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 thirty 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 the least they mask the symptoms beneath a chemically induced calm that is a distinct improvement over self medication with alcohol, opiates, etc. But during many years of helping clients with depression I have discovered that nearly all 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 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. 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 the field’s leading luminaries.
A more extensive review of these drugs can be found in our articles library These drugs could be helpful for you if you suffer depression. But, none of these drugs should be taken… or stopped… without a Doctor’s supervision.
Over the years in practice, many clients have been taking antidepressant medication. These drugs unlike other substances that interfere with hypnosis therapy like alcohol, have been helpers in keeping the client’s mood stabilized until the hypnosis therapy helps heal the underlying causes of their condition. If drugs are recommended by a doctor, they could be of great benefit to you as long as they are combined with therapy.
Many causes emerge for a 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. Alchemical Hypnosis is good at providing both of these missing pieces. Through the work with an inner family we heal the loneliness and loss which are critical problems for most depressed clients. Working with inner guides, clients can discover their purpose in life. Conference room therapy helps clients to strengthen their will in order to live their life purpose with clarity and discipline.
Ending Five-Year Depression
"When I was 25 years old, I found myself at the Alchemical Institute's Hypnotherapy training. In those 4 weeks I lost 15 pounds, grew 2 inches (despite having stopped growing 7 years earlier), cured my color blindness and ended a 5 year cycle of depression. My experience went much deeper than that. What really happened is that I developed a new orientation to life. I got access to a rich, powerful set of tools for thriving in life that ironically had always been there. I just learned how to listen to, and develop my inherent wisdom."
"I cannot praise David Quigley highly enough and for me the experience was one of the highlights of my life despite the fact that I never intended to become a practicing hypnotherapist. However I do apply the skills I learned on a regular basis both in my own personal development and in supporting my friends and family with their own growth."
Gary Pinsky
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 thirty 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 the least they mask the symptoms beneath a chemically induced calm that is a distinct improvement over self medication with alcohol, opiates, etc. But during many years of helping clients with depression I have discovered that nearly all 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 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. 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 the field’s leading luminaries.
A more extensive review of these drugs can be found in our articles library These drugs could be helpful for you if you suffer depression. But, none of these drugs should be taken… or stopped… without a Doctor’s supervision.
Over the years in practice, many clients have been taking antidepressant medication. These drugs unlike other substances that interfere with hypnosis therapy like alcohol, have been helpers in keeping the client’s mood stabilized until the hypnosis therapy helps heal the underlying causes of their condition. If drugs are recommended by a doctor, they could be of great benefit to you as long as they are combined with therapy.
Many causes emerge for a 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. Alchemical Hypnosis is good at providing both of these missing pieces. Through the work with an inner family we heal the loneliness and loss which are critical problems for most depressed clients. Working with inner guides, clients can discover their purpose in life. Conference room therapy helps clients to strengthen their will in order to live their life purpose with clarity and discipline.
Ending Five-Year Depression
"When I was 25 years old, I found myself at the Alchemical Institute's Hypnotherapy training. In those 4 weeks I lost 15 pounds, grew 2 inches (despite having stopped growing 7 years earlier), cured my color blindness and ended a 5 year cycle of depression. My experience went much deeper than that. What really happened is that I developed a new orientation to life. I got access to a rich, powerful set of tools for thriving in life that ironically had always been there. I just learned how to listen to, and develop my inherent wisdom."
"I cannot praise David Quigley highly enough and for me the experience was one of the highlights of my life despite the fact that I never intended to become a practicing hypnotherapist. However I do apply the skills I learned on a regular basis both in my own personal development and in supporting my friends and family with their own growth."
Gary Pinsky
