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Recovery Stories

Fighting Back to Recover from Depression

by John Folk-Williams 10 Comments

Oak Tree Reflections

Stories about the struggle to recover from depression tell of repeated efforts to find a way to live well despite the recurring burden of illness. For me the key lesson is that each person in these stories keeps trying, despite repeated setbacks. I recently came across a research study that says the same thing in […]

Filed Under: Recovery Stories Tagged With: acceptance, change, diagnosis, motivation, optimism

Tom Wootton’s Story: Finding Ecstasy and Equanimity in Depression

by John Folk-Williams 13 Comments

ecstasy through pain and depression

(Tom Wootton has been advocating a radical change in the way we think about depression and bipolar for several years. One the most challenging ideas he has put forward is that depression can be integrated into the comfort zone of living and even become a beautiful experience. To elaborate on what he means by this, […]

Filed Under: Recovery Stories Tagged With: equanimity, meditation, purpose, spiritual, suicide

Judy’s Story of Depression and PTSD

by John Folk-Williams 8 Comments

Hydrangeas

In this post, Judy tells her compelling story of lifelong depression and PTSD as well as her gradual healing and recovery with the aid of innovative therapies such as hypnosis and EMDR. Background As is the case with many people who live with depression for a number of years, it’s wreaked havoc on my marriage […]

Filed Under: Recovery Stories Tagged With: emotional abuse, postpartum depression, PTSD, therapy, work

Jocelyn’s Recovery Story

by John Folk-Williams 3 Comments

recovery butterfly

Every now and then a reader offers insights about his or her own recovery story in the form of a comment on a particular post. As I did with Peter’s story, I like to give them more prominence by re-posting in the blog. Jocelyn offered this summary of how she was able to overcome a […]

Filed Under: Recovery Stories Tagged With: belief, fear, feelings, God, shame

Peter’s Recovery Story – Part 2

by John Folk-Williams 6 Comments

concentric blue circles

Be sure to read Part 1 of this self-help recovery story about the development of Peter’s depression from childhood through the teenage years. Adulthood I moved a lot, even from country to country, but soon learned that the escape was merely temporary. My old self was following wherever I went, but moving about and keeping […]

Filed Under: Recovery Stories Tagged With: cognitive therapy, exercise, meditation, thinking

Peter’s Recovery Story – Part 1

by John Folk-Williams

Boy alone on country road

Peter told his recovery story as an extended comment recently, and I wanted to give it a more prominent place as another in our ongoing series of personal stories. Because of its length, it will be posted in two parts. During the last ten years or so, whenever the emotional roller coaster of my life […]

Filed Under: Recovery Stories Tagged With: childhood, emotional abuse, father, self-esteem, teenage depression

Struck by Living – A Memoir of Depression and Recovery

by John Folk-Williams 8 Comments

Julie Hersh wrote two versions of Struck by Living about her struggle with suicidal depression. She ended the first one with her hike to the top of a New Mexico mountain in a symbolic celebration of her recovery. A happy, triumphant ending. She bound the manuscript and sent it to dozens of her friends. Then […]

Filed Under: Recovery Stories Tagged With: ECT, medication, suicide, symptoms

Recovery Stories: Tony Giordano

by John Folk-Williams 1 Comment

Every story about depression is a little different. But when you can see the big picture, a lot of parallels start to appear. Although I had gone through some rough spots here and there, my life was moving along alright overall until depression struck in my mid-forties. When I learned I was clinically depressed, I […]

Filed Under: Recovery Stories Tagged With: childhood, trauma, work

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Surviving Depression Together Now Available at Major Retailers

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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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