Any good Depression resources?

[Matt23]

Hey.

Recently I've noticed how depressed I've been throughout life, and want to learn more about it.

So... if anyone has any good resources in relation to depression, post here!

People and experts

Techniques

Diets

Breathwork

Biological concepts 

Different perspectives on it

Videos.

etc.

 

Cheers

[susanyzm]

I think Teal Swan's perspectives on depression and suicidal thoughts are pretty good. 

[Michael569]

Some good books that can help you shift perspective

• Anxiety: Panicking About Panic By Joshua Fletcher is  more of a practical manual on how to deal with anxieties but talks about depression as well

• David R Hawkins has a lot of spiritual material that relates to emotional mastery and letting go.  

• "The Art of Saying No" might be relevant if you feel like your boundaries are constantly being squeezed but other people's agendas

• "Healing the Shame that Binds you" has few powerful techniques 
• "Universe Has Your Back" is more about trusting your intuition and releasing worries 
• "When the Body Says No" - is more about consequences and environmental causes of stress but Gabor Matte overall has some pretty deep material on this topic 
• Radical Honest by Brand Blanton is slightly controversial and requires open mind but can help shift perspectives 
• The Chimp Paradox is a good blueprint on how to not let the lizard brain and the primitive part of our mind to run our lives. Can be extremely relevant for people who suffer from more of the fear and phobia-triggered depression

Health & Depression
In some people, depression has a physiological trigger. Usually, this comes down to bad diet, stress, lack of sleep, gut problems, thyroid problems or heavy metal toxicity.  Most people with depression also have a degree of dysbiosis so this may definitely be worth exploring. To investigate these, it is a good idea to work with a health specialist like a naturopath, nutritionist, herbalist, traditional Chinese medicine doctor, ayurvedic practitioner, herbalist, homeopath and so on...whatever seems like the best way to go. The book Toxin Solution is pretty damn good manual for self-help as well. 

* Joe Dispenza talks about the connection between the energetic body & depression

* if you want to learn more about the physiological & biochemical processes of depression, some mechanistic studies on National Institute of Health could be useful. Something like this https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3181668/ This study talks about different potential causes including the monoamine theory, synaptic connections, reuptake inhibitors but also current pharmacological treatments. It is helpful to understand how these work to understand how you can help yourself with natural therapies. 

* If you are looking to explore some natural therapies look into researching: St John's Wort, 5-HTP, different herbs (ashwagandha, magnolia, Gotu Kola, Lemon Balm and Siberian Ginseng)

 

There is so much more but I feel like I've overwhelmed you already

 

 

[Enlightenment]

Depression has a lot to do with chronic inflammation. I've had great success with anti-inflammatory things like curcumin and Celecoxib

Try Celecoxib or meloxicam if you can't get a prescription and see if you feel better 2-3h after you take it

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24056287/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24468642/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24215721/

[shallotsometimes]

I agree that Teal Swan's videos can help with depression a lot.  I guess it depends on what kind of approach you want to take, cuz her videos can get pretty "woo-woo" but if you have an open mind it can really help you. She has a video titled "How to Cure Apathy" which reaaaally helped me figure out why I was having these feelings, that they're there for a reason, and how to overcome them. I watched it several times and cried and took notes and hung them on my wall. I found it more helpful than the video she specifically made on depression.

[Villager Albert]

Matt Kahn is a miracle.

[Matt23]

@Villager Albert  Yeah, I've listened to some of his stuff.  I dunno about some of his teachings, I but do enjoy his overall vibe; good mix of humor, lightheartedness, kindness, and depth.

[Pallero]

On 10.9.2020 at 11:32 PM, shallotsometimes said:

I agree that Teal Swan's videos can help with depression a lot.  I guess it depends on what kind of approach you want to take, cuz her videos can get pretty "woo-woo" but if you have an open mind it can really help you. She has a video titled "How to Cure Apathy" which reaaaally helped me figure out why I was having these feelings, that they're there for a reason, and how to overcome them. I watched it several times and cried and took notes and hung them on my wall. I found it more helpful than the video she specifically made on depression.

She also has a video on Depression. I find it really good.

 

[Username]

I highly recommend Anthony de Mello's book Awareness. It's great!! You can probably listen to an audiobook on YouTube.

Edited September 23, 2020 by Username

[david1207]

Depression is quite serious problem which most people face in their life at some stage. The time you're going through such stage, you should keep yourself calm and think wisely about getting out of it.

Mostly the situation gets worst when someone going through several problems like financial issues, health problems, relationship issues etc so that time finding solution to your actual problem and working on it could definitely get you out of depression.

Watching motivational videos could help but will be a temporary solution. Working on your real problems will be a permanent solution.

[The0Self]

http://onibasu.com/wiki/Anxiety,_ADHD,_ADD,_ODD,_OCD,_Depression.html

[dimaniser]

I know this dearly as it has been my main motivation for ‘self-improvement’. 
 

I’ve spent much time and money on looking for solutions and below is what I found to be the most effective for me, other than get over it and hit the gym ?
 

First, I liked how it was laid out at depressiontrafficlights.com - when you’re in red, do not attempt to read self improvement book or try to go workout as that just not going to work, in red you just cope and try to get to yellow and up. 
 

From there what has really worked for me along with meditation and Kriya Yoga...

 

Spiritual/energetic

There could be all kinds of funky energy things going on that are causing all this, could be self-created, could be from books/movies/events/porn/unseen and others that need to be addressed. All kinds of energy healing modalities could be helpful here, the one that worked for me calls himself a Master Spirit Healer and got a program at selfhealingmastery.net which was the start of the ‘awakening’ process for me. 
 

