do know that we can implement a plan for healthy aging – and that plan includes diet, exercise, social interaction, and cognitive activity.

In fact, in Stahl’s Essential Psychopharmacology, psychiatrist Stephen Stahl notes that “… so far, the only intervention that has been consistently replicated as a disease-modifying treatment to diminish the risk of MCI [mild cognitive impairment] or Alzheimer’s disease and that can slow the progression of these conditions is cognitive activity.”

Cognitive activity. Brain fitness! But what exactly does this key to aging well look like?

brain-fitness-brain-awareness-month

Brain fitness, at its core, is all about how well the brain can handle the daily cognitive demands placed upon it. Fortunately, our brains are not static, so we can train them to better handle those demands and increase our brain fitness.

Training the brain to be cognitively active is not a passive act – it's mental push-ups and cerebral strength training, meant to keep your brain healthy, active, and working as well as it can for as long as it can. Just as physical exercise strengthens the cardiovascular system, brain fitness training is a tool for activating the mind, building new neural networks, and strengthening old ones.

Overall brain fitness is vital throughout our lives. Thanks to neuroplasticity, our brains are constantly changing, forming new neural connections throughout life as we encounter new experiences, environments, and stimuli.  The brain's ability to reorganize itself is incredible, but if we cease to use neural connections, they diminish. This use-it-or-lose-it  phenomenon should have us asking how to use it so we don’t lose it.

Brain fitness training is a way to do just that: to use it rather than lose it. Its cognitive training with vast benefits. Improvements can be seen in attention, memory, visual processing, motor coordination, and executive functioning (such as reasoning,  problem solving, and planning skills). Basically, improving brain fitness improves the quality of life.

Some periods of life are full to the brim with opportunities for brain fitness. Think of the infant taking in their brand new world – every sight and sound is new, and they are learning constantly – how to communicate, how to move, how to make decisions, how to get what they want!

Contrast that time of intense learning with later periods of life, when it's easier to rely on what is already known and there's less emphasis on finding time to challenge one's brain. But no one has time in this life for cognitive apathy – not if we want healthy brains, long lives, and to remain “with it” for as long as we're breathing.

Mental quickness, flexibility in thinking, ability to problem-solve,  and overall brain function  are vital to living a long and fulfilling life. Brain fitness can improve all of these areas, and we can improve our brain fitness through cognitive training, active mental participation in life, developing habits of lifelong learning, managing our stress, exercising, getting enough sleep, and engaging in exercises designed to improve our cognitive skills.

go-purple-for-brain-awareness-month

This June, I invite you to go purple for #BrainAwarenessMonth and encourage you to make a commitment to keep your brain as healthy as possible. For lifelong health and mental acuity, we need to cultivate a life that promotes brain fitness.

Sign up here to receive a free copy of my Keeping Brain Fit checklist. Start taking steps today toward brain fitness and cognitive well-being. May you live all the days of your life!

Alli Berman is a Brain Fitness expert and the Eye Brain Fitness Guru. She has been an artist, author, educator, creativity consultant, workshop leader,  perceptual and sensory products and programs developer, and motivational speaker for the past 30+ years. Berman has served as an educational advisor to the American Academy for Anti-Aging Medicine for over 30 years, and she is the founder of The Art of Rehabilitation and Anti-Aging Art. She created the PuzzleArt Therapy System in collaboration with behavioral optometrist, Susan Fisher, OD, and through consultation with neuroscientists around the world. Berman uses the system herself on a daily basis to keep her own brain as healthy, engaged, and challenged as possible!

Security Code:
security code
Please enter the security code:

Submit

, , , , , 0 comments

PuzzleArt Therapy: Learning Through Levels

The basic PuzzleArt Therapy System has three levels, each with several modules that help participants learn, develop, and refine a variety of skills. The levels are set up to move the participant from simple to more complex challenges, though each level and each exercise within the levels can be repeated over and over, without the risk of it becoming boring or repetitive.

This is a result of the open-ended format of PuzzleArt Therapy. While there are specific directions that teach the eyes and brain to look for connections, paths, and ways to solve problems, there are no specific right or wrong answers, but instead, a plethora of potential solutions waiting to be discovered!

