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Originally posted by elgan_5:
This is the first time in posting in these forums. I have been using the course off and on for the past 4 months, and I still have a few questions and doubts.1) Is photoreading less enjoyable compared to normal reading? Reading normally gives you a scense of knowing what's going on at all times, where photoreading seems like it would be not as enjoyable becuase of the riggorous activation, etc.
Photoreading is way more enjoyable because it allows you to get your reading done in the time you have available. It is particularly enjoyable getting through the 'must read' reading so that you can spend more time reading for enjoyment.
Photoreading does not take away your regular reading skill it adds another skill to your reading repertoire. Books that you want to read for enjoyment you will probably just photoread and rapid read, taking as much time as you want to enjoy the book. Other reading material you will be able to get to the core information quickly and so spend considerably less time on them freeing you up for other things or reading adventures.
"riggorous activation, etc." 
Activation is very straight forward. Once you've done it a few times you discover its makes more sense than "grade school reading". Instead of slowly working your way through all the passages like on a treasure hunt for the meaningful information in the text, you provide your mind with a map through photoreading get straight to that information. Using that map you know whether to slow down or rush through.
By calling it "riggorous activation" you are only making it difficult for yourself.
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2) Are you able to make the same literary connections with your material with photoreading? Not being able to break down sentences word by word must have its disadvantages.
The skills and interest that you have through regular reading remain with you for photoreading. You make the same literary connections and more if you desire to do so. If you want "to break down sentences word by word" you may still do so; if there is a point to doing so. You get from the material that you photoread whatever your purpose for reading that material was in the first place.
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3) Activation just seems too long, and has never seemed to work for me. I have only attempted to activate a half dozen or so, and I still get nothing. Could someone describe what it feels like durring spontaneous activation?Thank you for taking this time to answer my questions. Any input would be great!
How much time would you have spent 'regular reading' the books that you have attempted to activate? And how much 'time' have you actually spent on each activation pass. Set a time limit (eg 30 minutes) for each activation pass and for your first books of say 250 pages expect to do at least 4 activation passes. In total you will have spent 2 hours activating a book that takes the average reader 6 hours to read. If that is too much time for activation then use the activation passes on more books so that you gain proficiency in getting what you want from the book in the shortest time possible.
Also be sure to mind map the books that you activate while learning the photoreading system. This encourages the body mind interaction. By mind mapping you are showing both your conscious mind and inner mind how important you feel that the information in the book is for you to know consciously. If you want to experience spontaneous activation, make the effort.
Spontaneous activation feels different for each person and even different for each book for the individual. If you want to experience spontaneous activation I suggest you work on manually activating a few more books.
If you do the course once through following the instructions on the tapes and doing what is instructed you will have fully activated 3 books before you listen to the last tape.
The only reason activation seems to take "too long" is because you are spending more time putting it off than actually doing it. Get a timer and set it for 30 minutes. Make your first activation pass through the whole book. Take a break 5 to 10 minutes get a glass of water, stretch set the timer for 30 minutes, look at your tigger words and ask yourself why the author used those words what purpose they had in relation to the subject s/he is discussing and then look through the book for answers. Go with any pull your inner mind gives you...if it says look in the index or contents page do that and follow that for answers. About 5 minutes before times up you finish your activation and note on your mind map what you found.
In total you spent 1 hour and you've looked through the entire book twice and pulled out some information from different parts of the book that are important to you. You might even feel that you got everything you need to know from the book already or perhaps another activation pass or 2 will do the trick.
Next day pick another book and set your timer for 30 minutes and just read from page 1 to page whatever in that 30 minutes, take a 5 minute break ,stretch, get a drink of water, set the timer for 30 minutes continue. Note what chapter you are up to... compare how many chapters still to go. If you're only up to chapter 2 or 3 in a 12 chapter book it won't take long work out you have a few more hours of reading to do. Think you will remember the important information in chaper 2 that links to discussion in chapter 10? With photoreading you can but with regular reading you wouldn't even know what is important till you reach chapter 10.
Like training wheels on a bike the extra activation passes help you to hone confidence in a new skill. Once you have gained proficiency in photoreading you will find that for some books once is enough, others more is still required. It comes down to what you really want to know from the book.
If you activated once and didn't get it, do more activation passes. If the book didn't gel it only means you gave up too soon and didn't even put in 1/3 the time it would have taken you to regular read the book.
Sorry about the long post folks if there was an easy way to explain, how easy activation can be, if you would let go of the irrational fear of repeated activation passes and allow yourself to let your first books come together with 2, 4, 6 or even 8 activation passes; I would have written a shorter post.
Alex
