Depression as Emotional Pain: A Mind-Body Approach
David Bresler, Ph.D., L.Ac.
Depression is a part of the natural healing process and does not always require therapeutic intervention, says clinical psychologist and mind/body pioneer Dr. David Bresler, who is an Associate Clinical Professor at the UCLA School of Medicine and co-founder of the Academy for Guided Imagery. In this compelling and human picture of the psychological dimension of depression, he explains how our real concern should not be with people who experience depression, but with those who have become stuck in the healing process. From this perspective, we can view depression as a form of chronic emotional pain or an emotional habit which results in one becoming "stuck" in a depressed state of consciousness. In order to break the habit of depressed thinking, we can employ mind/body approaches such as interactive guided imagery which can have powerful physiological and psychological effects, and put us in touch with our own inner resources.
Guided imagery can help us learn to "focus attention on the part of the nervous system that may have answers to our questions and solutions to our problems," according to Dr. Bresler. Most of us are unaware of the powerful inner resources we have at our disposal, and guided imagery techniques can help us to discover these resources and use them to provide new insights and creative solutions to our problems. The reader is guided through an evocative imagery experience which is designed to identify the particular qualities that are needed right now to help get one through a current challenge or difficulty. Additional imagery tools are given for dealing with depression: exploring the origin and meaning of symptoms, encountering the Inner Critic, and accessing yourInner Intelligence or Inner Advisor. According to Bresler, of vital importance in healing depression is keeping the human spirit alive through hope and faith. "When we lose hope, we lose the very thing that offers the greatest help in healing our problem."