Forums IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ PhotoReading, Memory Optimizer PhotoReading How to

Since the forum search is limited to 4 years I thought I'd post this again. I originally did this experiment in 2002 and posted it on the forum then. Since the forum had been upgraded many links within the forum are also broken.

For the benefit of those who give up activation too soon I post this again.

Today I put the PhotoReading Whole Mind System to a test. This Test put me on par with beginning PhotoReaders who have poor comprehension of the written material and/or slow readers.

The Experiment
To test PhotoReading on material where my comprehension is low 20% or less by using the regular reading method. I wanted to spend only 2 hours activating this book at this time.

The Book Signale des Koerpers by Vera Birkenbihl 264 pages including index. It is a book on body language that consists of mostly text with a few graphics.

Background
My background in reading this language I am whole and solely educated in Australia. English is the language. I studied German during 2 years of high school. Years 9 and 10 I did not complete year 10 studies due to the fact that my school failed to enrol me for the course till midyear of year 9. I studied via correspondence the lessons consisted of about 6 pages of exercises per week and included the study of culture and geography.

I have only read 3 books targeted toward the 12 to year old age group other than using the 2 exercise books that were provided by the school. Neither the school nor my parents could afford additional books. Since leaving school 24 years ago I have only occasionally read the German language in small blocks.

My most challenging reading selection during that time was the 12 Lucky Luke books that were translated to the German language. My attempt to read books aimed at the adult market failed. It took me over 2 hours to get though about 40 pages and I had little or no understanding of the text so I haven't bothered
since.

My Handicap
I had not PhotoRead a German dictionary. The only dictionaries I have are translation ones. This I decided was not suitable since I do not translate as I intended to read and think in solely in the German language.

I have never successfully completed a book targeted at the adult/thinking market and this book contains a lot of constructed words. That I could recognise when spoken easily enough however I have never seen them in their written form.

Since many of the words are unfamiliar to me in their written form I need to subvocalise them as I read them to understand what I am reading during activation. I had no idea what to expect during the superread and dip page.

I was now faced with some problems common to beginning PhotoReaders.

1. I was worried about how successful I was going to be with this project.

When I first ordered the book I was excited but when the book finally arrived (2 months later) my initial enthusiasm had more or less gone. I suffered from procrastination for wanting to attempt to activate the book after having PhotoRead it almost 1 week ago.

2.I was apprehensive about the superread and dip stage. I really was at a lost how I am going to know when to dip. There were 7 to 8 different fonts used and differing sizes of text there is some sort of code in that I am at a lost toexplain.

3. My comprehension is low even with regular reading...
Well all these thoughts I had sat the book at the table and was ready to procrastinate a while longer It was such a nice day today... blue sky warm While sitting at the table looking at the book my procrastinating part of the mind final screamed and said ok just do it.

The Result
Activation - time 2 hours.
Comprehension - 70% (I had a questionnaire within the book were I surprised myself scoring 70%)
Mind mapping max 30 minutes
Breaks totalled 20 minutes
Total time say 3 hours 70% comprehension

Compared to regular reading gaining about 20% comprehension would have taken me 21.5 hours (well never actually completed one so that's open)

Method of Activation Applied
1st 20 minutes
Unable to form suitable questions from my trigger words so I SR and dipped whenever I thought I found something of interest. I noticed that overall most of the information was eluding me but saw this as a way of becoming familiar with the book and perhaps finding questions. Surprisingly enough I had something to start putting onto a mind map immediately and I noticed straight away that my mind map had been modified... I was using lines to connect idea and making bulleted point lists. This seemed to be the most logical way for me to record my information.

2nd 20-minute session
I turned the subheads into questions and did this as a on the go basis... some of the subheads were answered immediately in that I understood what it was about and bypassed that. Some of it was starting to make sense. Since I was taking it subhead by subhead it turned out that I was now activating the book chapter by chapter. I added some more to the mind map using a different coloured pen and took a 5-minute break.

3rd session
Same method as before and it proved to be a good move to be activating the book chapter by chapter at this point. The material detailing what I learnt in the previous 20 minutes and was able to clear up some of my uncertainties. Added more to mind map and took 15-minute break.

