I have been an avid reader since I was about 6 years old. It was the one thing in my young life that I wanted to learn to do with an intensity that has never been matched by any other desire. It was also something denied to me, at that time, because the educational system in our area discouraged parents from teaching their children how to read before they entered school. There was no kindergarten for me to attend and because my birthday fell 7 days late for enrollment in the 1st grade, I was told by my parents that I would have to wait. I am not good at waiting, or wasn't back then, so I began to teach myself how to read. I did okay with my secret.

Needless to say, I excelled at reading once I began 1st grade. However, to this day, phonic concepts are confusing to me and muddle my brain. I don't think I will ever understand it entirely other than sounding out the letters, and I have no desire, at all, to even bother.

But I could READ! I read everything I could get my hands on. By the 3rd grade, the school librarian was sneaking me books that I wasn't suppose to be checking out because they were for the older classes, ie., " A Short History of the World", by H.G. Wells. I also loved history and I read both volumes from cover to cover in 4 weeks. It seems I spent my grade-school years reading books I wasn't suppose to read at all and I finally got into trouble for reading books I wasn't suppose to be reading in class in my 5th grade English class, of all places.

I learned to read fast! Very fast. I was basically afraid that "they" could somehow take it away from me, I think. I read a lot. And when I discovered Science Fiction, I read while I walked down the streets of NYC to work. Most of the time I did not even remember the 22 block walk I was so absorbed. I was reading a book a day by that time. By the time I was 35 years old, I was reading five Harlequin novels a day and still had time to cook supper and do the housework. That is called Fast Reading in anyone's book!

I could not grasp or utilize the concepts of Speed Reading. I did try a few times, I'd buy the workbooks and/or the books explaining the program, but I could not seem to stick with it. Mainly because speed reading only seemed to slow me down and frustrate me.

I became enamored of Carlos Castenada and Jane Roberts in the early 80's. And I was also playing with making my own self-help tapes, trying to create my own version of Castenada's "whispering different messages into both ears" in order to get certain behavioral changes. In the process, I stumbled across a company (Learning Strategies Corporation)* which offered paraliminal tapes for behavioral changes. They also offered a course in Photoreading.

Lord, that concept intrigued me! I wanted to do that, but could not afford it at that time. I had a family to raise and take care of and my husband was doing the best he could at that time. I just could not spring for the $900.00 or so that it cost for the seminar, at that time. Also, I knew that my family could not understand why I would NEED to read any faster. It truly wasn't the faster aspect of it that fascinated me, however. It was the concept of reading a whole page at a time and how the brain was doing it. Also, I bet you remember seeing that actor in Star Trek who read a bunch of books by flipping through the pages? Well, the idea wasn't lost on me, either!

Then, in 1996, I finally ordered the Personal Learning tape course for PhotoReading. With great excitement and in awed amazement, I learned that it worked! I did stick with this program to the end and I found that I could actually read a book by flipping through the pages in the proscribed manner. I had a little trouble with some aspects and I still wanted, no, NEEDED to attend a seminar to get the understanding I wanted from the program.

Finally, I did get to attend the PhotoReading seminar in Austin, Texas on December 4th, 1998. It was an awesome experience for me. I went expecting to see people like my Reiki Master self (NewAger nerds, geeks, oddballs, etc). I was amazed to find doctors, lawyers, and professional people from all walks of life and from many different fields who were expecting to use PhotoReading to help them to keep up with all the different reading they had to do.

PhotoReading was the most fascinating course I have ever taken. I was taught a new way of seeing and a new way of interpreting what I see; how both sides of my brain work together; new strategies for learning (no pun intended); and many other mental aids and, okay, tricks the mind can do. As a class, we learned how to PhotoRead even in the most public of places without being disturbed by crowds...it was an actual exercise where we went to stand in the lobby of the Radisson Hotel to do our reading. Amazingly, everyone in the class could tell the instructor about the individual subject each had chosen to read during that demonstration!

Later, I understood how effective this reading method is for helping those children who may have difficulty learning to read and comprehend what they are reading. I understand that many children have consistantly raised their grades,over-all,simply by learning to PhotoRead.

Over the years since, I have learned new ways of utilizing PhotoReading. And the courses have also become updated by the company. Recently, I learned how to expertly garden by reading 12 books on the subject in about 2 hours. And I don't PhotoRead everything that I could be photoreading. In my most humble opinion, and I am sure that in the minds of everyone who has learned this technique, in a race for the supreme reading experience,

PhotoReading wins hands down, every time!