The importance of understanding depression in general a and yours specifically: Your depression is not random. You feel, think, say, and believe the same things every time. Perhaps what you are depressing changes. How you depress remains the same. The only way we can know what is going on is to sit down with an open mind and pay attention if we watch closely enough we notice that there are sensations in our bodies that go with depression. They don’t vary. They’re the same every time. We have a labelling system that goes with those sensations. In this case, the label is depression. With this label comes a learned response, the self-talk- everything we’ve been taught to believe about depression. What it is what it means what I am for feeling it What will happen as a result How the future will be When that talk starts, we have an emotional reaction to it. I don’t want this. I am afraid. This is too painful. Oh no, not this again. And then comes a conditioned behaviour pattern which is usually avoidance/ escape. I should quit my job. I’ve got to leave town. I need a drink (or drug). I want a divorce. I’m going to kill myself. I can’t function. (paralysis) SEQUENCE: sensation thought emotion behaviour pattern THESE ARE GOING ON ALL THE TIME, not just in depression. If we are willing to pay close enough attention we notice that in depression: the sensations in our bodies don’t vary the thoughts in our heads don’t vary the emotional reactions don’t vary the impulses toward certain behaviours don’t vary and this chain of events DOES NOT VARY (ED’S NOTE: this is a big clue.) Adapted from ‘The Depression Book- depression as an opportunity for spiritual growth’, by Cheri Huber – Zen Buddhist Teacher
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