Hello everyone,

I am a beginner. I have been following this forum since last year when my PRWMS book arrived. I was hugely disappointed for the initial days, but the queries, answers and suggestions on this forum helped me regain my faith in PhotoReading.

I have a few questions-

1. In traditional linear reading, many times we end up reading many things we are not really interested in for the time being, but could make use of in future and we may remember a part of it, just because our conscious mind has attended it.. Can this happen with PhotoReading? Can one make herself a deep sense of familiarity with entire text regardless of her interest in the material at the moment? If yes, then how should one set her 'purpose' for the same?


2. I have kept no time constraints for my initial days of Practicing PR. I believe, the more I use the system and practice it playfully, the quicker I will get the results. I am focused on executing all the steps correctly and effectively.
But then I find myself getting too much attracted to 'rapid read'. I prepare, Preview, PhotoRead, and then rapid read everything for manual activation. I end up evicting 'postview, super read, dip and mindmaps' almost everytime. I have got no success in with it yet.
Will evicting all 'post PhotoRead' steps and just sticking to rapid read yield any result? will it help in effective activation?
(My 'purpose' for my academic books has been 'to establish a deeper familiarity and understanding; so that I can answer any question effectively'. )


3. How to set a purpose for a book you are interested by its name but are not aware of exact contents?

4. Reading with conscious mind gives you a 'feel' to have had read and covered each word. (though we may barely understand and recall much at first read) this helps in objective type exams (choosing one out of other four/five entries). Does PhotoReading give you such a 'feel' after activating the books multiple times?

5. Can we set purpose for PhotoReading to assist in recalling word associations, and random abstract information, order of words/sentences? (such as in puzzles,General awareness Books, timelines in History etc..)


Thanks in Advance..

Why shouldn't it? I usually find I know where to look later when my interest is there for what I didn't need earlier. Meaning I did pay attention even though I didn't spend time activating it.



Force is always counterproductive. Use curiosity instead. If you're curious about a subject of course you'll hone deeper information about it.



Whatever builds your curiosity.


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I think it's more productive to focus on getting what you need from what you read. Perfecting the steps is like tying shoelaces, The more you focus on getting the job done the easier it is to get the job done.




As I said before this is because you've avoided using a timer and keeping some time constraints. The time constraints are perfect for polishing your superreading and dipping; and skittering skills.

Rapid Reading is actually a combination of all those techniques so what you're doing is just regular reading and trying to be faster at it.

To really rapid read you need to work on the other activation techniques as well.



Set a timer 7 minutes activation.




Learn the system first on non -academic books. Books not related to your studies. So that you can build familiarity with curiosity and learning how you're body mind signals you as to where to find information, first. Then move to books relating to your academic studies.




Your purpose is what you want to get out of the book. If you don't know what the book is about, then your first purpose is to find out what purpose you could possibly have for this book. PhotoRead it and then refine your purpose.



That's why we activate. If we didn't want to "read with the conscious mind" we'd just PhotoRead books and be done with it. Of course we're such great artist at telling ourselves we cannot do that, that we cannot. Whether you believe you can or believe you can't, you're right. But you cannot fake belief. If you doubt, you don't believe.

Activate, in layers, with purpose. That's important for material that you expect to be tested on. I recommend mind mapping as well as it's easier to think back onto something you've interacted with in more than one way.

When you activate and I mean activate as taught in the system (and the 5 day test) You'll have the same conscious comprehension or better, in about 1/3 the time. Even 1/5 1/10 and even possibly for some books 1/15 the time.

[quote]5. Can we set purpose for PhotoReading to assist in recalling word associations, and random abstract information, order of words/sentences? (such as in puzzles,General awareness Books, timelines in History etc..) [quote]

Why don't you try it and see?

Alex

Thank you very much Alex..! your replies are life saver..


Many previous posts on the forum made me wonder, why do many beginner PhotoReaders get tough time despite following the system correctly? and, why the system later starts working for them when they keep on doing it? Is this a habit or a new skill that takes time to learn and get used to?
And, people who have got PhotoReading to work for them in just a couple of days, do they possess 'PhotoRead-friendly' traits to get this system work without any/much conflict?

I am re-reading the chapter on activation again. The phenomenon of 'activation' seems very unearthly and enigmatic to me...can a couple of trigger words make comprehension of an entire paragraph/idea come alive!? Just thinking of this gives me butterflies in my stomach. But then at times it feels, naah!!..it can't possibly be that powerful!.. maximum you may get is a sense of familiarity and a general idea, that's it!


Does this sentence in the book ''during activation you are attracted to text relevant to your purpose'' also imply that, if we are interested in each and every word about the book, then each word should attract our attention? is it so?

In superreading, dipping, skittering, does it mean that; what we read/see/hover eyes over, only gets alive and comes into conscious memory and what we do not touch, doesn't come up from our other-than conscious mind?


Thanks..

Dear Friend,
You will get answers to all your doubts when you start getting clear on your purpose and get going on mind probe (Questions,Enquiry ,inquiry ---whatever!!!).
I have struggled to understand Photo reading till 2012.I finished my MBA in finance with distinction (77%) recently.I finished exams in 21 subjects in 1 1/2 years (the couse was 4 years long,i struggled unnecessarily for the first 2 1/2 years).I am waiting for my Certificate form the institute which will come to me in August 2014.i will then share many ideas i used to understand photo reading.Probably will help some novices.

The crux about photo-reading is mind probe.

I cant stress enough on this ...we get so much bogged on the mechanics(Super reading and Skittering and mindmaps--they are essential but they make 20% of the skill) but we dont take time to think.TO probe what we want from the book.

For the book you have photo-read ,have you inquired :

do you need it? Why do you need it?and what do you need from it?
then chapter wise do you mind probe?what is the chapter about?how many ideas has the author covered here?how does he cover or substantiate the ideas with?what arguments does he pose?on particular ideas you may decide to spend more time on ...so you may think further.

Actually activation is easy once you believe that the book you have photo read is already yours and then you use the available whole day or time with you to think on what you want from the book.Beleive me when you get there you will be waiting to activate the book for 20 mins to know the answers!!!!

We lose out on photoreading cause we dont mind probe enough we dont prepare enough.Interestingly the genius Paul Scheele has asked us to prepare every time we read!!!!

hey Alex thanx again for your support .i am waiting from my certificate to send you a write up on my experiments on Photoreading.Thank you so much Alex.Thanx(Cant stop thanking you)!!!!

Adarsh

Thank You. And well done. And you've definitely hit the nail on the head. You need to "prepare" That's where you connect with your purpose. understand your purpose and asking questions of the author makes activation come alive.



Those are some excellent examples that help you connect with your purpose as well. Once you have your purpose it's a choice whether you decide to look for the authors train of thoughts (hit look for the train in the PhotoReading book for more info)

Or... Ask the 6 precision questions. The 6 Ws.




Oh that's too easy. Because we as humans are essentially lazy and would rather find a short cut or easier way. Because the steps seem too many things to think of and remember.

It's like first learning to drive, all the things you had to think of when you get behind the wheel. If it wasn't necessary to getting a drivers license, more people would be avoiding the steps there as well. However if you need a license to drive sooner or later you're going to follow those basic steps and then, with experience, you'll be like a pro, and seem to skip the steps. SEEM to, you still essentially follow them, are aware of them.

That said, even in learning to drive there are some who take take longer to get their license because they like to spend more time looking for the easier, faster way [they put a surprising about of energy into that]. Mentally doing everything type of research to understand the fastest way to learn and paradoxically, take way, way, way longer than if they "Just Do It."






Usually they just include the steps they avoided because it seemed too much work. They stopped skimping. It's one of the reasons why people in my seminars get it faster than those going on their own. I don't let them skimp on the important step which is Step one. Because that step seems all too easy and familiar newbies tend to gloss over that one. Yet if really look at and do the Star of Wonder exercise, you learn it's important not to take what you think you know for granted.

Usually people get it when they just give up and start over and pay attention to all the stes.



Or learned it in the 2 hours it took to read the PhotoReading book? Like me?

We didn't care.

I didn't glorify the system or expect magic. I was just plain curious if something like this worked. So after reading the PhotoReading book as explained on the front cover. I thought so all the other books don't have Einstein telling me the important bits I should read. So the PhotoReading system is the way to "put Einstein in those books for me." Cool I though.

Then I just PhotoRead the PhotoReading book. Didn't get much into the chant, just said to myself, so this is PhotoReading, just flipping the pages as I see the pages? Interesting.

Then I went to a book shop and just playfully experimented with what I learned. I figured I haven't done the course yet so I had no expectations, Just applied what I understood from reading with Einstein and (I didn't know it at the time, my preconscious processor, working with what I PhotoRead). And walked out of the bookshop thinking now that was cool. I saved myself money on that book, from PhotoReading it I gathered it was an advertising book not a self help book really. And to think I could have been reading books like that for the last 30 years. I went into shock and nearly started crying in the middle of the shopping centre. All that time and money I wasted and I just got everything I needed from a book in 5 minutes?

Brings me to another paradox. The realisation I wasted so much time in my life "slow reading" when I could have been doing it the PhotoReading system way was not a happy blow to my ego. I first had to forgive myself for not learning of the system first. And I'm pretty sure everyone has a bit of self-preservation and wants to avoid feeling like a fool. So in that way it was almost easier not to do the course and forget about the system. (Yep I almost did that too. Took me 2 weeks to get over the guilt of lost time and money from reading the old way to allow myself to let the system work as I knew it could because I chose not to ignore my very first successes within 20 minutes of PhotoReading the PhotoReading book and only having spent 2 hours reading a book which normally would have taken me 6 or 7 hours to read.)

And if you really think about it. Traditional reading is much the same, an enigma. Why do some books come alive and others feel like moving through mud that takes off your Wellingtons?

And the answer lies in the readers curiosity or affinity with the subject the author is discussing.

The trigger words, and questions in tandem with your purpose are the map that helps you to avoid the muddy bog of reading. That's why it's important not to skip prepare and take the 6 or so minutes to Postview with a sheet of paper so you can record your trigger words and questions for the author.




When you activate and I mean activate with purpose and do enough layers, you can enjoy better comprehension than with traditional reading and still have only spent 1/3 the time with the book from traditiona1 reading.

Since most people never really look at how much time it actually takes to traditionally read a book they don't realise the beginner short changes themselves by not applying enough layers.

