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Alchemical Hypnotherapy

The Truth about Depression

   

By David Quigley

Depression used to be a way you felt when your life wasn’t working.  The loss of a beloved family member, loss of a good job, or chronic loneliness, illness, or pain could cause a person to feel depressed.  Most people who suffered depression either lived with it in silence, used alcohol or other drugs to suppress their feelings, or sought out a friend, priest, or counselor who could help them sort out their feelings and give them sensible advice.

  In the last twenty years Doctors and therapists have begun to label this common but at times debilitating condition as a disease.  This recent diagnosis has led to some beneficial results, but also has created some serious misunderstandings about the nature of depression and its treatment.

By understanding that depression is a disease, we can convince people who feel depressed to stop blaming themselves for feeling lousy and begin to seek treatment.  And this is important, because research strongly indicates that depression has severe debilitating effects on body and mind.  These include suppression of immune system function leading to susceptibility to illness, mental confusion, loss of motivation, eating and sleeping disorders, and loss of ability to communicate effectively, among other effects. 

The medical/pharmaceutical industry has used this new disease diagnosis to market a series of new anti-depression medications which have proved to be both more effective and freer of side effects than earlier drug therapies.  However, the way these drugs are marketed has led to some confusion about the true nature of depression. The message that is conveyed by the drug industry, lauded in many commercials, goes like this:  “Doctors don’t know the cause of depression.  It appears to be caused by chemical imbalances in the brain.  But it can be treated with our drugs.”  The presumption is that this chemical imbalance IS the true cause of depression.  The suggestion is that this depression has nothing to do with your life, your fate, your choices, but is a disease that has attacked you out of the blue. Therefore the only solution is taking these drugs.

These drugs have in many cases proved effective in treating these feelings. Or, at least masking the symptoms beneath a chemically induced calm that is a distinct improvement over self medication with alcohol, opiates, etc.  But in my twenty plus years of seeing clients with depression I have discovered that nearly all of my clients know precisely why they are depressed…and it has nothing to do with a chemical imbalance. It’s because they are lonely, or in relationship trouble, etc.  Furthermore scientific research has confirmed that depression is closely associated with the kinds of problems that I defined at the top of the page…loss, illness, loneliness, meaninglessness, etc.  And even the pharmaceutical companies’ own research indicates that the positive effects of antidepressant drugs fade to insignificance over time, if their use is not accompanied by counseling. In a recent ad for yet another antidepressant medicine I heard this jewel of wisdom:  “Recent government research shows that 70% of patients taking antidepressant drugs still have symptoms of depression.” This reminds me of the old drunk who once complained:  “I tried to drown my sorrows, but the little buggers learned to swim!”  It is simply a fact, proven by the drug companies’ own research that the new antidepressants, while they may be effective in the short run, mask feelings that must eventually be dealt with in therapy!

Meanwhile, the common side effects of these medications include depression (!), anxiety, and suicidal ideation. Another common side effect is sexual problems, loss of interest in sex or the loss of ability to perform sexually.  Now there’s something that would make me depressed! The dark side of these drugs is described in detail in Toxic Psychiatry, a serious and scientific critique of the field of psychiatry by Dr. Peter Breggin, one of psychiatry’s leading luminaries.

A more extensive review of these drugs can be found in our web library HERE. These drugs could be helpful for you if you suffer depression. But, none of these drugs should be taken…or stopped taking…without a Doctor’s supervision.

In my 25 years of experience with depressed clients, I have worked with many clients taking antidepressant medication.  These drugs, unlike so many drugs, like alcohol, that interfere with hypnosis therapy, have been my helpers in keeping my client’s mood stabilized until the hypnosis therapy helps heal the underlying causes of this condition. If your doctor recommends these drugs, I believe they could be of great benefit to you, as long as you combine them with therapy.

Many causes have emerged for my client’s depression.  But one of two factors seems evident in almost every case of long term depression that I have encountered.  It is either the client’s lack of a feeling of belonging to a family, or a lack of meaning in their life. While many depressed clients have families, they feel isolated and alone even in the midst of their families.  Many  have lives which superficially appear to have meaning.  But deep down inside, they feel their lives are without real purpose.  Although the conscious mind may not understand the reasons for these feelings of isolation or meaninglessness, the subconscious mind always knows.  The Alchemy work I teach and practice is good at providing both of these missing pieces in the lives of my clients. Through the work with an inner family we heal the loneliness and loss which are critical problems for most of my depressed clients.  And through my work with inner guides I help clients to discover their purpose in life.  My work with conference room therapy helps my clients to strengthen their will in order to live this life purpose with clarity and discipline. Below is a story of one of my graduates who, among many others, found the answer to her depression in Alchemy.  Read it HERE.

 

 

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