Reading

[monotonic]

A week or two ago we selected a number of books from the recommended list and made an order. So I find myself reading "strangers to ourselves" at the moment.

I find I have to approach reading sideways, or I end up learning as little as possible. To tabulate -

1: I have to read fast, or I just can't connect one sentence to another and I end up forgetful, confused and lost.

2: There are probably a lot of things I could think about and reevaluate in terms of many of the sentences and paragraphs read, but I get the feeling this doesn't come as naturally to me as it does other people.

3: I find the best way to learn is to talk directly with someone who understands it, and to ask intriguing questions which connect the knowledge to a subject I already know about or am learning about at the time. Also, simply learning diverse things at once seems to help, but long periods on one subject seems to cause problems. For this reason I'm reading multiple books at once.

I can't always get the ball rolling by reading fast. For instance if I keep thinking about what page I'm on, how long I'm taking to read, whether I'll have time for other things, this will keep me from connecting sentences even if I read fast. So I have to read voluntarily and I have to try and get into a non-anxious, non-anticipating mindset, and totally forget about time constraints. The exception is when I have to flip the page, that's when I decide whether I should keep reading or not.

 

[Carl]

3: I find the best way to learn is to talk directly with someone who understands it, and to ask intriguing questions which connect the knowledge to a subject I already know about or am learning about at the time. Also, simply learning diverse things at once seems to help, but long periods on one subject seems to cause problems. For this reason I'm reading multiple books at once.

Of course, that's why we have a thread discussing almost every major recommended book here. Reading multiple books at once definitely helps for me, there is something about seeing how they connect together that makes the learning experience much more valuable.

I can't always get the ball rolling by reading fast. For instance if I keep thinking about what page I'm on, how long I'm taking to read, whether I'll have time for other things, this will keep me from connecting sentences even if I read fast. So I have to read voluntarily and I have to try and get into a non-anxious, non-anticipating mindset, and totally forget about time constraints. The exception is when I have to flip the page, that's when I decide whether I should keep reading or not.

I deal with this too when I get into a very goal-oriented mindset, especially if it's a long book, or one that doesn't immediately grab me. You just have to calm down, keep reading for a while, and ignore the monkey mind in the background. Doing some pipe breaths before, lighting some candles maybe, stretching, and feeling the joy of learning (as opposed to reading because you 'have to') are all ways to increase the value of a reading session.

 

[monotonic]

Indeed, I didn't think about it that way but the "joy of learning" is important. I just see that sensation as a sign that I'm learning. I don't normally describe it as joy now but when I was much younger I recognized it as joy. Now it literally feels like I'm digesting the information in a way that I can store, access and utilize later. I suppose this "feeling" is a creation of the adaptive unconscious, based on prior experience. In reading it's not optional; if it's not there something's wrong. So is joy the right description? Hmm. But it may be joyful to have an indication that I'm learning.

 

[Ennio]

3: I find the best way to learn is to talk directly with someone who understands it, and to ask intriguing questions which connect the knowledge to a subject I already know about or am learning about at the time. Also, simply learning diverse things at once seems to help, but long periods on one subject seems to cause problems. For this reason I'm reading multiple books at once.

Of course, that's why we have a thread discussing almost every major recommended book here. Reading multiple books at once definitely helps for me, there is something about seeing how they connect together that makes the learning experience much more valuable.

Ditto for me. And I, too, am currently reading 'Strangers to Ourselves' and just finished a great little book called 'The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes - And Why'. There is some very interesting overlap between the two in the sense that those who are more likely to survive something horrible quite often seem to have a subconscious mechanism that kicks in when faced with immediate danger. There is much more to it than this but as I was reading Unthinkable I thought a lot about Strangers and the work that assimilating knowledge does in becoming a big part of our responses to things: like catastrophic events. There is more to read in Strangers but my point is that if I didn't stop to reflect occasionally on the significance of what was being said in both books - if I didn't try and make connections between both bodies of work, then I surely wouldn't be getting out of it what I am, to the extent that I am. Doing this - making the connections - is what makes reading joyful for me.

I can't always get the ball rolling by reading fast. For instance if I keep thinking about what page I'm on, how long I'm taking to read, whether I'll have time for other things, this will keep me from connecting sentences even if I read fast. So I have to read voluntarily and I have to try and get into a non-anxious, non-anticipating mindset, and totally forget about time constraints. The exception is when I have to flip the page, that's when I decide whether I should keep reading or not.