Assuming average reading speed I recommend beginners apply 6 x 20 activation layers to a 200 to 250 page book, before they resort to rapid reading the book from beginning to end. {And consider adding another 20 minute activation layer for each additional 80 pages) Do that for 5 to 10 books, you'll probably start discovering you are getting all you need without rapid reading and even start cutting down the number of activation layers.

Why?
1. You develop your superreading and dipping and skittering skills.
• It comes in handy if you can apply it to stuff you consider a quick read or too short to PhotoRead first.
2. It improves your activation skills in the fastest way.
• It's actually the shortcut everyone is looking for. Getting the system
• you're building the body mind muscle for superreading and dipping and skittering.

Yes instead of spending say 6 to 12 hours with a book the beginner is already cutting it down to 2.


The thing to remember the first activation layer can be boggy. It can be like it makes no sense, you're getting nothing. Persist. N.O.P.S (See the PhotoReading book on the topic.) Add a second, third and fourth layer. Then you'll see you were getting it all along. And if your not starting to see progress... Check your purpose




Nope, each. word. on. it's. own. has. little. meaning. in. this. sentence. The words with more meaning attract your attention.

Words on a page are just a group of words. You give it meaning by what you read into it.

Don't get caught up analysing, everything you read, everything I say. Analysis paralysis is what stops progress.



Lets get one thing straight. You've PhotoRead the text before you activate it right? So none of the words disappeared since you've PhotoRead it. So it's already in your memory. What you're doing when activating is zeroing in to bring to conscious comprehension the information that, you, working with your preconscious processor would would like to be aware of. You're pulling it up to create a conscious memory.


Again it comes alive because of what you put into it, in order to take something out of it. And what you need to put into it is simply .... a purpose. Give it a reason to come alive for you with a purpose.

Alex

Adarsh,
Thank you for the inputs. As per your suggestions, I am fine tuning my purpose and mind probing questions.

Alex,
I just love the way you explain..things start making much more sense.



Well, does it mean I will have to pull out everything turn by turn in order to create a conscious memory of everything; if I desire so?

I understand, I should be focusing on practicing rather being unnecessary analytic and inquisitive at this stage, but I chose to better get my doubts clear first.

I did not understand why spotting/finding/searching the desired information at blazing fast speeds has been put more emphasis on in the book as the major benefit of PhotoReading .. and very little on recall?

PhotoReading will surely help me find the location of the information I desire; with exact page and paragraph and line. Well, what about the info I do not have particular interest in? Text I have not superread or dip or skitter over? This may sound funny, but I am afraid I might miss out vital info which I don’t find important but it actually is; from someone else’s point of view(Author/Examiner). In this case, knowing it all is what seems to be a wiser solution! No one would want to run into a situation like, “I have activated only what I found to be important, but now it seems something else was needed to be activated”! When we read consciously, slower may it be, we are well aware of what didn't interest us. We can well describe that!

Would it be feasible expectation for a beginner to obtain a richer recall of everything?

I am yet to get my first breakthrough…I am excited about it. Will keep posted about my progress.

Thank you.

Doubts fall away fastest by actual doing. You get results fastest too.

When I first worked with the Home study course to learn the steps of PhotoReading I looked at the forum then too. Then went, no, I think I better just follow along and do the course as best I can, then when I've done that come back to the forum. Different learning styles. I realised that I was in danger of analysing too much too.



You cannot recall something that hasn't been called upon in the first place. You call on it through activation. And there is a lot of emphasis on activation. Superreading and dipping is one of the activation steps, not the only way you can activate. For technical text you'll probably find skittering more appropriate.



If you have no interest, you have no purpose. Dump it and move on. In the USA alone there is 3 million books printed each year. Just the amount of books available in the US printed in the last 5 years alone means there is better choices better options than wasting time with a book or sections of a book you have no interest in.

(If you think that 3 million books a year is interesting, that's only officially published books, there's also self printed, and books from other English speaking countries.

So if you're not interested, dump it.



If you're not interested in the text and you will be examined in it, why are you studying the subject? Fine a purpose!!!!!!!

With a purpose, you won't miss what's important to the examiner.

By the way, you can ask the examiner what you need to know about the subject. It's usually outlined what you need to learn.

You'll miss it if you traditionally read it. Without a purpose and without an interest there is no active way you're going to access it.

At least when you PhotoRead it your preconscious processor has had access to it and you could spontaneously activate it with the exam questions.

You're trying ascertain that the tiniest part of your brain is conscious of everything and yet that portion of the brain is smaller than a peanut on a carpet that makes up your greater mind. And given how little you can access with your conscious mind in any given moment [7 plus or minus 2 bits of information a second] Your Conscious mind cannot ever know everything. You have to forget almost instantly to make room for the next ideas.



Activate until you have the same or better comprehension of the text. Why do you stop so soon? You're prepared to traditionally read the text, a 6 to 12 hour block of reading but are not inclined to do 2 or 3 hours worth of activation with mind mapping.

Believe me with superreading and dipping and mind mapping 6 or 9 20 minute activation layers is more informative than 6 to 12 hours of just passive reading.



See above... even a beginner can get their reading done in 1/3 the time.



If you're keen get some books not relating to your studies and apply the 5 day test to them. I recommend doing that with at least 5 books before moving to textbooks.

Alex

Undoubtedly true..! I will rest the analytic in me for a while...and focus on 'doing' part.

Well, I completed the 5 day test on 4 non-fiction books. ( two biographies, a complete idiot's guide and one food n nutrition book) But No luck with activation yet

my problems-

1. I find myself to be struggling to pick trigger words. Entering into the ALS, and rolling eyes down the center of the pages with my purpose and mind probing questions in my head; only the italics, bold, underlined, main and subheadings catch my attention.

2. At the end of the 5 day test, the text didnt seem familier or inclined towards my purpose. Only the index, heading and highlighted words seem familier. ( so i extended one more 'day 4 and day 5)

I also tried super reading and skittering as if I am purposefully looking for exact info/answers, but it didnt help either.

Should I increase the number of books? (you had recommended 5-10 books) or start with 30-40 pages simple stort stories to get a breakthrough and then move to regular books?

I think I may have to rework over my purpose again. And I guess, the reason for failure in Photoreading the whole mind system is "no appropriate purpose- no comprehension", isnt it?

Thank you..

Stweet

Dont desire to know the book in entirety in the beginning.This is the biggest trap we all fall into!!!!This blocks all our attempts for more activations!!!
After you have Photo read just believe its with you.
Then don't worry too much about getting the right trigger words.Start of getting the trigger words in such a way you pick 20-25 of them from beginning of the text to the end(this is not really necessary once you have learnt how to use photoreading?)
Then once you do your incubation.Set a timer for 20 mins.Then get answers to your trigger words one question at a time.Try to cover the entire book in 1 20 min activation(thats why its recommended to start of with small books-around 200 pages!!!). Then initially you may have to do one more round of going through the entire book,so that you expose the entire book to your conscious mind.After many practices I got clear what i want from the book,now i just do one activation session fro 20 mins covering from the beginning to the end and i am clear what i want from the book or which chapter i need to focus on.I attack chapter wise.Activate chapterwise.get the system first.Let the book gel after many activations .Once you do this enough with enough questions,you will start getting a hang of the system.
My initial hang up was "ohh man so many activations why cant i just read it fully once through?"
then i realised the important of purpose and questions.
The i let go of the need to know it all immediately.That's a big hang up for many of us.Traditional speed reading or general reading trains us to do so...read once through and get hold of the book completely.
But learning comes when you first construct a structure and start filling the parts.Read the forum ,a recent post where Alex speaks of Painting.She has related understanding to painting a picture.Until it comes out fully we really don't know how it all looks.That analogy is great.
Just play,have fun,don't keep telling yourself i'm not getting it, i'm not getting it.That's the reason Learning Strategies don't want us to start of with Text books cause with a text book more or less the purpose is there but we don't understand how to use photo reading.
Each activation session get answers to your questions.then build on it and then then build some more.You will think its cumbersome.Unitl you enjoy it and you will only want to do this cause its really easy and great and real fun.And the best part you can get rid of your books if you want to(either half way or once you read it till it gels you will know it so well that you will never want to read it again!!!! ).
All the best...let go of the belief that you want to know it fully in one or 2 or 4 sessions instead activate until you know it till the level you want to know it(Hope you understand what i mean!!!!).

For 3 -4 books this will be the issue.Do as many activations till you get the book and then see what it is all about!!!!

many times you may fall into normal reading .Don't beat yourself up Notice it ,Observe it,Play with it,go through the photoreading book each session to see what Paul says about supereading and skittering.Refine your skills again and do one more.Then do one more and then do one more...until you know it and see the difference!!!!

When people say, no luck with activation I need to know, what was your purpose? What was your purpose for the biography? What did you want to know about that person and how do you see yourself using that information?.

The complete idiot guides, are usually textbooks, and take about 24 hours of reading. So I assume you did activation layers to the equivalent of 5 hours (or 8 hours at 1/3 the time) What was the purpose?

If the book didn't suit your purpose, dump it and find one that does. Once you start trusting your body mind connection you know that the book does or doesn't suit you, and you will activate or dump straight away.


And I often find the purpose is flaky for beginners. Like I want a concept of this book. Riiiiight... Do you know the meaning of concept? If you do you'd know you don't even need to PhotoRead most books for a concept. Just read the table of content - that's a concept of what the book is about.

Then I want to absorb the information in this book. Absorb... and what does a sponge do when it absorbs as much as it can? Nothing but leak a little, and is that what you want to do leak or do you want to do something with that information.

So watch your purpose. Both those work but if people tell me they have got nothing from their activation when they use the word absorb or concept. They are telling me they don't know their purpose. To me absorb, is the PhotoReading step, PhotoRead a book and if that's the extent of your purpose you're don't

Concept is a preview step, Yep once you've previewed the TOC you've got the concept.

Where to from there... well that depends on your purpose.

Without a real purpose your questions won't get you anything.

If you need to know a subject get to know the authors train of thoughts. And guess what? That's explained in the PhotoReading book. Activate that section of the book.

Why what could be your purpose? To learn what an authors train of thought might be, SO THAT I CAN apply it to activation / to my reading / can understand what I'm reading better/ apply what I'm reading to my life.


As for wanting it all in one 20 minute activation layer. The majority cannot even traditionally read the first 20 pages in that time. So how can you expect to be finished within 5 minutes of activation without a purpose.

Yes with traditional reading in 20 minutes you know even less. Even if you activated poorly you know more than you would lingering over the first 20 pages of a book and that's being generous. It takes most people 20 minutes to read 13 pages.

