Depression

Depression is a word used by our modern society to describe a variety of states of consciousness and habitual ways of thinking, feeling and behaving in the world.

Typically, people who have been labelled to be "depressed" or suffering from "depression" have some of the following symptoms - sadness, despair, tiredness, lethargy, grief, frustration, guilt, anger, sleeplessness, overeating, loss of appetite etc. These symptoms and patterns of thought and emotions, tend to move in a cycle of its own, once it emerges in a person's mind.

The cycle may have begun from something very real in one's life as a result of loss, trauma, fear, phobias, illness etc. Whatever the cause, like a train of domino tiles, each symptom builds upon itself and soon, the person is in the wheel of depression where tiredness leads into frustration, which in turn escalates feelings of guilt and anger and so causes sleeplessness. For people who are depressed, the repetitive cycle has begun and unless the symptoms are identified and the source dealt with, we are only dealing with the surface of the matter.

Medical professionals in today's society are very aware of the increased stress in people's lifestyle and many have prescribed medication to patients with a bid to help them climb off the wheel of depression and assist them back to a better quality of life through physical, chemical and neurological intervention. For some, this is enough to gain a balance back to normality but for most, the underlying cause still roars fiercely within their emotional, mental or spiritual aspect of their personality and that is the core of the problem.

Looking around us, it may seem like more and more people we know are suffering from depression of some form. Often, there is a feeling that the person is inadequate or stupid because of their inability to break out of the depressive patterns themselves. This can result in feelings of self-blame and helplessness which strengthens the cycle of depression yet again.

Sometimes, a person may know or believe they know, how the cycle of thinking or feeling began causing their depression. Others may not know and so, they embark on a search to understand the cause of their depression. Whatever their circumstance, the search for answers and remedies takes them further away from the real issue, the nature of their thoughts and emotions that has manifested this symptom of depression.

It is human nature to want to have answers for our existence. It is natural to search for the quickest remedy for our problems. It is understandable to want to take responsibility of our past but what is more important is what we choose to make of our current situation.

Our current situation is like a pack of cards we have been dealt with in a game of cards. The goal of the game is to play the cards as best as we can until it is finished but for many, when we open the selection of cards dealt to us, we freeze and give up or we get frustrated with the unfairness of the game. In a game of poker, the person holding the worst cards could still win if the opponents could be bluffed into believing the his hand was superior to theirs. In a game of gin-rummy, the person has a choice to exchange their cards for better combinations or to hold on to unwanted cards for fear that it will advantage their opponents. In a game of Families, each player exchanges cards to complete their match while in Monopoly, we move through the board making decisions and takings risks. No matter what game we play, it is all about strategy, decisions, movement and lessons learnt.

Privacy Policy

In accordance with the Privacy Act 1993, all personal details have been omitted or changed to protect client identities and privacy. Names used are not associated with the real persons in anyway. The case scenarios given here are meant as examples of the areas that hypnotherapy can help in and how.

The case scenarios are outlined to indicate the extent in which different cases can benefit from therapy in its own way. The examples are only brief to maintain safety for all involved. If any scenario has affected you in any way, please contact Pauline Kam @ True Essence as per "Contact Details' page.

Copyright

© Copyright 2005 Pauline Kam @ True Essence. All Rights Reserved. This content may be copied in full, with copyright, contact, creation and information intact, without permission, for use only in a not-for-profit format. If any other use is desired, permission in writing is required from Pauline Kam @ True Essence.

Disclaimer

The entire contents of this website are based upon the opinions of Pauline Kam, unless otherwise noted. Individual articles are based on opinions of the respective author, who retains copyright as marked. The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship or consultation with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experiences of Pauline Kam and her community. Pauline Kam encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in-depth consultation with your qualified health care professional.