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Photoreading My First Book

Photoreading package from Learning Strategies CorporationMy Photoreading kit has arrived ! I was quite skeptical at the start, but have committed to give it a sincere effort for 30 days. The package includes several books, an audio CD set and a DVD set. I watched two of the DVDs and then Photoread the book last night.

The quality of the materials is quite good, and the DVD was much more than just an infomercial for other products from the vendor. It showed plenty of excerpts from a live course held a few years ago. I felt that after watching the first DVD I pretty much knew everything I had to know to try out the Photoreading technique.

I decided to test it out on the course overview book they provided. I think it worked. I say I think because Photoreading does not bring the subject matter into conscious awareness. It utilizes the non-conscious mind to directly absorb the material. The logic is that through Photoreading and then follow-on activation of the material (anytime between 30 minutes and 24 hours after Photoreading), your mind will be able to recall material when it is needed.

I tested it out this morning with a non-fiction book this morning. It was a book on Body-Mind connection in sport, and was about 270 pages long. I followed the protocol. First, I pre-viewed (skimmed the book for 10 minutes) and then Photoread (another 20 minutes) before taking a lunch break. I then activated (drew out a mid-map and skimmed the book quickly) and ruminated on the material for another 40 minutes. The whole process took me about 1 hour and 10 minutes to completely finish the Photoreading process. Once you get proficient, the entire process will speed up quickly, and the activation periods will take less and less time.

Do I feel like I actually read the book? No.

Do I feel like I know the subject matter? Funny enough…I actually do.

Right now, I could have a meaningful conversation with anyone about the topic, and probably go into depth for the important stuff. After I finished Photoreading I had a little internal conversation about what I just read, asking probing questions to see if the material had really sunk in. I was surprised with the amount I was able to retain. I grasped the main concepts and some random detail facts. However I was lacking depth across the board. Reading the book normally for a few minutes….I notices that there were also plenty funny and interesting examples in the book that I had no recollection of whatsoever.

According to the Photoreading protocol, even the minute details are captured by your brain, you are just not conscious of them. Practicing the technique should improve the conscious recall.

Since I am new to the Photoreading process, I am going to continue to activate the book, by skimming and mind-mapping for about 15 minutes each of the following two days. This process, I hope,will bring more of the content to the forefront! In tandem, I’ll start photoreading another book.

I plan to Photoread 30 books in 30 days using this method. I’ll post my progress daily.

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14 Responses to “Photoreading My First Book”

[…] I just finished photoreading my third book, a 300 pager on the life of Michael Faraday. He’s the guy who invented the electric motor. My previous two books related to topics I am very familiar with; health and fitness. For this one, I was clueless going in. […]

[…] I am running behind on my goal to finish 30 books in 30 days. Lucky for me, today begins a long four-day holiday! I am not travelling either. […]

Mate - I was very very tempted by this too after reading Steve Pavlina’s glowing (if slightly biased) review and then subsequent advertising.

I will be very interested in how this ends up because it is something I could definitely use.

Geez - could you imagine how much easier Uni would have been if you could photoread?!

Have a great day mate
Ross

Hey Ross, I have a few other posts on this blog about my photoreading progress over the past coulpe weeks. Just use the “search” link to find posts relating to photoreading.

So far, I am really impressed. I have been using the technique daily (try to read a book a day, doesnt always happen).

Funny enough, the actual photoreading doesn’t do much for me, but the skittering/skimming techniques definitely rock. I am going to keep at it and see where it gets me.

I will admit though, photoreading does put me in a “flow” state very quickly. It normally takes me 10-20 minutes of normal reading to get into this type of a groove.

[…] Welcome to the latest installment of my photoreading progress. I finished reading book number eight this weekend. “Eat. Pray. Love.” by Elizabeth Gilbert. It was really awesome. A story of her year of travels. I photoread it and activated it, but ended up reading large chunks of it just because it was so good. Also, the story reminds me of a good friend who is on a similar journey right now. It made me slow down and soak in some of the chapters in more detail. […]

[…] Make a commitment to change I have been nose breathing exclusively for the past 30 days. I was intrigued after photoreading about the benefits for endurance athletes in John Douillard’s book, “Body, Mind and Sport.” John’s book cites research showing marked decrease in the heart rates of runners who nose breath during high intensity 5K races. Through a more efficient processing of oxygen in the body, the heart has to pump less frequently. His studies have shown runners who apply the technique crossing the finish line at cross-country races in full sprint, while not being out of breath at all! For anyone training for a sport, particurlarly endurance athleted, nasal breathing holds a great promise for improved efficiency and performance. […]

Ravi, so would you recommend Photoreading to others? Does it actually work? Honestly? If so please let us know how you ordered it so we can benefit from it.

Hi futurephotoreader!

I gave the photoreading program a committed effort for about two weeks, and I did see it start to work. I didn’t have anywhere near “perfect” comprehnesion, but I was able to retain and recall an astononishing amount given the little amount of time I actually had to commit to the actual reading and activation process. (activation is where you make some notes about what you read, and re-skim the material).

That said, I then stopped applying the techniques and went back to my standard mode of reading. I recently (just last week) starting photoreading again…and hope to make it stick this time!

I am convinced that is works….but like any change…it takes time and a strong committment. And by “it works”…I mean that I do think it can help people to read much more effectively and much more rapidly than the norm.

It is worth the investment IMHO.

The book will tell you everything you need to know to actually start using the technique. If you opt for the “full package” with the Audio/DVD included…you will get some more content and techniques that will help you out. I personally found the DVDs valuable….they show snippets from a photoreading seminar. For me, seeing people using the technique made it seem much more real for me.

Let me know how it goes for you!

Ravi

[…] PhotoReading on sethigherstandards.com […]

I just got my photoreading course in the mail yesterday!

I’m looking to go through it for the next month or so. I’ve been thinking about it for awhile and finally made the choice.

We’ll see how it goes!

i’m intrigued by all of the stories about photoreading here on the website. I would say that i’m still a skeptic about the whole idea but many individuals have told me that it does in fact improve the reading skills. Anyway, i’ve also come across something called “speed reading,” and i was wondering what is the difference between photoreading and speedreading?

thanks

Photoreading is all about activating your subconscious mind whereas Speedreading simply teaches you how to read faster.

With photoreading you literally flip through pages faster than you can read (you can barely even see any of the text) and then you recall the information through asking yourself questions and skimming the book to activate the content.

When I applied the technique, I found that it did work, but I have since lapsed back into my old way of reading. Photoreading takes intense focus and discipline, but I am convinced that it does work to a certain degree.

Thanks for the review and progress blog. I searched all over the internet for real life accounts of the system, rather than the “salesman pitch” of the system.

I am only giving Photoreading a chance because I know human brain can do some crazy feats. e.g. getting hypnotized, rapid depth calculation with “magic eye” pictures, etc..

Finally, I like Ravi’s analogy of having a governer in a high speed car.

I started the course twice and got about half way through. Funnily enough I had the same feelings as Ravi. Not sure if it works. I have a ton of books that I would like to read and I am trying to finish the course right now. I am on disc 7 of 8. I have watched the supercharger DVDs and listened to the subliminals.

Funny I don’t feel that I am further ahead because I don’t really recall anything. However having said this, according to the course, people seem to recall the info afterwards when they need it, like on exams and so forth. I find the mind mapping interesting but it is difficult to do when you are shooting in the dark, relying on your subconscious.

I find the constant advertising a bit of a nuisance.
I still read the usual way.

Undecided.

Al

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Ravi

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