Alex

Alex,

For purpose, I Have been very careful this time. I know this is the step that decides the result at PhotoReading. so, if I get no results, I probably have an irrelevant purpose.

So I even played with setting my purpose. I started all again with small 30-40 pages non fiction stories.
I was interested in the storyline, the main characters, the ending and the morale... so i set my purpose, ' to understand this interesting story, so that i can narrate it to a friend after two days'.
and I could now find the trigger words easily than before. For many books, it took me 5 activation passes and for a few, just two activation passes had been enough to get my initial purpose satisfied. but, the comprehension still seems distant, and also the 'gel' effect.

May be, I need more practice or I seem to have misunderstood the benefits of the program. my expectations were, to get 'better' comprehension, better 'recall' in 1/3rd the time than i get while traditionally reading a book. But, how will it get me better comprehension if the system tends to help me just locate the info which then I will have to read consciously anyway! (Dip)
For recall, I don't consider myself to be qualified for, being just a month old for the system.
As for 1/3rd the time- it is an added advantage, but now it seems to be that, you get to locate only the info that satisfies your purpose and get it understood within this record time, and not the entire book!

What drives me crazy is that I failed to find any post in the forum that assures me I don't miss a single thing from a book. All I am interest in, is the comprehension and coverage even at max half the time than traditional reading.

Adarsh,

Thank you very much. I have read your other posts as well. Your first breakthrough, and further success is very appreciating. and most importantly, your patience.
Your support is great. Believe me, without your and Alex's support, I would have given up by now.

Failure and struggle is very frustrating indeed!
I dont know if there is a problem setting my purpose and mind probing questions or just need more practise for another month or so.
I have been playing with the system for more than a month now. My experience so far hasnt been very much in favor of the actual photoreading step. I even tried skipping the photoreading step for a book,and it still yields me same results as when I included it. HOW has it worked for you?

I am trying, learning, and seeking help in the forum...i am determined to master this system within a month from now for whatever it takes.

Thanks,

Stweet

Dear Friend,
Will always extend support .Cause i can understand what you are going through now while learning the system.For me ,i had no other option.I have tried so many speed reading courses and thats one of the reasons i took longer time.Dont label anything.keep doing it.If you get frustrated and get down to regular reading dont beat yourself.Im only curious to know what type of books are you choosing to begin with.Cause that also makes a big difference.Have you read natural Brilliance?have you activated it til it gels?you must start with simple books to learn the system.I started of with a book called Fifth Discipline by Pete Senge and i got totaly frustrated.Its a great book but its very dense and huge.
I took more than 16 to 17 activation session and 5 to 6 session of mindmaps to get the entire book.I wanted to literally study the book at the level of mastery and application.My purpose was to be able to recognise all the system arhetypes in the company i am working in and provide solutions and be a systems thinker all my life.To enhance my market value as a problem solver !!!
Let me tell you why i am a big fan of photoreading.I have been an above average student all my life.But there was always a crucial element missing ,i could'nt apply what i had studied .And i was in awe of people who could do that.So i started searching for systems for learning.But the only system that really helped me was photoreading.I have passed 21 subjects in my course ,and believe me i have good memory of all the subjects i have studied and i can even see the ideas in action in daily life.I can recognise so many things instantly and relate it to the knowledge i have gained.Most important i am able to build on what i already know.This was not the case earlier to photoreading.I stuck to photoreading cause for some reason i could see geniuneness in Paul and then when i joined the forum ,Alex gave me the required edge.I have gone through the forum many times and gone through so many discussions and kept on making adjustments or kept reinforcing the ideas already learned.
Let me tell you in India wqe have a competitve exam call Common Admission Test.Its one of the toughest test in the country.Its required for entrance into preimum institutes.The preparation for cat is something like this.First you master the fundamentals in mathematics and English language.Then you take a 2 hrs test.Its an objective test.Then you analyse the test the following way.How many did i answer correctly?how many did i get wrong?how many did i not answer?for the questions answered correctly -can i do it better?For the questions i answered wrong,was it a silly mistake or was it due to lack of understanding?for the questions i did not attempt was it due to lack of time or lack of knowledge.So each 2 hrs of test one has to review in this manner for 10 days.And then review back the concepts where he lacks understanding or wants to refine for speed.Now do you think as one goes ahead with taking test more and more one takes 10 days to review .No.it takes shorter.Shorter cause you have added in so much more.Now that kind of preparation helps one to build knowledge and expertise.The reason i chose this analogy was that's exactly how one learns and masters a skill.One needs to review and hone thier skill and practice again.Each practice session should help you build more.You will not get hold of a new system just by magic!!!It takes some review and also some appreciation to recognize what is working(Develop Sensory acuity-notice things you have started understanding,or getting better comprehension,we fail to do that too and give it enough credit.One of the best affects of photoreading is very good understanding of the subject espcially if you have a purpose and activated it well--dont expect earth shattering results overnight).
My friendly suggestion to u is first dont give up!!!
second choose small simple books
activate chapter wise initially so that you get to know the entire book,cause initially this also irritates us ,we have been conditioned to believe that if we don't read in total then we are not reading well.We want to know it all.Thats when we understand the need for purpose.Some books you may want to "Read it all many many times" for your requirement.
For me i cant go back to my old system of reading.just yesterday i read 10 articles on taxation.I built on existing knowledge .Since they were small articles say 2-3 pages each ,i took very less time.I had photoread them 10 days back and had developed so many questions.So yesterday it was one exiting session of building on what i already knew.
I am in India and we don't get to attend any of the photoreading seminars,so if you are in a country where you can attend the course ,if it meets your budget do it.Cause physical presence of a mentor will make lots of difference.You can clarify your doubts.
And its just a system so don't label yourself anything ,just play with it and see.
Cause when you get it you will enjoy it.And one more thing i have stopped bothering about speed,what is speed actually?physical movement or instant application!!!For me its very fast understanding and application...you will get that with Photo-reading!!!

And i also write down my questions.So it sort of helps me focus.In office if i get time to photoread .I type down my question on MS word and it helps me review longterm and activate books many days later cause i can look back at the questions again.Do more of the mindprobes.prepare well and activate in 20 mins see the difference.

Cheerio Friend all the best,Have a nice day!!!!

Adarsh, Thank you for that.

I am not giving up yet. I know PhotoReading works and it will definitely work for me too! This is just a temporary initial phase when things don't start working for you and you have no clue where you are going wrong.

Practice seems to be the 'key' here.

I have a few personal questions to you, thought I would PM you, but you don't seem to accept PM.

Anyway,

Thanks

Stweet

I tried to send you a pm .i dont know why it doesnt work?Alex i tried a pm to myself and i get a message that the user doesnt accept messages?
can you help me out with that

i think i figured it out,checked my profile and for some reason the radio button for Private messages was checked off,i have changed it.
I think i should receive the private messages now.

Non fiction books are books considered factual, informational

Fiction books are stories. usually based on the imagination of the reader or entertainment loosely based on a life.

The type of books you should be learning the system on are non- fiction. Fiction, stories tend to be for entertainment and as such not suited for learning PhotoReading because they are intended to take your time.

Don't cross your eyes during the PhotoReading step. And if your mind wanders to, doing the laundry, washing dishes, negative self talk, you aren't PhotoReading. You've given your mind the command that this doesn't matter. If it's important, stay with your purpose and the rhythmic turning of the pages and the chant to stay in command at the PhotoReading step.



I can't help laughing about that. You get about 10% from what you read traditionally. You miss every single thing with traditional reading more so because it's a passive approach to reading.

With PhotoReading you've seen every word in the book as you flipped the pages. You activate from fast to slower in accordance to your need. It's possible to just PhotoRead a book and know you don't need any more comprehension from that book than that. From experience I know I've come across too many books that promised a lot and produced nothing. There have even been books that didn't live up to their title. I lost nothing from those books and save a lot of time. Instead I turned my focus to other books.

I do appreciate the better than 10% knowledge of a book two weeks later. That was the major reason I became a PhotoReading instructor. I discovered while I could read, and I thought I could comprehend what I read, I missed and lost a lot with traditional reading.

Activation brings to consciousness what you decide is important. Only 4 to 11% of a book carries any meaning.

Your comment about dipping, tells me that you're still passive in your activation approach. You're not really asking the author questions.

A good writer explains in more way than one, what they want the reader to understand. You as the reader only need to attend to the version that makes the explanation clear to you.

Since reading is a personal experience and everyone gets something different from a book. You only want what you need from the book, you don't need everything another person knows to succeed with what you're doing.

Alex

Alex, thank you again.


I didnt get you there. How do I get the 'blip page' then?


Yes. They do. And a 5 day test gets you your purpose. But then what about books carrying highly discrete information? like, reference manuals, field guides, handbooks and journals? These usually carry no central theme and stress little on comprehension.


Regards,

Stweet

Soft focus or not... If you're crossing your eyes you're not in photofocus, thus not PhotoReading. It's a divergent gaze. For now, use the imaginary X-technique if you're developed the habit of crossing your eyes. Forget about the blip page for the time being. Using the imaginary x-technique is more in photofocus than crossed eyes.

Reference, field guides, handbooks, are usually used as go to reference books. They aren't normally read are they? One usually opens them up when they want a quick answer to something.

No one reads the whole book if they need to know if that black snake with the yellow belly that just bit your buddy is poisonous. You check the handbook on snakes andlook up black snake, yellow belly and then read the description for those, don't you? That's how reference books are designed to be used.

Of course, if you PhotoRead the book and your buddy was bitten by such a snake, you'd say, poisonous and act quickly. If you're willing to trust your intuition.

If you're planning to be a snake handler, you'd decide what you need to learn first. You could start with snakes in your local area that you might come across in nature, or you might work on getting to know the snakes that you work with in the local park.

It's up to you and your purpose. The question is, What do You want to know and Why

Alex

The Accelerated learning state itself feels so soothing, mind just discards every thought and feels very empty.
What is desired to do in the photoreading step while flipping? like, visualizing the text being absorbed by body or think of tangerine on the head or think of absolutely nothing? I observed my chanting becomes so automatic after a while, that the conscious mind starts seeking some other thought/activity to get itself busy with.

Thanks,

Stweet.

What is desired to do in the photoreading step while flipping? like, visualizing the text being absorbed by body or think of tangerine on the head or think of absolutely nothing? I observed my chanting becomes so automatic after a while, that the conscious mind starts seeking some other thought/activity to get itself busy with?

