I was lucky in that one of my first experiences with PhotoReading resulted in spontaneous activation. I was using the system during a graduate-level physics course that I was taking (mathematical methods and classical mechanics). During the final I opened the book, looked at the questions and immediately felt swamped. I sat back, closed my eyes and tried to relax, opened the book again and suddenly the answers started to flow through my mind faster than I could write them down. I finished an exam scheduled for 3 hours in just about 30 minutes, and got out with an A-. I had similar experiences in a couple of other courses that I took ( a quantum mechanics course and an electromagnetics course).
I do not rely on spontaneous activation - it is something that just seems to happen. In my case, the need was the pressure of having to perform well on an exam. I had also done my homework and had prepared fertile ground (i.e., a context) for the information to make sense in. In general, I do not experience any kind of spontaneous activation when simply trying to activate (e.g., mind map, rapid read, etc.)...but I do get occasional spontaneous activation when discussing the material that I PhotoRead with someone.
Spontaneous activation is not, in my opinion, the central part of the system. It does show promise, and perhaps in the future techniques of spontaneous activation will be evolved, but for now I would not put too much work in trying to master it. Just play with the system and become comfortable with it.
quote:
Originally posted by mgrego2:
How strong must the "need" be? If I'm trying to mindmap without the book, is that enough? Or do I need my boss breathing down my neck for an answer? I'm sure this varies by individual, but what is your experience?
