Accelerated Learning (AL) can be delivered in many ways. But here Mike Levy looks at some of the more unusual approaches.

Forget chalk and talk. Plate spinning, Reiki, horse whispering, ropes and drums – these are all part of the accelerated learners toolkit these days. While it may be something of a departure from the old-fashioned classroom, why not follow Phil Callaghan and Susanna Bellini who use the Reiki and other ‘energy techniques’ to help accelerate learning.

Reiki, it is believed, is a universal healing force. Callaghan and Bellini are founder members of Bronze Dragon, a training company based in York that uses Reiki in its work. ‘We use Reiki first to help set up the learning space in a way that removes the blocks to energy. We create a cleared space free of learning barriers. It’s the same as getting a feeling for a room or space by symbolically clearing out the energies that have been there before,' explains Callaghan. 'We are down to earth and practical with no banging drums or burning herbs. Reiki removes any energies which would block our delegates’ learning. People say they do notice a difference: there is a positive feel to the room and a stronger desire to learn’, he says.

Callahan's view is that if people have passed through a learning space, they may have left their tensions and negative thoughts behind. ‘People cannot learn unless the environment is right. That means we begin before people arrive by ensuring that the training room is conducive to learning. That means clearing and refreshing the space – particularly important if it is used for other activities.’

Bronze Dragon's training aims to physically exercise the two hemispheres of our brains and many of their exercises are aimed at breaking down the ‘fight or flight’ responses to learning that many people may have learnt at school, ‘We give our delegates exercises that physically balance the left and right brain. These might include activities where you stretch opposite sides of the body: touching your left knee with your right hand and vice versa,’ explains Callaghan.

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