How have complementary therapies helped others to cope with depression? [top]
~ Animal Rights ~
Bibliography ~
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
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Gardening ~
Holistic Approach ~
Knitting ~
Nutrition
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Pet Therapy ~ Poetry ~
Self Management ~
Tai Chi ~
Walking
Animal Rights [back]
The way I cope with Depression is one of the most unconventional methods, I don’t think you would even put it down. I am a peaceful animal rights activist. I go on many protests here and in Europe. This helps me a lot, by meeting lots of people who care not only about animals but humans also, they understand. This helps me a lot, if other people got involved like myself they would see how it works.
Robert
Bibliography [back]
In 1999 at the age of thirty-five, I suffered from a severe reactive depression which meant I had to take some time off work: I felt worthless; lacking in self-esteem; I just wanted to sleep all the time; I had suicidal thoughts. I was still in the recovery period from the fourth major operation owing to gynaecological problems – it was the idea of childlessness that had triggered my low mood. I had a very understanding GP who listened and suggested that counselling would be useful. By the time the appointment with the psychologist became available, I was better and back at work.
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I was helped by reading ‘The Celestine Prophecy’ by James Redfield. As I read, I began to feel a connection and to read words that expressed my thoughts and feelings. I began to feel hopeful and to realise that perhaps I wasn’t alone with my despair and that maybe life did have a role for me after all. The book helped me to get in touch with a spiritual side that I employ to this day. It gave me a direction and a light to follow.
Kim Schröder
Germany
Visit Kim’s website: www.freewebs.com/katseyeview/index.htm
www.besttreatments.co.uk/btuk/conditions/1682.html
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy [back]
I was diagnosed with depression last February after feeling very low for about 6 months. After speaking to my GP, I decided upon a course of anti-depressants and also “talking therapy” with a counsellor. I was so low that I wanted any help I could get and so I was put on the list to await Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). |
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I admit I was a bit nervous about this, but when I first met my counsellor, Linda, in my own home, my fears were put to rest. Linda was absolutely wonderful, each session would last approximately for an hour and she would leave workbooks on overcoming depression for me to read after the session. These focussed on understanding why I’d become depressed, who it was affecting, why I felt like I did and most importantly, how to overcome it.
Over the course of 6 months, I have learned to recognise and challenge my negative thoughts and unhelpful behaviours in order to get on with enjoying my life. I’ve also learned assertiveness techniques which have improved my self-confidence immensely, I’ve made changes in my career in order to have more time for myself and I am now well on the road to recovery.
My CBT experience has been very positive and I now feel armed with the tools and information I need in order to stay well. Following my experience with depression, I now want to increase public awareness and dispel the stigma surrounding this debilitating illness and so, on March 12 I ran the Inverness half marathon in aid of Depression Alliance!
Julie Bowen
Ecologist, Inverness
www.phobics-society.org.uk/computeraidedtherapy.shtml
www.ultrasis.com
Gardening [back]
Cathy Stillman-Lowe, 44, from Berkshire, found gardening a great solace when deep depression struck after redundancy. She says,
'Antidepressants and cognitive behavioural therapy played a vital role when I became really ill after living with depression for eight years. But it was in my garden that I found a deeper sense of peace and satisfaction, after I lost my job. Turning uninspiring patches of rough grass into flowerbeds bursting with blooms provided physical exercise, and the chance to do something creative rather than dwelling on my problems. |
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Alongside depression, I now have severe migraine and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, but even on bad days, I can still plant some seeds or get my hands dirty doing 20 minutes weeding. There is always something new to see, a fresh bud waiting to burst or a plant in flower that I have been eagerly watching for months.’
www.letsgogardening.co.uk
Find out about our Volunteer Gardening Day on our Events Calendar.
Holistic Approach [back]
I had the most perfect pregnancy; I had moved on from a career in modeling, a profession in which I would only describe as enviable to most twenty something year olds. I had travelled around the world, appeared in films including the titles in of a Bond movie ‘A view to a kill’. I had met some amazing superstars such as Christopher Walken, Grace Jones, and Roger Moore to name a few. I had appeared in both the Pirelli and the Unipart calendars in the same year and my chameleon exotic looks gave me the diversity to travel and work in different countries, from the Caribbean to Arabic states, the Mediterranean to the Far East places such as Japan.
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After some years I decided I wanted to settle down. I got married and conceived during a blissful honeymoon in Venice. The first part of the pregnancy was great, no morning sickness, I blossomed with health and I happily ate for England. It was in my third trimester after a photographic shoot for a pregnancy catalogue that disaster struck.
