Forums IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ PhotoReading, Memory Optimizer Proper Activation Sequence

Dana made a post in an old thread that you should activate a book in several 30-45 minute sessions. Does this mean that you should superread the entire book in each 30 minute activation session? I am having some trouble here as I try to get what I want out of the book by superreading about 25% of it in a 30 minute session. That gives more time for dipping. I do four sessions - one on each 25% of the book, but from what I'm seeing here, that is not the correct approach. It does not incorporate the layering idea. I thought the tapes said to superread whatever part of the book you are drawn to. Can someone clarify this? I think it is my last stumbling block. Thanks.

Jstew,

Several things to remember ...

Learning best done in 30 minute increments ... break. Then go back at it for another 30 minute increment. When your mind knows it will be rewarded with a break ... it in turn treats you well!

Activation is a conscious way of comprehending material. The more passes through the material ... the more things begin to make sense. I find especially during a second pass that things look all too familiar.

Concentrate on sections of the book as opposed to the entire book during your sessions and in no time ... you'll have it licked!

Hey Jstew,

It appears you and I are at the same stage of learning in this program. "The big A". Here is something which just dawned on me while going over tape 5 again. I hope it helps and (teacher, teacher) I hope to get confirmation that what I share is correct. So, take this as just another fellow travler and lets see what comes of it.

I have been mixing up Rapid reading and super reading. They are different. Something which stuck out at me like a sore thumb at the end of tape 5:
"Super reading is down with the eyes in the middle of the column"

Bingo for me. I have been trying to rapid read matierial after photoreading it when in fact, SuperReading appears to be 1/2 PR and 1/2 rapid reading.

Going through tape 5b, I was Very frustraited. Within the two six minute reading sessions I got to page 18 of the Natural Brillians book. This is not in line with the what Dana instructed me on this stage. I found myself scanning text (left to righ, let the words jump to you) Trying to glean understanding of the text I was seeing and reading during super reading, I belieave is to soon within the process. Activating (super reading/dipping)= step 4, Rapid Reading = Step 5.

I now think I have a better understanding of what Dana offered.
"Build comprehension from whole-to-parts. Structure first, and increasingly more detail as you go."

So, the comprehention I am looking to get from the reading does not come from Activation but Step 5, Rapid Reading.

jstew: Let me know if we are in sync here. This was a MAJOR releife to myself. I wanted to share it with you. Now, I just hope my understanding is inline.

Coi,

BlkWolf

Hi BlkWlf,

Thanks for your comments. I agree with what you say except that I don't think you would ever do the rapid reading step unless you really wanted to get everything out of the book. The layering approach as I understand it means you superread (eyes down the middle of each column) stopping at places where your preconscious mind is drawn (because it sees material that relates to one of your mind probing questions). You may superread the same text several times getting a little more comprehension each time. When you have the answers to your mind probing questions (as well as any others that have come up while superreading), you are finished. In most cases, you would not need to go to the rapid reading step.

I hope this makes sense. I'm struggling with it also, and would appreciate a comment from Dana about whether we are on target here.

Thanks for all your posts! You guys are really integrating the process. I can actually sense the new neuro pathways being burned in as I read your posts.

I'll try to answer everyone's questions:

1. In your first couple of activation sessions, it's best to pace yourself to go through the book cover-to-cover, so that you get the structure. Then you can spend your 30-minute sessions on specific parts of the book to build higher comprehension. Try to get through your whole book cover-to-cover in the 30 minutes, or the whole chapter beginning-to-end. Highly detailed books, it works well to activate each chapter multiple times until it "gels."

2. You can activate by going right into Rapid Reading. This works best for novels and pleasure reading pieces. It just takes you alot longer to put together the structure, and so forth.

3. SuperReading & Dipping gives you the structure in of the entire book, then the structure of each chapter. Then, you shift into Rapid Reading and go back to get all the specific detail you want.

In your first activation session, you'll discover exactly what chapters you want to go back and activate further, and the chapters you have no use for.

4. Performance tips:

-write down your purpose/outcome statement in Prepare
-write down the trigger words from chapter titles, bold print, etc, in your 8-minute Preview
-affirm mastery of the information, use the "4-3-2-1" chant, and closing affirmations in PhotoRead
-formulate mind probing questions with your trigger words from Preview before SuperReading & Dipping, and Mind Map the chapter title trigger words and other significant trigger words and phrases you choose
-save Rapid Reading for all the specific detail you want.

I'll share with you something that took me a while to realize, and saved me from a lot of continued procrastination:

Super reading, dipping, mind mapping, skittering, and rapid reading are all activation techniques, but you don't have to do them all.

What I most often do as my activation is a combination of a few of these techniques. I'll start with a combination of super reading and skittering, and when I get to something I want to understand more fully, I kind of dip, but I'm actually rapid reading.

I hope this helps. I think the best activation technique so far is persistence, I'm still working on that one.

To All:
The most dumbest question is the one you don't ask, so I'm asking. What is the true meaning of "Rapid Reading"? In the PR book, it does not explain the rapid reading technique in any depth. I have yet to see a post on the forum that explains the rapid reading technique. Most of us take for granted that everyone knows how to rapid read and if that is the assumption, then it is false. Is rapid reading speed reading?
Do you subvocalize all the word? Do you move your eyes from left to right as you zig zag down the page and not subvocalize? I think a better understanding of rapid reading would be a plus as far as a very useful activation technique if we all understood the mechanics and principle behind it.

My take on rapid reading is that it is basically speed reading. You are moving your eyes quickly over every line in the book. The idea is that, having gone through the other PR steps, you're speed reading much more rapidly than would otherwise be possible. I think that's why it is downplayed a bit as an activation technique. For a book from which you're just trying to get the essential content (non-fiction), it shouldn't be necessary because the other steps help you focus on the relevant content. However, it's the ideal way to get through a novel much faster than you would through normal reading or even through speed reading. Have you ever rapid read a novel after PRing it first? It's amazing how quickly you can go through it without missing anything.