Do you feel too sad and empty to enjoy life?
Does it ever feel like your life has no meaning or purpose?
Are you struggling with a lack of motivation and energy?
Do you find yourself pulling away from friends and family and isolating more?
Maybe you feel tired, lonely, empty, and hopeless. Perhaps you’ve been sleeping in more and going out less. You may feel unusually sad and tearful—every little thing gets under your skin. Or perhaps you feel numb and disconnected from your emotions, as if you’re not really present in your own life. As a result, you may ask yourself: Do I have depression?
Living with depression can feel like drawing from an empty tank
Depression is an invisible illness. On the surface, everything in your life may seem okay. You may be getting your work done and going about life like you normally would, but it feels like you’re drawing from an empty tank. Perhaps you want to connect with others and break out of your loneliness, but you don’t have the emotional energy to.
If this is how you feel, I encourage you to take heart. In depression therapy, I am confident that I can help you regain your motivation, enjoy healthier relationships, and reconnect with your purpose.
Depression is the product of a stressful, chaotic, and disconnected world
It’s no secret that depression is on the rise. During the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic, depression rates in the US tripled and went from 8.5-percent of the population to 27.8-percent.
Today, depression continues to ravage a stressful and disconnected world. Families are more separated than they’ve ever been. Political upheaval and divisiveness abound. Every day we are bombarded with news about war, economic woes, and mass shootings. Each time that it seems we’ve reached a breaking point, our culture figures out how to reach a new low. Little wonder, then, that so many of us struggle with depression.
Many people buy into the lie that depression is a choice. It’s not.
Our culture often pushes the narrative that we have to figure out our problems by ourselves. We’re taught that we just have to choose to be happy and grateful, as if depression is a choice. The truth is that it’s not. Depression is usually related to trauma, genetics, and factors outside of our control.
What’s more, depression is self-sabotaging in nature. Because the sorrow and pain make you feel so depleted and unmotivated, it’s hard to gather the strength to fight against your feelings. This is why it’s so important to seek help. Depression therapy can help you step beyond your lack of motivation and learn new ways to cope with your symptoms.
Therapy can get to the root of your depression and help you live a more fulfilling life
Depression often stems from childhood trauma and early attachment issues. As a result, many people dealing with depression also have perfectionist tendencies and feel like they’re never good enough for anyone. This creates a lot of pressure for people just getting started in therapy.
I take a gentle approach to therapy and seek to lessen the pressure that depression creates. When it comes to healing, I believe you can get where you want to go faster by slowing down. This may sound paradoxical, but going slowly allows you to pick up on the nuances of depression that you might miss if you go too fast.
Above all, counseling provides a safe space to explore the underlying causes of depression and speak freely about what’s coming up for you. Utilizing telehealth, you have the privacy to open up about your issues without worrying about what other people think.
What to expect in sessions
In therapy together, you and I will explore every area of your life—family, friends, work, spirituality, trauma, physical issues, etc. This will help us get a fuller, more holistic picture of your life and understand how depression affects each aspect of it. Although a lot of therapy focuses on identifying and treating the root cause of depression, we’ll also work on coping skills that you can use to reduce your symptoms.
I draw from an eclectic mix of approaches, some of them trauma-focused and some of them more creatively-minded. I often use EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing) to help clients process old emotional wounds and desensitize the pain of traumatic memories. Sometimes hypnotherapy can be helpful as well, both in processing emotional wounds and exploring and healing unconscious beliefs.
Additionally, I like to bring in some creative therapies and use drawing, writing, and other forms of art. Creativity can help you get in touch with your emotions and experience peace of mind.
No matter how hopeless you feel, I am confident that you can break the cycle of depression and live a more fulfilling and meaningful life. My goal is to walk with you on your journey and offer support and encouragement as you work toward your goals.
You may have some questions about depression therapy…
I’m worried that we’ll uncover something really painful and I’ll feel even worse.
I often work on lots of deeper issues and sometimes that can leave you feeling intense emotions. However, my approach is a gentle one where we take things slowly so that you don’t feel overwhelmed. I will teach you ways to stay grounded and contained so that you can manage your depression symptoms both inside and outside our sessions.
I don’t know if therapy is worth all the time and money.
Depression therapy is an investment in yourself that only takes up a small amount of your time. What’s more, most of my clients say that they have more time available to them because of therapy. By relieving their depression symptoms, they can be more productive in the activities they want to do. I want you to experience the same thing yourself.
Should I take medication?
For some of my clients, medication can make the work of therapy a little easier. For many, though, therapy is powerful enough on its own to treat depression. If you decide to try medication, I would be happy to connect you with a psychiatrist or doctor who prescribes.
Let me help you manage your emotions and reconnect with your purpose
If you want to learn how to treat depression and experience newfound peace in your life, I would be honored to work with you. To begin the healing process, you can use the contact page to schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation.