I was at home with my family when I started to bleed very heavily. My husband took me to hospital and placenta previa was diagnosed. This is when the Placenta shifts and blocks the cervical opening preventing the baby being born naturally. I was given an emergency caesarian section and my son James Michael Thomas was born six weeks prematurely. He was jaundiced and was in severe respiratory distress as his lungs hadn’t fully formed as a result of his premature entry to the world. He was put on a ventilator and given a 50/50 chance of survival. This whole episode seemed to hit me hard. The reality that we could lose our baby was hard to bear. I felt powerless to do anything and I found myself feeling increasingly tearful. The nurses said that this was the baby blues and normal after giving birth. Finally after one month Jamie came home and we hoped that all would be well again. Although physically strong again, I seemed to deteriorate emotionally. I began to doubt my abilities in all my new roles in life... I found myself weeping constantly with ongoing bouts of lethargy and sadness.
Finally my husband, bemused and baffled, encouraged me to go and get help. My doctor diagnosed me as suffering from depression and put me on antidepressants. He also recommended counselling. The antidepressants made me feel so much better and I stayed on them for some time. However some years later when I tried to wean myself off them, the symptoms returned. I remember going to my GP to tell him this and he suggested that I would be on antidepressants forever and that it was okay for this to happen. As his words slowly sank in I made a decision. I really wasn’t going to be on antidepressants forever. However, the question was, how was I going to get myself off them?
I started to think back on the times that I had seemed happiest in life and bizarrely memories of me doing sport seemed to come up. I certainly felt too old to go back to the running track but I did decide to join a health club. I started to take aerobics classes and I felt so much better afterwards. Of course now we have evidence that exercise is very beneficial for depression as it releases endorphins and other feel good hormones. You also feel a strong sense of achievement, as well as boosted self esteem. This was the first step in facing the world again. I trained as an exercise teacher and taught classes for many years.
In addition to exercise I addressed my nutrition. I had absolutely no awareness that what I put in my mouth had a physical effect on my body. By eliminating certain foods like junk food, sugar, coffee, chocolate and wheat and alcohol my state began to improve and my energy levels increased. I increased my vegetable intake and ate the right type and amount of carbohydrate and protein foods. I supplemented my diet with extra omega 3 and 6 capsules and vitamins B3 B6 B12 and Zinc. These supplements are essential for a healthy nervous system. I knew that part of the reason my recovery was slow was because various psychological factors which were related to my esteem had not been addressed. Again, I had had no awareness beforehand. When counselling and psychotherapy was originally recommended I looked forward to exploring my experience. However, although I tried a number of sessions I found both unhelpful. So I decided to try hypnotherapy. It was a phenomenal success. It seemed to work like a speedy form of psychotherapy and over a number of sessions I seemed to really turn the corner.
My confidence slowly began to return and grow to the extent where I was able to take up writing. I then became curious about other alternative psychologies and my next stop was NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming). Often if a psychological factor is the main factor for depression it is because of a vicious circle of thoughts based on beliefs and assumptions you may have about yourself. These feel like an ongoing loop where you go over the same negative pessimistic thoughts without having an exit point. These thoughts become habitual over time. NLP taught me that when you are stuck in a problem state of thinking you can take yourself out of it by focussing on what you want. And if you don’t know what you want you can engage with your unconscious mind and imagine that you do know. NLP presupposes that we have all the resources inside of us to create the life that we want. By using the right language patterns to communicate with your unconscious mind you can access these resources. I learned that we make internal representations all time (pictures, sounds, feelings, smells, and taste) based on what we are thinking. These internal representations powerfully affect our biology. I REALISED BY TALKING ABOUT ‘MY DEPRESSION’ I WAS INDEED MAKING IT MINE! The realisation that every thought that we think has a biological reaction in the body and that our bodies are listening and responding to our thinking was a profound learning. NLP offers the tools to change negative programming and reprogramme your experience in a more resourceful, positive way.
Lastly I found myself becoming increasingly involved with energy medicine and the spiritual world. Years earlier when I had severe depression, I would go to church and simply cry. I recognized that there was something greater than us to be tapped into but I didn’t know how to which was frustrating. I became curious about Quantum physics and trained in spiritual, Reiki and other healing methods and meditation. All of this showed me how to have a better connection to the bigger picture of life. I now have an interfaith mentality where I respect all religions.
