Forums IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ PhotoReading, Memory Optimizer where should concentration be during PR?

1. During photoreading, (assuming you have the blip): are you supposed to concentrate primarily on your breathing/chant? on your state of mind as far as expecting to get all of this? on noticing the 4 corners? white space? or something else?
For someone who successfully photoreads often.. some of these are probably in your mind more than others, (and some not at all).. if possible.. could you could make a percentage chart.. like:
Breathing/chant -50%
Expectation -15%
4corners -0%
whitespace-35%

im eager to see everyones responses ,
the GnarlyOcelot

There are no specific percentages you can assign to the process; you're making it more complicated than it is. The PhotoFocus step is simple. The only thing you need to concentrate on is the task at hand. What that means to you is that you have to MAINTAIN the state (that's one of the affirmations mentioned in the book.) Basically, you need to stay relaxed and rhythmic in your turning of the pages. And NOTICE the white space or the four corners (it's the same thing as long as you are doing so in order to keep your field of vision opened up.) You state your intention during the Prepare stage before the PhotoFocus step, and in order to truly relax, you'll have to let go of it consciously. What AlexK has said in the past is to only give your goal so much conscious attention as if it were your wallet; feel your back pocket to make sure it's still there. In other words, it's the same thing as MAINTAIN because if you keep a state of relaxed flow, you will be remaining aligned with your intention for what you want to get out of the book.

You used the word "expectation," but really you don't want to expect the results you will get -- just observe them. (Notice it, own it, play with it, stay with it NOPS) Your conscious mind doesen't necessarily know just how your experience with PhotoReading will unfold, so the conscious mind is best assigned to the task of holding the final goal instead of the exact twists and turns it takes to get there.

-Cameron

Is it just me who finds relaxing difficult? Maybe I need a tranquillizing pill or somrthing. I always have a sense of anxiety, maybe i'm a bit hyper but I get restless whenever I have all those things to concentrate on and if I forget one for a moment I get even more restless because I'm not doing it right. Any suggestions? or is it normal?
P.S. I'm serious about the tranquillizer

So Cameron (or anyone), would the state im going for be more of a relaxed robotic concentration.. systematically turning the pages while trying to keep my mind as clear as possible? The chanting is just there to keep my conscious mind occupied.. something to do while i do this robotic turning?

Roger, I read another book "Double your brain power" that had techniques that helped me get into the relaxed state of mind. They called it the Optimum Learning State, but essentially it was 5-7 deep breaths (4 seconds each on the inhale, hold, and exhale) then affirmations like "I'm a terrific learner."

This is going to sound goofy, but when I'm preparing to PR I close my eyes and imagine the tangerine rolling up the back of my head then I take three or four deep breaths as described above counting off the 4 seconds in for each phase of breath in my head. When I feel the shift to relaxation I say an affirmation and grab my book.

Sometimes while PR'ing I'll lose the state while turning pages. When that happens I keep the book open to the page I lost it and get back into state per the above.

My technique isn't that much different than what is described in the Photoreading chapter of the book, it's just what seems to work for me.

This sounds about right, GnarlyOcelot, from what I understand (I am not yet an expert as I have only been PhotoReading for two months.)

The trick to relaxing in this way, Roger, is a simple one, but I certainly had my troubles for a while too. You have to let go to perfectionism and worry. You must designate As you say, a state of anxiety only decreases your ability to perform, so you must simply stay with the process, not worrying about whether you're doing it right or not. You can always reread the appropriate section in the PhotoReading book to correct yourself after the fact. But really, you have taught yourself yourself to remember the process and the important details beforehand. That way you'll KNOW you're doing it right and thus you have no logical reason to be fearful about PhotoReading.

Until you've really become a master at maintaining a meditative state of mind, it is totally unrealistic to expect that your mind will immediately become completely calm and clear for the PhotoReading process. In the beginning, you will undoubtedly encounter intruding thoughts even if you apply the tangerine technique. But this doesen't matter as much as you might think. Simply notice that your mind has drifted off and guide it back to the task at hand. Jack Kornfield, on his meditation tapes, compares this procedure for calming the mind to training a puppy; when you tell it to sit at first, he runs away, but in order for him to learn, you must pick him up and place him back where he started in order to try training him again.

A deeper relaxation with fewer interruptions comes with time, having repeated the same thing over and over again to the point where you become very comfortable with it. I have come much closer to this with PhotoReading, for sure. I enjoy the relaxed feeling of rhythmically going through a book, not worrying about anything including when I accidentally skip a bunch of pages!

Now I need to work on relaxing and letting my ACTIVATION flow in the same way as my PhotoFocus because as of yet, I've found the process quite scary and uncomfortable -- probably mainly because I have mostly used it on school materials which tends to associate a bit of added stress!

Have fun!

And if you really are unable to relax even when truly following the 3,2,1, along with the tangerine technique, just keep doing it as best you can for now, and the deeper relaxation will come when you've practiced it more.

-Cameron

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Originally posted by GnarlyOcelot:
So Cameron (or anyone), would the state im going for be more of a relaxed robotic concentration.. systematically turning the pages while trying to keep my mind as clear as possible? The chanting is just there to keep my conscious mind occupied.. something to do while i do this robotic turning?

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Breathe! That's how you relax.

Deep breathing helps maintain the relaxed state.

During photoreading the conscious mind is supposed to get quiet so you don't really "concentrate" on anything. It defeats the purpose. Soft gaze defocused eyes and say the chant to keep the conscious mind at bay. And remember to breathe. If you're getting tense focus on your breathing and remember to place the tangerine.

Alex

AlexK,
But you still concentrate in that you keep your mind clear of thoughts other than the chant or the white space of the page, right?

Im curious, would music compensate for the chant? (granted, it probably wouldnt have the positive affirmations... but as far as its goal of keeping the conscious mind occupied?) also, thankyou Cameron and Alex, that helps alot.

We concentrate on the chant. No hard concentration needed during photoreading. You got plenty you can do, you can arouse your curiosity about the book, focus on your breathing, notice the blip page, keep the page turning rhymetic, be aware of the tangerine, saying the chant and you're already using all the conscious mind skills anyway.

As for music, it is unnecessary and for some it becomes an anchor or excuse for not photoreading. E.G. "I can't photoread right now I hacen't got the right brainwave CD" It becomes a wussie excuse because you know how to read, just get into photofocus and flip those pages and trust your brain for a change.

Alex