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Recover Life from Depression

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Storied Mind Ebooks Ready to Go!

by John Folk-Williams Leave a Comment

Well, it took a little longer than I expected, but the two Storied Mind ebooks are now available at most of the major online sites, including Amazon, Apple iBooks, Kobo, B&N Nook and a lot of others I’ve only recently discovered. All the formatting of the old PDF versions had to go, and I dropped […]

Filed Under: Blogging Tagged With: ebooks, recovery, writing

Notebook: Healing the Whole Person

by John Folk-Williams 3 Comments

healing from depression

In this post (one of several I think of as notebook entries) I’ve put together several ideas about healing that underlie the work of Michael Lerner and Rachel Naomi Remen. What sets them apart for me are their insights about the comprehensive process by which people not only learn to live with chronic illness but […]

Filed Under: Healing, Mindfulness Tagged With: awareness

Why Writing Helps Heal Depression – 2

by John Folk-Williams 11 Comments

Writing helps heal depression

As I discussed in this earlier post, writing helps heal the depression that dominated decades of my life. That post reviewed James Pennebaker’s research, as summarized in Opening Up, but said little about how I go about writing to confront the most powerful feelings and maintain the progress I’ve made in recovery. For writing is […]

Filed Under: Anxiety, Recovery, Writing Tagged With: depression, fear

Why Writing Can Help Heal Depression – 1

by John Folk-Williams 21 Comments

writing helps heal depression

The subtitle of Storied Mind used to be Writing to Recover Life from Depression, and I’ve often wondered why it is specifically that writing can help heal depression, especially when so many other approaches to treatment have failed me. When I was just starting this blog, I wrote about the fear of writing or even […]

Filed Under: Recovery, Writing Tagged With: depression, feelings, trauma

Re-Reading the Story of Depression’s Meaning

by John Folk-Williams 20 Comments

Stories of depression's meaning

There are no more beautiful and moving stories of healing than those told by Rachel Naomi Remen. Kitchen Table Wisdom is one of those books I come back to again and again. Each of its brief stories renders a moment of discovery that reveals a life’s meaning to someone lost in pain or rigid routine. […]

Filed Under: Purpose, Reconnecting Tagged With: depression, life, meaning, Rachel Naomi Remen, self, survival, Viktor Frankl

Depersonalized, Derealized, Dissociative and Disappearing

by John Folk-Williams 22 Comments

dissociative disappearing

I had a comment on a post at Health Central that described an experience the writer called dissociative. During a therapy session she had become so remote that she couldn’t focus on the discussion or even remember in mid-sentence what she’d been saying. She wasn’t fully present and couldn’t bring herself to come back into […]

Filed Under: Depression Symptoms Tagged With: connection, dissociation, family, feelings, intimacy

A New Model of Mental Health Recovery

by John Folk-Williams 6 Comments

Mental Health Recovery

My understanding of mental health recovery came from experience with the standard treatments: psychotherapy and medication. Until the 1990s, I worked exclusively with psychiatrists for both. In that setting, I can’t recall anyone talking to me about recovery or what I wanted to get out of treatment. The assumption was that I would be in […]

Filed Under: Recovery, Self-Help Tagged With: psychiatry, treatment

Stories to Explain My Life with Depression

by John Folk-Williams 11 Comments

stories of depression

Stories can be an immediate and moving way to learn about someone because they evoke the feelings and experience that factual details never can. When told with honesty and sincerity, a story helps establish a bond of trust because the teller has been willing to open such personal insight to the listener. For me, certain […]

Filed Under: Purpose, Self-Esteem Tagged With: belief, depression, hope, life, meaning

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Surviving Depression Together Now Available at Major Retailers

Surviving Depression Together


Surviving Depression Together

"John, this is a ... much needed resource. Thanks for writing it!"

- Therese Borchard, author of Beyond Blue


Learn More...

A Mind for Life Ebook Now Available at Major Retailers

A Mind for Life: From Depression to Living Well

A Mind for Life Ebook

The inner work of getting your life back from depression. This ebook is now available in most common ebook formats at major retailers.

LEARN MORE

Living Depressed

Depression affects emotions, mental abilities, self-concept, behavior, relationships and the entire body. These core posts describe the full range of symptoms affecting daily life. Read More.

Choices in Healing

Hoping for recovery gives you a motive but not a method for getting there. This section has posts about therapies and healing methods you can work with either on your own or with professional guidance. Read more.

Living Well

If you've learned how to manage your depression, you'll want a fulfilling life rather than one dominated by fear that the illness might return. In this section, you'll find posts about how to work toward that goal. Read More

Relationships in Crisis

One of the hardest challenges of living with depression is holding onto your closest relationships. This section features posts on how to help a relationship survive. Read More.

Recent Posts

  • Storied Mind Ebooks Ready to Go!
  • Notebook: Healing the Whole Person
  • Why Writing Helps Heal Depression – 2
  • Why Writing Can Help Heal Depression – 1
  • Re-Reading the Story of Depression’s Meaning

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DISCLAIMER: None of the content on this site should be interpreted as medical or therapeutic advice about the treatment of depression or any mental illness. If you feel you need help, you should seek treatment from qualified professionals.

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