Depression

Depression. The term is so commonly used I can be confused by the user’s intention. I am fairly confident that the average person using the term is not aware of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders’ (DSM) description of depressive disorders. For the purpose here in, I will use a common understanding of depression as a feeling of low energy and no motivation to engage fully in life.

At Pinashka Psychotherapy I mainly use parts work to address concerns, including the desire to stop being depressed. Parts work is a paradigm shift from a model of disease or disorders to conceptualizing all experiences as ways the inner system adjusts to the lived experience.

Depression in this framework, is neither good nor bad, it just is. Is it possible that depression is an extreme response of parts to slow things down, take it easy, refuel, and catch up on sleep? Might depression be on a continuum with relaxation and rejuvenation?

If we understand depression as an extreme reaction and judge it neither as good nor bad, we are able to work with it.

In my personal parts work, depression is a part of my system that shows up like a thick fluffy heavy blanket (think heavy down).

When it feels needed, this blanket spreads all over all my parts and my life. It may be reacting to intense external stress; activity of my other parts; or general overwhelm. Really there are quite a few scenarios when a part may throw the depression blanket on me. This results in my other parts being layered under the blanket and having a hard time looking through it to engage in life. I can see things, but they are fuzzy, in low contrast, and it takes a lot of energy to say or do anything.

By understanding depression as a blanket I am able to see the job it is doing for me. More importantly I can identify it when it shows up and focus on it. It may take me a minute or two to check in about my feelings, “oh I feel weighted down, it feels like I am all covered up… ! Oh the blanket is on me!?” From this authentic self awareness I can make adjustments and discern why it is here now. It is usually a trail head to more understanding.

Everyone’s journey, with their parts that feel depression, is unique to them. Some people report a fog, a taffy, quick sand, and so on and so forth. Some people don’t visualize anything. The common denominator is everyone is able to objectively see the part that feels depression as neither good nor bad, but simply as is. Through accepting this part there is work to do and hope.