PuzzleArt-Therapy-pieces-help-jumpstart-creativity-boost-visual-cognitive-skills

Level One Modules 

The goal of the level one modules is to familiarize one's self with the PuzzleArt pieces, relate more closely to them, and practice working with them while developing solid breathing and relaxation practices.

Through the exercises in this level, participants will first become oriented with the PuzzleArt pieces, and will be guided through exercises that help them make connections between colors, shapes, lines, edges, as well as providing them with an opportunity to manipulate the pieces to form their own patterns and designs; becoming a visual artist right from the beginning!

Participants will be making these connections in a way that unifies physical movements with visual tracking. Neural pathways will be developed and strengthened while they settle in with the mesmerizing PuzzleArt pieces that are just irresistible – they are made to be touched and that is exactly what participants will want to do!

As they work through the levels, participants will be challenged to break away from the obvious connections and find more subtle associations, ones that might even seem to “break” rules they didn't even realize they were attempting to impose (for example, connecting the pieces in a way that lines, colors, or textures align but in which the actual pieces don't square up – it sounds simple, but you'd be surprised at how many people think squares must be evenly lined up with each other in order to be “right!”).

PuzzleArt-Therapy-no-right-or-wrong-answers-but-many-possible-solutions

 

Level Two Modules

The level two modules are dynamic and creative. As participants move deeper into the PuzzleArt universe, they will learn how to expand their creative horizons.

This level guides participants through a process that helps them see the pieces instead of just look at them. It then takes them through guided exercises to examine what they see, and observe how that changes as they follow the exercises. They're then taken through a series of questions that prompts them to critically evaluate and synthesize both what they've seen and the process they've gone through.

We continue to develop guided relaxation and breathing techniques in this level, as well as adding in more whole-body movements that strengthen bilateral skills.

Level Three Modules

The level three modules deal with feelings and emotions related to the colors, shapes, textures, and lines of the PuzzleArt pieces, but more deeply, it is about recognizing the value of owning one's emotions, viewpoint, and perspective.

Challenges in this level have the participant literally take on a new perspective of the PuzzleArt Pieces, from changing their position in relation to the pieces, changing the piece's relationship to the viewer, and changing how the viewer uses their eyes to see what they're working on.

“[PuzzleArt] is opening my mind to see different things. I’m able to take something that’s a challenge and step back and see things from a different perspective.”

— Kathy Viola, a Senior Sales Director for Mary Kay Cosmetics quoted in New York Newsday

These three levels serve as an introduction to the basic PuzzleArt Therapy System, which all told, develops more than twenty skills, including:

  • Amblyopia / Suppression
  • Bilateral Integration
  • Binocular Skills
  • Cognitive and Problem-Solving Skills
  • Creativity
  • Directionality
  • Gross + Fine Motor
  • Letter + Word Recognition
  • Memory
  • Near / Far Focus
  • Oculomotor
  • Peripheral Vision
  • Sensory PuzzleArt Protocol
  • Spatial Relationships
  • Visual: Closure, Discrimination, Figure /Ground, Perception
  • Visualization
  • And more!

 

Sign up today for a free brain game, and get a glimpse of what PuzzleArt Therapy is all about!

Alli Berman is a Brain Fitness expert and the Eye Brain Fitness Guru. She has been an artist, author, educator, creativity consultant, workshop leader,  perceptual and sensory products and programs developer, and motivational speaker for the past 30+ years. Berman has served as an educational advisor to the American Academy for Anti-Aging Medicine for over 30 years, and she is the founder of The Art of Rehabilitation and Anti-Aging Art. She created the PuzzleArt Therapy System in collaboration with behavioral optometrist, Susan Fisher, OD, and through consultation with neuroscientists around the world. Berman uses the system herself on a daily basis to keep her own brain as healthy, engaged, and challenged as possible!

Security Code:
security code
Please enter the security code:

Submit

, , , , 2 comments

Is PuzzleArt Therapy Right for Your Clients?

