In my 30 years as a therapist, I have paid particular attention to trauma recovery, depression and dreams.
Depression is the movement of vitality out of the conscious life. The feeling of listlessness pulls us away from our relationships, activities, and work. This can be due to a great disappointment, loss, something left unmourned, or a spiritual malaise before a readjustment of values. Medication may be helpful in alleviating symptoms, but often there is also a larger meaning.
In trauma, our life’s energy is blocked by an unusual and startling event. We are threatened and our skills go into mastering a situation that is overwhelming. Yet we stay stuck there, tempted to self-medicate with drugs or alcohol. Fortunately, there are new therapies to assist in moving through the experience to a fully embodied state.
Looking at the internal reality is as crucial to solving the problem as considering the practical steps one needs to take. When we attend to the inner world through imagination or dreams, the body changes.
Dreams are good problem solvers and often reveal the crux of the matter. Examined and understood, they present possibilities that the waking mind would not have generated.
In therapy, I can help with deciding a healthy approach to the problem, including whether medication might be useful. Dialogue with an experienced therapist can change the picture from a two dimensional black and white into a full color three-dimensional life.
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