Forums IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ PhotoReading, Memory Optimizer Photoreading step essential?

To form questions.

Step 1 prepare... this is important you need to have a purpose without a purpose you don't have a foundation for asking questions.

Step 2 preview. Keep it short. 60 seconds max.

Step 3 PhotoRead.

Step 4 POSTVIEW (the 4th edition of the book has this emphasised as an extra step. The 3rd edition has it as part of the PhotoReading step. It has been separated to clarify it's importance.

Okay so why is postviewing important? This is where you check your purpose. build your curiosity and start by finding two or three questions you might like answered.

Postview is like preview. You open the book every 20th page or so, Pull about 18 to 25 trigger words and write down a couple of questions. Then you leave the book to incubate.

You don't have all the questions you will ultimately seek answers to. Haven't you noticed that in learning one question answered leads to another question asked?

Postview no more than 15 minutes. My classes are limited to 10 and they always find the starting questions.

AlexK

Jack, I think Fmanie was just joking. So go easy on him/her.

Even as a beginner, I do recognising some changes in my reading habbit. For example, I will skip the parts which are redundant or not relevant to my purpose. Moreover, I feel that reading several times does give me a better understand of the book.

So Fmanie, try not to aim at remebering everything. Even with traditional reading, you won't remember everything but certain key points. Try to compare the outcome and effectiveness (but not the process)between PR and traditional reading, that may gives you some satisfaction.

Before learning PR, I got experiences that after reading an article throughout and cautiously, I didn't get I clue what it is about. Then, I read it again the next day and I understood everything. I think the difference was due to the fact that I was more familiar with the article in the second time, which can acheived by previewing now after learning PR(I wonder if the information was processed subconsciously during my sleep).

However, I still haven't got the sense of being guided by my inner-mind during superreading and dipping. Just curious, how long does it take for reaching that standard?

Some people learn to swim in a day others take weeks others take months. Don't try to compare yourself to others. Just stick to your own schedule. The more you use it the less you look for it to be something like a chorus of angels singing Hallelujah and just notice it's an automatic skill like you acquired tying shoe laces.

The day you became a success at tying shoe laces was no big deal You just had the knack and it seems normal. But it was probably many days, weeks or months of frustration till you got it. Why are we so much harder on ourselves as adults and give up way to soon?

AlexK

Hi. Fmanie, never expect too much at the start, you can't run before you learn how to walk, it is normal when you miss things, that even happen in normal reading when you read ever single word. Remember this, We (human) never fail, we only have feedback so we can improve, we think we fail because we didn;t met the expectation of someone or something, the more we expect the more we (think) fail, hence, give up easily, so why expect anything, a baby wouldn't give up learn how to walk if he fall on the ground so many times. Why not feel confuse instead, confusion is good in NLP ways =)

Jacktuff

I am a perfectionist, it is my nature to expect perfection.

In any event, I will get frustrated because I photoread and remember nothing, that seems like a waste of time.

I do my Qigong, I am all calm, then when I remember that I remember nothing after photoread, I feel all frustrated again!!

What do I do??

For the record, I am not attacking Alex, I merely have a difference of opinion, because I like novels and poetry. I like the artistic part of writing and Alex said novels stifle your learning.

My books are novels, if this program is not for novel readers, they should say so. I think this is the root of my frustration.

Hey Fmanie,
Don't worry, things will work out.

I know you don't want to hear it, but it's the only advice that would REALLY help you at this time.

GO EASY ON YOURSELF!

Alex said novels stifle learning? I messaged her a long time ago and she told me she learned photoreading so that she could get through more novels every week, even though she was averaging quite well.
In my opinion, novels don't stifle learning. Through novels, you can experience periods of time, learn about dealing with others, and even communicating ideas effectively, while enjoying a story at the same time. It enhances creativity (one of the success stories is how a photoreader photoread novels and got an A on her report).

Don't worry, just keep working at it and results will come. I haven't actually done the whole process on a novel, but I'm going to this Saturday (I'll have the house to myself, and nothing but time and piles and piles of books). I'll post my results with the activation, and anything I found bothered me and or helped me while doing the process.

Until then, take care.

-JackTuff13

Of course you remember nothing. That's exactly what Paul tells you will happen. You cannot recall something that you haven't called on before. That's why we activate.

Novels encourage passive reading. We have the habit of letting them take as long as they take. And we progressively slow down because we don't take regular breaks.

Habits are hard to break and I understand that new PhotoReaders would like to get up to speed on novels quickly and the easiest way to do that is get about 5 non-fiction books successfully activated.

If a book takes you 9 hours to read using the system you will be able to get your reading done in 3 hours. Expecting conscious comprehension straight after PhotoReading is just going to keep you stuck.

AlexK

Alex

I am so frustrated, I think I anchored this in the handbook, just looking at is frustrates me.

I even stopped using the course completely.

How do you suggest I get back into it?

Hey Fmanie,
I suggest you go in blindly, put behind you all of your doubts, and even all of your expectations. Go in fresh with an attitude in which you don't care whether or not it works.

-JackTuff13

Forget the PhotoReading book and just listen to the next CD of the course and don't try to learn the system just follow along perhaps even with the acceptance that all of it won't sink in or work the way you want the first time.

Remember what happened with the Star of Wonder exercise? If you can change the rules of how you think PhotoReading should work and just try your hand with it on a couple of other books. Follow the suggestion to spend 20 minutes with activation.

It may help you to know I went through a block of frustration. In the end I just gave up and did it to get it out of the way and just be finished with it. It led to 20/20 hindsight. 1 that I did learn something and two I didn't get anything until I actually did finish it.

When I did the dictionary game. I had the weirdest of experiences where I got three hits and then remember saying to myself this is so weird it can't happen again. So I picked 3 words that weren't in the dictionary. Sure enough it didn't happen again. Three months later when I managed to retrieve the dictionary from the awkward corner where it landed, after I threw over my shoulder I realised exactly what I did. At the time I decided to forget about that part and continue with the rest.

It was only 3 months later I realised that it worked exactly as it should have worked. At the time I didn't know enough about the system to realise... That was perfect evidence that I was getting something from PhotoReading only I didn't understand enough about the system to see it at that time.

That's why you often see post that say Just do it. Notice it, Own it, Play and Stay with it.

So I appreciate your frustration with the PhotoReading book and manual. So instead work with the CDs and finish the basic course. Work with a couple of other books. You're invited to work with the Natural Brilliance book or your own. I suggest you take the opportunity to work with your own. So the next two books are your own.

AlexK