Jean Marie Stine

waking moment. When we have nothing else on our minds, this helps maximize the use of brain power that would otherwise be wasted. (Essentially, it's due to this little function that we moved from the cave to the condo and survived innumerable challenges along the way.)

Research by psychologist Eric Klinger, Ph.D., however, shows that when you are trying to learn, ordinary consciousness becomes an obstacle to the alpha state and the OLS just beyond. More than 75 per- cent of your learning power is drained off in "ticking along in thought-sorting information and generating possibilities." Klinger found that this left less than 25 percent of our brains free for acquiring new information and the task at hand.

It's possible to quiet those thoughts, deepening relaxation, releasing learning power, and moving closer to the OLS. The basic procedures have been well known for centuries and have recently been validated anew by scientists such as Herbert Benson, M.D., in research at Boston's Beth Israel Hospital. In the past, they went under names such as "prayer," "meditation," "yoga," and the "indwelling of the holy spirit."

In his landmark work, How to Read Better and Faster, reading instructor Norman Lewis chronicled the powerful connection between concentration and reading speed. During an experiment at his Adult Reading Laboratory, Lewis had volunteers read a short article at their normal speed. He provided comfortable surroundings and an atmosphere conducive to relaxation. The volunteers were asked to read material at the same pace they typically did at home. The only stipulation was that they read every word and strive for comprehension. Afterward, Lewis recorded their reading times and tested them for comprehension.

The next day, Lewis had his volunteers read a second article of the same length. This time, he asked them to read through it as fast as they could. Again, the one stipulation was that they were to read every word and not sacrifice comprehension. Again, Lewis recorded participants' speeds and tested them for comprehension afterward.

The results provided dramatic evidence of the power of concentration. Most volunteers had read 25 percent to 50 percent faster, and their comprehension was undiminished.