Regards

Stweet

The purpose of entering the Accelerated Learning State, is to bring yourself into a neutral, toward positive attitude to the task at hand. Hint... ALS is not only for PhotoReading. Can and should be used for quite a few other learning related activities. It helps you yo get into the zone faster. Empty and relaxed is good. Remember to affirm your intent and purpose

During the PhotoReading step you're busy keeping the mind busy with the chant and seeing the page, start visualising, you're not seeing the page.. The purpose of the chant is to give the conscious mind something to do while it participates in the PhotoReading step. And if the mind wants to wander off on the chant, and you let it, it means you're agreeing, PhotoReading this book is not important.

The chant can be anything that keeps your conscious mind from wandering off. So why not chant your purpose, or say the alphabet.

Alex

My Success with PhotoReading so far.

My Improvement-
Smooth page turning, relatively quick induction into ALS, the whole to parts approach is great. Books no longer appear as a bunch of tightly bound papers. 7 minute multiple activation sessions contribute to some more details each time, size of books stopped bothering.

My Material-
1. Short stories and non fiction (15-20 books)- by graham greene , roald dahl, james hadley chase etc.

2. self help- how to win friends and influence people, 7 habits of highly effective people, recipe for success, pranic healing etc

3. Misc - men are from mars women are from venus, encyclopedia of humor, few idiots guides, reference annuals, books on birds, dishes, health etc.

My purpose-
1. for stories - to understand the story so that i can narrate it to my niece.
2. for self help, - to have positive effects on ____ areas of my life/ affect me in _____way... so that i can live a better life/ do this particular activity better way/ help people around me.. etc
3. for other books, I kept refined my purpose with each activation session, and for semi technical material like, idiots guides and referral annuals, I turned heading and subheadings into my purpose.

my results-
1. I have applied the system on approx 30 books so far. for most, I applied the 5 day test. with 9-10 activation sessions. for big books and semi technical material, I photoread and skitter few chapters everyday. I mindmapped a few books, but not very detailed.

2. Relatively technical material (referral annual, books on cooking, birds, health etc) give me results every time I apply the system. Though they contain discrete data, spotting trigger words and forming questions is easy. Locating answers to my mind probe is quick and easy. Comprehension is no problem since there isnt much to comprehend. Huge data, numbers, charts and diagrams don't seem familiar or easy to remember.

3. For books with storyline, I spent around 2 hours total time (multiple 7 minute sessions) activating each book so far, few areas where I dip into seem familiar but no comprehension of entire book. I even tried rapid reading a few books, but apart from a few passages I dip earlier into, other text doesn't seem much familiar. But it gives full comprehension on the go.

4. Very short books comprehended fully, but the next week, I feel to have missed something. I have to seek help from my mind maps to revive the entire story again. Is comprehension from Photoreading really so short lived? or it hasn't started working for me at first place?

Do I need to use memory improvement programs with photoreading? I need to remember heavy and very discrete info.

How does PhotoReading work with a book with numbers and charts, since everything is right in front of your eyes and there isnt much to comprehend, but just data and numbers?

Regards,

Stweet

i am no expert i'm sure Alex will reply to this but i wanted to share that you are doing pretty well.

From my perspective (strictly this should not limit you though,its only meant to be supportive!!!)
you are too impatient for results and have to build on your success get 4 to 5 books completely ,experts may say this is not required but in my case this helped me to know that i don't need everything from the book,that cleared me with my purposes ,that cleared me with the type of questions i want answers to,it helps a lot.Get 4 to 5 books to gel completely,meaning total conscious comprehension.
Also work on detailed mind-maps this also helps!!!!

You are also having a conflicting belief which you must resolve "... other text doesn't seem much familiar. But it gives full comprehension on the go. " It seems to me you still have an underlying belief that one has to read everything in order to understand everything.Isn't it interesting to know that inspite of missing out of so many aspects of the text you are still gaining comprehension.

How so?that's the beauty of photoreading.THe text is already there in your non-concious mind,you activate to get conscious comprehension.That's why with each activation you get faster results that's why Paul says 4 to 11% of the entire text has greater relevance,they carry all the meaning .

You activate to get 4 to 11 % of these golden nuggets to comprehend fully for your purpose.
Looks to me you are at conscious incompetence stage.Where you are getting results but you still to put in more practice,you are aware...By just doing more, stepwise you will be consciously competent and then move ahead.
Thats why Alex appreciated me on my earlier post on "Mindprobe",really get into "what you want from the book from the chapter and improve on the questions?" the techniques will start getting automatic.

More so check your limiting beliefs...why read everything to get what you are getting with reading a few ? interesting isnt it?This applies to novels too ,i know see myself super reading novels wherein i just pick words and phrases and i am gaining complete comprehension of the text,infact a better feel of the novel ,very interesting!!!!

Actually Super reading and skittering differ only in technique the outcome is same!!!you pick the scheme of the author ,pick relevant words and phrases and get full comprehension of the text.

Hope this helps.

You're not really very accurate with your time. You do multiple layers but say "around 2 hours" Really keep a check on the time you spend with the book 6 7 minute activation seem like a lot especially if you've taken a break between activation but that's barely 42 minutes with the book.

Also if you're applying the 5 day test, each activation is 30 minutes.

If you're not getting the story for the book you're not really asking relevant questions. What is the story about, who are the relevant characters, how would I tell the story to my nice (notice your purpose here.) And the secret question to ask before you activate the next chapter in a story book (or even non-fiction book) What do I think will happen next or what do I think the author would say in answer to my question.

If you're building comprehension of a story book with multiple activation layers, mind map. However short stories I'd set aside about 30 seconds a page (children's books) Less if they are picture books or have a pictures and use rapid reading. Work from beginning to end of each story. Books with multiple stories naturally focus on one story at a time.

An yep comprehension from reading is very short lived. That's why I recommend mind mapping and activating more often and activate for that "I feel I'm missing something." to build the body mind connection which also trains the remembering.

Watch out for that "I'm missing something" though. When we learned to read, our instructor, the person sitting next to us while we read often said, no you missed something go back and read that again.

That's fine for learning to read, Now our purpose of reading is to be informed. Not every word on the page informs.

Read for meaning not the words.

In the beginning activate the book until you feel it gels. Then Rapid read it. [Rapid reading is reading from beginning to end using the appropriate reading technique for the section of the book that you are reading.] Consider the 80/20 rule. 80% of the information you can obtain in 20% of the time you spend reading.

After rapid reading, did you miss something? If yes, check was it part of your original purpose. Don't get mad use it as a learning point for improving your purpose and just say to yourself, when I activate this is the sort of information I want to pull up.

Again it's building the body mind connection.

When I PhotoRead a book I usually have the purpose of finding something new and useful to me [so that I can... it's a long list of possibilities here]. Then I PhotoRead the book (works great in bookshops) Yes, no? If my feeling says yes I Postview, My purpose then is finding my greatest purpose for the book. So that I can get the most value out of the information in this book, if you like.

Point here is, I developed my body mind connection. I flip a book and know whether I want to spend more time with the book.

For self help books don't be surprised if you get very little from the books with that.

For one, what you might actually need, use, be comfortable with, might turn out to be nothing more than one paragraph from the book or a quote. And that can be obtained in 10 or 15 minutes. And the rest of the book is, for now, redundant.

There's nothing wrong with that. It's a case of need. What do you really need [Forget want - you never get what you want]. However this is often where people get the feeling they might have missed something. Reality check here, how much information can you realistically apply in your life? If you take away one idea and it makes things better, purpose met, problem solved.

Generally a lot of self help books are read without a real need. People might read the whole book and take away nothing. Because slow reading is boring. And most non-fiction books are not read beyond the 3rd perhaps 5th chapter. 30 to 40 minutes of reading. With PhotoReading you don't really miss anything, unless you want to, program yourself to, your mind will play games to give you what you believe. With PhotoReading you've at least absorbed the book, unlike the passive reader who quit the book somewhere around page 33. So if you take away one idea which matches one purpose and apply it, you have more value for money already.

What I'm saying, don't negate your experience, build on it. If you rapid read because you feel you missed something even after 6 x 20 minute activation layers. And lo and behold you did miss something. Pat yourself on the back. You followed the cue that you missed something. And can check why you missed it. Perhaps purpose was off, you discovered something that just became relevant today. I find it amusing how often I've found answers to someone else's question in a book I happen to be reading. Not my purpose and yet I found "that" was the most useful information in the book.

You'll also be surprised how much information the brain can process from data, infographics, charts and maps.

Alex

Adarsh,

May be. It has been two months I started working, practicing. I am committed to PhotoReading 4 hours a day.

Alex,

That holds true for most of the material. I started with smaller, lighter material and mainly story books, but my target material is dense material. Material with great details and fragmented data.

I have been doing a short experiment for a week. I have been photoreading a 6 page technical report on pollution around the globe. It consists mainly of tables and numbers. My purpose is to remember those critical figures and numbers and their relation with each other.

I photoread it for 7 days, 6 times daily, and then skitter it daily. All the data was right there in front of my eyes and still I am feeling nervous.

Being a beginner, I havent started with big technical books, but even this tiny experiment has left me in tears. I have no idea why it isnt working?
I wonder how much time it will take me to establish a sound mind-body connection! is it really that tough?

thanks,

Stweet

what kind of tables have you studied?each database be it graph,tables or chart explains and provides for further analysis.The type of analysis for one type of database is also limited.For example let us say we have a table which gives us figures on population year wise and growth % wise.Now if someone asks us to derive what was the growth in terms of population for Women alone then the table is limited.I know i sound Pollyanna and maybe silly.But each table can be dealt it with to an extent we get information for.Now what is the data required for u.Many times at executive level people can easily refer back to the data and give answers.if it is for exam one can prepare the best possible questions that can be asked on the database and then one can memorise those answers.If you expect photographic memory out of photoreading you are at a wrong place.However i have had an interesting experience with my exams on Taxation.I could guess a certain number accurately and it was right.I trusted myself and it was a good guess.So much so i could remember the page and locatin photographically which helped me mark the answer.And mind u it was an objective question.Now my question suppose i did not remember the data in real life what would i do,look it up right?so why do you need to memorise so much data for.I remember reading Richard Feynman in my engineering days,a famous inspiring book called "Surely you must be joking Mr Feynman" in which he admits taking long time to memorise key figures and devise his own method to remember important ratios (i read it in 1993 so may not be right verbatim) and astound people about his capability.That brings to the point some people astound us with memory of large data ,but they would have factored in so much time,so why do you need to have memory of so much stuff?You can always take time and look it up.Memorisation is a different ball game.Analytical reading is a different ball game.It takes time.Photo reading gives us a quick structure .But Analytical reading like the one you pointed out on tables and graphs it takes its own sweet time as per the purpose and relevance it commands!!!

