Forums IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ PhotoReading, Memory Optimizer Tips from a lone practitioner

Hello, you might remember me. I am Mastermind, an older member. After not posting for around a year and looking for answers in myself, I decided I could put forth some tips I found help.

One of the biggest tip I can give is: dont focus solely on the technique. While the technique is the basis for the system, you have to remember that you are photoreading to learn and expand your horizons. If you focus too hard on the technique it will be a million times more difficult to learn and understand. I know that you are supposed to keep your mind off subject of something of the sort, but you should not squelch what is going on in your brain, that means its working. Getting rid of "the squelcher" is a big part of the Dr. Win Wengers "Image Streaming" method which was part of the developement of photoreading system. Let your mind wander, we seem to have gotten away from that over time, using the squelcher causes undue stress, which brings me to my next point.

RELAX!!! As a society in general we are overly tense and this is carried over while you are doing the system. I realize, as a teacher of instrumental performance, how difficult it is to let go of this tension. To learn how to relax, consider taking yoga or meditation and relaxation classes.
If you feel your religion contradicts those techniques(and I recomend this to anybody) try the Alexander Technique, it is a way of learning how to use your body without tensing unnessisary muscles.

The mother of all problems, Activation. The main problem people seem to have with activation is that they are afraid to really study it, they feel that is cheating the system. If you have a book with complexed charts and graphs, read the charts and graphs. That may seem simple, but people dont generally do it.

Finally, and this is not so much a tip on the system, but an alternative to the Magic Eye practice for diverging your eyes. Try looking up forms of "OP Art," the type of art that the Magic Eye books were based off of. Some artists to consider searching are Victor Varasely, Bridget Riley, and Josef Albers (MC Escher is an example, but is more a classical form of art in that it shows real pictures and does not give you a reason to diverge your eyes.

Thank you for reading this, now go practice.
Master of the Mind

[This message has been edited by Mastermind (edited April 01, 2004).]

Hey Mastermind,

Excellent tips!

It's interesting isn't it...with time, the process seems less mysterious and more of just an efficient way of reading.

I found that when I changed the labels of the steps, the process seemed a whole lot different and less foreign...

Step 1: Relax your body and mind.
Step 2: Step back and understand the structure of the book.
Step 3: Photoread (a new process..wasn't sure what to call it)
Step 4: Use the structure like you would a reference book.
Step 5: Just read it regularly

When it's called "activation" or "super read" or even "photoread", it becomes mysterious and potentially unattainable.

Just my two cents,
CS

quote:

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Originally posted by CommonSense:
Step 4: Use the structure like you would a reference book.
Step 5: Just read it regularly

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Step 4 is more than just getting the structure or a general overview. I often don't even need Step 5, because Superreading and Dipping gives me such a complete picture. And you use the subconciously processed information that you get from photoreading while activating, so it's more than using the structure.

Also, I don't think that rapid reading = regular reading at all. Otherwise what would be the point of the system? I use rythmic perusual while Rapid Reading and have been working on getting rid of subvocalization while Rapid Reading. Plus it's a much lighter reading style, where you can skip over parts you already know go quickly over other parts because you've already been exposed to it so much.

Just my ideas, hope that doesn't sound offense.

Good points ked.

You got in before me