Psychology of
Depression and Emotional Healing
(Please refer the
flow chart for this article)
1) There are 3 types of depression: 1) Everyday depression 2) Major
Depression which is persisting for 2 weeks 3) Severe Depression - of loss, thoughts
of suicide, losing interest.
2) Major Depression
is loss of pleasure - anhedonia along with great grief and great guilt. It has
distorted thinking of terrible, getting worse and hopelessness. It is a disorder of thought rather than an emotion.
It also features psychomotor retardation - moving and speaking slowly, eating
and sleep also declines. They learn to be helpless, is quite generalized. The
more someone has an internal locus of control,
the less likelihood of depression. A major depression is an outcome of
particularly severe lessons in uncontrollability. Exposed to stressors early in
life have a life long increase in CRH (Corticocorpin Releasing Hormone) levels
in their brain.
3) Stress and Depression
go together. Stress: Human
stress is a response due to uncontrollable ideas, protective and preparative
thoughts. We call it anxiety, neurosis, paranoia or needless hostility. It is
caused just by thinking (by imagining). Those with Major Depression experience more stressors and lack of social
support, winding up, socially rejected. First Major Depression have undergone
recent and significant stress. Stress
emerges as triggers for first few depressions. Later mind clock takes over.
Link between Stress,
Anxiety, Mental disorders and Depression: Stress leads to anxiety. Anxiety is of different types like
phobia, OCD(Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), GAD(Generalized Anxiety Disorder),
PTSD. Anxiety is disorganized coping with stress. Chronic anxiety leads to
depression.
4) Psychodynamic: Psychological
cause explained by Freud:
a. Mourning is a normal depression and it recovers
quickly.
b. Melancholia is major depression.
Every loving relationship is a balance of hatred as well as
love. Ambivalence of intense love and intense hatred cause Melancholia.
Celebrating (the love) and Grieving (the hatred), the person under depression takes
on some irritating traits of the other person to convince the argument and the
world. Here the Aggression is turned inward.
5) Biological:
1. Abnormal neurotransmitter levels and their abnormal
communication
2. Abnormal hormone ratios
3. General vulnerability.
4. Extremes of psychological stress cause endocrine changes of
depression. Genes, act in stressful environment, glucocorticoids is due to
stress response. Stress and Glucocorticoids bring neurochemical changes of
depression.
5. Limbic system involved in stress response. Above limbic is
Cortex which thinks negative in people with chronic depression. Front portion
of Cortex is ACC (Anterior Cingulate Cortex) involved in emotions like feelings
of pain and fear. By Hypnotic Suggestion,
by Counseling, ACC never becomes active. Another part Amygdala is
hyperactive on depression being sad. Front of ACC is Frontal Cortex. Left PFC
is associated with positive moods and right with negative moods (Choice is
yours).
Hormones Glucocorticoids (prepares brain for future-next
stressor) present in depression and Catecholamines(epinephrine and
norepinephrine appears to deal with present situation-current stressor) in
psychiatric disorders like coping activity or stress or anxiety. During trauma
Amygdala learns to react in PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).
Glucocorticoids work differently in Amygdala. If sympathetic system is relaxed, Amygdala never reacts in PTSD - Relaxation
can help.
Why only some of us
fall prey to this awful depression?
Because some of us are exposed to lot more stress than others.
Like, history of early life stressors makes lot more vulnerable. Stress
depletes norepinephrine causing biology of vulnerability. It is the interaction
between the ambiguous experiences that life throws at us and the biology of our
vulnerabilities and resilience’s that determines which of us fall prey to this
awful disease.
Emotional Healing by
Relaxation (Hypnotherapy)
By relaxing the person, it is easy to access the exact memory
that associate, distort, generalize, assume for processing the day-to-day
information received by the brain. By accessing them we can identify and remove
the cognitive distortions of CBT by understanding the Psycho-bio-social causes.
Emotional healing by relaxation also helps to deal with the sub/un conscious
memories of psychodynamic theory to balance the defense mechanisms-function of
id, ego and superego.
Role of Positive
Psychology and RajYoga to deal with Depression
Character, Strengths and Virtues are the bedrock of the human condition
and that strength-congruent activity represents an important route to the
psychological good life. Positive psychology is able to help people evolve toward
their highest potential. The classification, similar to DSM and ICD, described
in the book “Character, Strengths
and Virtues” by authors Christopher
Peterson and Martin E.P.Seligman published during 2004 concerned that
inadequate progress was being made from well-worn problem-fixing approaches and
that an approach based on recognizing people’s strengths and aspirations might
prove more effective. Positive Psychology has devised a classification of
character, strengths and virtues (addressing the “good” teenager concern) and
ways of measuring them (addressing the program evaluation concern) and this
classification and measurement strategies they have created can be applied much
more broadly.
Rajyoga which is being taught since 1936
focuses on self awareness and empowerment of mind, the practice of which
develops the character, strength and virtues described in Positive Psychology. To
deal with Stress and Depression, which are the main cause of Physical and
Mental illnesses, (modern medicine reveals that 75 to 90% diseases are
psychosomatic–stress related), Brahma kumaris and Annamalai University,
Tamilnadu has jointly introduced Diploma, P.G. and M.Sc courses on Counseling
and Spiritual Health where Healthy Life Style, Managing Psycho-Bio-Social
Cause, Emotional Healing and Self Empowerment through Spiritual Intelligence
are being taught to deal with Non-communicable physical and mental diseases to
create a stress free peaceful, happy and healthy life.
References:
Azeem Dana (2014) “Instant Healing”, A
guide for Emotional Healing: Bloomington-U.S.A: Balboa Press
Christopher Peterson and Martin
E.P.Seligman, (2004) “Character Strengths and Virtues”: A Handbook and
Classification; Oxford University Press,U.S.A
Deepak Chopra, M.D. Healing from
Depression www.chopra.com
McLeod, S. A. (2015). Psychological
theories of depression. Retrieved from www.simplypsychology.org/depression.html
Mental Health Strategy, Dubai - United
Arab Emirates
Robert M.Sapolsky (1994, 1998) Why
Zebras Dont get Ulcer-the Acclaimed Guide to Stress and Stress related diseases
and Coping, U.S.A
Seligman ME, et al. "Positive
Psychology Progress: Empirical Validation of Interventions," American
Psychologist (July–Aug. 2005): Vol. 60, No. 5, pp. 410–21.
Spirituality Health Inner Values Academy
(2017) Shrimat Bhagawad Gita by God Shiva, Create Space, U.S.A
thanks for sharing such helpful information.
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