What does psi-methods for-RV training cover and entail?

It varies with the instructor and the method. Most methods training does not address the actual protocol that defines RV; the methods are a "how-to" for going about acquiring psychic data, which is a different aspect of things. The formal RV protocol is not something that would require an entire course, though -- a little bit of online reading or a good book can teach you the most important basics of it. Methods training will teach you a method, but won't teach science and might not teach follow-on developments in methodology, or in some cases the original Swann "theories" related to RV, or in some cases Viewer Profiling documentation, or other parts of an overall program of RV development. (Some of this information can be found online.)

Methods will teach you a step by step method for communicating psychic data. (Collecting it in the first place is always up to you, of course.) How it works, how well, etc. depends on the method and the psychic--that's you.

The best advantage to a method -- and the worst side effect as well -- is that methods have a tendency to cause people to ‘project responsibility’ for their talent onto the method itself. This helps many people, especially those more logical/skeptical sorts, to "allow it to happen" the first time. Along with a teacher-figure and other enthusiastic students, this allows an initial experience with enthusiasm, and gives one something to focus on (the paper and ‘how it’s done’) while ‘waiting for’ the psychic data to ‘come through’. This can be very important for people.

Unfortunately, this (a) does not last indefinitely, and (b) often becomes a crutch or an avoidance factor for those whose belief systems are not (in the end) comfortable with the process.

Used within protocol for practice (not training), most methodology value is a matter of opinion; different methods may work better for different people. Most folks who’ve trained in methods, including myself, have found varying degrees of worth in them and wouldn’t take it back.

Used outside protocol for practice (not training), as they often are alas, treating psi methods alone as ‘remote viewing’ can be doom for the skills and psychology of aspiring viewers. If your instructor doesn’t think RV protocol "applies to stuff outside the lab", they are seriously ignorant of fundamental RV issues and you should find another instructor.

When you get to training, the normal course of events is that the instructor will introduce the topic and may lecture on it; they will usually go over the primary ‘stage/phase’ of the methodology, and then as a group the students will practice what they just learned, often working together. When the primary concepts have been explained and practiced, students usually work at least briefly with the instructor functioning as ‘monitor’ and coach, for one or more sessions.

Most methods training is done outside a typical RV protocol, and in what some might call a training protocol. Although Swann’s initial CRV was very clear about training after Stage III being in protocol (and certainly the work itself), most training is done in a monitor-frontloaded situation (and sometimes an entire room of people frontloaded). As there are a myriad of subconsciously accessed physiological data sources, this tends to aid initial experience a little bit (a nice boon for the instructors, as excited students certainly makes the cost seem worth it!). Just remember that when you get home again, it is YOUR responsibility to work in a professional manner if you really want to learn and do this well!

-- PJ