A review of the Driving With Comfort CD/Audio Tape

The first track is 45 min. long, and the driving motivation/affirmation is another 14 minutes. That's a long time for me to sit...so I took a nice long hot bubble bath while I listened to it.

The second track on the CD is basically positive affirmations about driving. Carolyn (Dickman, Education Director) speaks calmly and it is soothing. She says each affirmation 3 times. The first two, you are to listen to, the third you are to repeat with her. At first i was having a flashback to SNL, (Saturday Night Live of years ago), and Stuart Smalley, and his positive affirmations, he used to say, while looking at himself in a mirror. "I am good enough, smart enough and dog-gone it, people like me''. Carolyn focuses on driving affirmations........not being good and smart........although, hey.......we all ARE, right!!???

The more I listened to Carolyn's voice.......the better it sounded. I AM going to use it (tape/CD) today when I go out. (FYI, it's not that I'm not driving these days, I am, but there was a time when I would not. I still don't like it, but I do it.) I what-if way too much while I'm driving. I haven't had a PA while driving for quite a while, BUT I do present with body symptoms from time to time. I know if I focus on the symptoms long enough, I will trigger one.

I just hate the feeling of numbness or feeling lightheaded when I'm driving. I like the part on the recording that says, ''slow moving traffic is not a concern, I use the time wisely, and think about things that are beneficial.'' (Slow moving traffic, stop signs, stop lights, railroad crossings are what really get to me. As long as I'm moving, I'm ok, but once I stop.....that's when I have the problem.)

Carolyn mentioned about how patience is NOT one of any of our positive qualities. I can surely see why having to sit at lights and stop signs, etc. still could cause the anxiety to start surfacing. She mentioned making a habit of doing our breathing exercises at those times, and focusing on the breathing instead of just sitting there. I'm going to implement that today, for sure!

The first track of the CD, that is 45 min long is also pretty good. It doesn't only focus on driving, there are some examples of other people, and it also goes over many things we've learned already in the program. I feel that Carolyn went over it in a different light. I could see a lot of what I already know, in a different way, and I feel it was really helpful.

This was twenty-two well spent dollars, and I'm worth it! (lol......now, I sound like one of those L'oreal commercials from television)

Darlene Yeager