Comments on: What it’s like to live with clinical depression… http://windjourney.wordpress.com/2008/12/07/what-its-like-to-live-with-clinical-depression/ Thoughts of a Psychotherapist: A Journey Through Psyche and Soul Tue, 12 May 2009 11:04:35 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: windjourney http://windjourney.wordpress.com/2008/12/07/what-its-like-to-live-with-clinical-depression/#comment-100 windjourney Wed, 25 Feb 2009 15:48:30 +0000 http://windjourney.wordpress.com/?p=85#comment-100 Jaliya You are among so many who feel oppressed and abused by depression. It is certainly nothing we should take lightly or dismiss as merely a whim to avoid life's stress and challenges. It sounds like beneath the depression you have quite a strong will; your work to understand and combat your depression show this quite clearly. Blessings to you in your journey. Elicia Jaliya
You are among so many who feel oppressed and abused by depression. It is certainly nothing we should take lightly or dismiss as merely a whim to avoid life’s stress and challenges. It sounds like beneath the depression you have quite a strong will; your work to understand and combat your depression show this quite clearly. Blessings to you in your journey.
Elicia

]]> By: Jaliya http://windjourney.wordpress.com/2008/12/07/what-its-like-to-live-with-clinical-depression/#comment-99 Jaliya Wed, 25 Feb 2009 15:28:14 +0000 http://windjourney.wordpress.com/?p=85#comment-99 Hi, windjourney :-) This is my first visit to your blog; this entry in particular caught my eye. I've lived with major depression all my life ... I think that one of the markers of what my first therapist called "endogenous" (as constrasted with situational or reactive) depression is that it feels like a state of being ... It feels knit into my bones and brain, and certainly into my soul ... I've also thought of major depression as "volitional paralysis" --> I feel as though I don't have a will ... Sometimes it's as if I have a "won't" or a "can't" ... Any and all motivation to participate even in basic processes like breathing, moving, and eating seems to be nonexistent ... At these times, my soul feels not only unlit ... a shadow among shadows ... but is not able to know of light ... is bereft of a consciousness of light, of being, of relation ... Depression can be a grave insult to a person -- not as a mockery; our minds call it so -- but an injury so deep and entire that the wound cannot be discerned from the person, or the person from the wound ... A heart is broken ... and feels shattered to a point at which I wonder if I will ever feel or bond or love again ... Meaning abandons us when we are in the abyss ... or we abandon meaning ... I have been concentrating lately on how I think when I am in depression ... I'm working with CBT (Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy) principles in order to undo some of my "autopilot" thoughts ... those thoughts that act like poison, that smear experience with the toxin of self-hatred ... or even worse, contempt ... I'm also learning to appreciate aspects of depression ... Reading the works of Thomas Moore (*Care of the Soul* in particular) has been helpful in this regard ... He enlarges the context of depression to give the experience itself some meaning and sense ... I'm going to visit the links you included in your entry ... Thank you for your blog :-) Jaliya Hi, windjourney :-)

This is my first visit to your blog; this entry in particular caught my eye. I’ve lived with major depression all my life … I think that one of the markers of what my first therapist called “endogenous” (as constrasted with situational or reactive) depression is that it feels like a state of being … It feels knit into my bones and brain, and certainly into my soul …

I’ve also thought of major depression as “volitional paralysis” –> I feel as though I don’t have a will … Sometimes it’s as if I have a “won’t” or a “can’t” … Any and all motivation to participate even in basic processes like breathing, moving, and eating seems to be nonexistent …

At these times, my soul feels not only unlit … a shadow among shadows … but is not able to know of light … is bereft of a consciousness of light, of being, of relation …

Depression can be a grave insult to a person — not as a mockery; our minds call it so — but an injury so deep and entire that the wound cannot be discerned from the person, or the person from the wound …

A heart is broken … and feels shattered to a point at which I wonder if I will ever feel or bond or love again …

Meaning abandons us when we are in the abyss … or we abandon meaning … I have been concentrating lately on how I think when I am in depression … I’m working with CBT (Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy) principles in order to undo some of my “autopilot” thoughts … those thoughts that act like poison, that smear experience with the toxin of self-hatred … or even worse, contempt …

I’m also learning to appreciate aspects of depression … Reading the works of Thomas Moore (*Care of the Soul* in particular) has been helpful in this regard … He enlarges the context of depression to give the experience itself some meaning and sense …

I’m going to visit the links you included in your entry … Thank you for your blog :-)

Jaliya

]]> By: Catatonic Kid http://windjourney.wordpress.com/2008/12/07/what-its-like-to-live-with-clinical-depression/#comment-93 Catatonic Kid Sat, 13 Dec 2008 04:39:13 +0000 http://windjourney.wordpress.com/?p=85#comment-93 I'm glad it's finally the end of the week and I had a chance to read this. It made me smile. I wish someone had given me this or something like it to read when the mental illness ball rolled into my life. It might have made it seem less daunting. Doing your part is definitely something, and I wouldn't call it small. I’m glad it’s finally the end of the week and I had a chance to read this. It made me smile. I wish someone had given me this or something like it to read when the mental illness ball rolled into my life. It might have made it seem less daunting. Doing your part is definitely something, and I wouldn’t call it small.

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