6 page technical report, photoread 6 times daily for 7 days? Has the brain shut down yet?

PhotoRead it once, then activate with a quick rapid read (superreading speed). Use authors train of thought, draw a 4 quadrant mind map. Problems Solutions Arguments and Relevance. Work out what you learned in terms of your purpose. If you were doing this in my seminar you'd have 7 minutes to do this in and yep. I'd pull the book away to stop you from sinking in at this point.

Since this is probably important to you. Take a break and I mean take a break. Hour at least or overnight is good. Then come back to it and build your memory. Authors usually explain, what is import about this graph, data list, or what I'm showing you in this graph, data list somewhere near the the data or graphs.

Since from what I understand, you want to memorise this information.

It's easier to memorise stuff that has relevance. That's why you work on the 4th quadrant of the mind map. Find the relevance, to you, about the data.

For example. A graph about the dating habits of teenage girls, might not have a relevance to a teenage male until he focuses on how he could use the information to get more dates (purpose) And then data like, girls with red hair tend to prefer boys with dreadlocks (I don't know if that's true that is made up by me for sake of discussion) would click with a boy who has dreadlocks, relevance.

This is built up. As one can imagine normally a 6 page technical article like that could take 90 minutes to commit to memory. If you chunk it 7 minutes superread and some 3-4 minutes exploring the the relevance of the problems, arguments and solutions [authors train of thoughts] you'll find it easier to remember. You've connected it to something.

Also I suggest you quit working with short material to get this. Get on with some solid material with real information to pull out. At least a subject with 250 to 400 pages, non fiction for now.

Consider we keep mentioning that only 4 to 11% of text carries meaning. (The real weight of the authors message) Then working with short text is like catching fish from fish tank at a pet shop with a bucket. It seems like you've not achieved anything because you see the same fish, just in a different container. Take the bucket to a creek and catch fish, it's a different more satisfying experience, even if it is more challenging.

I'm very proud of you for having stuck with it for 2 months and the results you've gained this far. Don't stress it, play at it. Make it play. Be a explorer, like a child testing how fast he can build a sand castle and water ways before the waves come and take it away. The child doesn't care that the sand castle might be washed away, or the waterway partly filled in. Doesn't care if he's not always successful. The child knows the next wave is going to be different, no two are exactly the same, so it's a new challenge each time to keep building his city near the wave. It's a game.

You've got the skills happening building sand castles, digging water / roadways [PhotoReading, getting better at activating], you know the next wave [book] is going to be different. Be like the child and challenge yourself to see what you build with the next wave.

Alex

Adarsh and Alex,
Thank you.

I have started working with solid material.
Establishing highly relevant purpose and forming mind probing questions isnt a problem now.

I locate the text that can answer my question and now I dip in it with rhythmic perusal or skitter. If i feel I got something; I move ahead. If I am not satisfied, I look for some other place to dip.. is it how it is done?
When I dont get much even after skittering or diping multiple times, should I dip again and again till i fully understand the text?

Locating the page where my answer lies; has never been a problem. The text relevant to my purpose is there wide open in front of my eyes, but I still can't handle it. I rhythmically peruse, i skitter, i ask questions, i pass over it multiple times for multiple days... but nothing gels. There are just a bunch of trigger words, dozens of mind maps, and a long list of mind probing questions.

I wont say I didnt achieve anything as yet, I did improve on many things other than comprehension and retention.
Even though, something in this system has kept me attracted to it. It just doesnt let me avoid or give it up.

Thanks,

Stweet

You have my permission to do so. That's what building it in layers is about. First time reading something we might not get it after activating it has some time to incubate some more and then it becomes easier to understand, so it might be on the second or third pass that you get it.

Considering that analytical reading can be as slow as 60 words a minuTe and people usually need to read complex passages 3 or 4 times. Skittering at 300 words a minute once or twice... Well I think you can see the difference. It's much better use of your time to repeat with superreading or skittering than slow analytical reading 3 or 4 times. And yes you may slow down to analytical speed if the text requires it.

The point of the system is to find what you need to focus on and move over the rest.

Of course if you're asking what and why and the other is only explaining where and when, you'll have difficulty tapping so, pay attention to the who, what why, when, where and how. And you learn to notice the authors direction. Not to be like the reporter who only asks the questions that they have written on their memo pad before they met the author and the author hints at some juicy information that you really would want to know to satisfy your purpose. Stay flexible.

When you keep saying nothing gels... what exactly do you expect to have happen "when it gels"? Let's get on the same page with that because I get the impression we might not be talking about the same thing.

Your approach is fine.

Alex

Oh.. now I see. I seem to have been expecting something different altogether all this time!! I was searching for cat food at a bookstore and got frustrated when I was told this isnt where you get it.

Those testimonials, examples and success stories in the book and on the website made me believe photoreading isnt just about reading, But about comprehending written text more effectively and effortlessly than we could ever do with reading with conscious mind. I was super excited to lay my hands on the book; like a child waiting for it's promised tour to Disneyland. I believe in gradual improvement and thus, never expected 'Eurekas' or 'aha's' before at least an year. But I do expect to see things rolling for me; after 2.5 months at least. And then realized I might never see them rolling because my expectations are simply not practical.
Reducing reading time to 1/3, 1/10 or 1/15 hardly got any of my attention. My profession stresses on comprehension and retention. I can afford to spend an entire day just on a single piece of paper. This was the main reason speed reading courses couldnt grab my interest.


Well, I didnt expect magic. I expected a little edge in comprehension over to what I am already ripping with my traditional reading. I expected a little better results than the same results with a time saving process.
I noticed, owned, and played. I was surprised to see when i excluded the actual photoreading step on a few books,I was still getting the same results! I didnt want to believe this. Thats why my queries were redundant. I feared if the photoreading step is actually a placebo step that enhances this great learning system without actually playing a role in it. All apart, though I didnt find what I expected, the system is really nice and more productive, regardless I include photoreading or not.

You guys really helped me a lot. I am grateful to you for all your guidance.

Thank you,

Stweet

-A final query-, with so much talked about pre-conscious processing power of our brain, I was wondering if anyone can calculate with your subconscious mind? in other words, calculating without involving conscious mind? is it possible?

Interesting response. You realise the conscious mind is only capable of holding 7 plus or minus 2 bits of information a second. Which means no one really ever holds full conscious comprehension of a book or subject. Comprehension means calling up the information with personal understanding.

You do get comprehension with retention. So I was wandering what you were looking for when it gels.

So at this point in time you'd like your comprehension to be better than it was before with traditional reading? You seem to be suggesting that in traditional reading you're not satisfied with your comprehension?



Yeah I get that. I was at that point about 6 weeks after I had PhotoReading working nicely for me. Universe punched that idea out of me pretty quick. That was before I considered becoming a PhotoReading instructor.

The book has gelled when it satisfies your purpose. And it seems your purpose is to comprehend the book fine on one hand but why do you want to comprehend it, what do you need the information for?

based on first hand experience yes. Though I wouldn't rely on it. I still had to do the bookwork and calculations to find that I was correct. And that was a couple of years prior to PhotoReading.

Yes I believe we are capable of a whole lot more than we do. But we grew up with so much insecurity, does getting the answers wrong in a test makes one feel secure? Didn't help me nor many who I know. What it did was make us afraid of trusting our own mind our own answers, that we must be one hundred 100% sure that we have someone else's information nicely placed in our memory. And if that author is ever proven wrong... well lets not bring the writes and wrongs of various scientist and researchers into this.

Stweet, if you're interested PM me. Work on a book with me. We'll discuss each activation layer and your purpose. One thing I do know, if your purpose is just a goal it won't get you answers.

Too often people say tell me they want to absorb the book... PhotoRead it and you've done that. Then what... that was the purpose absorb the book. Like a sponge absorb the water. It doesn't do anything else with the water.

Or get a concept of what the author is talking about. Well you can get that done in 30 second. It's called preview. You then have a concept of what the author is talking about.

Only thing i understand having been a pretty good reader,and a pretty good student earlier to learning photoreading,Photoreading has many advantages.Looks to me that u have invested lots of time on learning speed reading skills,like me.I had a hard time to understand Super reading.For me skittering was analogous to a scanning in speed reading skills.But super reading and skittering are not that.Its also not complicated.Its like bringing a lot of information into something definite by searching for a word or a phrase and the whole text comes active to you.You realise you understand a large part of the text by searching the 4 to 11% of the text that really carries meaning.So it all boils down to asking good questions and knowing why you want it.Why it gets complex for many of us ?we dont know what to ask for and we keep telling ourselves ,what to ask for ?how should i know ,what to ask for?

I usually go with my purpose and i cant explain it,its a gut feeling i make a summary of what the book is all about my mind is already creating a mind map of the book i have photoread and categorising information.

if you see no difference between regular reading and photoreading its (i think it is,im no expert,im just trying to help u with what happened with me) mainly because we still want a sure fire physical feeling with the text and we dont want to believe that 4 to 11% of the text will open up everything else literally.The only way to know is play wth it .That is really believe and try it on a book super read and dip (dont skitter---in my experience skittering put me to regular reading---i use it with text books only)and try to get 4 to 11% of the book and see if you know the book.Then regular read the book and see the difference.Then do some more.When you understand and feel the first experience it grows and its very hard to explain probably one needs to get tested.I used to do these drills when i learnt speed reading from the book by Tony Buzan.My comprehension really improved.But Photoreading did something totally different ,it helped me apply very fast.I had lot of apprehensions on using it with novels but now that overall my skills have improved i am enjoying novels too.I keep numbering them as Scene 1,2,3,4,5,...,what is scene -1 what are the characters what happens whats the situation who is involved then scene-2 ,then scene 3 ,so my eyes is picking up key words and i feel great ,its really like a movie and by the way thats how the author also writes a novel.He has an overall theme and then he constructs a jigsaw puzzle scene by scene.A non fiction book is more structured.For me my friend it looks like you have practised a lot on speed reading skills.I may be wrong just trying to help.Super reading is totally different its simple and its about questions and answers with words and phrases.And its effective cause the entire text is already absorbed in the photoreading text.

Im telling all this from my layman experiences and not from any researches!!!So tare of your old habits and look at it as if you have never learnt to read---think this is the only way to read and try it and let it seem frustating intially keep at it and see.
Have you completed one book until you have mindmapped it completely and rapid read it after the mindmap session .When you review the mindmap have u asked yourself in how many words can you talk about the whole book in a concise way,if no then try it first and see.

