Depression
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Do you ever wonder why you feel down, depressed, basically unhappy? We can all be a mystery to ourselves: why do I act like this, why do I feel like this?
When we don’t understand something, it can feel frightening, infinitely complicated, and overwhelming.
Depression has had so much written about it and yet is still one of the most widely misunderstood conditions. The out-dated myth that depression is caused by a lack of serotonin is still trundled out. (Yes, when someone is suffering from depression they do tend to have lower serotonin levels, BUT this is more likely a result of the depression rather than a cause.)
And then there’s still the common misunderstanding floating around that it, ‘runs in my family’, or ‘I have the gene’. There is little to no evidence that the vast majority of depression people suffer is caused by genetics or biological imbalance (although, depression does cause changes in the body). Knowing both how depression works and why you may be feeling a bit depressed at the moment can help you begin to combat it more effectively.
So what a relief it can be for so many people who have been suffering to find out that there is no ‘depression gene’ and that they don’t have a disease caused by a hereditary bio-chemical imbalance in their brain.
So why am I spending so much time in Depresso-Land??
Is this to say there are no biology in play? Not at all. However, the biological componenet is not the ONLY piece. And it’s often a rather small piece meaning that depression is not a fixed, biological condition.
Depression can have multiple catalysts, a range of components and various combinations: loss of job or loved one, long-term anxiety, diet, unprocessed trauma, hormonal imbalance, thinking patterns/cognitive styles, sleep disruption and so forth.
In days gone by depression was known as “Nervous Exhaustion” and people in England used to go to the countryside for a while to recuperate. And perhaps this is a more apt description for in truth a depressed brain is a stressed brain. This is exactly what happens when people tire themselves through an overload of stress and worry. It’s like a car trying to run on empty – worry burns the ‘fuel’ that powers motivation and hope. One of the first signs that you are lifting your depression is renewed energy and hope.
Paradoxically someone suffering depression may feel exhausted during the day (particularly the morning), and yet be sleeping long hours. This is normal and there is a reason for this that we explain to you.
What will we explore together and address with you during your hypnotherapy sessions?
Are your primal needs as a person being met?
We become depressed when we worry and ruminate about what emotional and physical needs remain unfulfilled in our lives. Often we find that the great thing is that when you start consciously meeting one need, then the other needs will often start to get met as a ‘ripple effect’ by-product.
Sometimes we can feel numb & exhausted and there is a storm beneath the surface
Is your past depressing you?
When someone is depressed they often experience ‘learned helplessness’. This happens when they learn they are helpless or relatively powerless in one situation in the past, then make a faulty link to a new situation (or even spread this sense of helplessness to all situations)
Have you an understanding of the Cycle of Depression?
By getting a grasp of the cycle and interaction that 4 major components play, often people begin to feel better and understand how we can intervene and break the cycle.
Is a situation depressing you?
Is there a situation in your life that prevents you meeting one of your basic emotional needs, yet doesn’t seem to have a ‘way out of it’?
Is Someone Depressing you?
Moods, attitudes, and emotions spread from person to person, and low morale can spread like wildfire.
Is your Phyiscal Lifestyle depressing you?
You have physical needs as well as emotional ones (and of course the two influence each other).
Are your meds making you depressed?
Sometimes symptoms of depression can lift dramatically with a revised dosage or a move to another medication. (We like to work with you GP or medical specialist so you have a team on your side who is in contact)
Are your learned thinking styles causing and maintaining depression?
To maintain depression, very often it’s necessary to think in certain ways. We call these depressive thinking styles. Once someone begins to notice these, they can begin to make changes that breaks down the cycle.
What’s the good news?
The good news is that depression can be changed. It’s not you, or your genetics etc. And utilising a blend of strategic psychotherapy, NLP and hypnotherapy can springboard you toward making that shift – gaining control over depression and and help you leave Depresso-Land behind, restoring a healthy balance and getting the mind & body at peace again so you can enjoy life to it’s full.
After each appointment you will receive your personalised hypnotherapy session recorded on a USB (if appropriate), so that you can listen to it in the comfort of your own home and build on the effects between sessions -and into the future- to magnify the changes.
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If you’re ready to take that next step now, your first appointment with a FREE first 20 minutes to decide if Strategic Hypnotherapy is for you, is only a click away.