3 comments about The Business of Memory: How to Maximize Your Brain Power and Fast Track Your Career.

1. The organization and superb clarity with which this book is written makes it an easy read, despite the subject matter being complex. The writer has found a way for us to want to focus on his altruistic goal for us: to enhance our memory skills so that we can be more influential in the business world, and in our social interactions. Yet, the book is useful for everyone. We are once again convinced that knowledge is power, and Mr. Felberbaum's knowledge seems to be golden power, and we want it badly. He then provides us with hundreds of tools to improve areas where many struggle, including how to give a speech without notes, absorbing the contents of a lecture, and remembering people's names. We trust him as an expert in memory as he shares his motivation for entering this field, documents his own training, his vast experience, and then describes for us the amazing ways he has applied his abilities all over the world, letting us in on his secrets.



2. Frank Felberbaum's "The Business of Memory" is one of the most practical books on the market for providing clear and concise methods for anyone to increase their memory. I used Frank's techniques with great success when I helped coach the current high school US Memory Championship team.



3. I met Mr. Felberbaum on Saturday March 11, 2006 at the USA Memory Competition New York City at the Con Edison building. What a great guy! I introduced myself and expressed to him how much I enjoyed reading his excellent book. This book is a pleasure to read, informative, and includes many easy to follow strategies that can dramatically improve your ability to remember ANYTHING you want. I highly recommend this book!

No comments about Brain Building Games: With Words and Numbers.

1 comments about Why Can't I Remember?: Reversing Normal Memory Loss.

1. This book is very informative and helpful, telling me things i never heard before about memory and how it is affected by stuff we use daily - not just medical/chemical but household stuff as well. Main problem in my opinion is the extremely technical language which is not geared to the average layperson who might not be involved in a medical setting. Overall, a very informative manual.

5 comments about The Wisdom Paradox: How Your Mind Can Grow Stronger As Your Brain Grows Older.

1. This is the book that got me interested, once again, in neuropsychology and neuroanatomy. Yes, the immediate interest is that business of not wanting "to go gently into that good night." as Dylan Thomas wrote. How much will cognitive delcine affect me as I age (something we are all doing since birth - it isn't only the old who are aging).
   
   I think Goldberg, motivated by his own need to "rage, rage against the dying of the light," used his enormous knowledge of neuropsychology to create a work that should benefit all who want to know what their chances are (or of relatives/friends) of continuing to lead a useful life despite the inevitable (and many) ways we decline in capacity as we age.
   
   This book is not necessarily an easy read for a generation used to soundbites, e-mail abreviations, evening news pseudo-profundity, or dumbed-down magazine articles. One has to realize that neurology is the subject medical students fear most. And with good reason. The human brain has been described as the most complex thing we know of. Somehow, in a way not yet fully understood, consciousness emerges from the healthy, mature human brain to give us (finally in human evolution) the ability to study effectively with recent functional brain scanning techniques the very organ system that allows us to smell a perfume and recall a long ago romance, to see a face in the crowd and recognize someone we have not seen for ten years (or fifty years), to freeze with terror as the amygdala (as close as we can come to Freud's Id) brings to mind a terrible incident from childhood, to meditate and find a place of peace where some of our systems shut down like that scene in the film "2001" in which HAL, the space ship's computer, gets his memory modules unpluged after trying to kill the crew.
   
   Frankly, I liked Goldberg's making the book not a text, but a personal exploration. Textbooks are the most boring article ever devised by the human mind - but necessary until in some new century slouching up towards Jerusalem we get microchip implants that make us into Borgs, don't snicker, people are having chips placed subdermal just so they can wave their arm at a door and have it open. Think how willing people will be score of years hence to suffer the implant of cerebral devices that give us many terabytes of updatable data storage or like "The Hitch-hikers Guide to the Galaxy" Marvin, the robot with a brain the size of a planet, unlimited intelligence. What Faustian deals will we make in centuries to come?
   