4th 20 minutes
While going though one part of this book I came across some information that made absolutely no sense. I made a note of it on my mind map and kept going. At the end of 20 minutes I made notes on the mind map.

5th 20 minute
I didn't stop for a break since I felt that I was on a roll. Went back over the part I didn't understand the last session and checked it again in less than 1 minute I had made sense of it. Continued with SR and dipping, by now my mind map is getting a bit cramped.

6th 20 minutes last one
Since I had to start a new page for mind mapping I was glad I did. I decided to call it quits I had come to the end of the book anyway. And for me the book had gelled.

All up a finished a book in another language on par with my then English activation speed.

So folks this is what happens when you layer it.

It doesn't gel until it's done.

Added,

I still remember a lot of what I learned from that book today.

AlexK

Nice Alex! This is really helpful!:-)

This looks cool and all but all of those methods took tremendous amount of time. Did you ever allow the answers you were expecting to arrise spontaneusly like you told me?

3 hours is a tremendous amount of time, for something that would take you a day, brain?

You're not changing your attitude at all, and if you don't soon, you're not going to see results.

-JackTuff13

P.S.
Thanks for sharing this again, Alex. :-D

2 hours of actual activation as a beginner is too much on a book that would have taken 21 hours with maybe 20% comprehension?

You really missed the point Brain. I was doing an experiment. Reducing myself to the beginner level.

What stands out for me most about that book is the amount of detail I can still recall now 6 years later.

AlexK

Hi, this post amazed me enough to leave a comment. I have not yet fully understood how you managed to read and understand a book in German when your command of this language was low.

Maybe I misunderstood some facts, but I'd like to know the percentage of German you had by that time.

By the way, I'm starting to practice PhotoRead, although I can't see great achievements in my results.

Well you need to look at what photoreading can give you in the end. I shared your optimizum in the begining but now i feel much better having used the system and seeing results. Just practice the normal system and work towards spontaneous activation and begin the rely on it after you start mastering it

By asking questions are looking for answers. I was reading with a purpose. Also PhotoReading, allowed me to process the words that I did not necessarily understand and other unconscious level. Much like reading when you come across words, you don't understand. You can often get the meaning the context of the paragraph or sentence.



I had not looked at, a German book in over 10 years by that time. That's why did the experiment.



Just keep using this system and you will see the results.

AlexK

Hi Alex,
I might be reading this experiment for 5th time now and with equal astonishment.

while reading this, I feel if one can do so well at foreign text, then can I easily master complicated subjects that are beyond my comprehension level?

I had a look at the sample of that book at amazon, and looking at the index, it seems to have a new idea or concept discussed on each page. The index has enlisted all the pages from the book. I guess I would have had about 300 questions on that book since it seems to introduce some new idea on each page. So approx how many questions did you find answers for?

The book had gelled for you meaning, you got just your questions answered or you could even write about each section?

thanks..

If it's beyond comprehension (as this is seowtj, menak, nmoj,) then no it's not possible. If however you can read it then yes you can comprehend it and with the PhotoReading system, faster.

My main purpose was to find anything useful to me. Which turned out to be a better understanding of body language and allowing for different societies.

During activation I turned the subheadings into questions. It saves from being overwhelmed and stayed with my purpose.

Too often the question asked is, what is? For example the limited answers you will find,

Q. What is PhotoReading?
A. A reading system.

Q Why PhotoRead?
A. To read faster with benefit.

Q. How does one PhotoRead? (Depending on how deep you want to go) flip the pages of the book before your eyes and you discover that's really what the PhotoReading book is about. So now you have a board question for the PhotoReading book that would pull more.

Q. When PhotoRead?
A. Possible on reading material

Q Who can PhotoRead?
A. You can, when you learn.

Q. Where can I PhotoRead.
A. Where you can read

So taking one of those 6 precision questions you adjust the quality of what you pull from the text to suit your purpose.

So if activation isn't working try reforming the question. You may be asking what and what has been answered and not completely that which you seek.

In activating, once you've formed one or two questions you're good to go. Forming questions helps build the curiosity about the topic. Especially useful if the topic is one that does not normally interest you.

Alex