• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Storied Mind

Recover Life from Depression

  • Home
  • About
    • Commenting Guidelines
  • START HERE
    • Archives
  • Self-Help
    • Recovery Stories
You are here: Home / Archives for Recovery

Recovery

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

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

Forgiveness and Escape from Depression

by John Folk-Williams 8 Comments

Forgiveness

As many know it, forgiveness is a feeling that can’t be forced, one that often comes after a long inner struggle. I’ve lived with the need for many forms of forgiveness, and each has been important in my recovery from depression. I’ve felt the need to acknowledge hurt that I’ve caused and to ask for […]

Filed Under: Recovery, Relationship Tagged With: Anger, depression, family, forgiveness, loss

Do You Have to Lower Your Expectations of Life to Recover?

by John Folk-Williams 15 Comments

hope for recovery

I’ve often mentioned how crucial it has been to my recovery that I made basic changes in my work and way of living as a whole. Did I have to give up on hope and lower expectations of life in order to get better? My answer is No. But if you had asked me before […]

Filed Under: Healing, Recovery Tagged With: change, depression, hope, life, well-being

Can Depression Make Us Better People?

by John Folk-Williams 26 Comments

Conversation on Depression

Depression can collapse your life the way an earthquake can take down a city. So how could this same depression make us better people? Tom Wootton takes the idea farther than anyone else with his belief that depression can be a beautiful part of your life. Most of us haven’t imagined such a possibility but […]

Filed Under: Recovery Tagged With: depression, empathy, learning

6 Dimensions of Psychological Well-Being

by John Folk-Williams 14 Comments

psychological well-being

Recovery should aim at restoring psychological well-being as well as ending the symptoms of depression. Naturally, you get into treatment to stop the pain of those symptoms. It’s a huge achievement if the treatment works, and you can keep depression from ruining your life. But so many people relapse after initially getting better that full […]

Filed Under: Healing, Psychotherapy, Recovery Tagged With: personal growth, psychology, self, symptoms, well-being

Patterns of Recovery from Depression and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

by John Folk-Williams 9 Comments

patterns of recovery

I started learning about patterns of recovery when my mother survived two heart attacks but died twice before her death. That’s the way she saw it. Her heart stopped both times, but she fought her way back. The second heart-stopping attack occurred during an operation for a different problem. She was 94. I only learned […]

Filed Under: Depression Treatments, Recovery Tagged With: depression, pattern, PTSD, trauma, treatment, trust

Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Sign Up for Email Delivery

Get updates and blog posts by email.

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

Search Storied Mind

Categories

Recent Comments

  • Linda on Helen: A Great Film on Depression
  • Anonymous on 10 Ways to Help Yourself When Your Partner Is Depressed
  • Karthika on How Can You Communicate After Your Depressed Partner Leaves?
  • Adam on How Can You Communicate After Your Depressed Partner Leaves?
  • Karthika on How Can You Communicate After Your Depressed Partner Leaves?
  • Adam on How Can You Communicate After Your Depressed Partner Leaves?
  • Anonymous on How Can You Communicate After Your Depressed Partner Leaves?
  • Karthika on How Can You Communicate After Your Depressed Partner Leaves?

Privacy and Cookie Policy

Privacy Policy

Cookie Policy

Terms of Use

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.

AFFILIATES: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Copyright © 2023 · Dynamik-Gen on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in