   Get out your magic marker and color all those amazing bits of research and speculation about how our brains age. His theory is that we will get by nicely, thank you very much, on the sheer acumulation of left brain (that's not your creative side, sorry) routines which will enable us to be useful on the job and not too dull in our personal lives. This is despite the loss of some brain capacity (literally, the brain shrinks), memory loss, lessened creativity and such. It helps to have been bright and active using the brain in one's occupation.
   
   However, we still don't know definitively what causes Alzheimer's disease or many other serious forms of cognitive decline. The good news is that we have a better chance than not of living our life to the full without disabling mental decline. It is not a 'neuropsychology for dummies' work. It is not well illustrated - see my review of Rita Carter's "Mapping the Mind" which is - but one keens at Goldberg's expertise in his field (he specializes in the frontal lobes, which, incidentally, is where the part of the mind that seems to be YOU is located - maybe).
   
   With all the babyboomers coming along worried about their senior years, I see a bright future for this book - and many others like it. There are just so many more answers to those questions the artist asked: D'ou venons nous? Que sommes nous? Ou allons nous? (Gaugauin, MFA Boston). Goldberg is one of many helping us to understand the latest discoveries and theories in this field. He has some of his own; he's more in favor of the 'distributed processing' theory of brain function, not the highly modular view which has held sway for decades. Incidentally, recent research has shown that the Broca's area and Werneicke's area are less fixed and immutable than formerly thought.
   
   I recommend this book.



2. Elkhonon Goldberg brings to fore many insights about the brain, but the overriding theme of the book is that as we age our brain shifts focus from a right-hemisphere dominated approach to a left-hemisphere dominated approach. New evidence has generally shown that, contrary to older studies, the right hemisphere is used to 'learn new things' and the left hemisphere is used for pattern recognition. As we age, we shift our brain dominance from right to left. Goldberg explains how we can take advantage of our awareness of this shift. (For example: keep our brain active so it doesn't atrophy -- especially the right hemisphere.)
   
   Just as our brain shifts focus, this book shifts focus as we read along, too. The first part of the book is generally fact and hypothesis based. Goldberg explains his theories interlaced with personal narrative. The book then shifts focus to what we can do to maintain our cognitive abilities as we age. Goldberg outlines cognitive exercises we can do to keep our brain sharp. This chapter comes immediately following a chapter summarizing recent research proposing that humans grow neurons their entire life -- how many we grow and where they migrate to is up to us (in theory).
   
   This is a positive book, bringing hope and some scientific rigor to those older folk interested in the life-cycle of their brain. Goldberg comes across as a competent scientist and, at over 50, still hasn't lost his writing ability. (If you read the book you'll learn, from a technical point of view, why this isn't so surprising. Hint: writing is a mostly left-hemisphere activity.)



3. I came across this book after I read Joe DeLoux's Synaptic Self: How Our Brains Become Who We Are, and it proved to be an enjoyable read. Elkhonon Goldberg has written quite complex information into a very comprehensible direction for the reader in his "The Wisdom Paradox."
   
   There are fifteen chapters in this book, with an addition of an epilogue. With each chapter, it is more like a personal journey than a simple or dry work. It is both personal and informative.
   
   I personally like this book because it adds to my understanding of neuropsychology and neurobiology as it would be a good resourceful book. After reading this book, I find myself feeling compelled to exercise my mind and get those synapse of mine firing. My current skills are limited and useless. However, I can increase my skills by doing what I never done before. Knowledge is indeed unlimited and so is our brain power.
   
   In my opinion, I recommend this book.



4. I recommend that you read the Scientific American review that you can find above. It contains just about everything this book has to offer. The ideas about brain hemispheres are interesting, but you won't learn much more by reading the 300+ pages.
   The Wisdom Paradox has a very promising premise and the topic is very important and the author has a mighty pedigree, but still the book leaves you emptyhanded. The most infuriating part is the last chapter that describes a program for cognitive fitness, i.e. a way of enhancing your brain power. And that's it: a description! Nothing else. The author doesn't give the reader a single exercise, but he just pats himself on the back for inventing such a wonderful program.
   You won't become any wiser from this book.



5. Coming from someone who studied with Luria, the results were expected to be very high.
   
   The most important part is the clear and interesting explanation about how the brain changes the learning process as time goes by.
   