But of course as i said im no expert, i may be wrong ,not to fret we have Alex to help us!!!

Best of luck

This is what I needed! I had been wondering how the PR step helps us, and this is it! You see, I have had the system work for me but not the way you described; so was nervous about the 'exciting' part of the system that makes one stick to it.


Actually, this is where I am stuck at. My hunches havent started guiding and it feels to dip at every paragraph.and after rhythmically perusing, it still doesnt make much sense. I keep passing over it after intervals, and it keeps on not making much sense each time. But happy with all of the experiences though

No, I havent practiced speed reading. The entire PR system revolves around 'purpose' and mind probing questions. Setting a 'working' purpose is no easy task for me.

After my first breakthrough, I am going to ask Alex why and how our 'other than conscious' responds to our purpose and why improper purpose leads to no success at PR.

thanks,

Stweet

I just read your PM and you've given me perfect thoughts to work with. See the PM.

Alex

Hey Stweet and Alex and Adarsh,

I just wanted to say, I have read through this thread and have picked up a lot. Stweet, I would like to know the results of your efforts. How has your practices improved since back in July of last year? Have you been more successful?

I have read through many posts on this forum and have not heard anyone talk about the successes after they have struggled for so long. the only ones I see talking about successes are those who have been giving advice. I would like to see some success posts from those asking for advice.

Thanks everyone,

Neal.

"Success", how do we define it mate?

It took me 1 year, to feel the effects of photoreading on daily basis. Going to the Accerlated learning state is just a deep breath away. Activation doesn't require me to actually super-read the book.
I find the core concept of what I am reading. Ask questions for it, set my purpose, and head on for more answers. Its like joining pieces of a puzzle. Its fun and exciting.
Random lucid dreams, litreally controlling some segments of dreams. Every activation brings new information. A new perspective as well.

Is this good enough to be called as success in photoreading?
Well in other thread, I did ask Alex this question. Here is his reply.

Usually once someone gets it they just go about using it. Not so much bragging about their success. I think they probably have the good intention of coming back and posting, and then this happened and I just knew I got it. We don't really study how we broke through in something that challenged us.

Although if you want success... go back to 2002 on the forum end of march when I signed up. AlexK. I know I seemed to "get" it easily, and I've witnessed quite a few others getting it.

I've also seen some holding the gem of success in their grasp, dismissing it because they couldn't see that they had what was needed to make the next great leap.

That's why I tell my students, take what you got, don't dismiss it, don't judge it, build on it. Go and do another activation layer and another.

I did an experiment. Posted on the forum a couple of times. With a difficult subject, in a second language, to take myself back to being a beginner and what I discovered, is in the first activation I felt I got nothing but I wrote something on my mind map. That I chose to acknowledge was something although not much to say I was getting the book. It wasn't until the 3rd activation layer that I started seeing the book come together and that I was in fact relating to it. By the end of the last activation I knew I was finished. I wasn't sure I would be finished at the next one at the end of the 5th but by the end of the 6th I was finished. Actual time with the book was 2 hours. The time I set aside was 3 hours. I included breaks and wanted to finish the book in a 3 hour sitting. Traditionally it would have taken me 21 hours (if I actually read a book that long I never finished one of that type, it took me 2 hours to get through the first chapter.)

There I learned the importance of giving it enough activation layers. Most give up in the first three and yet it might be the 4th where the first books, we learn the system on our own, come together. And the fun? It gets even better.

Alex

Neal,

I had considered photoreading to replace my regular reading. However, I learnt it doesn't cater my needs. This month I resorted to regular reading and using photoreading for direct learning.

Stweet

Seriously, how do we define success? I am always puzzled when people make such a statement. We all know what success means.

Photoreading claims you can read 25,000 words a minutes with 70% or more comprehension. In this case, that would be success. It drives me crazy when someone tries to avoid an answer by getting philosophical. Just answer the question.

And Alex, thanks for your response. However, letting people know you have figured it out or that you succeeded is not bragging. Bragging is, "hey, look what I can do. I am better than everyone else..." I want to hear at what point do people realize they got it? What changed at that point? What did they do differently that wasn't done before?

If I am teaching, those are the kind of examples I want to let my students know. Something that others can learn from. As a student, that would be invaluable because that could save me from struggling so much and possibly giving up because I am not getting it.

Currently, I am a very analytical person. However, I like to think I have an open mind as well. I believe there are many for whom this system is working. I want to hear about their struggles and what they did differently to overcome. As has been mentioned often, Einstein said the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

Alex, I have no doubt that you are a wonderful teacher; however, since I can't work directly with you, I rely on this forum and comments that people make. So hearing that someone struggled for 6 months and then a light came on because they did this or this differently, is extremely valuable.

So, I want to know what I am doing that isn't working so I can change it. I want to hear from someone who struggled and then over came. What was it they did that caused a light to come on?

I don't want to hear philosophy. That means nothing to me.

Thanks everyone,

Neal.

So Alex, you talk about activation layers. Does that mean you active the same text several times? So if I am trying to activate a chapter in a book, I would do that several times until I get it, provided I have a good purpose and questions?

Thanks again,

Neal

Neal,

You do not read at 25,000 words a minute. Photoreading is not reading photoreading is bypassing the critical,limited conscious mind so you can get the more powerful other than conscious mind involved.

Neal you are definitely getting feedback what you are doing or not doing is giving you feedback. The majority of the time when people are having activation problems is usually related to no purpose or no idea of what a person wants from the book.

You got to have some idea of what you want to get from the book it is absolutely essential.

You need to focus on yourself I mean you could talk to 500 people who did not know how to ride a bike and then they learned to ride a bike you could see all the things that they did to learn to ride the bike but eventually you need to get on the bike and learn for yourself.

The same principle goes for learning photoreading you need to have your own experience with Photoreading because while it is nice to hear of others success what really counts is your own success.

The other thing you need to think about not everybody learns the same way. You cannot just put the experience in a box and say such and such person was struggling but then they did this and suddenly they had success. Everyone is different just because one individual had success a certain way does not mean that everyone will have the same experience or get success the same way.

Photoread4me.

Neal,

You do the activation layers on the chapter until it all comes together whether that takes 10 passes, 20 passes or 30 passes you do it until it all comes together and you will definitely know when it comes together you will know that you got all that you could from the chapter.

Let go of the need to have it all now on the very first pass that is the old, ineffective reading strategy that you learned when first learning to read it is not a effective strategy.

Purpose, Mind-Probe & Questions are HUGE. If you do not have these you will just draw a blank. Your brain works with laser like efficiency but you need to tell your brain what you want that is why your purpose and mind-probing and questions are so important.

Photoread4me.

Right, semantics. I understand what photoreading is. It is funny how people are ready to pounce and nitpick. I am getting feed back from people who already have it down; who have not mentioned anything about how they got there. And yes, Alex did, but like you said, that is just one person and we don't all learn the same way.

Would you hire a plumber without getting some feedback from other people? Better yet, would you take a skills class without knowing it is possible to achieve and what some of the struggles are to get there?

I have read in your other posts, you always say the same, that that the majority of people who don't get it, don't have a purpose. Well, guess what? I had a purpose, but was told it was not good enough. Then I looked at purposes offered up on this forum and they were not much more specific that my purpose was. I got the whole, you have to have a purpose that will generate emotion. Been there, done that. I also went through, as was suggested elsewhere, and developed questions from the index and other areas of the book.

Did I have a desire to learn the material in the book, YES. I also have a desire to learn photoreading. I bought the book several years back and really wanted it to work then and still have not been able to get it to work.

I am sorry, I am an analytical thinker. It helps me to learn from other people's mistakes and successes. If that is too much to ask for, then maybe it doesn't really work as there is no one who can articulate their experiences.

Your statement of, "you need to have your own experience" makes no sense to me if I don't know how to get there in the first place. It sounds like the old Chinese philosophers who answer a question with a question or some vague answer, and somehow expect the student to figure it out.

I already know that people learn differently; however, at some point, there may be someone with a similar background and similar personality, that just might be close enough for me to get something from their experiences.

Photread4me, you have posted a lot of good information in the past. I have ready many of your posts. However, the stuff you posted above just sounds like avoidance. I want to learn. I want clear instructions, but I keep getting philosophy. That is very frustrating.

Alex has also posted a lot of good posts, but then I see the same things in many of her posts as well. She will compare things like tying your shoes or other everyday tasks. The difference is, those have a specific set of tasks to achieve to be successful that EVERYONE can do the same thing to get it.

Photoreading does not seem to be that straight forward.

Thanks,

Neal

Ok, you basically repeated what Alex said. My question was simply, does that mean I activate the same material until I get it? A simple yes would have sufficed there.



I am not expecting everything at once. I am expecting something. I don't get this whole, "play with it" thing. I have expectations. It does not make sense to me to go at this without some expectation. If I don't have any expectation, then what good is it?



I got that from the many posts.

Thanks,

Neal

Actually if you keep holding on to the belief that PhotoReading is not that straight forward, you complicate it.

It's a set of actions, taught step by step and yep when people don't get it they are usually skipping the first step. Prepare.

Purpose.

I'm doing this


So

That

I

Can.

What ever comes after those 4 words is the purpose. And the reason you see so many post their purpose on the forum is that they are skipping the

So That I Can...

Do the 5 day test explained in the PhotoReading book for a few books. The what and how to approach it is right in the book.

If you wait until others lead the way, you will always be behind.

Alex

That's the point. I don't mind being behind if I get it at some point. This isn't a race, it is simply learning.

Thanks,

Neal

neal
activate chapterwise until u get it---Dont number the passes ,just do it!!!
in my experience you will be frustrated initially.You will feel ,"hey i could have just read through".
The real benefit is long term by doing so,you will get good at structuring information ,to find information ,where it is placed,very quickly and easily.So that is the kind of compression of time we are looking at here.
As you do more and more you will start picking up words or a phrase from your super reading that explains a para or is the essence of the paras you read or the entire page in itself,you will recognize that a few pages are not necessary or superfluous to your purpose.You will have conflicts with this also ,you will ask yourself am i just being good at recognition only,then on with further experience you will realize that is really what is required.

Once you start doing that you will get better at asking better questions and then get good at assimilating information.

That has been my experience.I have challenged myself in many different ways.mainly because i had nothing else to hang on to .i have tried so many other methods of reading fast but it was
useless in different set up and with different books.

