Therapy For Depression

Is Depression Preventing You From Living The Life You Want?

Are you burdened with an overwhelming sense of sadness, grief, or hopelessness? Do you have trouble sleeping, eating properly, or motivating yourself to get out of bed or go to work? Are you avoiding people, activities, or social situations that used to give you pleasure? Perhaps you are questioning the purpose of life or feeling as though a part of you is missing, but you don’t understand why. Or it could be that you recognize the signs of depression but don’t know who to turn to for help.

Depression can be complicated and scary, carrying as many different meanings, characteristics, and connotations as the word love. It’s no wonder that it manifests so differently from person to person—or gender to gender. 

For instance, men—typically raised to ignore their feelings and shun vulnerability—often attempt to mask their pain. They may attempt to validate themselves through sex/hookups, “numb out” through substance use, or engage in harmful, sometimes violent displays of power to compensate for the vulnerability they feel. 

Alternatively, those raised to be compliant and subdued—the cultural feminine position typically occupied by women—have trouble finding a voice for their pain. As such, women’s vulnerability frequently manifests as a difficulty in advocating for themselves or setting healthy boundaries. In children, depression symptoms often appear as irritability, withdrawal, anger, or noticeable behavior changes not otherwise explained.

Fortunately, there is help available. If you are having trouble overcoming depression or a prolonged period of grief or sadness, you don’t have to work through it alone. With the proper guidance and support, you can find a voice for your pain, overcome obstacles to your happiness, and move forward in your life with confidence.

What Is Depression And How Common Is It?

Depression is a mental health condition that is marked by persistent sadness. It’s one of the most common and most treatable health concerns affecting modern society. In fact, the American Psychological Association (APA) approximates that 1 in 15 US adults will experience depression in any given year and, overall, 1 in 6 people will encounter it at some point within their lifetimes.

It’s worth noting that depression doesn’t necessarily have to continue for months or years in order to warrant seeking help. Often, sudden life transitions, personal losses, or bereavement can kick-start even a brief period of depression in otherwise typically functioning individuals. You can benefit from depression counseling whether you’re dealing with a current loss or demonstrating self-destructive patterns or long-term symptoms.

Unfortunately, our culture views sadness and vulnerability as things that we should avoid. Despite how natural grief and sadness are, we simply don’t have spaces in which to share with others the pain of living. This creates a cultural taboo that prevents us from being honest and authentic about our feelings. As a result, we try not to feel, and when that happens, we get locked into a negative feedback loop of self-defeating thoughts and emotions because there is no alternative outlet for them.

The benefit of working with a depression therapist is that it can give you a space to embrace these feelings, acknowledge them, and process them without fear or judgment. In doing so, you can separate yourself from the symptoms and develop healthier ways to deal with depression.

Therapy For Depression Can Offer You Freedom And Relief

Sometimes, people who suffer from depression are reluctant to engage in therapy. It can be hard to talk about, difficult to identify, and accompanied by shame or a desire to wait it out or deny its existence. However, the way through it is learning how to acknowledge your pain, value your emotions, and expose the “demons” that are haunting you. Working with a therapist gives you a space to let your guard down and give your pain the attention it deserves. It’s a place that encourages open, honest dialogue and expression through gentle encouragement and compassionate understanding.

In our sessions, I emphasize the importance of feeling safe so you can allow yourself to feel and process your emotions. We will explore how you are coping with depression by looking at any related behaviors and identifying their purpose: Is your behavior a mask for pain, a defense mechanism, or a coping strategy? Are you withdrawing or lashing out, using substances, or trying to drown out your emotions but instead, drowning in your pain? Once you begin to acknowledge your feelings, you can begin to work with them to develop healthier coping mechanisms and liberate yourself from the limitations of depression.

People respond differently to depression and its treatment, so I take a transparent approach to healing. Our bodies are vehicles for our feelings. As such, sometimes complex emotions manifest on a physical level. I work somatically to address how the physical being can be affected by the emotional and cognitive realms. 

I use mindfulness strategies, emotional regulation, grounding techniques, and focusing or visualization techniques to help contact and integrate one’s experiences. I may use EMDR therapy to help transform negative thoughts into positive cognitions and re-contextualize painful experiences.

Depression prevents people from truly realizing their potential for success and happiness, but you don’t have to go it alone. Therapy offers you a chance to live a peaceful and fulfilling life. It is possible to emancipate yourself from depression and enjoy greater motivation, confidence, and happiness moving forward. 

Perhaps you are considering therapy for depression but still have some concerns...

I’ve been avoiding talking about my pain for so long, I don’t know that I can.

Part of my somatic approach is moving at a slow pace that honors your need for safety and respects your boundaries. Through gentle encouragement and exploration, I’ll help you see that you have the capacity to feel and acknowledge your pain without letting it become a controlling factor. Depression counseling is a process that typically takes patience. However, drawing from your internal strengths and wisdom, we can uncover, together, the approach that can lead you beyond your fears of therapy and create relief one step at a time. 

I am afraid that talking about this will make my life worse.

Depression presents a major challenge that limits people’s lives in untold ways. Its impact on your ability to care for yourself, maintain healthy relationships, and function on a day-to-day basis can be debilitating. However, on the other side of depression, you have the potential to access the motivation, happiness, and confidence that seem so elusive right now. Once you free yourself from the limitations that depression imposes, you can discover a new world of opportunities for living the life you want.

I’ve been dealing with this situation for a while. I think I have it under control.

Not expressing your feelings or exploring your behaviors limits your ability to fully engage in life. And if you have been denying the pain you feel, you’ve likely been stuck in survival mode for months, maybe even years. By getting in touch with your feelings, you can become less fearful and learn to access a wider range of behaviors that will open up new opportunities for personal growth. It may take a little while to get there, but you can learn to stop burying the pain and enjoy a more peaceful, contented life.

Break Free From Depression

If you are struggling with grief or sadness, I can help you find comfort and peace. Please call 608-561-8821 to see how my approach to therapy for depression may be able to provide you with greater comfort and ease.