I deal with this too when I get into a very goal-oriented mindset, especially if it's a long book, or one that doesn't immediately grab me. You just have to calm down, keep reading for a while, and ignore the monkey mind in the background. Doing some pipe breaths before, lighting some candles maybe, stretching, and feeling the joy of learning (as opposed to reading because you 'have to') are all ways to increase the value of a reading session.

Good advice. And maybe also, given what you know about the book, and why you have chosen to read it in the first place, you can hold questions in your mind - in the spirit of inquiry and curiosity - that can act as motivation for both reading and reflecting on what it is you are reading. Sometimes, that way, we find answers to questions we did not even know that we had, or once had and had forgotten about. Questions that get to the heart of the matter.

 

[Carl]

Ditto for me. And I, too, am currently reading 'Strangers to Ourselves' and just finished a great little book called 'The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes - And Why'. There is some very interesting overlap between the two in the sense that those who are more likely to survive something horrible quite often seem to have a subconscious mechanism that kicks in when faced with immediate danger. There is much more to it than this but as I was reading Unthinkable I thought a lot about Strangers and the work that assimilating knowledge does in becoming a big part of our responses to things: like catastrophic events. There is more to read in Strangers but my point is that if I didn't stop to reflect occasionally on the significance of what was being said in both books - if I didn't try and make connections between both bodies of work, then I surely wouldn't be getting out of it what I am, to the extent that I am. Doing this - making the connections - is what makes reading joyful for me.

Yeah, I had a very good experience reading Strangers, Molecules of Emotion, Cupid's Poisoned Arrow, and Peter Levine's book at the same time. Everything fits together :)

Good advice. And maybe also, given what you know about the book, and why you have chosen to read it in the first place, you can hold questions in your mind - in the spirit of inquiry and curiosity - that can act as motivation for both reading and reflecting on what it is you are reading. Sometimes, that way, we find answers to questions we did not even know that we had, or once had and had forgotten about. Questions that get to the heart of the matter.

Totally. The most amazing thing for me is how whenever I'm just at the end of my thread with a certain personal issue or burning question, I pick up a book and the answer is right there.

 

[ajseph 21]

Pipe breathing and stretching before reading would be a good way to relax for some quality reading time that's good advice! I don't know if you've tried it, but reading out loud helps me concentrate on a book. It's quite enjoyable "listening" to the words out loud and it tends to silence any stray distracting thoughts.

 

[monotonic]

I believe at the beginning of one of his books, Gurdjieff tells the reader to read it as if here were reading to another person, and to read it another two times in different ways.

There is a strange dynamic to reading to another when reading something you haven't read before. You may make voice inflections to emphasize the points without having read the sentence fully yet. But to make no inflections would be boring and non-stimulating. Perhaps as one gets better at developing the voice inflections the added processing improves comprehension, as one has another reason to understand the text than the main one.

 

[Galaxia2002]

I read about a technique time ago called subconscious saturation which you just pass the pages of the book quickly and then reading normally.

Something like it is explained in this page :_http://www.readfast.co.uk/photoreading.htm

I really don't know how effective it is because is difficult to evaluate, because people have a different disposition with each book and time of the day.

 

[monotonic]

That comes from "NLP Academy", so I wonder "who sez"? But some of those things make sense based on my experience. I had to wonder what photo-focus is and so I searched and found this:

http://www.photoreading.com.au/seeing.html

Judging by this it seems that "photo-focus" is what happens when your eyes stop focusing on the same point. Like if you were to go into a trance and you'd be looking "through" whatever is in front of you. In any case the center bind of the book is seen in two different places which creates the "blip". Whatever is shown in the overlap between the eye focuses is determined by hemispheric dominance. It seems these details are left out of the article to allow the reader to fantasize about the experience of this visual anomaly.

I have to wonder how this technique relates to the unconscious and the conscious state of the reader. Unfocused eyes can be the result of a trance state, which I can easily imagine being the result of flipping pages faster than you can consciously read them. Furthermore, even if you remain conscious, does unfocusing the eyes cause the brain hemispheres to go out of sync? I'm reminded of the nose hairs that influence hemispheric synchrony, and also of the split-brain patients described in "strangers to ourselves".

 

[buz/p]

Monotonic- In recent years I have begun wearing earplugs in order to reduce noise distractions while I read books or words on the computer screen. My wife thinks I'm nuts.

It would be beneficial to explore the Diet and Health section to see if there are some things that assist in memory retention, present awareness etc. which you can include in your daily regime. Many of us have related issues. I find that I must re-read a paragraph several times until the meaning sinks in. That slows down reading significantly. However I have found that until I understand what I have read going on only adds to the confusion.

