How eye movements change us

I recently discovered Huberman Lab, a podcast that quickly became one of my favorites. In one episode, the host, a neuroscience professor, discussed how the brain controls our behavior and perception of the world. He explained that moving forward through activities such as walking, running, swimming, or biking can suppress the brain's fear response and increase our courage and willingness to confront daily tasks.

Furthermore, when we move forward, our brains release dopamine, a neurotransmitter that helps us feel happier and less anxious. The host attributed this effect to the lateralized eye movements that naturally occur when we move forward. These eye movements can help us change our perception and feelings about difficult memories or current events that cause us distress.

Interestingly, these lateralized eye movements are also the foundation of Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) for treating trauma. By manually moving our eyes back and forth or using tappers to create an alternating pulse on each side of our body, we can change our feelings and perceptions around traumatic experiences.

Knowing this, I was amazed to discover that walking, in a sense, mimics the eye movements used in ART . Each time we take a walk, we get a small dose of this beneficial effect, which can help clear our minds of stressors and improve our overall well-being.

As the host notes, our eyes and their movements are essential in controlling our internal state, setting our level of arousal or calm. The retinas are, in fact, pieces of the brain that were designed to see objects, but more fundamentally, they were designed to set our internal state. This knowledge gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "clearing your head" and shows the importance of movement in improving our mental health.