Through years of collaboration with neuroscientists, behavioral optometrists, anti-aging experts, educators and others, I developed the PuzzleArt Therapy system. This system uses one-of-a-kind abstract art paired with exercises that will lead your clients through new ways of thinking, seeing, processing, and creating. It encourages the body and brain to work together, developing visual perceptual skills, improving memory, encouraging neuroplasticity, and increasing communication across the corpus callosum. It's also the first therapy to combine binocular, perceptual, and sensory therapy with hands-on abstract art.

One of the most appealing aspects of PuzzleArt Therapy is that it is fun and relaxing. The phrase visual therapy has a heavy connotation to it, and in our busy lives, it's sometimes overwhelming to think about dedicating time to yet another task. But moving through the modules of Puzzle Art therapy is easy, fun, relaxing, and takes only minutes a day! Even the most reluctant of patients can be enticed to give it a try.

The versatility of PuzzleArt Therapy is also astounding. From 3 to 103, everyone can benefit in different ways, building a better brain along the way!

puzzleart-therapy-for-all-ages-and-stages

The College of Optometrists in Visual Development recognizes 17 skills that are necessary to succeed in reading, learning, sports, and throughout life – and PuzzleArt Therapy can help to develop and strengthen all of those areas. Those skills encompass:

  • Eye Movement Control
  • Simultaneous Focus at Far
  • Sustaining Focus at Far
  • Simultaneous Focus at Near
  • Sustaining Focus at Near
  • Simultaneous Alignment at Far
  • Sustaining Alignment at Far
  • Simultaneous Alignment at Near
  • Sustaining Alignment at Near
  • Central Vision (Visual Acuity)
  • Peripheral Vision
  • Depth Awareness
  • Color Perception
  • Gross Visual-Motor
  • Fine Visual-Motor
  • Visual Perception
  • Visual Integration

While those visual skills are vital, PuzzleArt Therapy doesn't stop at just working on strengthening those competencies. The benefits are far reaching!

Children

From the preschool child to the high school student, PuzzleArt Therapy can help students succeed in and out of the classroom. Children need complex hand-eye coordination, the ability to coordinate gross motor skills and fine motor skills, and near and far focus to do close-up work as well as view teacher demonstrations or the blackboard. PuzzleArt Therapy strengthens all of those skills, and more, including:

  • Bilateral Integration
  • Binocular Skills
  • Letter + Word Recognition
  • Directionality
  • Spatial Relationships
  • Visual: Closure, Discrimination, Figure /Ground, Perception

In addition, children who have developed conditions such as strabismus, amblyopia, or refractive errors can benefit from  the strategic visual perceptual skill builders within the PuzzleArt Therapy System.

Adults

At its most basic level, PuzzleArt Therapy is an easy, engaging, and fun method of practiced relaxation. It can have a meditative quality, which can help reduce stress, anxiety, and lower blood pressure.

puzzleart-therapy-seniors-engaged-with-art-thomas-merton-quote

Relaxation is not the only benefit, though. As your clients arrange and rearrange the pieces, they will find themselves becoming completely absorbed, making connections of line, color, shape, and texture as they work through the therapeutic modules. Tuning-in to their creativity, they will find they've tuned-out worries, concerns, and problems. But as they make new connections and see patterns and solutions that weren't immediately obvious, they may find themselves open to new solutions in other areas of their lives as well. Finding solutions to problems within the pieces can translate into improved problem solving throughout life.

Maslow is quoted as saying,

“If the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a nail.”

If all of your clients problems are nails, it may be time for new tools!

Of course, adults benefit from the strengthening of visual perceptual skills, as well. The PuzzleArt Therapy system can improve cognitive and problem-solving skills, strengthen memory, aid in visualization – all skills that increase productivity, decrease stress, and add to the enjoyment of life!

Keeping the brain active, engaged, and challenged is one of the major secrets to living a long and happy life – and PuzzleArt Therapy can help your clients do just that.

Special Populations

Those who have suffered a traumatic brain injury, stroke, post-traumatic stress disorder,  or have a family history of Alzheimer's or dementia can benefit greatly from the skill builders that can improve memory, problem-solving skills, gross and fine motor skills, binocular skills, and bilateral integration. Improving those areas can lead to a vastly improved quality of life – and after all, it's not just the quantity of our years that matters, but the quality.

