I’ve written about emotional abuse in my boyhood and a family history of depression as big contributors to my own illness, but recently I’ve spent more time reconnecting with the things that went right all those years ago rather than dwelling only on what went wrong. The positive side is simply the love that has […]
family
A Never-Ending Family Story Has to End
My never-ending family story has always been a hard scene in which I am very young and small and terrified. I’m staring at my parents and brother locked in combat. There may be no action, it usually flashes at me in tableau form, but there is plenty of rage, fear and hurt. There is a […]
The Limits of Care-Giving for Depression
A family member’s care-giving for depression can shift from hope to frustration if the initial expectations are unrealistically high. The film Phoebe in Wonderland is about a young girl with a compulsive disorder and also about the mother who tries to cure her with love. The mother, brilliantly played by Felicity Huffman, blames herself as […]
The Costly Mercy of Lost Feelings
I’ve been working on a new ebook about recovery and came across this early post on lost feelings. It resonated with me so I thought I would post it again in this revised version. A breakthrough to healing can come at the most unexpected time. The other night I was trying to divert myself by […]
Moving from Pain to Recovery
I have learned a lot about recovering from depression by studying methods for dealing with chronic pain. Now I have had a chance to turn this around. How can my skills in dealing with depression help me manage post-operative pain? Unfortunately, I have had more time than I had hoped to find out. As planned, […]
7 More Movies about Depression
My ongoing search for movies about depression is turning up a long list of great dramas. Here are seven more of my favorites. Melancholia This extraordinarily beautiful film is the relentless portrayal of a depressed woman set against a background of the approaching end of the world. After alienating most of those close to her, […]
Depression and Worry: Tales of Mere Existence
I hope you enjoy these classics. They’re good notes to end the summer on. 1. How to Cope with Depression Lev Yilmaz: If you’re feeling down, go to your Co-Workers, Elders, Family and Friends for help. They are sure to give you great, great advice… 2. Things I Have Worried About Lev Yilmaz: Just a […]
Grief Instead of Depression at the Death of a Small Friend
It’s like depression in one way. People don’t understand grief for a lost pet unless they’ve been there. We’re there now, once again. A couple of years ago, I updated an early post about grieving the death of an Australian shepherd who had been with us for 14 years. She’d done her shepherdly duty in […]
