Can you meditate your way out of depression?

[lmfao]

Has anyone here ever done it? 

Edited June 26, 2018 by lmfao

[d0ornokey]

In terms of can I just do it with only meditation -> 

I'm not really not sure actually. Only doing meditation wouldn't address root causes. But I think it would make it a lot easier to cope with depression 

In terms of curing depression - > I think it's about becoming conscious of the root causes as to why you're depressed and begin implementing the solutions to getting out of it.
But for example, if you have some deep nutrition deficiencies, depression/poor mental health may be much more prominent.  

Edited June 26, 2018 by d0ornokey

[zoey101]

I agree with @d0ornokey

It has helped me for sure. The time I spend in silence just focusing on breath, are the most relaxing times of my day. But there is more than that. It is an ACTIVE decision you need to make EVERY DAY. When you wake up, you are decided how your entire day is going to go in just the first few seconds. 

You have to wake up and tell yourself "Today will be great, and even if it isn't, I am open to all the possibilities and lessons I will learn" I tell myself this every morning and do everything in my power to hold on to that attitude for the rest of the day. It isn't easy, but nothing worth fighting for is

Just remember to go further than just practicing it, you have to LIVE it.

[lmfao]

@zoey101 @d0ornokey good advice ?. I obviously need to go about "tackling" the issue by considering maslows hierarchy and all aspects of my life. I'm probably just gonna watch this video today

 

Edited June 26, 2018 by lmfao

[Dogsbestfriend]

Yes can confirm, it can cure you - that doesnt mean you won't ever feel sad but yes that empty void that felt impossible to fill is not filled (which I would try with drugs/partying/girls/etc)- it's just no longer there.

Edited June 26, 2018 by Dogsbestfriend
Wanted to add, don't know if it comes back if you stop because I never have.

[Nahm]

Of course meditation cures depression. Takes us from rushing & caught up in our own thinking (worry, doubt...separation/depression), to the underlying unifying forces (love, intelligence, and I’m gonna say humor as well cause it is really funny). 

[furashido]

3 hours ago, lmfao said:

Has anyone here ever done it? 

yes. But know this, before you even get to the ceccation of thoughts, you have to face whatever it is that’s locked in your subconscious that is causing the depression. You have to open up the floodgates and allow whatever is there to come up to the surface and deal with it, come to terms with it and learn from it so that it becomes neutralised. And you have to be strong and willed.

Gradually as you face all of your personal demons one by one you will feel lighter, untill you are completly free from them . When you have reached that point the continued meditation and awareness will make you able to recognize the issues in realtime and deal with them immediatly so that nothing gets locked away again. 

And untill you have dealt with everything that’s there, no matter if you think your depressed or not, you can’t move on to the next step. There are no shortcuts. 

So yes, you can be free from depression with meditation. The question is, how bad do you want it? 

 

Edited June 26, 2018 by furashido

[Prabhaker]

5 hours ago, lmfao said:

Has anyone here ever done it?

Depressed moods lead to depressed thinking and behavior, which leads to a more depressed mood, it becomes a vicious cycle. Never get depressed about your depression, accept your depression, be depressed and don't fight with depression. Allow it to happen, that's only way to break vicious cycle naturally. Nothing lasts for ever, nothing is permanent.

[phoenix666]

in my experience you can meditate your way right into the depression. breathe into it, really feel into it. go through it mindfully and come out on the other side 

it hurts a lot, I won't deny it. but 'bad' emotions are here because they want to be acknowledged, accepted and specially be loved <3

Edited June 27, 2018 by phoenix666

[pluto]

The more in the present you are the more non-existent depression/anxiety becomes.

If you are thinking/living in the past you will eventually become depressed, or the future you eventually become anxious.

In the present there is nothing but awareness.

Edited June 27, 2018 by pluto

[phoenix666]

6 minutes ago, pluto said:

The more in the present you are the more non-existent depression/anxiety becomes.

If you are thinking/living in the past you will eventually become depressed, or the future you eventually become anxious.

In the present there is nothing but awareness.

thank you dear Pluto, this is gold <3 

true, if you shine the light of awareness on your depression, directly into its heart, you discover its illusory nature. it's empty, it doesn't exist in the present moment 

but I keep forgetting as well..  thanks for reminding me

[Aimblack]

Yes have done it, don't make the mistake and confuse being not depressed with being happy though.  As @Dogsbestfriend put that hole in your chest will be gone and colors will maybe be more vivid and stuff but it's not THAT big of a change...

