Depression
A fewMany people suffer from sadness, loneliness grief or normal fluctuations in mood due to events in life or physiology. Without sadness when we experience lack, or loss, we would have no attachments, no motivation to seek out betterment. Grief and loss, loneliness and frustration need to be heard and supported.
Depression is not sadness. It’s a mood state that sometimes plagues a person like a dark cloud and often involves apathy. There can be a loss of interest in things that used to make a person happy. There is a negative outlook on things that impacts choices. It often involves changes in sleep, appetite, bonding, motivation, focus, and more. The very behaviors that make us feel alive and well tend to feel like too much of a burden to engage in and sometimes others are pushed away or stay away because they do not know how to be helpful, making depression potentially worse. Poor physical health can worsen depressed mood, and depressed mood can worsen physical health.
Therapy that takes a mind-body approach to depression is imperative. Empathy and support coupled with gentle behavioral activation, working in layers to bring back enough vitality to help a person work to enhance their own mood and wellbeing is key. Pacing is important. Enhancement of motivation is a pre-requisite and needs to happen in the context of understanding the whole person, not their depression. Paradoxically, a lot of people who struggle for a long time with depression tend to forget their true self and over identify with their depression. A few of us are trained in CBT and ACT to treat depressions. Some of us have special skills in understanding how medication can interact with therapy. Please ask.
This is a challenge that can be met with a therapist that understands Self Psychology – enhancement of sense of self and self worth. Choose a therapist you feel can understand and connect with who you are as a person, but who also knows how to help you change your thoughts and behaviors in a respectful manner towards a more positive life. Make sure you are addressing mind-body wellness with attention to potential health factors that might relate to low mood and/or poor self care.
Depression is not sadness. It’s a mood state that sometimes plagues a person like a dark cloud and often involves apathy. There can be a loss of interest in things that used to make a person happy. There is a negative outlook on things that impacts choices. It often involves changes in sleep, appetite, bonding, motivation, focus, and more. The very behaviors that make us feel alive and well tend to feel like too much of a burden to engage in and sometimes others are pushed away or stay away because they do not know how to be helpful, making depression potentially worse. Poor physical health can worsen depressed mood, and depressed mood can worsen physical health.
Therapy that takes a mind-body approach to depression is imperative. Empathy and support coupled with gentle behavioral activation, working in layers to bring back enough vitality to help a person work to enhance their own mood and wellbeing is key. Pacing is important. Enhancement of motivation is a pre-requisite and needs to happen in the context of understanding the whole person, not their depression. Paradoxically, a lot of people who struggle for a long time with depression tend to forget their true self and over identify with their depression. A few of us are trained in CBT and ACT to treat depressions. Some of us have special skills in understanding how medication can interact with therapy. Please ask.
This is a challenge that can be met with a therapist that understands Self Psychology – enhancement of sense of self and self worth. Choose a therapist you feel can understand and connect with who you are as a person, but who also knows how to help you change your thoughts and behaviors in a respectful manner towards a more positive life. Make sure you are addressing mind-body wellness with attention to potential health factors that might relate to low mood and/or poor self care.