I now work as an integrative and holistic health practitioner in the area of mental and emotional wellbeing. I now practice all of the above and I call them my mind body therapies. An integrated approach to health means endorsing both orthodox and complementary medicine to address the whole person. If you take this approach essentially you are looking at all the facets of your life not just one. To achieve better health and wellbeing it is better to address the whole. Although all of the above worked for me there are many different tools in complementary health to choose from to achieve this state of balance. Indeed it is a bit like choosing from Aladdin’s cave. Providing you use properly qualified experienced practioners, all these therapies may take you to the same place of wellness and happiness. Although I wouldn’t have admitted it at the time when I was feeling so bad, having depression has been my biggest learning curve in life.
Gloria Thomas
Mind Body Therapist
London
Knitting [back]
I started knitting about one year ago at the age of 24, it was under the
advice of my doctor, he told me to find something I like doing to help
combact my depression, I was also self harming on a regular basis and it was
getting very bad, something which started at 17. Unfortunately I have plenty
of scars to remind me.
A friend said they knew someone who did crochet but that didn't really appeal to me,
but I remember that as a little girl like most my nan taught me to knit a square.
On my way home from this meeting I stopped in a book shop and looked in the craft section,
after a little thought I decided this stich and bitch book looked the best value for money and
had a lot of info and patterns in it. I bought it then headed to a wool shop and bought a ball
of bright yellow DK yarn and a ball of DK bright pink yarn and a pair of 4mm
needles after telling the sales assistant I wanted to knit a nice easy scarf
as a beginner. I went home and started reading, I then cast 40 stiches and
started in garter stitch, after 20 rows I made a stripe. A few days later I
had a scarf and haven't looked back.
Since I started to knit I have have had very few thoughts of self harm and
haven't even attempted to hurt myself, which after seven years of doing so
is quite a miracle, and it always helps to lift my mood when I am feeling
down. I wish there was someone to thank for this, but that is the best thing
about knitting, you do it yourself so it is all up to you. I guess what I am
trying to say is I think knitting is fantastic, it helped me overcome a very
dark period in my life and I hope it does the same for a lot of people.
I am glad that so many people spread the word that it is indeed a great
form of therapy. Keep knitting, keep happy.
LEARN TO KNIT STARTER KITS
To receive a learn to knit e-pack please
click here and email Stitchlinks. To learn more about Stitchlinks please see their website address below.
Depression Alliance would also like to thank Stitchlinks for making this possible and The British Hand Knitting Confedeation for the free starter packs. Please note that the free starter packs are no longer available.
British Hand Knitting Confederation
www.bhkc.co.uk
Cross Stitch Guild
www.thecrossstitchguild.com
Stitchlinks
www.stitchlinks.com
Nutrition [back]
My remarkable experience in banishing depression has been through the use of Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, from flaxseed oil, fish oil capsules and eating freshly cooked mackerel 2-3 times per week. In addition to this I eat a well balanced diet including fresh fruit, brown bread, brown rice, porridge, muesli, omega3 eggs, chicken and turkey etc.
These are just a few things that help to keep good levels of serotonin, dopamine, acetycholine and noradrenaline in the brain.
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| I give people an analogy that if you ran a car's petrol engine (the brain of a car) without oil or put too thick an oil in the engine, then the car's engine will either grind to a halt or run very sluggishly. The brain is exactly the same, it needs oiling with the correct oils that make the neurotransmitter receptor sites in brain cells work efficently and effectively, so reducing stress, anxiety and depression. There are far too many foods containing high levels of saturated fats which block up these receptor sites in the brain cells causing poor communication. |
Eating foods containing high levels of trytopan and tyrosine amino acid ensures adequate production of serotonin, dopamine, acetycholine and noradrenaline, which enhance the communication process.
I believe a lot of people get into bad habits with the food they consume and don't realise the impact it has on their mental health. Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming, and the Mental Health Foundation have pulled together a lot of positive research evidence suggesting that diet does have a role in affecting our mental health.
People who suffer mental health problems need more information and education in how to make their diets better. I am going to do my bit in Barnsley in trying to put together information on diet and nutrition throught the NHS Expert Patient's Programme and deliver Food and Mood workshops, because I certainly think it is needed and would help service users improve their mental well-being.
I think people are crying out for this kind of advice. I also agree that service users should have a choice of trying out other complementary therapies through the NHS.
Martyn Brannan
Barnsley
www.foodandmood.org
Pet Therapy [back]
Who could dispute that animals can have a positive effect on emotional wellbeing?
With research being conducted into the field of alternative medicine on an on-going basis, more and more people are beginning to realize the cathartic effects that animals are having on individuals well-being, especially so in those patients suffering with depression.
