Marty L. Cooper, MFT
4831 Geary Blvd. San Francisco, CA 94118
martycooper@mlcooper.com
www.mlcooper.com
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August 2010 Vol. 2, Issue 10
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Greetings!
Greetings!
Here is the second in series of Q&A that I'll be running in this newsletter. Hopefully they are questions that you might have asked, and the answers are to the point and useful. Thanks for the feedback some of you have sent in--I very much welcome the dialogue.
For this month, the question is: "Regarding my depression, why can't I just ask help from God?"
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, there are still openings in the upcoming 6 week Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression workshop, which starts on Sunday, Aug. 22nd. See below for more information. Be well, Marty |
Q: Regarding my depression, why can't I just ask help from God?
A: You can! Absolutely, spirituality (one's relationship
to the profound) can be deeply healing (there's the question of which God, but
let's assume you're praying to a benevolent God). But there are psychic
problems that are equivalent to physical problems, that need specific
helpers. You won't kneel in prayer in order to mend a broken leg.
God may be sympathetic, but he's apparently outsourced that specific work to
medical doctors. Relationship to spirit is not the cause of a broken leg,
nor is it the cause of depression. Finding God doesn't generally, or necessarily, resolve
depression, because it is coming out of a "grungier" level of the mind.
Depression involves multiple aspects of the human system, not insignificantly being the
body and neurological systems. Praying doesn't directly or accurately
modify the faults, say, in serotonin production. Praying does not modify
cognitive maps of one's self and the dysfunctional beliefs we carry (because
it's still an external source of love: sure, God loves me, but I hate my
guts...).
Also, we are deeply social creatures. It's not just
nice to have people around, it's required. An infant who is deprived of
contact, physical and emotional, withers and dies. Being a hermit (just
me and my God) is for most people an attempt to compensate for the painfulness
of relationship, and past relationships, and finding in spiritual company what
we can't locate in the world of people. Depression has a lot to do with
our relationship to our self and to others, so asking for divine assistance
bypasses the origin of the problem: what gets broken in relationship has
to be healed in relationship.
So, as with the broken leg, apparently God (by whatever Name) has given over the specific work of healing depression to healers. So it's a both/and: relationship to Spirit, and help from everyone else who can be helpful.
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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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