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

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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.   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 20 – every 20 minutes GET UP and walk a few steps (or more) away from your electronic device. 20 – take 3 deep breaths lasting approximately 20 seconds each. 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.   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!

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Brain Fitness and Brain Awareness Month

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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 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, 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. 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! [CONTACT_FORM_TO_EMAIL]

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Is PuzzleArt Therapy Right for Your Clients?

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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! 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. 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! [CONTACT_FORM_TO_EMAIL]

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PuzzleArt Therapy: How it Came to Be

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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. 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. 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!

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Early Bird Registration for PuzzleArt Therapy Training Ends Today!

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Hi everyone, The next PuzzleArt Therapy training is June 8th, but early bird registration ends today, Friday, May 30th! Lock in your price at $245 for a full day of hands-on training that you can use the very next day. After today, the full registration price will be $265. Train to improve 20 skills, including: • Memory • Near / Far Focus • Oculomotor • Peripheral Vision • Sensory PuzzleArt Protocol • Spatial Relationships • Visual: Closure, Discrimination, Figure /Ground, Perception • Visualization • Amblyopia / Suppression • Bilateral Integration • Binocular Skills • Cognitive and Problem-Solving Skills • Creativity • Directionality • Gross + Fine Motor • Letter + Word Recognition Register today! Alli Berman

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Come see me at PuzzleArt Therapy Training Next Sunday!

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Hi everyone, Our next PuzzleArt Therapy training will be next Sunday, June 8th, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Come see me in action! Here\’s my bio below: PuzzleArtist Alli Berman, PAT Artist, Author and Educator for 36 years, Berman created her interactive PuzzleArt™ concept to help others. Founder of Anti-Aging Art and Brain Fitness Art. Thousands benefit from her arts, professional development, creativity and ed- ucational programs. Berman’s art is exhibited in museums, galleries and corporate + private collections worldwide. BA/Edu + BA/Art Stony Brook Univ, MS/Abt Pratt Institute. See you soon! Alli Berman

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PuzzleArt Perceptual Play Card Packs in 3D!

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Hi everyone, Today\’s featured piece is my PuzzleArt Perceptual Play Card Pack in 3D! These are great for vision therapy and are used in my PuzzleArt Therapy live training sessions. This product is part of the PuzzleArt Therapy System, the first therapy to combine Binocular, Perceptual, Oculomotor and PuzzleArt Sensory Protocols using hands-on abstract art. Create your best day, Alli Berman

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\”Art Can Heal the Brain – Alli Berman\’s PuzzleArt Therapy\” Video Interview on YouTube

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Hi everyone, Check out this cool interview that a colleague of mine in the anti-aging field, Ed Park, posted on YouTube of his interview with me! Art Can Heal the Brain – Alli Berman\’s \”Puzzle Art Therapy\” The PuzzleArt Therapy training I mention in the video was very successful this year. Lots of teamwork going on during our Vision Therapy sessions! Create your best day, Alli Berman

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