I bought Tony Buzan's book on Speed Reading. I also bought a book that taught the Evelyn Wood method. Neither one worked for me. I followed the instructions and learned the techniques but I didn't feel like I was getting anything out of the books I was reading this way.
One day I saw the Photoreading book in the bookstore and I figured what the heck. I had heard about the studies done on the brain's ability to absorb information subconsciously and here was a system that claimed to make use of that ability. I bought the book expecing it to be a lot like Wood's and Buzan's where I'd read it, try it, and set it on the shelf. Well, that didn't happen. I read it, I tried it, and I was pleased with the results.
I think you raise some valid issues as well as some common misconceptions so let's take the arguments you quote at face value. Assume, for the sake of argument, that the Photoreading step has no effect whatsoever. Where does that leave us? We have just another speed reading system that some people swear by and others can't make work.
Now keep in mind that the Photoreading step is a small part of the system, in terms of time. You're only spending about 1 second per page. Even if it doesn't do anything to aid comprehension, I find it relaxing and beneficial for that reason alone.
On the other hand, what if it's true? What if you really can cram a 600-page book into your subconscious in 10 minutes and then apply standard speed reading techniques that let you absorb the information faster and with better comprehension than you could when you used the speed reading techniques alone?
I don't know about you, but I'd feel kind of petty arguing about whether a 10 minute investment of time per 600 pages is worth the effort or not.
I've read some of the negative responses at Amazon and all I could do was wonder why people were slamming Photoreading as just a bunch of repackaged speed reading techniques with a Photoreading step, while they praised other books that contained repackaged speed reading techniques without the 10-minute step. The Photoreading step doesn't take anything away from the speed reading techniques, if anything, it adds something the other systems don't have. What's so bad that?
