I'm glad you read Norman Dixon's work. Preconscious Processing is quite a tome, and was instrumental in motivating me to pursue PhotoReading as a concept. By the way, my original charge as HR consultant was to design "an accelerated learning application of speed reading" for the IS&DP division of IDS/AmExpress in Minneapolis.
Having spent time with Dr. Dixon in England, I continue to believe we are on the right track in our hypothesis of why PhotoReading works.
Until we have MRI or PET studies to show that we are using natural brain channels for Implicit Learning (see Ch. 35: Learning and Memory, pp. 651-666 in Essentials of Neural Science and Behavior by Kandel, et al., 1995) we are, essentially, building our case on related studies and highlighting compelling anecdotal evidence from our worldwide client base.You will have to decide if naturalistic inquiry (ref. Helen Lincoln's book by that title) is a relevant scientific method.
In the meanwhile, two excellent scientific sources continue to support my description of PhotoReading. Tor Norrentranders "The User Illusion" (translated in 1998) and the work of Dr. Pawel Lewicki from the cognitive psych labs at Tulsa University. For his work check out:
http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~pawel-lewicki/index.html