After you do one you will feel, "oh my once again,do all these rituals" ,but once when you do enough of these it kind of gets automatic!!!

Reading is still the toughest habit to master and that's why so few in the world read!!

With PRWMS u have a chance to condition yourself to read more easily ----so don't give up.

compare it this way.If there is one information from the book that i have read that is really useful to me ,Have i got it?if yes then you have succeeded.Linear reading seems to give us that but sincerely probe yourself could you structure information the same way and get the information so quickly?i doubt it.Cause i have done both on books.I find that be linear reading i am almost in flow with the authors presentation but at the end of it like i cant explain the structure and the ideas and the principles and the strategies in the book.its great with PRWMS .
Let me explain:
One up wall street
Peter Lynch
What is he telling us here
one is the basic thing before investing.That is before investing the mirror test---do you own a house?
second is grouping firms in an industry into 6 types
third when to invest and what parameters to look for when investing in these companies
Fourth when can we get out of these companies
Some of the important financial parameters and what Lynch studies them for ,what he derives out of this information.

Now barring these there are millions of other things in the book.
(by the way if you are interested in this book i urge you to read so that you understand that i am giving you the very essence of what Lynch discusses in the book,that way it will motivate you to try further.I also assume you may already be a better reader than me ,but what i want to share is that this is where i am as on day and this for me personally is a measure from where i was a ciouple of years back.I have grown as a reader!!!)

But if i discuss the above ideas with you would you agree that i have had a fair comprehension of what Lynch has discussed.
Would you agree that thats how he has arranged his book and then added and built on his book?
Supposedly so.

So thats what i did when i activated the book.Those were my mind probes and thats how i activated the book.

it took me roughly 2 hrs.

Now its a small book 288 pages.

Maybe i took more time. But my confidence is much more compared to linear reading.
Also this book for me is kind of a referral in the future.When i work on my investment plans i will keep going back to the book to further hone up my skills on stock selection.My mindprobes will be more specific.Do you think with such an understanding my activation during the time of need will be faster or slower.Compare me with a linear reader(in my case ---my old self) i would have to read this book again ,i would have to relook into so many things study it again structure it again ,really enquire into so many aspects again.With PRWMS its already in place.

Now compare the time taken by linear reading and PRWMS which has compressed time !!!So thats what i have been meaning in saying "application takes lesser time" isnt that fast isnt that real speed.Thats what one should look for in reading and activation?what use? what purpose?

2.Let me ask you if i had say read it linearly ,whether i would have been able to understand and structure information so specifically until i had come to the end of the book.In my experience it depends.There are good readers who do this with all the books they read.In fact these good readers will find PRWMS more difficult.I discussed PRWMS with my brother who has been a great reader since childhood.He has a simple strategy in mind when he reads a book he says all author has one important idea to discuss and one important thing to say my idea is to find that one answwer.He has never tried PRWMS but i said to myself "Brilliant Strategy" no wonder he is not stressed abotu reading for him reaing is fun ---he is looking for one idea or ione answer.All geat readers do that.With novels and stroeis they ask themselves what is the main idea which the story is based on?

I think Paul Scheele has beeen smart he has studied the entire reading masters and the rituals they follow and has devised a foolproof system for our use.

We can be good at structuring without PRWMS with some books especially if we have prior knowledge and have been used to such reading material.But to get that kind of structure one has to be very skilled reader.He must have had a method to study and structure information for a long time.

That is what PRWMS offers us.A structure to get more out of a book long term and at the same time instantly!!!

Linearly the time to read may be more or less
but overall the time to take away or recognise where the information falls into is very less.

The first thing i read in my text book on marketing is the fundamental difference between sales and marketing.

Now i see where most of the public sectors in my country is going haywire,they have not decided their market.Now how could i get it so easily ,cause thats how i activated the text book.I asked myself what is marketing all about and sales all about.What is the most basic principle difference between sales and marketing.marketing was find a need and building a product to satiate that need where as sales was selling what we have produced knowing not whether it is required or not?interesting but 100s of company forget to do this when they start.I read this definition 2 years back and i am giving it to you on the go as i type it here.For me this was possible because of PRWMS.i credit LSC for this Thats why i keep coming to the forum to give my views i have no other vested interest!!!

So thats what we are looking for to get good at.Asking questions and finding answers .But it will be more frustrating if we dont have purpose to activate.For me since i wanted an MBA the purpose was more or less there,but in real life we need to decide the areas we need to focus on and then find the books and activate them.

Hope this helps!!!!

Just something additional.

My expectation with any type reading was to have a picture perfect memory of the book. Expecting to retain main ideas and main factual content of the book.

I carried out photoreading, with the same expectations. So I would do the Photoreading steps, religiously. But I never experienced any sparkling light or a moment which would pause me, and would flash the whole book in front of my inner eyes.

Then I somewhat gave up, and found the humble folks of this forum. Since then my motto has changed. So what did change my motto.

There are several factors, all have made deep impact on the way I perceived learning.

If we could remove the reading process that is the linear or the photoreading. We would learn the information the same way. So what did set Photoreading apart?

There are multiple factors, which makes photoreading just a bit advance than our linear method. As long as you understand this, its okay to study which method best suits your need.

I will name two major factors which is embedded in the photoreading, its spaced repetitions. Other is a bit complex to name it, or its just that I don't know what its called. Actually I am finding the article, which I am not able to find it for now. But I will explain it here.

1.Spaced Repetitions.

To study the same material over and over, to help one retain information for much longer.

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaced_repetition

Paul also talks about this in photoreading tapes. Comparing photoreading and linear reading. A photoreader will be much quicker to retain information compared to linear reading. The only problem with the linear reading has, that it takes time to actually read word by word, or in a sequential manner.

2) The Complex thing :

Let me give you and example, before I talk about it.

Why is that when you see a cute animal we pet them. And see a man with an angry face and a knife in this hand, a threat.

Because of our natural programming. What is the natural programming, its the subconscious mind or as we like to call it other than conscious mind. They have been feed this information over and over, that it has become quite natural for us, to assume that cuteness is safe, angry face probably a threat.

Similarly a person who does squat for the first time, doesn't do it properly, hence he has to repeat unless perfected, and then go on carrying weights, without any injuries. After a while this person write down the number for reps and sets. Which would help him track his progress. As days goes by, he no-longer maintains a progress log, he no longer records reps and sets. He just knows, its burning, he has hit the spot and its fine, I can do it.


What I am trying to say, that our analytical ability in the given field increases over time. All these theory that we read, is to support our thinking in that field. Once you understand this concept, we no longer need to book. We no longer need to remember those minute details, as we already know them.

I could give you a similar example, a cricket batsman or a Baseball batsman. How do they know that this ball is in perfect swing, and will cross the boundary line or the fence for a home-run. They perfected their game so much that, its just an call from the intuition.

If you were to do a linear reading, yes you would develop those core-concepts and these abilities. But photo-reading just saves your time. Period.

I will try to find this article and paste a link. As that person did a heck of a job in explaining it.

The reason why we say, that Photoreading is different than what we were taught in the school, is because we would never grasp these concepts in theory. But we were learning, just that we couldn't explain it.

Honestly there is a lot more to Photoreading what meets the eye.

Often linear reading is compared on the forum with photoreading and is often underrated and poked fun at. Many claims are made that are completely baseless. This convinces a novice that what they have been doing all their life was ineffective. They take up photoreading with varied expectations. Ones with huge expectations and preconceived ideas find this system doesnt deliver in some areas. They think they are doing something incorrect. They seek help, but still many are left confused and irritated.
There actually is nothing wrong with these people. And there definitely is nothing inappropriate with their reading 'purpose'. They just need to realise to adjust their expectations and areas of application of the system. This doesnt quite happen the way it should be, and they end up concluding photoreading is useless.

There are people who have given up regular reading for photoreading. What reading goals do these people have ?
how much do they really extract in those 2 -3hours of total activation?
1. There are people who are done when they get merely the structure of the book.
2. There are people who are done with a book, once they are able to fairly guess what the book is about.
3. There also are people who feel success with reading when they just find that painted stork they wanted to look for.
These all are successful. They got their purpose done. And they did it in 30 minutes!
Impressive? Yeah, may be.

Seriously, why would one need to form a purpose- preview- trigger words- photoread- postview- superread and mind map to find something in the book!!? preview it once, look at the index, and skim through a section, and you are done in less than 10 minutes! No regular reader unless one is out of his mind, starts from page one to the end of the book to find information on a painted stork. The index is enough to give the directions necessary, if not, a short preview is enough. And mindmaps, one can make them with linear reading as well.

When one reads a 200 pages book spending 9 hours, he doesnt merely look for a painted stork in it or pushes his eyes stupidly across the pages. To look up for something, 10 minutes are more than enough regardless what type of reading system you employ.
If the preconcious processor comprehends the text bypassing the filters of conscious mind, then you would understand it on the go when you just regular read the text after photoreading it! but it doesnt happen that way. You need to ask questions you want answered and seek answers with the help of the book. This surely is the best suitable for books that have a few main ideas. Those who classify only a 4% information in a book useful, what you do people read for at first place!? why spend money for that 96% text you dont need? Also does it mean a photoread friendly book if ever published will comprise of only 5 pages!?

Had it been just for curiosity and purpose, we would hardly have seen any struggler. But it is not so. There are many who have struggled, tried, improved but finally given up. Because its not just the purpose that is holding these people back. It is in their expectations from the system.


Stweet

I dont agree on this view .4 to 11 percent makes perfect sense.Finding 4 to 11 percent of the text that really carries meaning of the text,the para and the book makes real sense.Its about extracting the essence of what is being said.
For example in the book one up wall street---in a chapter called "Is it gambling or what? there is a sub heading called "The Stocks Rebut" its 1 1/2 page long and the author wants to communicate that stocks have outperformed corporate bonds,govt bonds and treasury bills ---period.
Now isn't this 1 sentence a good pivot point of the entire text.If i say that in my conversation with another investor isn't it good communication.
Whats wrong with that.Its 4 to 11 % of the page?
Why does one have to read the entire page if that's what is the only thing the entire page about?
What Paul wants us to understand is relevance and irrelevance of the content of the text .i have a purpose to "Find metrics to pick stocks so as to successfully invest in the stock market" how relevant is this sentence for me.I am already convinced that i must invest in stocks so why do i need futher convincing.So why waste time on so much of text.Out of 288 pags of the text i have found that 40 pages are worth my purpose.By photoreading and with a purpose and super reading i am able to condense my time to find relevance and irrelevance of the text?whats wrong with that?i find it useful.Why speed read the entire thing and get away with a vague feeling of having read and understood it.More ,with PRWMS i have even grouped information and its easier to determine to understand relevance and irrelevance to ones purpose --that's where mind maps help .You may not want to add anything to the branch cause you are not motivated to add anything as its not relevant.
Now what we don't fathom is that why we need to photoread?What is proposed by LSC is that by photoreading the entire book is already available to our other than conscious mind.And we need to find triggers to unleash the whole text to our conscious awareness.
Now let me clarify my stand so that i am not a spokesman for LSC ,as i dont own the product,i dont claim to know the science behind " how this works "and "i will not say or claim that this is how it works" thats LSC's job.I am only trying to help people to try cause i have been enjoying learning this way fro the last 2 to 3 years and mind you i have struggled a lot too.I am here to help people shorten the struggle where i did not lay emphasis on ,so by doing that people may get it earlier and quicker than when i got it!!!

