Beyond the Eyes Vision, Perception & the Nervous System — An Immersive Retreat

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

RETREAT DESCRIPTION
Seeing From the Inside Out is a small-group, in-person immersion exploring vision as a whole-body process — guided by Dr. Sam Berne, with over four decades of clinical and experiential work in holistic and functional vision.
For many people, vision challenges are framed as mechanical failures of the eyes. This retreat begins from a different premise.
Vision is shaped by the nervous system, posture, breath, stress patterns, trauma history, metabolic health, and perception itself. When these systems are supported and allowed to slow down, vision can change — sometimes in unexpected ways.
This 3.5-day retreat is an opportunity to step out of urgency, learn deeply, and experience vision from the inside out.
WHAT MAKES THIS RETREAT DIFFERENT
This is not a typical workshop.
It is not a certification.
And it is not a quick-fix program.
This is an intimate, experiential immersion limited to eight participants, allowing for depth, individual attention, and integration. The emphasis is not on forcing change, but on creating the conditions in which perception can reorganize naturally.
You’ll be guided through:
• Functional and holistic perspectives on vision
• Nervous system regulation and perception
• Somatic and sensory practices
• Eye–brain–body relationships are rarely addressed in conventional care
WHAT YOU’LL EXPERIENCE
👁 Vision as a Whole-Body Process
• How vision reflects systemic and metabolic patterns
• Why eye conditions often mirror stress and adaptation
• Reframing “degeneration” through a functional lens
🧠 Nervous System & Perception
• How stress, trauma, and survival patterns influence vision
• Practices that support regulation and safety
• Understanding perception as a state, not just a function
🌈 Light, Color & Sensory Input
• Introduction to light and color as regulatory tools
• Red-light concepts and practical applications
• Sensory balance and visual processing
🌀 Somatic & Experiential Practices
• Gentle eye and perceptual practices
• Body-based awareness supporting visual change
• Integration practices you can continue at home

OPTIONAL PRE-RETREAT CONSULTATION
Participants may choose to add a private pre-retreat Zoom consultation with Dr. Berne.
This allows for:
• Review of personal vision history
• Clarifying goals and context
• A more tailored in-person experience
This consultation is optional and scheduled separately.
DOCUMENTARY ELEMENT 🎥
This retreat will be quietly and respectfully documented as part of Dr. Berne’s ongoing documentary work exploring vision, perception, and the nervous system.
Filming is observational only.
Participation in the retreat does not require participation in the film.
Consent is always optional, ongoing, and respected.
The camera’s role is to witness atmosphere — not private process.
LOGISTICS SNAPSHOT
• Dates: September 10–13, 2026
• Location: Grover Beach, California
• Group Size: Limited to 8 participants
• Format: In-person, experiential, small-group immersion

Core Pillars of Emersion:

1. Restoring the Visual Field

•peripheral vision practices

•soft-focus seeing

•ocular motor release

•horizon-based orientation

2. Nervous System & Time

•slowing urgency

•restoring rhythmic perception

•breath, posture, and visual timing

•exiting performance mode

3. Relational Seeing

•sensing space rather than objects

•ecological attention

•seeing with the environment, not at it

•dissolving observer / observed split

4. Integration & Meaning

•reflection without analysis

•allowing perception to reorganize identity

•honoring subtle change rather than forcing insight

WHO THIS RETREAT IS FOR
This retreat is for people who:
• Sense there is more to vision than they’ve been told
• Are curious, reflective, and open to learning
• Want depth rather than quick fixes
• Value small-group, relational learning
No prior experience is required.

Investment
Retreat Tuition: $3,200
This tuition reflects:
• A 3.5-day, in-person immersion
• A small group limited to 8 participants
• Over four decades of Dr. Berne’s clinical and experiential work–
• An intimate, experiential container designed for depth and integration
This retreat is intentionally limited in size to preserve personal attention and the integrity of the group field.

Dr. Sam Berne works at the intersection of vision, nervous system regulation, and embodied perception.

Trained as an optometrist and informed by decades of clinical, somatic, and ecological inquiry, his work focuses on how perception is biologically organized — and how it can be restored when narrowed by trauma, stress, modern technologies, or cultural conditioning.

Drawing inspiration from the phenomenology of Maurice Merleau-Ponty, the cultural and neurological insights of Iain McGilchrist, and the ecological perception work of David Abram. Berne translates these traditions into lived, physiological experience.

His work also resonates with Indigenous models of perception that understand seeing as relational, participatory, and inseparable from the living world.

Rather than treating conditions, Berne facilitates perceptual reorganization — helping individuals restore depth, presence, and coherence in how they meet reality.

Optional Pre-Retreat Consultation
Participants may choose to add a 75–90-minute private Zoom consultation with Dr. Berne prior to the retreat.
Pre-Retreat Consultation Fee: $750
This optional session allows for:
• Review of your vision history and goals
• Personal context before arriving in person
• A more tailored retreat experience
The consultation is optional and scheduled separately.

Payment & Registration
• A $1,200 non-refundable deposit is required to reserve your space
• The remaining balance is due 60 days prior to the retreat
• Payment plans may be available upon request
Credit card payments incur a 3% processing fee.
To avoid this fee, alternative payment methods will be provided at registration.

Capacity & Registration Note
This retreat is limited to 8 participants to preserve depth, safety, and individual attention. Once the group is full, registration will close.