I remember the day well, back in September 1985. Paul Scheele and I had known each other for two years. He called and asked me, “What if you could be taught to read 25,000 words a minute?”
I got so excited I couldn’t stand it. I said, “If that’s the case, it is time for a career change.” All of my life I knew the brain was capable of super-high-speed reading. I just didn’t know how to do it. Paul had the answer. Within two weeks I was indeed hauling my office furniture up the elevator. This was exactly what I was looking for.
I soon learned that this process of “mentally photographing” the printed page, which came to be called PhotoReading, did indeed let us get through books at 25,000 words a minute. The problem was that when I finished PhotoReading a book, I scored high on comprehension tests—sometimes 100%, but without the test as a trigger I didn’t remember much about the book.
You might think that is a problem, but far from it. Upon finishing a book, the feeling you get is more like you’re picking up a book that you read six months earlier. You remember reading it. You know whether or not you liked it and whether you got any value from it. You probably made decisions based on what you learned. You remember a few of the details, and when you flip through the book everything is vaguely familiar.
That’s what it’s like after you PhotoRead a book. When you want to consciously know everything that’s in the book, you then “activate” the book. This process brings the entire book together and is taught in both the personal learning course and the seminar.
As a beginning PhotoReader you might spend about three hours activating a book that would have taken you 10 hours to read the normal way. As you get better, the time you need drops from three hours to two, to one-and-a-half, to one, to 20 minutes, which is about as much time as I spend with nonfiction books these days. At that point, you’ll know pretty much the same as if you had spent 10 hours reading your old fashioned way, but with much less time invested.
There’s nothing like PhotoReading. It is an exploration of how you use your brain. What you learn will spill into all areas of your life. You’ll be wondering, “Since PhotoReading is possible, what else is possible?” You’ll see limitations drop throughout your life as your performance increases along with your overall satisfaction with life.
PhotoReading is not just a reading program. It is a life program that begins with getting through reading awfully darn fast.
In these next three weeks we’ll explore various aspects of PhotoReading. If you haven’t learned PhotoReading, bop over to our www.PhotoReading.com site and read more about it—and order the course if you don’t already have it! In the next few days you’ll receive tips to significantly improve your regular reading, which will make a huge difference for you until your course arrives.
You can also download an MP3 of Joan Steffend’s www.joansteffend.com/Who.html lively interview with me. You’ll gain a solid overview of PhotoReading, hear some fascinating stories, and be motivated to master PhotoReading.
www.LearningStrategies.com/PhotoReading/joan_and_pete_mp3
If you’ve already been through the personal learning course or the live seminar, we’ll have special posts for you to improve your skills. We’ll give you three brand new recordings from three of our top PhotoReading instructors with advanced skill development and ideas for taking PhotoReading to the next level. If you haven’t watched the three DVDs from the PhotoReading Results Supercharger, now is the time. You can order it here.
Pete
P.S. – If you’re a PhotoReader, in the comments below describe the benefits you’ve received. Tell one of your success stories! To encourage you, on January 19 we’ll have a drawing from among those who add comments below for a $50 gift certificate.
P.P.S. – Bookmark this blog and come back often!
Hello, I must say i really like this blog design and the contents you’ve written is excellent. Keep up the good work mate.
Thank you for focusing on PhotoReading to launch your blog. I did the personal learning course for the first time about 4 years ago when my business was in a position that required a lot of learning on my part and that required a lot of intense reading. As the business settled into its new state, I nearly stopped using the techniques. Your blog postings -and the release of the updated version of PhotoReading- have coincided with another steep learning curve in the same business. Thank you for reminding me of the value of the course, and being ‘on the same page’ with me! I look forward to taking the class live within the next few years.
Hi Pete.
I have a question. You say that the time required for Activation decreased from three hours to 20 minutes for you. Can you please give me an idea of how long would that take? I have the Photoreading book(third edition), that I borrowed from somebody else, and I’m really excited about it! Photoreading does not make any sense yet, but it will if I keep practising, I hope!
Several years ago, I also took an audio course by Howard Stein(not sure about the name), who is known as the fastest reader in the world. But he speedreads(he uses pacer, reads conciously(!) etc.); he’s not a photoreader. He reads at 30,000 wpm. In the Photoreading book, several Photoreaders are mentioned who read at far greater speeds. I remember one value of 68,000 wpm, and Paul Scheele said even greater wpm were possible for photoreaders!Why aren’t these Photoreaders the recordholders then? That’s my second question, if it’s possible for you take out some time and reply.
Also I have a suggestion: you should consider providing all these videos and books online accessible to paying members(something like lynda.com). It would make possible for more people(including me!), to be able to use the excellent products your company makes.
