A Feeling Approach to Depression

A Feeling Approach to Depression.

                                                                                                      By Jay Ray

There are many theories about depression, ranging from chemical imbalance to sunlight deprivation (SAD). I have a theory that has worked well for many clients over the years, some chronically depressed and untreatable by other means. I believe that the word ‘depressed’ is as it says a ‘pressing down’ of the emotions, to the extent that the persons energy level is also so depressed that they develop lethargy, lack of motivation, exhaustion, leading to loss of will to live in extreme cases. It is not a state of sadness, but rather a state of “emotionlessness”. Releasing those past emotions in a supportive environment, using techniques that allow for safe expression at an appropriate rate, in my experience reverses the energy suppression and allows, over time, the client to regain their will to live and participate in a fulfilling lifestyle. However, the next thing they need to do to maintain that health is to learn the importance of emotions as a feedback mechanism. They each have a message that relates to a need. As we learn to listen to them, so they alert us to the ongoing issues that need to be heeded when making healthy choices in our life. We ignore them at our own peril. The fact that we have been trained to do just that has created many of the disturbances that currently plague us. No amount of medication, however beneficial in the short term (although it is debatable) can fix our refusal to listen to our emotional messages and deal to the issues that they point to inside of us. Below is a table that shows each emotion and its subsequent required action. It is not necessarily easy to retrain ourselves away from ‘thinking through’ a problem and switch to getting a “felt sense” of it, but it is essential if we are to permanently heal.

Emotional                       Message                                 Cause                                                                           Remedy

Anger   (Mad)         Needs must be met        Boundary violated by self or others           Take responsibility for meeting your needs

Grief (Sad)                Let go of the past         Some one or something is leaving you life       Allow the sadness to complete

Joy (Glad)             You are going well               Your choices are appropriate                              Keep doing what your doing

Fear (Afraid)        You are about to grow         Things are about to change                               Do what you do and accept what comes