Edited June 27, 2018 by Aimblack

[Dogsbestfriend]

@Aimblack Well tbh depends, I was pretty far gone in that abyss - having tried everything to get myself out, I settled on meditation as a last long shot attempt at getting out. So strange to find out that the solution to a problem you've been seeking outside for years is nowhere but inside.

Just really had nothing to lose so started meditating daily before sleep.. if anyone else had told me it was the solution I would have looked at them like suuuuure... maybe it helps but... - anyways it is a lot of work, and what people mention facing the problems that cause the depression, self inquiry, those are all things you need to get through, but it does work and for me at least it felt like the difference between walking in a dark room to one where the light was turned on

[Guest Quanty]

If you make meditation, not as meditation, then yes. 

What I mean is practice the attention/focussed/radar mind on the breath until it becomes automatic and that is your main focus in life, even when you work, eat, shit, etc. 

[starsofclay]

Meditation teaches you to redirect your focus on to something (or nothing), every time you slip off the goal.  This can be used in every aspect of life, as zoey101 said:

14 hours ago, zoey101 said:

I agree with @d0ornokeybut there is more than that. It is an ACTIVE decision you need to make EVERY DAY. When you wake up, you are decided how your entire day is going to go in just the first few seconds. 

You have to wake up and tell yourself "Today will be great, and even if it isn't, I am open to all the possibilities and lessons I will learn" I tell myself this every morning and do everything in my power to hold on to that attitude for the rest of the day. It isn't easy, but nothing worth fighting for is

This is exactly what meditation can help with. And every time you slip off goal, you should gently redirect your attention back to waking up with the right attitude and keeping it throughout the day.  Although i personally set my intention for the next day before I go to sleep, and demand a nice, restorative sleep as well. 

Also, judging (hopefully not incorrectly) by your previous posts lately, I sense a chemical imbalance that is preventing you from feeling joy and happiness.  Meditation and the method I mentioned above will help to correct that imbalance, but sometimes we do need an extra push.  If you aren't interested in anti depressants, you should look into harmalas alkaloids.  Google "caapi only brew for depression." this is a tea that is made from caapi, which is the non-dmt component of ayahuasca. It is a maoi, which of course is a type of antidepressant, but it's a natural, reversible maoi which is much much safer than the synthesized stuff that doctors give you.  The goal is to either microdose it throughout the week, or one large dose on the weekends. Large doses have been reported to be psychoactive, but that really isn't the goal. 

You can also use syrian rue, but the ratios of harmalas in caapi is supposedly better to treat depression. If anyone wants tips on brewing the caapi only tea, let me know. There's alot of conflicting recipes online but I have been working with it for a few weeks now. 

*please note you CANNOT take this if you are already on antidepressants or Adderall because it can lead to serotonin syndrome. Otherwise the typical diet that is required by synthetic maois is not as strict since this is a reversible maoi. 

Edited June 27, 2018 by starsofclay

[Elisabeth]

Depression ... well my personal experience has been that real life changes along with gaining more understanding is much more helpful. (Though I haven't done all that much meditating.) I basically needed to outgrow my problems.

But meditation, even very low-key 20min before sleep helps tremendously with anxiety, not to the point of curing it fully, but reducing by more than just a bit.

So it's just one tool. 

[How to be wise]

@lmfao It’s not possible. In your meditation session, you try to get rid of the thoughts that cause your depression. But as soon as you stop meditating, those thoughts will come right back. Even decades of meditation won’t solve the depression problem. You will need other techniques that will get rid of depression quickly.

Edited June 27, 2018 by How to be wise

[Dogsbestfriend]

@How to be wise I disagree, it depends how you meditate. You shouldn't be hiding from your thoughts, you should be processing them, understanding them and in that way putting them properly to rest which is possible when you break them down to their core, their origin.

Not saying other methods aren't useful, but meditation was the only one that had the really big effects.

Edited June 27, 2018 by Dogsbestfriend

[tsuki]

14 hours ago, lmfao said:

Has anyone here ever done it? 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_behavioral_therapy

[Guest Quanty]

The root of depression is: and I will get a lot of browse up from people for saying this maybe:

 

Something externally to oneself (in the stage in life when oneself does not know for sure who/she is in reality). The Kundalini from others is forcing the energy or better said, one has copied the energy from others and now he/she is struggling with the high energy/physical pressure in the skull. 

To escape depression and any ailment, one has to tap into his own body's energy, otherwise, he/she will suffer all their life. Psychedelics per examples directly tap into Kundalini and reconnects with the Thymus. 

 

<3