Healing Times: November 2009

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November 2009

Greetings!

It's hard to believe that the holidays are almost here... you can feel the buzz in the air like a plane about to take flight. This can be the most stressful time of the year, with visitors coming and going, traveling to see family and loved ones, the extra expense of the season and the New Year approaching - not to mention the strained economic situation we are all dealing with.

Still, in the face of all the changes, remember the value of gratitude. Take time to relax, take care of yourself and remind yourself daily of how grateful you are for all you have in your life. It's a good time of year to reach out to others if you can. Give to your local food bank, volunteer your time at your favorite charity or help a friend in need. Doing something for others can often make us feel better. Involve your kids and grand kids in this.

The Software for the Mind products that I recommend especially this time of year are Healing Journey, Letting Go of Stress, Easing into Sleep, Abolish Anxiety, Escape from Depression and The 10-Minute Stress Manager. They can prove valuable guides to enable you to be successful in creating inner peace and healing.

Enjoy the season ...

Warmly,

Emmett Miller, MD

Depression
Is it more than the Holiday Blues?
By: Emmett Miller MD

You may have observed that the winter months and holiday activities are a time of happiness for some people, while others seem to experience an increase of sadness and distress. Anniversaries can sneak up on us and change our mood at any time during the year, especially during the holidays associated with the dark months. Anniversary or holiday blues are usually attributed to the "stress" of holiday activities and associated family and social expectations. Anyone caught up in "Holiday Blues" deserves compassionate attention.

Sometimes, however, depressive symptoms that occur during the fall and winter months may stem from other, more serious sources:

Those who find they feel "down" between Thanksgiving and Valentine's Day may be among the 5-20% of Americans suffering from what is known as S.A.D. - Seasonal Affective Disorder. They're reacting to the diminished amount of natural light; there seems to be a chemical change in the brain involving chemical melanin. People affected by S.A.D. may be helped when they extend their day with full-spectrum fluorescent light.
Annual activities make it easy to see the changes in our own lives and in the lives of our loved ones. Anyone who has experienced a major life change or loss since the last time the generations got together cannot help but be reminded of it during winter months when so much emphasis is on social contact and "tradition." Increased sadness, nostalgia, or unexplained feelings of loss may actually signal that there are things that need to be acknowledged or grieved one more time. This is natural and normal grief. Grief is not the same thing as depression, although inadequately handled grief can turn into depression. Normal evidence of the passage of time can bring with it mixed feelings of pleasure and regret - things change, we get older.
Many people have a non-seasonal kind of depression that is biological or chemical in origin; they are somewhat depressed most of the time and may have the ability to disguise it from their own or another's awareness - most of the time. This type of depression tends to become evident when compounded by any amount of environmental or social stress. Unnoticed at other times of the year, it is very likely to surface at this time.

Depression Triggered By Loss

Many times depression has an inherited, chemical aspect. Still, most of the time the appearance also involves significant life stresses, especially the stress of a loss (potential or actual). Any kind of loss can serve - the loss of a relationship, possessions, social status, or Self-esteem, the loss of a physical capacity or ability.

The appropriate way to deal with a loss is to go through the grieving process, often with social support. But if the loss has not been adequately grieved, energy continues to be lost from the psyche - it's as if there were a perpetually open, unhealed wound. Grieving is healthy - it is what heals the wound. When grieving is incomplete, a person may be stuck at one level or another - fear, resentment (anger), helplessness and hopelessness are familiar stuck points. The continual presence of such harmful emotions often then leads to depression.

Healing From Depression

Healing deeply from depression may involve going deeper than the momentary stresses in your life to become aware of and embrace a deeper sense of your Self. As you let go of concern about more superficial things you are able to go deeper within and to discover the inspiration that gave vitality to your life before you were depressed. The idea is to experience the deeper vitality that is within you that is otherwise being masked by the symptoms of stress and depression. Friends and loved ones are invaluable in this endeavor.

Sometimes the sadness, flatness, withdrawal, anxiety, and sleep disturbance are severe and long-lasting enough to be considered signs of a "Clinical Depression http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clinical_Depression." This is something more serious, and if you suspect this is the case, don't underestimate the gravity of the situation - always consider professional help.

And remember, one of the symptoms of serious depression is denial, and the tendency to resist or block any form of help. A depressed person literally has no confidence in a happy outcome, so it is an act of courage for them to take any steps toward healing. If you are the person "standing by," your tender regard and patience will be crucial. The most effective contribution you can make to their peace of mind is to listen empathetically, without trying to solve anything, and to support them to seek professional help.

The following are my suggestions for programs that are frequently used successfully alone, or in conjunction with any treatment that a physician or therapist would recommend:

The recently released Escape From Depression is the most complete program I have produced for helping in this process. Experience two free audio samples of this CD HERE. Also, read a little about Loss and Letting Go - Accepting Change and Moving On.

Joy and freedom are your birthright! Claim them!

Healing Our Planet -
Awakening the Leader Within
A 3-part Lecture/Workshop Series
Location: Grass Valley, CA
Date: TBD

As human beings, we are part of an immense web of life. Anything that happens to this web ultimately happens to us, and whatever we do has an effect on this web. These truths have been hidden from us by a globalized economic system that benefits from our being victims and consumers.

In his book, Our Culture on the Couch - Seven Steps to Global Healing (OurCultureOnTheCouch.com), Dr. Miller applies his clinical skills to examine and diagnose the root cause of our personal and global symptoms, then presents seven steps you can take to empower and heal yourself, and to heal your planet as well.

Beginning in January Dr. Miller will present these seven steps in a lecture/workshop series, exploring what our families, communities, nations, cultures and planet can do to change our future.

The presentations will be highly experiential, drawing upon the approaches Dr. Miller has developed utilizing tools like deep relaxation, meditation, guided imagery, prayer, music, movement, and sharing in a safe environment.

The first presentation will begin with a review of the principles and learnings offered in COTC, then continuing with an exploration of first two steps, Presence and Awareness. In subsequent sessions, you will:

Discover how to release unwanted beliefs, behaviors, thoughts, self-images, as well as physical and emotional attachments.
Learn to balance the fundamental forces of Love and Violence, within and in your environment.
Gain access to your inner wisdom.
Learn to activate the Law of Attraction with heart-centered visioning.
Create functional community relationships and use the techniques of The World Caf� (TheWorldCafe.com).
Explore the use of Web 2.0 social media networking to multiply the effectiveness of your ideas an your energy. A networking website specifically for developing the collective insights that arise for this group.