Dealing Successfully With Anxiety And Depression

by Donald Marmara, somatic psychotherapist

My Personal Struggle with Depression and Anxiety

I was chronically depressed and anxious as a teenager and in my early twenties. From the age of fourteen I was prescribed anti-depressants, tranquillisers and sleeping pills. I was told that I would be dependent on medication for the rest of my life.

When I was 24 years old, I decided to move from my country of origin, and I emigrated to
London. Something in me was telling me that there had to be a better way than taking
progressively stronger and larger doses of medication to keep me sane, but I didn’t know what to do about it and I was terrified of missing even one dose of the medication that I had become so totally dependent on.

My Road To Recovery
Through a series of apparent coincidences I came across a form of psychotherapy, somatic
psychotherapy, that used a combination of methods to enable me to understand the part I could play in changing my life. It helped me understand the connection between my mind, body and emotions, and this understanding was experiential and not just intellectual.

This means that I was able to feel and experience first-hand what was happening in my body and mind. The difference between intellectual understanding and experiential understanding is like the difference between learning the theory behind driving a car and actually experiencing driving it.

Intellectual understanding is helpful but not enough – in fact many people who suffer from
anxiety and depression understand what’s happening intellectually but find themselves unable to use this knowledge to help themselves.

I had a difficult time readjusting and taking my life back into my own hands, but within a year I
had already experienced so much change that I decided to train in this form of therapy so that I could help myself more and also help others transform their lives.

So How Can You Help Yourself?
First of all, you need to know and acknowledge that you’re not to blame for feeling anxious or
depressed. Unfortunately a high proportion of people in our society feel that way, because we live in a culture that does not always understand and support our biological needs.
Secondly – it helps to understand that conflict lies at the heart of both anxiety and depression.

The best way to discover the particular conflict that underlies your condition is to cultivate
awareness, particularly body awareness. This will lead you to a direct experience rather than an intellectual understanding of the underlying processes.

It would be easy to say to you – “don’t get discouraged” – but it is only natural to feel
discouraged when you’re depressed or anxious. What can help is to know that, even though the going will be tough sometimes and you will feel discouraged and want to give up, there is a way through and persistence does work.

Having said all this, it can be very difficult to deal successfully with depression and anxiety
without professional help. This is not to discourage you, but rather to encourage you to seek help when you need it, as indeed I have done, to overcome very unpleasant and painful situations and regain your health, wellbeing and passion for life. In most cases a significant part of the conflict causing anxiety and depression is unconscious, and requires the help of an experienced practitioner to resolve adequately.

Another problem with anxiety and depression is that we often find it really difficult to do what
we know is good for us. Here again is where an experienced practitioner – one who has been
through it himself or herself – can be of great help.

Seeking help is a sign of strength not weakness – in fact the cultural notion that you should be
able to go it alone and that asking for help is a sign of weakness, is an attempt to compensate for feelings of inadequacy.

Not only is it a sign of strength and emotional maturity to seek professional help under these
circumstances, it is also a way of achieving a better quality of life more effectively, and of
avoiding unnecessary pain and hardship.

Depression and anxiety are bad enough in themselves – unfortunately if maintained over
prolonged periods they can result in many serious illnesses and premature ageing, as well as having a destructive effect on relationships.

Is it not wise, therefore, to take whatever action is necessary to get yourself back on track to a state of health, happiness and passion for life?

Article provided by :

Donald Marmara, somatic psychotherapist