Bridget,
You didn't say how long you have been working on PhRing. That's a factor.

Just activating helps some. When i started activating books, it then became apparent that i was grasping a book faster than b/f (before).

Just tackling a book w/ specific info to look for helps also. I was amazed at how fast i could actually find the info when i stated what i was interested in.

There's a considerable amount of *small* or seemingly insignificant info in the course that makes a real difference to enjoying the technique.

Today, i PhR Self Esteem, a book i like a lot, & it came to me that i really had a true knowledge of this book. I've only activated a few things in it, but somehow b/c i PhR it often, i somehow know a lot more than what i've actually activated.

Take a book & just PhR it every day. What you might find is that suddenly you will feel comfortable w/ the book. It won't feel strange to you. That's kind of amazing in itself. Then if you ask yourself what you would like to know about that book, you should be able to find it Very quickly.

Just look to build small steps of power that you can repeat w/ other books. Keep working w/ the dictionary b/c it really is exciting to find words in the exact spot. Do it in layers as Paul suggests. Take a break. Then when you go back tell yourself: All i'm going to do is look for 3 words & all i really need to do is find 1 of the 3 to be correctly located. When that works a few times, you will be more confident.