   There are some corollaries that could be extracted from that. For instance, people with different ages could be better fitted for specific tasks than other people and why.
   
   Other important consequence should be the fact that our learning style during maturity is going to depend strongly on our learning style in earlier times.
   
   This part, that could be extremely interesting, is underdeveloped. It seeems that the author tries to give an optimistic view about the aging process forgetting the drawbacks of this same process...for instance, older people do not fit in task requiring an extensive use of short-term memory.
   
   The book is very good but the objective of showing the "nice face" of aging process could be near to the "self-help" literacy and that can be the worst part.

5 comments about How to Develop a Super Power Memory.

1. If you have any imagination at all, Harry Lorayne's memory techniques will work for you. His techniques can help you memorize long lists of unrelated items, memorize numbered lists, and come up with systems that will help you memorize nearly anything (speeches, lines for a play, daily schedules, etc.). They work wonders.
   A reviewer below said that his systems involve coming up with and memorizing a story. That's not really true. Creating a simple image or short scene in your mind (takes seconds) is more than enough to help you memorize each item in a list. You simply have to link each item to the items before and after it, you don't have to have a long, continuous story. If you have much imagination at all, it's really simple and fast. If you're not a visual person, it may be more difficult.
   However, there are two downsides to Lorayne's systems. The first is that most of his books, including this one, are very gimmicky. They have huge promises on the cover (many of which are true) that make them seem too good to be true, and he spends most of his time showing you parlor tricks to impress your friends, so for a serious study of memory techniques or for use in school or an academic setting, you may be better off picking up one of his other books.
   The other downside is that his techniques mainly help with short- and mid-term memory. You will have to go over a list or a set of associations in your head many times, often over a period of a few days, before it will become long term memory. However, using his techniques still makes this faster and easier than repetition - repeating something to yourself a couple times a day for a few days until you're sure you have it memorized is much easier than going over it 100+ times.



2. This book has easy to apply techniques aimed at remembering
   names, faces, facts and a plethora of details the average
   person encounters each day. The work covers:
   o memory methods and links
   o pegging systems of memory
   o how to train observation
   o remembering speeches, scripts etc.
   o card playing memory devices
   o digital number sequence memorization
   o remembering dates

   An important memory device in the book is to develop associative
   mechanisms to relate the words to be memorized to cognizable
   "catch phrases, sayings and common everyday vocabulary".
   Samuel Johnson once stated that " The true art of memory is the
   art of attention. Put another way, one must be interested in the
   subject matter in order to have the requisite incentive to recall
   it. At some point, you must make up your mind to have the
   requisite interest in order to remember numbers, people , dates
   and a host of other trivia too numerous to list here.
   A popular PEG system of memory is employed in the work . The
   system was first introduced by Stanislaus Mink von Wennsshein
   circa 1648. In the year 1730, the entire system was modified
   by Dr.Richard Grey, of England, who called the idea, letter or
   number equivalents. In order to learn the method, participants
   must first learn a simple phonetic alphabet representing keys
   or memory aids. In essence, the mind becomes trained to translate
   alphabetic representations into easy-to-recall numbers and
   vice versa. The author even provides simple ways to remember
   foreign language vocabulary and sentence structures. Similarly,
   faces can be remembered by associating particular characteristics
   with the person whose name you wish to recall. For instance,
   assume that Mr. Style dresses well all the time. Remembering
   this name would be easy. Every time you see the same person
   dressed stylishly- associate the style of dress with the name
   Style. This work would be valuable to students, teachers and
   a whole host of professionals dealing with the nuts and bolts
   of language recall on a daily basis.




3. The book is an excellent rendition on the mechanics of memory
   development and retention. According to the author, association and interest are key aspects of memory development. Mental pictures are important for recall. The author recommends
   name recognition by continuous use in introductions, general conversation etc. Correlations are cited as a popular mechanism
   for associating words with pictures. This work is an important
   contribution to personal planning and improvement strategies.
   The techniques explained herein are applicable to a plethora
   of social relationships in business, academe and in informal
   encounters.



