| Gimme Soft-Focus again? | | | | (six-in-each-eye), inyour face, neck and shoulders. |
| Did you know that Hard-Focus is the norm in our | | | | They are strained with tension,and you can relax |
| daily activity, but it is thebasis of up to 75% of | | | | them by closing your eyes for ten seconds |
| our feelings of stress? | | | | andmassaging these muscles with your fingers. |
| When we use a hard-focus we automatically | | | | Just smile and the stress slowly disappears. This |
| contract the muscles of our eyes, face,and neck. | | | | relaxationstrategy lasts up to three-hours.d) When |
| After thirty-minutes, these muscles become | | | | you speed read let your peripheral-vision take |
| tense and painful, and often cause stress and | | | | over - your eyes will see the words lateral-left |
| migraine headaches. | | | | and lateral-right of center. |
| Humans use hard-focus 75% percent of our | | | | Speed reading is based on Soft-Focus, seeing |
| waking hours. We become addicted to using a | | | | multiple words simultaneously, and using |
| narrow, hard-focus, also called Tunnel Vision, | | | | peripheral-vision instead of Foveal-Vision. |
| through watchingfive-hours of daily TV, playing | | | | Foveal-Vision permits reading one-word |
| Video Games, reading-articles, books and reports, | | | | (six-letters) at a time, while Peripheral-Vision |
| and holding conversations. | | | | permits up to six-words or 36 letters at-a-time. |
| Surfing the Internet - which is presently up to | | | | Which will permit you to read three books, articles |
| three-hours daily for young people - is also based | | | | andreports in the time others can hardly finish |
| on Hard-Focus, a narrowing of our | | | | one?e) The use of a Pacer (pen, cursor and |
| eye-pattern-movements. | | | | RasterMaster), to underlinethe sentences on the |
| Conversations | | | | page will cause a tripling of your reading speed |
| When we speak directly with another | | | | after 21 days of 15 minute daily practice.f) |
| (face-to-face), it is considered an insult and a | | | | Floating down the page of text using a soft-focus |
| social faux pas, to focus on other people or just | | | | is the essence ofspeed reading.g) Always start |
| look-away, rather than look in the general | | | | reading your text by indenting a couple of |
| direction of their eyes. Psychologists call it Social | | | | wordsfrom the beginning-and-end of the |
| Distancing. | | | | sentences (indenting), andlet your peripheral vision |
| When you consistently focus (not stare), at the | | | | connect the dots into holistic context.h) |
| other party to a communicationand exchange, | | | | Concentration is getting the main ideas of the |
| you are performing a positive behavior, and are | | | | text, not the words. Sure you are reading words, |
| Socially-Bondingwith them - a good thing. | | | | but you can choose to focus on comprehending |
| When you consider the number and length of | | | | the writers basic ideas.i) The Aha! Experience |
| your conversations, your brain hasbeen | | | | comes when you relax and let both halvesof your |
| programmed to hard-focus. Add to that the hours | | | | brain cooperate. Your daily practice is the basis |
| on the computer, and your recreational viewing at | | | | for yourmind to finally Get It. |
| the small screen, and it is amazing we are capable | | | | Remember when you learned to Surf the |
| of soft-focus. | | | | Internet, word process,ride a bike, and |
| Soft-focus in Reading | | | | drive-a-car? There came a time when all your |
| Why should we care about soft-focus when we | | | | training linked together and you plain - got it. |
| use its polar-opposite so consistently? | | | | That is the Aha moment, and after that |
| Speed reading is a combination of our left- and | | | | happening, you went on auto-pilot, and you own a |
| right-brain skills, while snailing -is the reading | | | | new habit. |
| strategy you learned in the 3rd grade, and have | | | | Lastwords |
| reinforced daily for all the years since. | | | | Learning occurs only when you permit a disruption |
| Snailing is reading one-word-at-a-time, while | | | | of your comfort- zone and the status-quo. Our |
| hearing it in your mind; it is calledsubvocalization | | | | brain only works hard when it has to; the secret |
| and causes you to be a s-l-o-w reader.a) Your 3rd | | | | is forced-repetition. |
| grade reading strategy is the cause of | | | | When there is something new to learn, the brain |
| Regressions, losing your place on the page, and | | | | wants to avoid the effort - to flee-or-fight |
| returning to reread previous scanned paragraphs | | | | change. You must be persistent and determined |
| up to 10 times per page. | | | | to create change - pig-headed, or you mind will |
| Regressing is a treasure hunt that breaks up your | | | | revert to the old, comfortable strategies. |
| train-of-thought, and a powerful cause of snailing, | | | | You must have good reasons, benefits and |
| loss of comprehension, and long-term memory. | | | | motivations to change, and practice the new |
| How To Soft-Focusa) Use your eyes like a | | | | strategies daily until they become reinforced |
| searchlight and peer indirectly at the words of | | | | habits. |
| each sentence.b) Choose to focus your eyes at | | | | You can use your peripheral vision to overcome |
| the upper-halves of the letters of thewords | | | | stress by stopping for five-minutes each hour to |
| because it is easier on your retinas and saves | | | | soft-focus using your peripheral vision. Look at the |
| time. Snailerslook directly at each individual word, | | | | horizon, stare at the clouds, the stars or water to |
| and hear it pronounced mentally. They will never | | | | relax the muscles of your eyes, face, and neck. |
| read faster than they can speak - 200 | | | | Accept the assignment to eliminate your natural |
| words-per-minute on difficult material.c) | | | | stress. |
| Intentionally become aware of the muscles | | | | |