The path through depression

In the middle of the path through life,
I suddenly found myself in a dark wood.
DANTE, DIVINE COMEDY

In depression our back is often against the wall. Indeed, nothing describes depression so well as that feeling of no-where to turn, nothing left to do. Yet such a place is incredibly ripe, filled with possibility. It gives us the opportunity to really pay attention and just see what happens. When we've done everything, when nothing we know and believe seems to fit, there is finally the opportunity to see things anew, to look differently at what has become stale and familiar to us. Sometimes, when our back is against the wall, the best thing we can do is to sit down and be quiet.

When we are lost in the woods, we can stop, look at our situation, and see where we are. And when we are in the midst of depression, we can stop and look at where we are and how we came to be here. We can look coolly and fearlessly at ourselves, our life, and our pain, without any thought of remedying them.

Although it is often painful and freightening to approach depression, we can do so. We can stand and not run. We can even allow it in and let ourselves learn what it has to tell us.

The Zen Path Trhough Depression by Philip Martin

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