4. This is a Marvellous book. It is an interesting book that i had been very fond when i got it first. It can be used as a guide to memory



5. In the first few chapters, Harry Lorayne gets you to memorise 100 peg words - attaching words to numbers 1 to 100 and memorising them.
   
   "What?!" was my reaction when I found out I was supposed to do it. My short-term and long-term memory began declining years ago due to depression and heavy medication. My test and exam results haven't been so good because of these memory problems. I didn't think I could do this 100 peg word stunt.
   
   But don't worry, and try it. Lorayne first teaches you to associate consonant sounds for each digit from 1 to 9, and 0. For example, the sound for #1 is T or D (the letter T has one downstroke). The sound for #2 is N (typewritten n has two downstrokes).
   
   This way, when you later have to memorise the peg word for #12, you know the word starts with a 't' sound and ends with a 'n' or 'd' sound. For example, 'tin'. For #21, the word would start with a 'n' sound and end with a 't' or 'd' sound. For example, 'net'.
   
   So 100 words may be difficult to remember, but the ones Lorayne suggest will not so difficult with this "sound guide". And these 100 words are very important because they play a big part in the later chapters in helping you remember dates, appointments, telephone numbers, addresses etc.
   
   Besides these, Super Power Memory also teaches you how to remember your grocery/to-do list, train your observation, remember speeches, foreign language vocabulary, names and faces, facts about people, how to not be absent-minded, how to amaze your friends with a 400 digit memory feat and how to memorise the Morse Code in 30 minutes.
   
   I've put some of Lorayne's methods to the test and have been successful in keeping names, appointments and grocery lists in my head. I'm very pleased I read this book and forced myself to memorise those 100 peg words.

5 comments about 30 Days to a More Powerful Vocabulary.

1. On the back cover there is the promise that the book will "make words your slaves". Well, not quite but with perseverance, you are destined to achieve at least 50% of the intended result. You need 30 days of persistent study and more days for reinforcement. A bonus is that by the end of the book you would probably be inspired to acquire a lifetime habit of increasing your vocabulary.

   Those who find this book useful should also consider the brilliant "Word Power Made Easy" by Norman Lewis, one of the co-authors of this book.




2. Ahh...the pleasure of words, how could a man deny himself this Empyrean delight! Asceticism, at least in the realm of vocabulary, is a mortal sin that a true logophile should not hesitate to denounce.

   The organization of the book is worth heaping praises upon. Chapters, each of which should be finished in a day, are ordered thematically (eg Power Verbs and Foreign Words), that I personally found myself actually reading the book at whichever interesting chapter depending upon my particular inclination for that day. However, my advice should be taken with caution as the authors seemingly intended the book to be read in a particular order of progress. Well, tastes and aptitude may vary.

   The book begins with an initial assessment of vocabulary and general language skills already possessed. Subsequent chapters are also supplemented with exercises (which are accompanied by helpful hints themselves), and the book ends with a final assessment of success.

   At times the authors seem to be sermonizing on the values of the "American" language (as the authors call it), at times to be touting the importance of national linguistic pride, at times busily engaged in an exercise in Oprahesque you-can-do-it ad nauseam. As some reviewer(s) noted, the book has not been expurgated of the prejudices particularly prevalent at the time it was first written.

   Despite the flaws which all books are guilty of in some degree or another, Dr Wilfred Funk and Norman Lewis have shown the path towards a greater experience of this esoteric enteprise. A path that is delightfully fun, rewarding and entertaining; it is definitely worth every penny!




3. Despite advertising hype - 30 Days To -, no ONE book will double your vocabulary, but reading several vocabulary-building books can double your vocabulary. Different vocabulary-building books have different words and different explanations. If you don't learn a word from one book, you can learn it from another book.

   Any vocabulary-building book will have many words, a fourth to half the book, that you already understand. You can always skip or skim the easy-to-you words.

   Varied, incomplete word selection is another reason for using several books. Some books just take words used on past-standardized tests, neglecting other words. Other books, limit their words to words based on word roots, neglecting others. Often authors have thrown in personal favorite words, even if others rarely use the words. If you see a word in two or three books, it's generally a need-to-know word.

