This idea may sound strange to you, or even outrageous, considering the amount of suffering depression brings to more and more people in our society. The understanding of this contemporary plague is shifting and so are criteria for diagnosis, treatment and the range of available pharmaceuticals.
I’m often puzzled by the way psychiatrists are prescribing yet another designer antidepressant or a combination of several drugs, but this is not the focus of this article. I’m rather biased about the marketing tactics of the powerful pharmaceutical companies and I’m certainly not an expert in this field either. I am also aware that in many cases a drug treatment is perfectly justified. Some people are born with neurotransmitters deficiency and correcting their biochemistry may be the only available option. Antidepressants are also highly effective in restoring basic functionality of severely affected patients. However, the rationale behind keeping them solely on drugs for the years to follow, without other complementary forms of therapy is another story.
Let me be clear, I have a deep compassion for people dealing with depression in any form, period. It would be foolish to expect that it may be seen as a welcomed guest into your world. Because it’s not – no matter if your depression originated from the past losses, severed relationships, chronic and overwhelming stress, or a long-term medical condition.
My dear friend has been dealing with a severe skin problem for many years. Countless visits to a dermatologist and varieties of prescribed ointments were ineffective. While there might have been a temporary relief of symptoms, the condition would always come back. Imagine how frustrating it was for her! One might say: depressing.
At some point, she decided to reach for a different treatment . She visited a Traditional Chinese Medicine doctor who checked her pulses, looked at her tongue and determined that the issue was with her liver, not the skin. After several acupuncture sessions combined with an herbal treatment, the problem was finally gone! The TMC doctor targeted the root cause rather than the external symptoms, unlike the western medicine doctors.
So here we are back to the title of my article, inspired by the book “Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life” by James Hollis, Ph.D. According to him, a depression can be seen as a therapeutic gift if we are able to see it as a symptom of a deeper problem! Hollis calls it a manifestation of the autonomy of the psyche.
This is how I understand it: we can resist the rules that society or family dictates; we can filter and manipulate the information coming our way; we can trick our audience; we can invent or adjust the stories whatever way we want; we can transform our own beliefs – as creativity and power of the human mind are almost unlimited. However, we can not fool our own soul.
If the goals of the mind are incongruent with the heart desires, if we pursue the values that are not our own, outdated or clearly incompatible with our purpose, the soul would sabotage the energy that mind had invested into our actions. Depression would show up as the outcome and the indicator of the crisis.
That’s where Hollis sees the huge therapeutic potential lying within a depression. Instead of treating it as a dreaded symptom of dying dreams or passions, you could see it as a prelude to a new development and growth. Instead of overmedicating it, you could work through depression and use it as a stepping stone.
It is important, however, to understand the difference between depression originating from a biological cause, from a loss, stress or other external factors, and the one I’ve just described. You would benefit from a help of a therapist both in making that distinction and in directing your journey towards healing and growth.
So after all, there may be a hidden gift in depression. Something to ponder for sure.
As for the Hollis’ book, it’s not an easy read from a self-help shelf, but an inspiring journey into the depth of human consciousness and a convincing recipe “How to Finally, Really Grow Up” (which is the second part of the title).
A powerful book that I highly recommend.
By Josef Sadowski
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