Dr. Richards,

Thanks again for the audio therapy series, this is what I have been wanting to get my hands on for years.

The calm or slow talk on tape two seems to be working for me.  Like you said, I practiced reading one of the workbook pages in calm talk every day (for seven days!) and then decided to use it with my parents that i visited over the weekend.

I was very calm, and I remembered to speak nice and clearly.  Even though we have some problems (too much to write about), they really listened to me for the first time I can remember.  

I now think I can use it with some of the people in my classes and I know it will calm me down. 

You mention that using calm talk will do a lot of other things for us, too.  I may be asking this question too quick, but is that coming up in the tapes?  I hope so.  I have started listening to the tape on catching automatic negative thoughts (Ants -- i like that term)...

A: 

You are doing very well ... Please keep on practicing and using calm talk.  Yes, future tapes will explain to you more fully what other benefits calm talk will produce.  As you are more in control of your own feelings and emotions, and as you realize you can stay calm in social situations when using calm talk, then it becomes easier and easier to handle the events in your life.

 On that next tape you can listen to and read over the page on "Automatic Negative Thoughts" in calm talk, and it will sink into your brain more peaceably and gently (and more permanently).  This is a good start - please keep on going. 

The therapy: Overcoming Social Anxiety: Step by Step

Overcoming Social Anxiety:   Personal Experiences Home Page