   The main weakness of 30 Days To A More Powerful Vocabulary, and no book is perfect, is the word selection. As one other reviwer noted: some of the definitions are dated. But the price is right and if you read several vocabulary-building books, you will not have a problem identifying the few dated words.

   Other Books: Cartoon/Mnemonic vocabulary books have their fans who like the mnemonic memory aids, which are useful before tests. But with only one word and one cartoon per page, these books may only have a few hundred words and are expensive on a per word learned basis. Audio vocabulary books such as Elite Word Power, let you hearing each word pronounced correctly, helpful for improving speaking vocabulary.




4. My brother-in-law recommended this book--he used it before he took his GRE tests, and found it really helpful. I also found it to be a helpful vocabulary book.
   
   Each `day' introduces 10-20 words based on a specific theme or idea-sometimes, it is a group of words with similar roots (monologue, monogamy, etc.), sometimes it has words with opposite meanings, words are grouped by parts of speech.
   
   The chapters/days then spend a few pages reviewing those new words through various methods--the author's theory is that by forcing you to write down and select the words within a number of contexts, you will learn the words faster.
   
   Reviewers are correct that some words are used less often than they were in 1942, and one individual did not like the old practice of referring to generically to a doctor as "he" (by the way, all generic occupations/identifications were referred to as "he," including negative connotations such as thief, prisoner, and used-car salesperson).
   
   This book is not a miracle--cure--don't toss out your high school GED just yet. Although you will learn a few scores of new words know how one goes about incorporating more, there is a long way to go. Just think of this book as a good start.



5. I was assigned this book as a college freshman. The more I used it, the more I loved it. Now, I'm using it to teach vocabulary.
   Chapters are have brain-friendly titles. Definitions are worded clearly and simply.
   Visually, though, it needs updating. This book was first published before computerized typesetting and desperately needs visual modernization. If you're a confident reader, it's no big deal, but as a reluctant student of English, you might find the text-dense pages a bit mucky.

5 comments about Gary Null's Mind Power: Rejuvenate Your Brain and Memory Naturally.

1. Mind Power is a very informative and fascinating look into the brain and how it works. It includes real stories by real people struggling with the challenges of everyday life and the more life threatening diseases.Insomnia, depression and Alzheimer's are just a few of the afflictions discussed. I am a visual artist and sometimes I have to work with toxic materials. For many years now I have had spells of insomnia, memory loss, lack of focus and energy. Sometimes, it was hard just to get out of bed each morning. I was in awe while reading this book because I felt like it was really talking to "Me"! I have been following one of the protocols for 2 months now. I already see and feel a tremendous difference in my memory, clarity and focus. I have renewed energy and I no longer suffer from insomnia! Mind Power helped me to understand the biological and chemical reactions which were taking place in my brain and body from all the toxicity in my life. Dr.Gary Null clearly illustrates the true meaning of "cause and effect". I will always continue my work as an artist, but I now feel like I have the tools to prevent any further damage. From the physical to the mental to the emotional and to the spiritual, this book beautifully covers it all. An inspiration for life! Thanks Gary Null.



2. This informative book is an interesting journey into improving brain functions with healthy lifestyles and natural supplementation instead of toxic, expensive chemicals that are so commonly used by millions looking for a memory boost, happiness, a solution to brain fog or other mental tasks. What a healthy, safe alternative to drugs and the expectance of diminished brain power from "old age"!



3. This book is very knowledgeable, and different from other 'brain health' books in many ways. Null gets specific on certain disorders and ailments, and describes in laymens terms what everything means and why his advice works. This book does not recieve five stars from me because his suggestions for a life makeover are quite radical and somewhat unrealistic. For example, Null states how we should avoid Casien proteins, never eat meat, only eat wild fish and avoid dairy completely - he doesnt even imply moderation. I believe there can be a healthy and mututal symbiosis in all the diatary food groups, Null wont acknowledge it.
   
