Depression from a holistic perspective

In all the years I’ve worked with people who were experiencing mental health issues, I have discovered a few things about depression from a holistic point of view.

✦ Depression is actually a coping mechanism. It’s a way of numbing the self from overwhelming feelings in order to survive
✦ Depression is the result of trying to control certain emotions. The word depression literally means ‘pressing under’ (de=under, pression=pressure)
✦ It’s hard to experience pleasure and happiness when depressed, because with surpressing emotions you can’t just surpress the unwanted emotions like sadness, anxiety or anger. All emotions get surpressed. To feel happiness and joy again, all emotions should be welcomed with love again.
✦ Often there’s unresolved trauma underneath, which should be adressed to heal the depression as well. It’s about finding a new way to deal with your emotions in a way that serves and strengthens you
✦ On a energetic level the flow of vital lifeforce energy gets blocked as the sacral chakra becomes imbalanced. The body gets shut down in a way. This is why little energy, lack of libido and appetite and the urge to stay in bed is experienced. You can feel very powerless and unable to cope with daily life, as the power centre in the underbelly becomes deflated. Movement is a great way to get the energy flowing again. Walk, dance, run, even if it’s for a little bit when you don’t feel up to it.
✦ Depression is a state of being. You can get stuck in it very bad, but you are also capable of changing your state of being. How you do this is what you will learn in therapy.

Don’t be afraid to reach out to a professional for help. You are the powerful creator of your reality and change is possible, even if you can’t see that from this state of being!