Emotional

Even with all kinds of healing modalities out there, if we do not have our thoughts and emotions figured out, we can put energetic blocks right back in there. For emotional, best for me was the Surrender Experiment, Power vs Force and Letting Go books, along with what’s called Heart Imagery from theschooloftheheart.com. 
 

Mental

Along with surrender and fact that depression and suffering is really caused by wanting things different than what they are (job, money, health, relationship, advancement, environment, anything), what really helped was looking at Subconscious Beliefs and transforming them. Here EFT tapping (can find free stuff online) and a process called PSYCH-K® I found about from Bruce Lipton videos, can find sessions or really a weekend training at psych-k.com. 
 

Physical

Although this was the first area I started with trying to heal my own depression, it ended up being the last tip of the ice berg really. The Change Your Brain Change Your Life book by Dr Daniel Amen describes 6 causes of depression from looking at the brain as an organ perspective and each has its own recommended protocol. All include meditation, exercise, food and various supplements, along with some neuro feedback training. 

I had my brain scanned and was told I’m too low on serotonin (one of 6 potential causes looking strictly at the physical brain side of things), and was given a standard vitamin supplementation program with all the regular A, B, C, D vitamins and 5HTP.

Later I also looked at some of the gut conditions that is said to be main source of serotonin - applicable in my case, yours may be different.

Since then I’ve invested in red light therapy kit (from platinumtherapylights.com or Joovv), and a 10k lumens light therapy lamp for winter periods that I found to be quite effective. 
 

Since last year I’ve also come across a practice of Sho-Tai, which combines iridology, Chinese medicine, herbology and others into a simple and effective supplementation program to restore functions of all the major glands and organs. 
 

But really, in the end, the whole process lead me to spiritual studies and ‘enlightenment’ whatever that means for you, as all suffering is created because of the illusion of separation, and for this you’re in the right place here. 
 

Best next step? Feel into what may resonate from any of the above and take it one step at a time...

[Leo Gura]

Psychedelics

[mikelyons]

The Untethered Soul was a pretty good read when I was depressed

I think you can really get a sense for the cause of your depression with psychedelics.

I still suffer regularly from depression, but from my integrated psychedelic experiences, in combination with many other self-help and introspective activities, I've learned that I was ultimately causing it out of ignorance/lack of perspective.

Taking the attitude that you're accidentally causing your depression, and having a growth mindset about figuring out why and tackling those issues will lead you on a journey to learn a ton about it and yourself and will undoubtedly lessen it's effect in your life.

Edited September 29, 2020 by mikelyons
less conversational

[Marianitozz]

You can try to read "cupid's poisoned arrow - Marnia Robinson" it s a great book and you can understand great lessons about human pshicology like negative emotions like depression, anxiety, they all have the same root cause wich is the lack of love, and she teach you how to transmute them into an balanced, well being state. 

[Martin123]

@Matt23 Hi Matt!

Depression just like any other state is a stage in your journey of emotional evolution. This means that contrary to popular belief, when you are depressed you are not failing anything, you're not doing anything wrong, and the depression isn't a result of any bad choices you imagine yourself doing.

Depression, just like any emotional state, is a pivotal stage of healing that needs to be befriended and experienced by your consciousness. Depression is a stage of incubation, where the old patterns that were running your life have lost their momentum, and you are participating in a transitionary period of the dying of the old, and awaiting the arrival of the new. In this way, being depressed is actually a crucial and important rite of passage that in time allows more space to be created for the renewed gifts to be received in your life.

To harmonize with depression, as daunting as it might seem, all that needs to be done is in the following words. 

When I am depressed, all I need is more rest.
The more rest I will get, the better I will feel about my depression, and allow it to dissolve on its own time.

We don't have to be 'depressed about being depressed', we can actually be grateful for our depression. Thank you depression for ushering me into a stage of incubation and furthering me on my journey of healing. Thank you depression, thank you.

[UnbornTao]

Microdose LSD or psylocibin and contemplate depression.

Daily exercise! Most people take this for granted. Research nutrition, eat a plant based, whole-food diet with lots of vegetables.

Vitamin deficiencies, especially B12 and D (sunshine!), might be causing your depression.

CBD, L-Theanine (or green tea), Qualia Mind, Omega-3 fats supplements. 

The UltraMind Solution, to see to what degree you have a “broken brain” and how to heal it. Also the immune system recovery plan.

Create a positive future for yourself. 

I don’t think you will be able to intellectualize your way out of depression. So reading about it too much won’t be helpful. Action is key here.

Edited September 29, 2020 by Arzola

[SLuxy]

Therapist. See a therapist. They quantum leap your process if the right therapist is chosen.

Also, read the first chapter of "Seven Habits of Highly effective people". 

- Power one line sentence there: "Make and keep small commitments". Develop integrity, but for small tasks. 

Small being subjective to you i.e. you feeling you cannot brush your teeth, and you often do not. Write in a planner "Touch toothbrush/ brush for 5 seconds". Its not a trick, literally do what you said you would do in your planner. Nothing more.

Keep doing that for various things i.e. cannot study, then study for "1 min". And again don't do more. 

Tick things off, and inevitably you'll develop more self-trust, and confidence that when you commit to something that you'll do it.

It gives you a level of hope for the future, and inevitably what you'll perceive as small will increase.

Its not sexy, but it works.

It is similar to the therapeutic method of "behavioural activation". 

It won't solve everything, not close. But relative to being without the method it is incredible.

There's a lot of airy-fairy advice on depression, or things like meditation are recommended. But if you don't have the motivation for meditation then you won't meditate. Build the foundation through building your integrity.

[tsuki]

Books by Alice Miller. The Drama of the Gifted Child is very short and packs a punch.