Try PuzzleArt Therapy for yourself today – just sign up here for your free brain game – that you might live younger, longer, and stronger!

Alli Berman is a Brain Fitness expert and the Eye Brain Fitness Guru. She has been an artist, author, educator, creativity consultant, workshop leader,  perceptual and sensory products and programs developer, and motivational speaker for the past 30+ years. Berman has served as an educational advisor to the American Academy for Anti-Aging Medicine for over 30 years, and she is the founder of The Art of Rehabilitation and Anti-Aging Art. She created the PuzzleArt Therapy System in collaboration with behavioral optometrist, Susan Fisher, OD, and through consultation with neuroscientists around the world. Berman uses the system herself on a daily basis to keep her own brain as healthy, engaged, and challenged as possible!

Security Code:
security code
Please enter the security code:

Submit

, , , 0 comments

PuzzleArt Therapy: How it Came to Be

My life was on track and I was going places. I was a talented young executive in my 30s, still enjoying the invincibility of youth. For a decade, I had my own international award-winning design and marketing firm in NYC, with some two dozen employees. I wasn't on my way to living the dream – I was living the dream! I had worked tirelessly to get there, and I never imagined I could lose it all in an instant. But everything changed when I suffered a stroke.

brain-attack-stroke-cva

Every year, more than 795,000 people in the United States have a stroke.

No one expects their life to change dramatically and without warning, especially with something like a stroke, which most people think of as “something that happens to someone else,” or someone older, or someone more disease prone. But it happened to me, and suddenly, everything in my life was changed.

A cerebrovascular accident (CVA) or stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is restricted and it results in cell death in the brain. Stroke survivors' lives are impacted in different ways, and the effects of the stroke depend mostly on the location of the stroke and the extent of brain tissue damage.  Common effects include:

  • Paralysis on the opposite side of the body where the stroke occurred
  • Memory loss
  • Speech/language problems
  • Vision problems
  • Changes in behavior

In the following years, I found myself on a seesaw. One part of me missed the fast-paced excitement of the business world. That was the life I wanted, but I could no longer function in it. My pragmatic half, however, moved toward new horizons.

Finding a New Path to Recovery

After my debilitating illness, I was grateful my right side was still working and my long- term memories were intact, but I felt adrift. It was difficult to concentrate. Short term memory deficits plagued me, and aphasia impacted my communication skills. I didn’t know where to turn, but I knew something had to change.

When I suffered the stroke and then began the long road to recovery, I had made a promise – to myself, to the universe – that if I got through this, I would give back to humanity. I wasn't sure what that would mean, or how it would look, but I knew I would spend my life giving back.

At that point in my journey, I was working on finding a new normal and recovering from my stroke, when one day, I felt restless. I felt the urge do something creative. I realized I had so much art bursting out of me, so much to say with color, shape, texture, and line.

I had always been artistic and loved anything to do with my hands: painting, sculpture, calligraphy arts, crafts, flower arranging, trompe l’oeil, Japanese sumi-brush, weaving, needlepoint, crocheting, knitting, macrame, gardening, sewing, cooking — the list just went on and on.

But above all, there was always painting. So I began again, putting color on canvas and letting expressions of color, shape, texture, and line take over. I was always covered in paint. To this day, I don’t think there is much in my closet that isn’t paint-spattered, unless it’s brand new. But as I painted, I began to recover myself in ways I hadn't expected, though it's certainly not shocking given what a transformative and powerful tool we have in art as a therapy.

puzzleart-therapy-up-close-einstein-quote

What came out of all the personal challenges of those years was a system I slowly developed; it was a way to connect with all the answers the world was offering me. To understand my own circumstances, I had delved into the world of neuroscience and vision therapy, connecting the dots between vision and brain health, learning the best ways to promote optimal brain activity and brain-body communication, and systematically putting those tools into practice.

From Pain to Progress to PuzzleArt

The result was PuzzleArt Therapy, a way to find happiness and live younger, live longer, and get stronger. PuzzleArt Therapy was born out of my journey from a debilitating stroke, and what began as an exploration of creativity and color and line for myself, grew into a visual perceptual therapy system designed to stimulate the brain and improve over 20 different skills.