I have probed further and many times even i have been skeptical and then i have regular read the entire text and found out the relevance and irrelevance of the text.And what helped me to determine relevance and irrelevance was "Purpose".
Yes a book can get condensed to 4 to 5 pages i dont see whats wrong with that?
Forget photoreading after many days of studies in our school days havent we made summary or revision sheets of our textbooks and been able to score?We have been able to do that.

And as far as i know no one in the forum has made fun on regular reading.Speed reading yes!!! but not regular reading!!!

Poems for example what use is Photoreading here?

But photoreaders may want to photoread the entire book on poems and then regular read the poems fro getting more connected.

The mystery behind reading is how and when do we really "Get it"when do we learn ?what time do we understand?Learning is physical ,you get the stuff and you know how to use it ,you get the story and you can explain it

The closing affirmation of photoreading
I acknowledge the information i have received from this text
I release the information for my body and my mind to process
I am curious to know how my mind and body will make this information available to me

Isn't that fascinating.
Isn't the affirmation powerful
if you realise how it is designed i think it is!!!!
That's exactly how learning happens.You embody the information if not you have to revise it again once you own it once its working knowledge rarely you need to go back to your texts.Thats my experience.Many times its the state we are in we forget ,suppose i am running a fever i tend to forget simple things but when i am on a roll i tend to remember i dont need the text.i have understood it totally and its mine to use!!!I never had this before PRWMS,earlier i had to revise it ,and many times after a gap of say 2 or 3 years i had better understanding of some texts with PRWMS i feel i have already at the best point at which the author has designed the text.

You cant discard PRWMS cause it asks you to get specific neither is regular reading discarded.

Getting a purpose is the game .Sometimes i sharpen my purpose after 3 to 4 super reads of the book.I am able to decide what i really want.From general to specifics .Whats wrong with that?

And if i am specific any tool will help me get there.Super read and skitter are just tools.

Tony Buzan in his speed reading book has related a story that in a seminar he asked the participants to read their book in less than 15 mins.A lady got her favorite novel and speed read the book but complained that she did not get anything out of the exercise.

A day later when she was asked to regular read the book,halfway through or less than halfway ,she suddenly found the entire story unfold.

Now my question is why cant such results be duplicated to all reading.

Is this not analogous to the steps in PWMS. First photoread and then super read.

What if Paul Scheele has found a method to duplicate such results more often ?

Check Tony Buzans book.I read that way back in 2004!!! i suddenly remembered it today.

Thats what my point is brother! YOU have the purpose to find that 4% text in the book at this particular moment of time. Does it mean it actually has only 4% texts important? YOU have decided to find what YOU feel important. That's why YOU feel only 4% is relevant.

Tomorrow I ask you to find what adjectives have been used in the books and how many times, that another 4% you will discover.
Next day, I ask you to seek what you dont agree with, thats another 4%
The Next day I ask you how to evaluate performance of a stock?- another 4%
What are the limitations of treasury bills? another 4%

You see.. Each time you have a different purpose, dont you? you seek different info each time, dont you?
So it increases the time you spend with the book, which comes down to the time you need when you regular read. But you dont admit it because you have been underrating your own regular reading.

Nice to know you have been using the system and feeling happy about it. You have been one of the most helpful members on the forum. Whats your idea of linear reading?


No, Dr. Scheele has said what he had to say. What we discuss here is our inference from his words and statements. Its our opinion and our findings.

What books do you read Adarsh? Most of the books on financial literacy you have mentioned here are actually have little content in them. Why? these arent textbooks. they are written for the layman. The targeted readers are those who usually are not enrolled for a course in finance. No wonder why you find only 4% text useful; you being already familiar with finance as one of your very own subjects. And you dont even need photoreading to find it out. Preview and some skittering enough.

Not all have same reading needs all the times. This is where the 4% and 11% terms have taken birth from. You also dont recollect everything after 20th activation pass, do you? Same happens with regular reading. So there is no reason to compare or tag it as inefficient. Speed reading is no different. Technically, its the same regular reading.


Summary! now you have spoken up! Do you think summary and reading a book are the same? Summary is just a gist of what ONE has picked up or what ONE finds the most important.

I would recommend you read/photoread books on marketing research, textbooks on biochemistry, yearbooks, books on biodiversity, geography, administration, travel and any other technical book with detail rich text. I understand it wont be easy to take out time to go through these, but do give it a try sometime. Compare and post your experience in terms on comprehension, time you spent and your performance on a few open ended questions.

Stweet

I have activated so many text books in finance too.
i am right now working on Ross and westerfield and i am using the same concepts of 4 to 11 % .I have read 2 books of College finance by Nagarathnam and one more reffered to orrissa university.4 to 11 % works fine(i dont remember the author right now ).
4 to 11 % doesnt change the way you have mentioned it changes only with the purpose.Thats why i said i will work when i want to with the book when i want to again ,it is only faster the next time.Cause i know where the information lies.And if you have changed the purpose ,then you have a different goal.
Yes Summary is the essence of what we have read ,what do you remember after reading the entire book or workable summary.Other than high school exams i dont know of any place where in they test us for our memory by Rote.No one in the world wants us to know information verbatim.Its what the information all about that is important.
We are always tested for knowledge.Even competitive exams.
I have read and activated 21 text books and an additional 5 for getting my MBA certificates so whats great about that.I understood that in a chapter this is what i want and i prepared to get that .
I am also activating Resnick and Halliday and revising my knowledge in Thermodynamics.It contains lot of maths so its a different ball game.I have mentioned in the earlier post i am working my skills on maths using Khan Academy.
I have admitted that i could not understand Black Swan in its entirety cause i dont have background knowledge in probability and statistics.

I have told you before i did not use PRWMS for CAT.So reading comprehension and other exams require a different skill set.They test you on different scale.They test you on inferential knowledge,interpretation and much more.These paragraphs run for a page or 2 so for these exams why wold one photoread and super read and dip .You can work onthem and see for your self.You can use them and build an immediate idea on what is said go back to the questions and reread the text and answer the questions.

Thats why i said reading in adult life is a different ball game.You do it with a purpose.

At school so much is thrown at you how much do you use them in real life?

You yourself have listed a wide range of books from biochemistry to geography to administration to travel

why would i need them sister?

I may use the travelogues to get an idea about a place but the web is richer with images and other contents why waste money on the "Lonely Planet"

Today we have enough support from different mediums taht we need to be careful as to how to learn and for the rest for me i prefer PRWMS.

In fact for the subject i mentioned above on Thermodynamics there is a you tube lecture from professor from IIT .So i get access to his rich teaching by viewing rather than reading.

Why will i waste time on readign .i can use the book to photoread and view stuff on you tube to activate ---Richer experience!!!!!

I have infront of me Hindhus yearly survey of Indian industry.
So i am going to photo read and group information the way i want it.
I am in refining ,i am increasing my knowledge in petrochemicals Reading a textbook on Bhaskar Rao

What else?

Speed was never my concern?Purpose is!!

And i dont want to know it all and know it all fro what ,start one more wikipedia???

Those are interesting books indeed. And before learning PhotoReading I couldn't get those subjects. So I never bothered reading the. Just took too long never made sense. Now I enjoy learning from them.

If you're getting what you need from one quick read then go for it. You don't need PhotoReading. I do prefer to PhotoRead because I get more out of the book and do spend less time with a book. Why would I want to spend 9 hours with a book having forgotten the information in the first chapter and being unable to tie it in with the later chapter?

And if you ever read my experiment, you would notice I went through the whole book chapter by chapter. I turned the headlines into questions and same with the subheads and learned what each section is about.

Forgotten it? No the stuff in the book that stood out for me then still stand out in my memory now.

Remember,

Reading is personal. You get from a book what relates to you. Your education, understanding and self image act as barriers to your performance.

Some books take more time than others.

Try the 5 day test on a number of 200 books. Be kind to yourself and pick some books that are of interest.

Why? So that you can see how you work the PhotoReading system and then you'll be able to set your directions on more technical books.

In 2013 I went through 485 books. In terms of traditional reading, they were detailed PhotoReading. Nothing less in terms of reading it all if you like only in 1/5th the time I would have traditionally read before learning PhotoReading. I PhotoRead and summarised an additional 400 books.


The point is not all books require such an in depth reading. And if they do you do more activation layers. If you're studying them then you'd probably PhotoRead them more often as well. If the book is challenging, or subject is challenging you do more activation layers. You may even need to treat each chapter as a book in itself.

Stweet are you learning PhotoReading with the physical course or the digital version?

Alex

I am learning photoreading with the book.


I dont know what is your idea of regular reading.

Stweet

How good is your memory. Most people spend 6 to 12 hours with a 200 page book, reading word for word. By the time they finished the first chapter some hours have passed.

If you're learning with the book alone. Apply the 5 day test to 10 books of 200 pages before trying it on schoolwork or study material.

Alex

Hello Alex,

Having failed miserably with many books, and having been struggling for very very long, I am starting with elementary school level books.

Is one activation session supposed to cover the entire book regardless you understood the text you dipping or leave what you dont understand for another activation pass or keep dipping again and again till you fully comprehend that text?
Because moving ahead without fully comprehending previous sections doesnt make any sense.

Stweet

when others try to help u ,you will work to prove them wrong,instead believe and do what you believe will come true and try again!!!

For a beginner, maybe not.

The question is how long would it take with your normal reading techniques to finished the book and depends on what you use to measure, measure fully understood the text?

I would never claim to fully understand any text. There are parts that make no sense to me by some authors. And I still get the message that they are trying to impart because I read for meaning and have a purpose when I read. If I expect to learn something from the book I will.

Alex