Name: Amanda K. Wolfe
City, State: Houston, TX
Occupation: Graphic designer
Age: 32
It was some sort of providence that I ran across this program after doing a web search, because I’d done the same search before and only found programs running $1,000 or more. I was at my wit’s end, after being completely unable to drive 0.4 miles home, having a massive panic attack and calling my mom in Toledo, Ohio – as if she could do anything! My cell phone died, I got myself home at about 3 mph, praying my heart out the whole way, and when I walked inside, I said “I don’t want to do this anymore,” and did the online search. That ended up being an important day for me.
Before the program, life was horrible. I lost the freedom that I’ve always treasured in life, and felt like a freak, a burden, a mental case. After I mustered enough old-fashioned bravery to move across the country, I was still completely homebound and unable to take advantage of the great new city I’d moved to or the jobs it had. So, it really negatively affected all aspects of my life.
While the situations that brought my anxiety varied a bit from day to day, the symptoms were certainly distinct – dizziness, tunnel vision, massive nausea, shaking so badly I could barely keep my foot on either the brake or the accelerator. I’d feel like I had no control over the car and would try hard not to hyperventilate. Usually, a bridge, a left turn lane, or any other place where I couldn’t “escape” would set me off. I sometimes actually felt like I was going to fall off the face of the earth or, at best, drive off of the road. There was actually one time when I had to stop my car in the road, curl up into a ball and call my someone to come pick me up. I felt like a complete failure.
When I began the program, I started seeing results the first day I did the exercises, because I really committed to them. I was a bit spotty with it at first, since I was coming from such a negative place and I was so convinced nothing was going to work. But once I started to admit that I felt differently after doing the exercises, I was forced to stick with it. It’s a tough road (no pun intended!), but I am willing to admit now that what seemed so tough at first is nothing compared to the difficulty of being unable to drive without panic, and living with the embarrassment of having to avoid doing the things I want to do.
Before starting the Driving Fear program, I had tried a ton of other things to overcome the fear, you name it, I tried it. Books, years of therapy (at a huge cost, no less), medications, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), and just plain not driving! Obviously, none had any lasting success. The Driving Fear program was so much different because it not only incorporated the cognitive behavioral therapy I’d sought for so long, but also tailored that therapy specifically to driving. Unlike other therapies, this one was developed by someone who really knows this fear, and feeling like the person helping you actually understands makes an enormous difference.
I’ve just recently realized that the program has probably done just as much – if not more – for my general anxiety as for my driving anxiety. By staring my driving fears in the face and getting to the core of them, I’m learning to process my other anxieties differently. The “red sock” practice helps me in so many situations… I was probably about 80% agoraphobic before, and now I feel so much more in control. Almost every time I start to panic, I can quickly put a face on my anxiety, so to speak – that turns it into normal apprehension, something I can feel comfortable with, and find a solution to. Instead of thinking “What’s wrong with me? I must be sick or dying!” I think, “I’m feeling nervous about (insert thing here). Here’s how I can feel better.” I pay more attention to what affects both my mind and body to produce anxious symptoms, so they won’t surprise me as much. And, I express myself more readily and honestly, rather than bottling things up.
I would recommend the program one thousand percent. I don’t know if many people realize how valuable it is to overcome this fear. It’s not like some other phobias, where avoidance is an acceptable option. What’s more, I’ll bet most people are like me, and anxiety doesn’t only crop up while driving; this program ends up helping its students to tackle ALL of their anxiety, with personal support along the way. There’s no pandering, no hocus-pocus, nothing but good solid tools with which to build your new mind. It is absolutely a life-changing experience.