As I collaborated with neuroscientists, behavioral optometrists, anti-aging experts, and educators in order to realize the potential of PuzzleArt Therapy, it dawned on me that I had found my way to give back, and I've been doing it ever since, dedicated to creating my own best life by helping others create theirs. I use PuzzleArt Therapy myself every day and I see the results in my own life on a continual basis.

PuzzleArt Therapy was developed out of a specific need, but its applications are truly endless. Sign up to try out my free brain game, and may you live younger, longer, and stronger through creativity every day!

Alli Berman is a Brain Fitness expert and the Eye Brain Fitness Guru. She has been an artist, author, educator, creativity consultant, workshop leader,  perceptual and sensory products and programs developer, and motivational speaker for the past 30+ years. Berman has served as an educational advisor to the American Academy for Anti-Aging Medicine for over 30 years, and she is the founder of The Art of Rehabilitation and Anti-Aging Art. She created the PuzzleArt Therapy System in collaboration with behavioral optometrist, Susan Fisher, OD, and through consultation with neuroscientists around the world. Berman uses the system herself on a daily basis to keep her own brain as healthy, engaged, and challenged as possible!

, , , , , 0 comments

You Can’t Help Getting Older But You Don’t Have to Get OLD

can't-help-getting-older-don't-have-to-get-old-memory-perceptual-learning-activitiesFor as long as humanity has been aging, we've been lamenting the process. In The Maxims of Ptah-Hotep (c. 2200 BCE), Ptah wrote on aging,

“. . . the progress of age changes into senility. Decay falls upon man and decline takes the place of        youth . . . The mouth is silent, speech fails him; the mind decays, remembering not the day before.”

While Ptah may have been a bit melodramatic, most everyone has felt the weight of getting older. Who hasn't walked into a room only to realize they have absolutely no idea why they're there, or spent ages searching for an important something-or-other? Helping others combat issues of memory at any age is crucial to our success as practitioners.

Memory 

When memory lapses become more common, reaction times slow, or words don't come as easily, panic often begins to set in! But as we know, this is not an inevitable part of aging! People don't have to sit around waiting to forget what they had for breakfast!

Fortunately for all of us, we can take daily initiatives to improve our memory, which greatly increases our quality of life regardless of age. From 3 to 103, we can all benefit from increased memory.

Recent studies demonstrate that working memory capacity, long thought of as a constant, can be improved through training. The changes in cortical activity after training could be evidence of training-induced plasticity in our neural systems.

Since working memory is essential to how the brain handles information – how we process it, integrate it, retrieve it, and apply it – this  basic functionality is vital to performing daily tasks throughout the life span. From memorizing the alphabet to learning to read, playing team sports to participating in a monthly book club, solving problems, meeting deadlines, setting and reaching goals – all of these (and more!) are dependent on working memory.

 The Eyes of Memory

The connections between our eyes, brain, and working memory have powerful implications. Our brains process information all of the time, and we make decisions constantly about what to attend to and what to discard. 80 percent of the sensory information the brain receives comes through our eyes, which means we need to pay particular attention to being sure the eyes know how to take in what is being seen.

perceptual-activities-eyes-see-what-the-mind-is-prepared-to-comprehend

When someone has 20/20 vision, they may think that none of this applies to them. Of course, visual acuity is a small piece of the entire visual picture, as visual ability includes so much more: peripheral awareness, depth perception, focusing ability, eye coordination, tracking, and color vision, to name a few other perceptual factors.

Since what we take in through our eyes is so crucial to how our brain processes, integrates, and reacts to information, focused time and energy should be dedicated to perceptual training. Perceptual activities are fun learning tools that can help train the brain in a multitude of ways and assist in making sense of the information the eyes are sending to the brain.

