Marty L. Cooper, MFT
4831 Geary Blvd.
San Francisco, CA 94118
martycooper@mlcooper.com
www.mlcooper.com
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July 2010 Vol. 2, Issue 9
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Greetings!
Greetings!
I'm back from a somewhat extended break from writing this newsletter, and wanted to try something a bit different from what has typically been an essay format. For the next few issues, at least, I'll be taking questions that have either been sent to me, or that my clients have asked, and answering them here.
Also, if you yourself have questions around overcoming depression, or how mindfulness practice fits, feel free to email me ( martycooper@mlcooper.com) and I will respond in a future newsletter. Lastly, I will be offering a 6 week Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression workshop starting Sunday, Aug. 22nd. See below for more information. Be well, Marty |
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Q: If I do nothing, will depression go away like other ailments?
A: The answer depends on what the depression is based on. You can think of depression as having two basic forms: situational, and chronic. Situational is based on external, contemporary, and temporary events. It's what you experience when a loved one dies, when you lose your job, when a cherished plan falls apart. If you do nothing, in this case in the sense of letting yourself feel what you feel, for however long that takes, then yes, it will pass just like a common cold. Our systems are organized to expel depression just like a cold, if all things go well.
If all things do not go well, then what you get is chronic depression. With chronic depression, what may have started as an external source triggering depression (an addicted, inconsistently available parent, growing up impoverished, etc.) becomes an internal source. The fact that your parents are not loving converts to the internal belief that "I am not lovable" (or, perhaps, "The world is depriving"). And because that's a self-reinforcing phenomenon, unlike outside events that trigger and support depression, you have to do something to resolve the chronic form of depression. Which is really saying that you have to do something about how you define your self: with chronic depression, essentially it is you that has to change--or more precisely, how you have defined your self. And "You" doesn't change by itself the way a cloud naturally changes; "You" defends however it is defined, and changing that takes effort.
Think of the difference between a flu, and an auto-immune disorder. In the former, your body does not think that the flu is it. The flu is seen as external, foreign, and is fought off. Given enough support (rest, food, liquids) your body will expel it and you're return to normal. With an auto-immune disorder, your body gets confused about what's what, and starts attacking itself. In that case, if you let things run status quo, then the body will essentially destroy or disable itself. There has to be intervention (medications, therapies) for the auto-immune attacks to stop. The same is true in the relationship between situational and chronic depression: with the former, "you" remembers that the depression is not you; with the latter, "you" get confused and believe the depression is you, and the problem is that then "you" will defend the depression because it is seen as "I". What is "I" is defended against change. (That's just how we're built...)
Therefore, you have to intervene, you have to do something, to interrupt the psychic equivalent (chronic depression) of a bodily auto-immune disorder. |
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Online Articles
Past articles can be found at my articles page by clicking here. |
About Marty
Marty Cooper is a San Francisco psychotherapist who helps individuals
struggling with anxiety and depression to not only manage these "wild
moods," but eventually learn how to overcome them. His background in
both Western approaches to healing, as well as Eastern mindfulness
practices (meditation) give a wide range of perspectives and techniques to bring to the work of taming mood.
Marty's passion arises out of his
deep understanding of how painful anxiety and depression can be, and
his wish to help others learn how to avoid overwhelm, as well as to
find meaning in experience that can otherwise at times just seem pointless.
Joy, connection, and a life not ruled by fear are all truly possible.
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6 Week Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression (MBCT)--
Aug 22 to Sept 26th, 2010
I will be offering an MBCT class in August, running 6 consecutive Sundays (9-11:30a). MBCT focuses on using mindfulness and cognitive-behavioral skills to prevent recurring depressions, as well as skills to, in the long term, work with and overcome depression.
The class is intended to help you:
- Learn, through direct experience, about the workings of your mind and your particular vulnerabilities to depression.
- To notice when you are getting caught in old thoughts, and practice ways of releasing yourself from these habits.
- To practice a different way of relating to yourself and the world.
- Learn to let go of the struggle or combat with oneself that contributes to and sustains depression.
- To practice acceptance of one's self and the world, rather than judgment/despair and self-criticism.
- Learn to notice and savor the small moments of pleasure which typically are clouded by depression.
Click here for information about MBCT in SF, and here for a calendar of MBCT events throughout the Bay Area. |
Services
I offer psychotherapy to those who are wanting to learn deeper and more effective management strategies for their anxiety and depression, as well those who wish to find out how to overcome these wild moods. I work comprehensively with mental, emotional, bodily, and spiritual dimensions, all of which are necessary to overcome the chronic quality of anxiety and depression.
If
you are looking to make changes that last, then please call me and set up an initial phone consultation, so we can see if or how I can best be of service.
Marty L. Cooper, MFT
415.835.2162
martycooper@mlcooper.com
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