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While some people recover from depression using medications alone, there are many others, who would prefer to use a combination of alternative therapies to try to alleviate the symptoms of depression. One of these treatments being studied is ‘Pet Therapy’, but what is this alternative and how could it help? |
Many scientists have spent endless hours looking into the different types of therapy available for
treating depression as an illness; ‘Pet Therapy’ has been concluded as one of these therapies.
Animals have long been recognized as being a positive force in the healing process.
Dogs notably have a calming and therapeutic effect on people. They can help individuals to cope with the emotional issues related to their illness. They also offer physical contact with another living creature and help to divert a person's attention from their pressing daily problems. Owning a dog brings about a sense of responsibility. Dogs rely on their owners for feeding, walking, attention and love. What better excuse for a depressed person to get out of bed in the morning?
Dogs love almost everyone without any degree of prejudice or rejection. You do not need to
speak any type of language to communicate with a four-legged friend. Give them a treat, tickle
their tummy and they will love you without bounds. Dogs are aware of illness and sadness and
genuinely want to provide companionship and comfort; they show an abundance of intelligence
and are both intuitive and compassionate. Any dog owner will relate and agree with me when I
say that it is a warm feeling when their dog can detect their sorrow and lick their tears away.
Pet Therapy can facilitate many positive changes one such example being increased socialization
skills. Animals can be used as part of group therapy programs to encourage communication and
increase the ability to focus. Helping to develop a person’s self-esteem and reducing their
loneliness and anxiety are just some potential benefits of individual-animal therapy. The bond between humans and animals is demonstrated every day in millions of homes around
the world. It is also becoming a powerful, common mode of therapy in many facilities such as
hospitals, schools and residential homes.
While it is difficult to measure and quantify the benefits of dog therapy with hard scientific fact,
there is no question that the magical interaction possible between animal and human is
unmistakable. Tears can be dried. Scowls transform into smiles. Silence is broken and lastly but
not least importantly loneliness and isolation can be ejected from a person through mere touch
and cuddles. Dogs offer their owner’s absolute and unconditional love and a level of boundless
patience that no human could ever possibly give. The love of a dog is unlimited, what better form
of alternative therapy could there be?
© Samantha Weaver 2006
www.samanthaweaver.com
- All rights reserved –
Samantha Weaver is the Author of Saving Samantha: A Young Woman’s Escape from Childhood Hell. Published by Hay House Apr 2006.
~ Eight ways that pet therapy can help with depression
I had read numerous reports of dolphins and dogs being used to treat depression being used to treat depression. I went so far as to go and rescue my own dog, Boe several years ago from a rescue centre for several reasons.
1) I knew she would make me get out of bed in the morning (one of the problems of depression)
2) She would give me a sense of responsibility (meaning I couldn't harm myself for fear of her being left without me)
3) She needed exercise which meant I was being exercised, assisting with the production of endorphin levels etc.
4) She made me feel as though I wasn't alone and she depended on me which made me feel less isolated
5) She helped to reduce my stress levels by stroking her for hours
6) She gave me someone to talk to or cuddle when I was upset
7) She made me feel 'safe' at home alone in the evenings etc.
8) Most importantly, she could sense when there was a 'problem' and actually prevented me from harming myself on more than one occasion by barking at me and 'pawing me'.
© Samantha Weaver
Poetry [back]
Nicola Thomas agreed to write a poem a week to explain her depression to her psychotherapist. Now she has published a book of poems 'For Those Without Rhyme or Reason - A Creative Response to Despair'
‘I am 37 but was first diagnosed with severe depression when I was 19. I have been in hospital 12 times for long periods and for the last 9 years have been having psychotherapy. The poems in the book chart my feelings and experience of depression throughout this time and my eventual recovery. I am currently well and hope that my poems may be of some comfort to someone else in! despair or of help to health professionals or friends and relatives of people who are depressed.’ |
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Nobody
The sun came out again;
Its brilliance was reflected on the river,
Turning the water into millions of sparkling diamonds.
The birds recommenced their joyful singing,
As they dodged the cotton wool clouds.
The yellow and red flowers stretched out to enjoy the spring warmth.
The trees and shrubs oozed with the vibrance of life.
The sun came out again;
But nobody noticed the shadows.