Train The Eyes and The Mind Will Follow

PuzzleArt Therapy is the first therapy to combine binocular, perceptual, and sensory therapy with hands-on abstract art to improve memory and overall brain function (and therefore, enjoyment of life!). This fun, engaging, and creative therapy can work in so many ways and can strengthen an incredible number of perceptual skills, including:

  • Visual Memory
  • Closure
  • Figure-ground Perception
  • Peripheral Vision
  • Binocular Skills
  • Near/Far Focus
  • Visual Sequential Memory
  • Oculomotor Skills
  • Directionality
  • Spatial Relationships
  • Discrimination
  • Cognitive and Problem-Solving Skills
  • Bilateral Integration
  • Amblyopia/Suppression
  • And more!

PuzzleArt Skill Builders take participants on a guided journey through the perceptual learning field, providing  perceptual activities that challenge and activate the brain, improving memory and cognition. It's vital for people to take an active role at any age and train the eyes to truly see and fully communicate with the brain.

Try one of my PuzzleArt Skill Builders for FREE today to sample a perceptual activity that trains the eyes, the body, and the brain.

Check out the PuzzleArt Therapy Training for Therapists and Parents.

 Alli Berman is a Brain Fitness expert and the Eye Brain Fitness Guru. She has been an artist, author, educator, creativity consultant, workshop leader,  perceptual and sensory products and programs developer, and motivational speaker for the past 30+ years. Berman has served as an educational advisor to the American Academy for Anti-Aging Medicine for over 30 years, and she is the founder of The Art of Rehabilitation and Anti-Aging Art. She created the PuzzleArt Therapy System in collaboration with behavioral optometrist, Susan Fisher, OD, and through consultation with neuroscientists around the world. Berman uses the system herself on a daily basis to keep her own brain as healthy, engaged, and challenged as possible!

Tomorrow’s PuzzleArt Training Agenda

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 0 comments

Tomorrow’s PuzzleArt Training Agenda

Hi everyone,

It's not too late to register for our PuzzleArt Therapy Training! The event is tomorrow, Sunday, June 8th.

PuzzleArt Therapy Training Program Brochure June 8 2014

Full Day of Training: Fulfills Level One Requirement for the PuzzleArt™ Therapist Certification

9:00 – 9:15 Registration and Networking Bring business cards and prepare to connect to peers in Occupational Therapy and other fields.

9:15 -10:45 Overview: Visual Skills, Terminology and the PuzzleArt Checklist for Visual Skills Learn the developmental progression of visual skills necessary for success in the classroom or clinic.

10:45-11:00 Coffee break/snacks

11:00 -12:15 Introduction to PuzzleArt, the concepts and the PuzzleArt Therapy products Work with original hand painted PuzzleArt individually and in groups.

12:15 – 1:00 Lunch and Q&A for individual cases

1:00 -1:30 PuzzleArt Therapy System – Hands-on training w/Challenge Grids Engage with different PuzzleArt prod- ucts, paintings and strategies which help develop a variety of important perceptual skills. No art ability necessary.

1:30 -2:00 Practice our special sensory techniques.

2:00 -2:45 PuzzleArt Skill Builders and the proprioceptive differences for wall and table Learn how to use a variety of our different Skill Builders for near/far focus work, discrimination, tracking, coordination, sensory PuzzleArt Protocols, more. Explore Solo Play and Partner Play.

2:45 -3:30 Explore our Activity Books + Card Packs Learn some of the hundreds of activities.

3:30 – 3:45 Coffee break/snacks

3:45 -4:15 Tactile Play with Original PuzzleArt WallWorks and TableWorks Explore the colorful and fun original interactive art that is at the core of the PuzzleArt Therapy System.

4:15- 4:30 Summary / closing remarks

See you tomorrow!
Alli Berman

Three Days Left to Register for PuzzleArt Therapy Training!

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , 0 comments

Three Days Left to Register for PuzzleArt Therapy Training!

Hi everyone,

Our PuzzleArt Therapy Training is this Sunday, June 8th. Register for a full day of training for just $265.

PuzzleArt Therapy Training Program Brochure June 8 2014

Training includes a full day six-credit training course and overview of the visual, thinking and oculomotor skills needed for success, and the hands-on therapy system which can help improve them.

Begin Using New Therapeutic Techniques the Very Next Day.

Register now!
Alli Berman

1 2 3