As I was driving in my car (alone) and feeling independent, blissful and astonished at my successes with the program, which is quite a feat since I hadn�t driven alone in years, suddenly I felt that �anxious� feeling coming on.

I responded quickly used my tools, practiced my breathing and in taking myself back to the �precious present moment� I realized what exactly was causing my anxiety at that moment. It wasn�t driving the car, it was a song I was hearing on the radio.

I LOVE music, I am a musician and music has been an integral part of my life. Instantly I realized the emotional impact that music had on my life. At that moment, that song had transported me to point in my life that was, to say the least, a very �anxious� time. It had the power to allow me to feel everything I had felt during that period of time, including feeling anxious.

I then calculated my choices. I could turn the music off or I could use my newly acquired tools and apply them to this situation. I chose to continue listening, as painful as I felt it was. I allowed myself to feel the anxiety, recognize that it could not hurt me and floated through the moments until the song was over.

In the end, I was elated! The skills had allowed me to get through that difficult moment. What I learned from that experience was that the anxiety that I had felt many years prior was the same as what I was experiencing that day, during that �precious present moment� in time. The difference between yesteryear and this time around was that I could tolerate it. Once I had achieved that, the fear subsided.

That day I felt that I achieved double awards for myself, driving alone and conquering anxiety that had drifted back from my past. What a profound experience!

I am wondering if anyone else has had similar experiences with music.

Devad.