The PhotoReading Whole Mind System (home study course & book) by Paul Scheele   Note: If you decide to purchase this product, please use the links above. Doing so will help to support GeniusByDesign.com.

Page Three: Off To The Races

The most provocative and controversial step of this course is, not surprisingly, the photoreading step itself. The next several tapes are devoted to getting you into “photofocus”, then flipping through the pages at a second per page, and then later activating the material.

The first book that Paul has you photoread is the Photoreading book itself – which I don’t think is a good approach. I think this gets in the way of the whole point of activating textual information. Think about it. If you were listening to a book on tape while photoreading the same book, how would you know where the activation came from? Are you not possibly activating from the wrong source (i.e. the audio)?

But aside from his choice of reading material and the aforementioned reservations I have about Paul’s vocal delivery, this whole section is quite valuable and is the most complete reference I’ve encountered for photoreading and activation.

In the second book that you photoread (Paul’s other book, Natural Brilliance), Paul expands on activation by getting further into techniques like mind probing, skittering, super reading and dipping, etc. Later, he gives mindmapping a rather thorough treatment, which is a huge asset to the process and the course and cover all you'll need to know about this advanced note-taking process.

By now, if you’ve followed the steps of the Photoreading Whole Mind System, you’ve undoubtedly improved your reading speed and comprehension – even if you don’t get a darn thing from the photoreading step itself. Why? Because the system itself is based on a series of multiple passes through the material, all the while maintaining specific outcomes, and accelerated learning states. This, in and of itself, is well worth the price of the course and to be honest, if you NEVER consciously get anything out of the photoreading step, you’re still way ahead.

And this is where the marketing of photoreading might be shooting itself in the foot. Learning Strategies Corp. claims that hundreds of thousands of people successfully photoread. I challenge that figure, but not to discredit the course or the method, but simply from my own experience of talking to many people who “get it” just a little.

On one hand, they read better than they did and they do experience some conscious and spontaneous activation. But on the other hand, they aren’t picking up a book cold and reading 70,000 words a minute with 75% comprehension, which the marketing materials implies. Could they learn to do this? Absolutely. But it will take practice. And for most people, including the many that "get it" just a little, they simply don’t have enough reading to do to run this skill completely through the paces.

Again, this isn’t as much of a criticism of the photoreading system. I've noticed the same pattern with memory courses. People reach a point where they simply don’t require the next level of skill or they can’t find enough time to devote to it. So while I don’t want to give people false hope that they’ll reach the end of this course flipping through pages like the guy in the infomercial, you WILL improve your reading speed and comprehension. And if you don’t, Learning Strategies is available for free phone coaching – a really nice touch for those who seek to excel.

Next - Page Four: The Differences

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