Good question, rharlow.

Speed reading is basically regular reading hastened up. Instead of going for words you are going for phrases, complete lines or paragraphs. It's still primarily a conscious-mind, left-brain function.

PhotoReading, on the other hand, is an other-than-conscious, right-brain process. You learn how not to rely on the words that are on the page, but on what goes on in your head. It’s not about moving your eyeballs really fast; it’s about using your brain more efficiently.

Speed reading is about getting comprehension of the words on the page while PhotoReading is about getting comprehension of the meaning of the page.

Speed reading may get you up to 5,000 words per minute, though 1200 words per minute is more the case. With PhotoReading you start at
25,000 words per minute, and where you go from there is anyone’s guess.

With speed reading, 90 percent of people quit using the techniques within a few months. This has to do with the way it is taught. You are taught to go faster and faster, and the faster you go the more doubts will start to creep in as to whether or not you are getting anything. And with these doubts come tensions and stresses, and who wants that?

With PhotoReading there is no stress; it is a calming, relaxing process. This is the case for two reasons. The first has to do with
superlearning, accelerated learning. It suggests that if you enter a relaxed state of alertness where you slow down the little voice in the back of your head and relax the body, you will be in an accelerated learning state in which you can learn and process information more optimally. Guess what? When you are in this relaxed state, you can not be stressed. The other reason there is no stress has to do with the fact that you are not worried about whether you are getting anything consciously while PhotoReading a page per second, because we tell you up front that you won’t. During Activation (step 4) you'll trigger information out in layers, and build comprehension from whole to parts. With PhotoReading you will be relaxed and comfortable.

[This message has been edited by Dana Hanson (edited May 09, 2001).]