The way one reads a book is also a function of the type of material. For instance when reading a novel it can be advantageous to go quickly and even skim read if by doing that one maintains the mood and flow of the stories' events. It isn't critically important if a few things are missed. The story moves on. However, when reading other kinds of literature which is non-fiction it can be be very important to get it all, as it were. It is known that Laura uses certain words very specifically and to miss them can often lead to confusion or an invalid conclusion. Other writers and teachers also use words in specific ways in order to transmit unique ideas and thoughts.

In the end you must find and utilize the methods which work for you in order to learn important concepts. It is not about right and wrong. It is about learning.

 

[SovereignDove]

I also read two or three of the recommended books at one time and find the connections between them to assist in understanding the material. Taking notes while reading, and if I am reading a physical book, highlighting points of interest, seem to help understanding for me also. Then there is reading a book a second or third time after reading other material. When reading a book again, I may find points I missed, or make connections I had not made in the first reading (probably from reading related material that made more of the information clear). This forum and the threads discussing various books also helps to further understanding or to answer questions about the material.

I believe at the beginning of one of his books, Gurdjieff tells the reader to read it as if here were reading to another person, and to read it another two times in different ways.

There is a strange dynamic to reading to another when reading something you haven't read before. You may make voice inflections to emphasize the points without having read the sentence fully yet. But to make no inflections would be boring and non-stimulating. Perhaps as one gets better at developing the voice inflections the added processing improves comprehension, as one has another reason to understand the text than the main one.

I've noticed that when reading aloud, I do not retain whatever I have read, and then need to reread the material silently to myself to remember it.

 

[anka]

Pipe breathing and stretching before reading would be a good way to relax for some quality reading time that's good advice! I don't know if you've tried it, but reading out loud helps me concentrate on a book. It's quite enjoyable "listening" to the words out loud and it tends to silence any stray distracting thoughts.

I've noticed that when reading aloud, I do not retain whatever I have read, and then need to reread the material silently to myself to remember it.

I have experienced this problem with remembering my own outloud reading too before and discovered that it is a lot about focus. Once you really want to perceive the content and experience it while reading aloud, you can do it. Practice. I would say ajseph is right when suggesting the breathing before you start reading. It will bring the attention to anything you are about to do.

 

[monotonic]

I agree Anka, I believe this supplements what we already know about doubled attention, self-remembering and non-identification. It helps me to remember "I am not my body". Then I am able to move past doubts and discomfort and see what I can really do with my mind in the moment.

For instance recently I was sitting amidst my family while my mother was washing dishes and constantly complaining. Such a situation is a real test of will and an opportunity to practice self-remembering, doubled attention, non-identification and external considering. I think that if done well this practice should invigorate the brain/mind and in fact help one to integrate what they read.

 

[monotonic]

Based on responses to this thread, I may start reading many more books at once. Originally I started with PBPM and Strangers, but there are on different subjects, and I already have books to compliment each of them. Can you guys recommend which books pair well with each other? These are the ones we got:

PBPM
Strangers To Ourselves
Redirect
The Art And Science of Low Carbohydrate Living
Trapped In a Mirror
The Hero With a Thousand Faces
In an Unspoken Voice

Books I've already read:

Myth of Sanity
Life Without Bread
Only partly, The Narcissistic Family

The photo-reading and speed-reading has been constantly in the back of my mind. So I am interesting in finding a way I can improve my reading speed and comprehension (these two will probably go hand in hand for the most part). Reading multiple books at once may be one way of doing this to keep the mind occupied on different levels.

Regarding diet, I am ketogenic presently. I had some issues with overindulging on nuts. So much fiber! That had to stop. The number of things I can eat without adverse mental effects has gradually dwindled. For breakfast I typically eat eggs fried in butter, where I developed a method to clarify the butter and leave the caseins deposited on the sides of the pan, not in the food. I think this has helped a little itself.

But at the same time one thing I've done that has also helped me a lot is to recognize when my mental state is going to cause me to do things I shouldn't do. Sometimes I may eat something or do something that destroys my will and my critical thinking. In this state I have to recognize that my brain is somewhat broken and this makes me do contradictory things. I have to treat my ordinary self like another person and ask "what would that person do?". Recognizing the present self as somewhat crazed or deranged (somewhat literally) allows me to devalue it's drives and avoid giving in to making the situation worse.

I want to thank everyone for their input.

 

[Forrestdeva]

I too enjoy reading several books at once. When I am tired and my eyes hurt from looking at the computer screen for such a long time I will switch over to my Kindle and hit the voice activation button and relax while it reads for me, kind of like story time. There are times when I find my self zoning out while reading and yes, then I have to reread the paragraph.