PhotoReading This article or section does not cite its references or sources . You can help Wikipedia by introducing appropriate citations . This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article . Please improve it or discuss changes on the talk page . See Wikipedia 's guide to writing better articles for suggestions . PhotoReading is a commercial learning product of Learning Stategies Corporation . The corporation sells Photoreading seminars and home courses that claim to allow people to photoread , a term coined for a step in which one unconsciously intakes information . By that claim , the reader 's speed of absorbing words is directly dependent on the amount of information on each page and by page-flipping rate . Alex K. Viefhaus and others on the Learning Strategies Forum have stated that reading and Photoreading are two different things ; traditional reading actively intakes information through the conscious mind while photoreading passively utilizes peripheral vision through the other-than-conscious mind . Advertising for this product state that the reading method is based on beliefs about the human brain 's cerebral hemispheres and possible pseudoscience concerning brain waves . The distinguishing feature of PhotoReading is that the readers allow the unconscious mind to rapidly absorb material and then logically or consciously recapture the information they photoread through multiple perusals , as opposed to conventional reading or speed reading , which relies solely on the conscious mind to sort information through one passing conscious mind . [ citation needed ] A day or two after PhotoReading a book , the reader is supposed to be able to activate the information manually by scanning the book and dipping into portions of the text which he or she feels are important . It is claimed that activation can also occur spontaneously , in which the reader gets flashes of insights related to the book , although Scheele describes this kind of activation as uncommon . Finally , it is claimed that the reader can rapid read the book to gain a better and more complete understanding of the book. [ citation needed ] There is some doubt by skeptics about the ability of the human brain to be able to take in such a quantity of information . The human vision span is somewhat limited for this purpose if peripheral vision is not utilized . Skepticism Response According to skeptics , the theories that support the practice of photoreading are based mostly on debunked pseudoscience rather than rigorous research into reading . [ citation needed ] A more scientific explanation for any success in photoreading may be that the individual is simply scanning the text in order to get an overview . Based on reports and reviews of the internet , one can conclude that the course might reap some benefit , but not enough to be considered for practical use . Response Others suggest that the skeptics ' claim , success being mainly from scanning , is invalidated by evidence . According to the University of Minnesota , Pete Bissonete of the Learning Strategies Corporation was able to redraw several patents after photoreading a digital clip that flashed 20+ pages of information every second . Several beginning photoreaders , most quitting after percieving minimal practical benefits , noted flashes of insight , such as in the form of dreams , without previewing or skimming . Origins The system was said to be invented by Paul Scheele , but the company of Subliminal Dynamics claims that Scheele stole ideas from them . In response , Paul Scheele states that he got the idea of subliminal perception from them , but that his Photoreading differed in three ways ( verbatim ) 1 . The key is not subliminal perception . The key is the brain 's capacity for preconscious processing . I 've spent my years developing a protocol to capture this capacity and put it reliably in the hands of our clients. ( Reference the work of N.F. Dixon from England , and P. Lewicki at Tulsa University , Oklahoma ) . 2 . Neuro-Linguistic Programming is the basis for our techniques of putting folks in contact with the resources of the nonconscious data storage systems of the brain for activation and recall . 3 . Accelerative , brain-based teaching and learning are essential in the design and delivery of our programs , including the design of the book . General Steps of Photoreading 1 . Prepare A light Hypnotic State ( semi-unconscious ) is induced upon oneself to enter an Accelerated Learning State . An area is located that makes you feel confortable . A set time is created to complete the process , such as allocating the time necessary to preview for 4-8 minutes and photoread for 20-40 minutes . 2 . Preview A broad Generalized understanding of the books structure as well as what it offers , is identified by reading the index and appendix as well as glancing at every 20 pages of a book . Trigger words or words that you believe carry special meaning or that are completely foreign , are kept track of while previewing every 20 pages to aid in understanding the structure of the book as well as concepts the book aims to teach . Previewing is done during a semi-unconscious state . 3 . Photoread By mentally photographing each page at 1 page per second in a light hypnotic state , the unconscious mind processes , organizes and stores the information to be `` activated '' at a later time . To create a different reading experience and because photoreading is done unconsciously users are encouraged to Photoread not only from front to back , but also from back to front ( last page to first page ) and if the reader is feeling adventurous they can photoread a book upside down and backwards . To show the ability of Photoreading and to better become accustomed to it , participants are highly encouraged to Photoread an entire collegiate dictionary and access words from stored mental images Photoreading is done during a semi-unconscious state 4 . Activate After photoreading a book and allowing between 20 minutes to one day for the unconscious mind to process all the information , the reader begins to peruse through the book to `` fill in '' the details and concepts missed by the preview and photoread steps . The reader `` fills in '' details by asking questions of what the book could teach , creating mind maps , scanning ( glancing ) down pages and dipping ( reading normally ) paragraphs that stand out or Skittering ( reading at angles instead of horizontally ) each paragraph . The Activate portion as well as the rapid read portion of photoreading are done consciously rather than semi-unconsciously . 5 . Rapid Read The reader is allowed to read the book normally at a faster rate , i . e . Speed Read the book . Concepts and Beliefs Whether these are fact or not , they are presented within CD 's and seminars Books are 10% content 90% fluff Visual memory is superior to Auditory memory , so use both instead of only reading to yourself The Visual memory retains information better than the auditory memory , think of your home an image will pop up . Reader 's are taught to read and understand material rather than reading the information given and allowing their own insights or idea 's of a subject to come forth . Mastery is achieved faster through multiple passes of a subject Humans Learn unconsciously first then consciously , then back to unconscious . Unconscious Incompetence ( No idea whats going on ) Conscious Incompetence ( You know you do n't know what 's going on ) Conscious Competence ( You know what to do ) Unconscious Competence ( You do things automatically with little to no thought ) Learning , Understanding , Remembering and Creating are done within a relaxed state not in stressed states A purpose for reading any given book must be given or the mind will not process efficiently Comprehension is a 4 step process . Awareness of material ( first encounter ) Familiarity with material ( generalized idea ) Knowledge of material ( detailed recollection ) Expertise of material ( application or mastery of subject ) People are taught to read with their left logical minds , neglecting the Right Creative mind Speed reading must be Honed and practiced even after mastery or the skill loses effectiveness . Strategies never lose their effectiveness because they are not a skill , rather they offer a different view point . Traditional reading unfortunatly stresses gaining multiple learnings in one front to back reading of a book . References ^ F. , Fred ( 2000 ) . Official Statement About Paul Scheele and Photoreading . http : //www.subdyn.com/ Educom . Retrieved on October 27 , 2006 . ^ Scheele , Paul ( 2000 ) . Thread - Official Statement About Scheele . http : //www.learningstrategies.com/ Learning Strategies Corporation ] . Retrieved on October 27 , 2006 . Foundations of Photoreading NeuroLingistic Programing ( NLP ) Accelerated language learning Speed Reading Visual memory Hypnosis Altered States of Consciousness Theta Mental State Flow State External links Learning Strategies – PhotoReading home page Systemic Thinking Categories : Articles lacking sources | Wikipedia articles needing style editing | Articles with unsourced statements | Mental-skill games In other languages : Español | Suomi F. , Fred 2000 Official Statement About Paul Scheele and Photoreading http : //www.subdyn.com/photored.html http : //www.subdyn.com/ Educom October 27 2006 Scheele , Paul 2000 Thread - Official Statement About Scheele http : //www.learningstrategies.com/forum/ubb/Forum8/HTML/001575.html http : //www.learningstrategies.com/ Learning Strategies Corporation ] October 27 2006 