PhotoReading Whole Mind System Explained

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The PhotoReading Whole Mind System is a reading and learning method created by Paul Scheele and taught by Learning Strategies Corporation. It combines preparation, previewing, a relaxed rapid-viewing step, and later review, and it claims that written material can be absorbed more effectively when it’s approached in a deliberate sequence. This guide explains how the PhotoReading Whole Mind System works, what its steps look like, and what is and isn’t well supported, so you can decide whether it’s worth trying.

Where the PhotoReading Whole Mind System Comes From

The method was developed in the 1980s by Paul Scheele, whose company, Learning Strategies Corporation, has been teaching accelerated learning methods since the early 1980s. Its roots lie in the same wave of interest in learning techniques that produced neuro-linguistic programming, and it borrows ideas about relaxation, intention, and structured review from that world. Scheele described the approach in a book first published in 1993, and the company continues to teach it through home-study courses and certified instructors.

“PhotoReading” is a registered trademark of Learning Strategies Corporation, so it’s worth using the name as the company does when you look for official materials. Plenty of unrelated “photo reading” content online uses the term loosely, and not all of it describes this system.

The Five Steps

The PhotoReading Whole Mind System is usually described as five steps. The first is preparing, where the reader decides why they want the material and what they hope to get from it. The second is previewing, a quick survey of the book’s structure. The third is the PhotoReading step itself, in which the reader turns pages steadily in a relaxed, soft-focus way without trying to read the words in the ordinary sense.

The fourth step, post-viewing, is a brief second look at the material, and the fifth, activation, is where the reader draws out information through questions, skimming, and mind mapping. The sequence is the heart of the PhotoReading Whole Mind System. Each step is meant to set up the next, and the method argues that skipping steps weakens the whole process.

Preparing: Clarifying Purpose

The first step is the least exotic and probably the most useful. Before opening a book, the reader asks what they actually want from it, and how much of it they need. A person reading for one specific question approaches a book very differently from someone reading for general interest, and spending a minute on that choice shapes everything afterward.

This habit isn’t unique to the PhotoReading Whole Mind System. Many reading and study guides recommend setting a purpose first, and it works for the simple reason that attention follows intention.

Previewing: Building a Map Before Reading

In the preview step, the reader looks over the cover, contents, headings, and any summaries or visuals to build a rough picture of the material. This is closely related to the survey step in older study methods, and it has a plain benefit: material that feels partly familiar is easier to follow when you return to it in detail.

Previewing also helps a reader decide how much the book deserves. Some books turn out to be mostly filler, and finding that out in two minutes rather than two hours is a real saving.

The PhotoReading Step Itself

The third step is the one that sets the PhotoReading Whole Mind System apart from ordinary reading. The reader enters a relaxed state, softens their gaze, and turns pages at a steady pace, roughly a page every second or so, without attempting to read the words consciously. The method holds that this exposure registers information the reader can draw on later, even though it isn’t being consciously read.

This is also the step where the claims become hardest to verify, which is covered below. For now it’s enough to know that this is the part of the PhotoReading Whole Mind System that people find most surprising, and the part skeptics find hardest to accept.

Activation: Where the Real Reading Happens

After the exposure step, the method calls for activation, a set of techniques for drawing out ideas. These include writing questions about what you’d like to learn, skimming and dipping into the sections that seem most relevant, and creating a mind map of key points. In practice, this stage looks a lot like deliberate, purposeful reading.

That observation matters, because much of the value people report from the PhotoReading Whole Mind System may come from this stage. A reader who sets a purpose, previews, and then actively hunts for answers is doing something many readers never do, regardless of what happened during the page-turning step.

What the Evidence Says

Independent testing of the central claim, that information can be absorbed from pages without conscious reading, is limited, and the broader research on speed reading points the other way. Reviews of that research have generally found that reading much faster than normal comes with a loss of comprehension, and that claims of extremely high reading speeds with full understanding haven’t held up under careful testing.

That doesn’t mean the PhotoReading Whole Mind System is useless, and it doesn’t mean nobody benefits from it. It means the strongest claims should be treated as unproven, and any benefits are probably coming from other parts of the method, such as preparation, previewing, and active review.

What Seems Genuinely Useful

Several habits taught in the PhotoReading Whole Mind System are sound whether or not you accept its theory. Setting a clear purpose before reading helps. Previewing material before diving in helps. Writing questions, skimming strategically, and summarizing what you’ve learned help too, and each is supported by ordinary study advice.

A reader who takes those habits and drops the unproven claims can still come away with a better way of handling large amounts of reading, which may be all most people need from the method.

Who Might Want to Try It

People who handle a lot of reading, such as students, researchers, and professionals with heavy reading loads, may find the structured sequence useful, especially the preview and activation stages. Anyone who struggles to start a long book may also appreciate a clear process.

Readers who enjoy slow, immersive reading for pleasure probably won’t find much here, and that’s fine. The PhotoReading Whole Mind System is built for working through information, not for savoring it.

Getting Started Without Overspending

If the method interests you, it’s sensible to begin cheaply. The book describing the system is widely available, including secondhand, and it explains the steps in enough detail to try them. Reading the book first lets you judge whether the approach suits you before paying for courses or seminars.

It also helps to treat the first few weeks as an experiment. Pick a few books you need to read anyway, try the full sequence, and honestly compare how much you understood and remembered against your usual approach. For related ideas on practicing techniques one at a time, see Simple NLP Techniques Anyone Can Learn, and for the wider background on the field the method grew out of, see What Is NLP? Neuro-Linguistic Programming Explained.

A Balanced Perspective

Claims about accelerated learning vary a great deal in strength, and results differ from person to person. The PhotoReading Whole Mind System is best understood as a structured way of approaching reading, with some well-supported habits and some claims that remain unproven.

Whether or not you adopt the full method, its core lessons are worth keeping: decide why you’re reading, survey before you dive in, and review actively afterward.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the PhotoReading Whole Mind System?

The PhotoReading Whole Mind System is a five-step reading method created by Paul Scheele and taught by Learning Strategies Corporation, combining preparation, previewing, a relaxed rapid-viewing step, post-viewing, and active review.

Does PhotoReading really work?

Independent evidence for its central claim is limited. Many of the habits it teaches, such as setting a purpose, previewing, and reviewing actively, are sound, and any benefits likely come from those parts.

Is PhotoReading the same as speed reading?

Not exactly. Speed reading aims to read words faster, while the PhotoReading Whole Mind System claims to work with pages without conscious reading and then recover the information through review.

Do I need a course to try the PhotoReading Whole Mind System?

No. The book describing the method is enough to try the steps, and you can judge whether it’s worth more investment after a few weeks of practice.