   I do however VERY much enjoy his recipies for food and shakes. They are quite tasty and exceptionally healthy. I can agree with the whole concept of organic foods and excercise for each diet he perscribes. The best thing about the book are Null's exceptional understanding of suplementation. Null goes in depth and reccomends the best supplements combinations I have ever seen. The supplement listings and recipies are the main reasons I purchased this book. I am a mere 20 years old, and like Null says, "Prevention is the best medicine". I highly reccomend this book for college students and middle aged men and women.



4. Mind Power is a book that everybody ought to read. As usual Gary Null is straightforward and down to earth. Prevention of diseases is the best way to stay healthy



5. Gary Null's Gary Null's Mind Power: Rejuvenate Your Brain and Memory Naturally is a fine resource on brain chemestry and overall health. It covers supplements and conditions and offers natural solutions to mind/health related issues including depression, fatigue, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease to headaches. The final chapters on Psychoneuroimmunology and Mind Power Meals wrap up Mind Power with many healthful, motivational tools and ideas.

3 comments about The Einstein Factor.

1. Between the two - book or recording, please choose the book! The materials are useful, provided you have both time and motivation to embark on a long course of self-development, with a lot of exercises, a lot of daily work.

   The problem with this recording is, however, that it is read not by a professional reader, but by Dr. Wenger himself. He probably is a smart man, but not smart enough to understand that his voice is quite senile, lacks energy, his diction is blurred, with no persuasiveness, no impact on listener, very boring and totally non-convincing. I have no problems when youthful Tony Robbins reads his own materials recorded on tapes and CDs with his unmatched Passion, but I do have a problem with something as life-less and monotone, as the recording of this otherwise excellent course. Four stars for the book, only 2 stars for the recording.




2. I just finished listening to this audiobook, so I can't yet tell you whether or not the techniques will actually raise your IQ, but I can say that I immensely enjoyed the book, and I also enjoyed how the author read the book (in spite of what another reviewer wrote). I'm writing this to defend the author. I thought his voice was friendly and sufficiently animated. At one point, I even wondered if he was reading or talking from his memory because it sounded very natural, as though he was carrying on a conversation. Overall, the great ideas you'll get from this book will more than make up for any crazy, uber-enthusiastic, super-hyper voice that you may find with other audiobooks.



3. I think Dr. Wenger's information was awesome. There were so many ideas to put into practice for anyone wanting to get more connected with their creative self. I started to use some of this information and dreams and visions have been forthcoming nearly every night for 2 months. What is awesome is that before this information, I might have maybe one dream or vision every six months, which means only one that I remembered. But, with these techniques, they just pop you out of bed to write them down. I loved it. I used to think I wasn't very visual and that has now changed to I am extremely visual.
   [...]

5 comments about Your Mind Knows More Than You Do: The Subconscious Secrets of Success.

1. I used the pendulum for important decisions years ago and when I read this book remembered what a help it was. I have read this book twice and recommended it to friends. We h ave all been impressed with the over all help it has been. I recommend it to anyone with an open mind. It makes you realize how limited we are.



2. I saw this man on The Leeza Show. This guy is amazing. He asked Leeza to pick among several items and when she was done he opened this envelope and everything that she picked was in there! I have seen fakes before, but, this is for real. All the exercises he says make common sense. Do yourself a favorite and read this book. You will never know what kind of power your brain can unlock.



3. What I especially like about this book is that it treats a rather mysterious subject (intuition) in a highly practical way. Instead of being a mystical (or pseudo-mystical) New-agey treatise on spurious psychic phenomena, it's full of useful exercises and practical tips for getting in touch with your own intuition. As the title suggests, we all know much more than we think we do; it's just a matter of getting in touch with ourselves. This book will tell you how to do just that.



4. I have tried pendulum for foretelling. Some answers were right, some were not. And it can be addictive. It is not reliable, as reliable as one's subconscious/ego mind.

   It can be obsessive and keep from living Life as they normally would. Also it may lay oneself open to evil spirits like the ouiji board.

   Also pendulum swinging is and ego trip, a sort of "see what I can do?" thing.

   I suggest meditation and prayer and listening to the quiet inner voice inside, looking to God for answers with Love.




5. We all know martee loves POSING as me and proving religious people are all corrupt,THANKS MARTEE,KEEP UP THE EXCELLENT WORK!!!Martee is leading everyone to the subconscious because people want to know what REAL TRUTH is all about and this book is without a doubt the way!