Please excuse my bad English.
Best regards,
Bilal
Bilal,
The only way to shorten the time it takes is just do it. Follow the 5 day test in the book on as many books as you can. If you’re learning from the book alone it might take 3 books it might take 10 books.
The trick is to do each book till it gels. That is, till you’ve finished the book with the same or better comprehension that you get from traditional reading. In the beginning that might be 7 hours for a book that normally takes you 21 hours to read.
The number of pages, your needs and the type of book it is, will also determine how much time you spend with the book.
The Record books no longer do speed reading records since it’s proven you cannot read much faster than 1000 words a minute without skimming and skipping words. The speed of the conscious mind limits actual reading speeds.
PhotoReading is mentally photographing the pages to be processed by the other than conscious mind. With the PhotoReading step you develop a feeling of familiarity. For more conscious understanding you use activation.
When you see someone fly through the books like Howard Berg and then watch them answer the questions notice the pause while they connect with their memory. The question triggers activation. They have developed the body mind connection and are able to trust the answers the mind brings up.
Beginners to PhotoReading have not yet built that connection. The way to do that is use the activation techniques.
I am glad you are doing this 3 week focus on Photoreading. I, too, attended the training a few years ago, but did not follow through with my home practice of the skill, and I need to start over. I will listen to the mp3s and will follow your blog. Thanks..
I ordered Photoreading after receiving an unsolicited ad for it. I was intrigued, as I had taken “speed reading” courses before, but didn’t get much out of them. I have never been more pleased with a course that I took a chance on ordering. I did this last November, so I am still a newbie at this. I work as Desktop support tech, on the ever shifting sands of Information Technology. This is one career that is awash with information overload. Since I currently don’t have time to go to college, I have to test for IT certifications to get ahead. Using Photoreading, their study techniques, and two paraliminals, I passed a Microsoft certification test with flying colors. It was my best score of any of the certifications I now have. This has given me confidence to acquire more lucrative certifications, and to maybe go back to college. Photoreading works and the paraliminals are icing on the cake. I highly recommend both. Thank you, Learning Strategies Corp!
I took the photo-reading course about 4 years ago. but I had heard about it about 8 years ago. My father had bought the home study course and had never used the course. I remember listening to the first tape and thought it was a bit long, but the idea of being able to read so fast left a desire to know more.
After entering university the thought of that course returned to me after taking a memory program my father had borrowed from the public libary. So during the winter vacation I asked my father for the course and began a new road of my life. I completed the course in about 2 weeks and began to use the information and play around with it.
After some time I felt that I was getting no where. I moved to Japan and came in contact with another friend who was also doing the course, quickly the fire was reignited and I began to study and retake the course. I was reading about 10 books a day in Japanese and understanding most of the content. Even though I could not read all of the characters I could explain the books in English… this was strange for me but I loved it. (I was also reading dictionaries, my favorits!)
I moved and got married, I bought the photoreading course in Japanese for my wife and together we went through the course. Only this time my mind was enlightned and I could now see how the mind was working. I was photoreading everything, from books to items in the grocery store. If i was looking for a particular item I would relax and run my eyes along the isle when all of a sudden the sought after item would jump out like a trigger word.
since the begginig of photoreading till now my life has changed. I have began a life of information seeking and study has bacome a life long passion not a high school bore!
Also since this blogg was launched my mind has once again has been opened and again new insights to the brain and how it works have made reading and learning so much easier. If it was compared to the Matrix the movie we are kind of able to pick a topic relax in the chair and plug our minds into the required information!
Thankyou so much
Thank you for these updates and continued connections with this amazing process. I use photoreading to assist my successful journey through post graduate school.
Kind regards,
My first comment disappeared in cyberspace. I just wanted to say I appreciate the blog starting with PhotoReading. I attended a PhotoReading course a few years ago and feel that I have lost the ability to PhotoRead. I would appreciate some tips as to how to get started again. I would like to hear more from Paul and Pete on this topic.
I took the PhotoReading course several years ago, and it’s one of the most valuable courses I’ve ever taken. I read extensively for work (writing, research, editing), and I still use the techniques on a regular basis, especially when I’m doing a lot of research (mostly historical and cultural). I also use the methods when I read fiction, as well as when writing and editing (it helps me keep pace with ever-changing material). I haven’t had a chance to take the refresher course yet, and I’d love to — but meanwhile, the PhotoReading techniques have naturally integrated into my own working methods.
And I STILL remember the material from the first book I ever photoread, in that course years ago — I can still recall title, author, chapters and the salient points of the material! Thank you all for the gift of these techniques, and for the great work you do at LS.
-Susan