Forums IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ PhotoReading, Memory Optimizer Emergency! My exams are 24hrs away!

Was wondering if anyone has any suggestions for Emergency Photoreading!

My exams are 1.5 days away (am a 2nd year medical student in Australia). I bought the home study PhR course 2 weeks ago and have been terribly excited about it ever since. I decided to give it a go for my upcoming exams and photoread 7 neurology textbooks. But then I kinda got lost with the process and found that I wasn't getting the magical results I had hoped for and slowly found myself regressing back to just linear reading my semester's notes (and not touching any of the 7 neurology textbooks). Also had to throw all of my goals for this week's "super" study, out of the window!

Reading the messages posted on this DF has restored my hopes in the system. But now I only have about 24 hours to my exams and was wondering if anyone can suggest any emergency tactics that I can use with PhR.

I am not worried about failing my exams - I have enough knowledge currently in my head to pass them. But I did want to do brilliantly. Is that too much to hope for as a 2-week old photoreader??

Hi Prynceska,

A couple of thoughts for you:

1) Learning the Photoreading method is a process of reorganizing your "learning strategies," and, as such, it takes time and practice. While it usually takes time and practice to forge the links between the unconscious and conscious mind, you already have much of the structure in place....it is called intuition. As you are taking your tests, listen to your intuition.

2) Here is a technique which has helped me immensely with my tests.

- Sometime before the test, find a nice, quiet place and time where you can spend a few uninterrupted minutes.

- Use the Photoreading method to get into the "Flow State."

- Imagine seeing yourself taking the test. See the room, the people, etc. in as much detail as you can.

- Imagine seeing yourself reading a question, looking up and to your left to find the answer.

- (Optional - this is the metaphor I use, a different one may work better) See the information "bubbling up" from the inner mind and when the bubbles burst, the exact info you need is there for you to see and use.

- See yourself answser several questions this way, and then fast forward to seeing yourself receive the results of the test....of course see a big 'A' (or whatever works for you).

- Edit this mental movie until it is just perfect. Then, rewind again and either step into the movie or pull it in to yourself, etc. The goal is to be at the start of the movie and run it while seeing through your own eyes, hearing through your own ears and feeling exactly what you will be feeling in that situation.

- As you are running the movie from your perspective, feel that sense of confidence as the answers just "come out of nowhere." Feel that sense of pride and accomplishment (and maybe even a bit of delight and surprise) as you get the test results back and see how well you did.

Play with this a little bit and please let us know how you did!

Have fun,
Mike

Thanx for your reply, Mike! But I must confess, I can't quite see myself doing as you suggested - I am not sure how visualisation techniques are going to help recall in an exam situation. I thought visualisation was more a method of anxiety/emotion control - so it might help me be calm and relaxed and FEELING confident. Are you suggesting it might actually help my information processing as well?

Can you also tell me a bit more specifically how these techniques helped you? I am willing for my skepticism to be toppled!

Hi Prynceska!

Great questions!

The process I outlined is based on an NLP technique called "future pacing." The quick explanation is that you are creating a new pattern of behavior by seeing yourself acting and reacting to a future situation in a new way. You are literally "programming" new responses.

The method we use remember something in any given situation is called a strategy. Future pacing is the "finishing piece" to most NLP techniques and is used to lock in the new behavior in future situations.

Now, to explain the specific pieces of my future pace above:

- I ask you to see the room in which you will take the test - the is the cue to your inner mind that you want this behavior to happen in the future, in this situation. I ask you to see as much detail as possible because this helps make it more real and more powerful for your unconscious mind.

- I ask you to see yourself reading the question and then looking in a specific place to find the answer. Up and left are where most peoples' eyes go when they are accessing visual memory of something they've already seen. Here I'm making the assumption that your test will be based on a lot of visual information - anatomy charts, things you've read, and I'm also making the assumption that recalling the info visually will give you what you need to answer the question. For more on "eye accessing cues", see the entry on Eye movements on this page: http://www.nlpuniversitypress.com/html/E42.html

- Since you have photoread this material, it is already stored in your inner mind, you just need a way to access it. I offer the metaphor of seeing information "bubbling up" from your inner mind to you conscious mind when you need it to help bridge this gap.

- Finally, I ask you to start the visualization from a disassociated point of view and at the end, when you have it perfect, to associate into it and run it. This is typical of many NLP technique. The disassociated POV allows you to edit the strategy to make sure it works and you are happy with it. When you associate into the movie and play it, you are installing the new strategy so that it is automatically available when you need it.

As for how this technique has helped me, I've posted several notes. I've used this technique by itself and in conjunction with the Personal Genius paraliminal to great effect. Here are some references:
http://www.learningstrategies.com/forum/ubb/Forum4/HTML/000251.html
http://www.learningstrategies.com/forum/ubb/Forum4/HTML/000251.html

I hope this answer your questions, if not let me know how else I can help.

Have fun!
Mike

Thanx again, Mike!

I think I might need to do some more research before I consider being convinced. I think the bit that I am uncomfortable with is the part where I tell myself how wonderful I am and how brilliantly I am going to do in the exam and how I am going to write perfect answers - essentially "congratulating myself on being a master of the universe"!!

But last night after I read your message, I went home and thought about it. And I realised that there are lots of great applications where i can use visualisation techniques to help me. Specifically I was having trouble being motivated to do my study last night. So I visualised myself at my desk reading quickly through all my notes and not feeling tired/bored/etc. And it really helped! So thanx for that!

Well, after my exams are over, I will look deeper into this NLP and future pacing stuff. By the way, what is 'POV'? Couldn't figure it out.

Talk later!

POV = Point Of View.

Heheheh....I didn't really mean for you to feel that you are the "master of the universe." I just thought that a bit of calm, relaxed confidence would help. Basically, I was just trying to displace any fear or anxieties you might have had, if it doesn't apply, don't do it. As you've already noticed, all I'm giving you is a general framework based on what has worked for me (and for a couple of people I've taught this technique to). It is up to you to customize it to fit your particular situation and personality.

Play with it and see what you get!

Have fun, and good luck on the exams!!

Mike