5 comments about Superlearning 2000: New Triple Fast Ways You Can Learn, Earn, and Succeed in the 21st Century.

1. Before reading this review I will give you some idea of my background so you can judge my review on the basis of my experience. I am a multilingual language teacher and writer with a keen interest in accelerated learning techniques, and have been such for several years. I first became interested in Superlearning several years ago as a possible method for increaing both my own language learning rate, which is considerable, and that of my students. Superleaning looked like something really new and innovative, and, having read the original Superlearning book, I decided to buy several Superlearning products from their website, including the audio course, special learning cassettes and a language course produced by the authors and based on the exact procedures laid out in their books. I wanted to be sure I was doing it properly. I also wish to point out that the products are not cheap by any means, well, not in price anyway. In terms of quality of the materials, recording and presentatiom, I have never encountered anything so cheap and shoddy!

   Five years later, and after even more extensive research and experimentation with the system, both personally and in my classes, I can only say that almost all of this system is a sham. It doesn't work. I used a language course produce by them, and found no benefit whatsoever in it. The only benefit I got was to use the course, which I would also like to point out is nothing more than 3 tapes and a very thin and cheaply produced pamphlet of words and phrases and, on occasion the recording did not match the transcript, was to use the tapes without the highly distracting breathing exercises and do it the old-fashioned way. I made my own tapes too, as per the instructiosn in the course, which was a vastly time-consuming process, and had the same lack of result as the "professionally" produced languages tapes by the authors themselves!

   There is no doubt that proper relaxation, relaxed breathing, positive suggestions and classical music can have varying degrees of benefit on the students, but the method you will find in ALL the books and programmes produced by Superlearning leaves a great deal to be desired!

   I was interested by another reviewer's reference to a researcher from Monash univerity and her work into Lozanov and Superlearning. As I don't think a text link is allowed ina review, you might like to do a web search for "The personal website of Uschi Felix" at Monash University for a lot more information about Superleaning and the validity of some of the claims made before you are tempted to part with your hard earned and get a disappointment.

   Having tried to contact Superlearning with questions and complaints, I can only attribute the lack of service and, indeed, acknowledgement I encountered to the fact that they must get a lot of commenst from some very dissatisfied people! I urge you not to buy into this scam. You are being taken for a ride.

   To those reviewers who are getting so excited by the promises in the Superlearning products, all I can say is try it and see. Remember - I was just like you a few years ago!




2. I decided to pick up this book for the second time. I had
   earmarked so many pages in it the first time a year ago.
   The amount of great information in this book is amazing! Most people will find something in it to improve
   some aspect of their life. This is one of those books that's
   hard to put down. Buy it and begin a whole new process of learning. You'll be glad you did...



3. I read this book when it was first published, and was inspired to try the techniques. I have returned to it many times since then for further inspiration. It is really sad to read reviews declaring that Superlearning is a scam; I would suggest that any tool - and Superlearning is surely no more than a tool - is only as good as the person using it. Or perhaps only as good as their expectations - and their intentions. For myself, I have used the techniques to radically change the way young students learn - students who in fact, had been described as having significant "learning difficulties." They gleefully proved the pessimism wrong. As a mature university student, I tried the techniques on myself, and achieved very real success - in the 90 percentile for a linguistics paper, for example, on one third of the usual study time.
   The book needs to be read with an open mind - and the techniques approached with no preconceptions. By all means be analytical - but that means analysing ALL possible reasons for any lack of success; it is so easy to unwittingly introduce variables. My vote is for Superlearning as a significantly empowering technique.
   



4. You might like this book if your obsessed with this topic or your totally new to it. I would have to say that these ideas do work, but little is actually offered for the size of the book. For me this was very basic and boring. If your a successful learner you probably already do or at least know the general ideas here. If your having trouble learning or concentrating this could be of use but there's nothing in particular that would make me recommend it. I'm sure you can find a more exciting learning course, but if not it will work in a pinch.



5. A must for anyone who wants to learn how to run their brain efficiently.