Our society has taught us to think about depression in a certain way. We have ‘drugs’ that will make you better… Or will they? In my experience the drugs never really make anyone permanently better. Nor have I ever seen a human being who was better as a person because they took some antidepressant. Sure, we have seen many people who cope better. And that the immediate benefits of taking some drugs can produce a more desirable way of life compared to their previous way of living. But do you really think that if you take a drug it will help you to understand anything that has been affecting you at a deeper level? Do you really think you are going to get some epiphany and see things with greater clarity? These drugs can be useful as a short term intervention, but they often become a crutch and make it harder for people to come off them. You become reliant on some external chemical and without it feel stuck. Not to mention the side effects. But even if your on them and have been on them for decades, I have helped many people come off them when appropriate. First we need to let go and resolve a few things and work on some strategies towards being happy and well.
Every moment is a new opportunity to shift things, and the key is often in shifting things really slowly and steadily – but in such a way as it propels you in the direction that will make living life more enjoyable. –
If you can find just a small moment of happiness then I can show you how to stretch this moment into the present and then future.
But first you have to want this. So do you want to be well?
We are hard wired to become sad, upset, angry, agitated and also all the other negative emotions that we feel. But why do we feel these negative emotions – what is their purpose?
People have been telling you for so long that you need to stop feeling sad, or that this state is wrong. And as soon as you accept the purpose for being sad you can then move onwards.
Symptoms are your body’s way of telling you to listen to what’s going on, for you to realise that something is not right (almost never is it a chemical imbalance), and because something is not right, you have to figure it out, and take action. And do things differently. Then, and only then, can the symptom disappear.
But if we just remove the symptom – by taking a drug or covering it up – we will never unlock the message, and so the messenger sticks around. So this terrible feeling hangs around AND THEN we begin the downward spiral. At this point we create ‘stories’ about our experience. Why we are broken? What’s wrong with us? How we are perhaps worthless, and so on. By doing this we strengthen the downward spiral, and, as a result, we keep getting feelings that make us sad… They are suppose to, because within the feelings and thoughts contain the wisdom for your life of greater happiness. But very few people can see this wisdom, including many doctors, psychologists and therapists. Because they are too busy trying to fix you – so often they don’t see outside of what they have learnt to see at university. But some do, and can help you.
Every journey begins at a point. I am guessing you have a point within you that is seeking something greater for yourself and that is why you are reading this. When people walk out the office after their first consultation often it comes with a knowing that life is about to get better AND it’s often because they just made a decision to be on a path to get well. They just made the decision to do some unlearning and more importantly learn some strategies to be happy and well. I hope to meet you soon. And help you to a happier future.