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Mindfulness

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

Mindfulness as Self-Help for Anxiety

by John Folk-Williams 4 Comments

There’s nothing like extreme anxiety to make you feel like you’re falling apart. Using a few basics of mindfulness as self-help may be a way to pull yourself back together. The all-embracing anxiety I’m talking about comes close to panic. It’s an explosion of fear that hits everything. Certain situations can set it off, or […]

Filed Under: Anxiety, Mindfulness, Self-Help Tagged With: fear

Mindful Attention Is a Healing Force

by John Folk-Williams 7 Comments

Learning the skills of mindful attention can put you on a slow but steady track of healing. Medication and cognitive therapy try to put you on the fast track, but the effects don’t always last. Though it may take a while to instill mindfulness in everyday life, once established it’s with you for the long […]

Filed Under: Healing, Mindfulness Tagged With: attention, awareness, meditation, mind

The Challenge of the Ordinary

by John Folk-Williams 7 Comments

Challenge of the Ordinary in Depression

When I’m depressed, I dwell most on the failings of the past and the expected disappointments of the future, but there is also the challenge of the ordinary moments of the present. The challenge when depressed is to recognize the things I do well but unconsciously, the daily actions I’m good at but ignore when […]

Filed Under: Mindfulness, Self-Help Tagged With: awareness, depression, judgment, memory, well-being

Why Talking to Myself Makes Sense

by John Folk-Williams 10 Comments

portrait magical thinking

I’ve tried to stop talking to myself, but I haven’t had much luck. I’m referring to the silent internal conversation that accompanies almost every waking moment when my attention is left on its own. I’ve often wondered why the talking has to keep going. Listening with Awareness As part of dealing with depression, I’ve worked […]

Filed Under: Mindfulness, Reconnecting Tagged With: awareness, mind, self, thinking, well-being

From Depression Through Recovery to Life as Creative Experience

by John Folk-Williams 12 Comments

All that I am, all that life has made me, every past experience that I have had – woven into the tissue of my life – I must give to … new experience. … We integrate our experience, and then the richer human being that we are goes into the new experience; again we give […]

Filed Under: Mindfulness, Purpose Tagged With: experience, life

What Can Help Prevent Depression Relapse?

by John Folk-Williams 17 Comments

Depression has an especially cruel season called relapse. It always happens after the worst seems to be over; hope like sunlight is restored; life without depression is in full bloom. Then suddenly it’s winter again. The more often it happened to me, the more impossible the goal of recovery seemed to become. I was surprised […]

Filed Under: Depression Treatments, Mindfulness, Psychotherapy Tagged With: cognitive therapy, mindset, relapse

The Alchemy of Turning Depression into Vitality

by John Folk-Williams 10 Comments

First Wind of Spring

After reading about the experiences of Tom Wootton and Will, the author of the great blog, WillSpirit, I’ve been exploring whether I could find a way, as they have, of turning depression into vitality or even bliss, something positive and fulfilling. It’s been a stretch. I’ve usually thought of depression as a force that turns […]

Filed Under: Mindfulness Tagged With: awareness, energy, equanimity, meaning, motivation, peace

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Surviving Depression Together Now Available at Major Retailers

Surviving Depression Together


Surviving Depression Together

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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.

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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.

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  • Notebook: Healing the Whole Person
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