SP-1988
Copyright © 2005 Nicky Thomas
'For Those Without Rhyme or Reason - A Creative Response to Despair' is available at a cost of £5 from www.chipmunkapublishing.com
ISBN: 1-904697-80-1
www.poetrysociety.org.uk
Self Management [back]
| In the early 1990’s I suffered from a severe and debilitating period of depression, which lasted for many years. I lost my job as a nurse, became anxious and isolated and rarely communicated with anyone. I was emotionally flat and had little energy left to even want to recover. I am now 45 and work full time for the NHS in long-term condition self-management, something, which has had a major impact on my life. I still have periods of depression but have learnt techniques to get me through the ‘blips’ of living with this condition. |
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In the early 1990’s I suffered from a severe and debilitating period of depression, which lasted for many years. I lost my job as a nurse, became anxious and isolated and rarely communicated with anyone. I was emotionally flat and had little energy left to even want to recover. I am now 45 and work full time for the NHS in long-term condition self-management, something, which has had a major impact on my life. I still have periods of depression but have learnt techniques to get me through the ‘blips’ of living with this condition.
The road to recovery was long and winding and to begin with each small step was hard to achieve, as time passed by my confidence began to rise and I attended a part time collage course. After three attempts at entering university and becoming ill again I obtained a 2:1 science degree. Part time work followed with ‘Rethink’ (formally the National Schizophrenia Fellowship) and eventually full time work.
For me self-management has been exceedingly beneficial, it is not an alternative to health care but an additional method for taking care and improving your condition. The aim of self-management is to make you aware that even the simplest changes in how you perceive your condition can be beneficial. Action planning and problem solving are hugely beneficial in order to get things done. Simply learning to breath effectively can help to reduce stress and tension
It has also helped me to work effectively with my GP. I have learnt to recognise triggers and act before the symptoms become debilitating. I use exercise, a light-box during the darker months and with the agreement of my GP fluctuate my level of antidepressant medication with the seasons – I take a higher dose in the winter and reduce it in the Spring.
I am no longer ruled by my depressive illness, I still live with it and self-manage in a productive manner. The self-management courses running are lay led and confidential, the course is structured but equally we are learning ideas from others with similar problems. Give it a chance!
Phillip Cummings
Expert Patients Programme Trainer
Mansfield
~ What is the Expert Patients Programme?
The Expert Patients Programme is a ‘long-term disease self-management course’ that aids people living with a long-term condition to improve their quality of life through lay led self-management courses.
The course aims to ensure that people living with a long-term illness can achieve the best quality of life, despite their illness. The course encourages people to use their skills and knowledge to self-manage their condition whilst learning and practising self-management skills with other course participants.
The course is for anyone who is living with any long-term health condition. For example: Arthritis, Heart Disease, Stroke, Depression, MS, Epilepsy, ME, Schizophrenia, Fibromyalagia, Diabetes, HIV; indeed any condition that impacts on a persons life.
The course enables participants to take control of their long-term condition and is exceedingly empowering. Course content includes: Action planning and problem solving, relaxation, better breathing, pain management, healthy eating, exercise, living wills and enduring power of attorney, communication, distraction, self-talk and guided imagery. The course is interactive, informal and friendly.
The course consists of one 2½ hour session once a week for six weeks, the maximum number of participants on each course is 16 + two tutors who also live with a long-term condition.
The course works well because individuals with different conditions share many of the same problems, no matter what illness individuals live with it is often the consequences of that illness that are more problematic than the condition itself. When you can’t do what you used to be able to and your family and friends don’t understand, anger, frustration, loss of job or mobility, depression and pain can so easily become a cycle of despair.
Feedback from participants countrywide has been excellent and although this is something very new for the NHS it is something people find effective.
The course can be accessed by self-referral or referral by health professionals and is available via Primary Care Trusts (PCTs).
For more information about the Expert Patients Programme, please visit: www.expertpatients.nhs.uk
Tai Chi [back]
In March 2000, I was struck down by a subarachnoid haemorrhage; a rare form of stroke that has severe effects on physical and mental attributes. Only one in ten thousand victims go on to live a “normal” life, most do not leave their homes due to fear and continuing ill health. Around a quarter of sufferers die from the haemorrhaging within hours and another thirty percent die within weeks. Of those that are lucky enough to survive, the majority suffer crippling disabilities. Coping with the disability can, rather obviously, lead to depression, anxiety and low self esteem. One must also learn to cope with the long term personality changes the illness can cause.
After my surgery, I began researching ways of restoring my confidence and physicality. I discovered that leading American health experts highly recommend Tai Chi as an effective form of recuperation for haemorrhage victims. This in turn led me to
UK Tai Chi and my teacher, Betty Sutherland.
I find that Tai Chi helps keep my mind at rest and alleviates the mental anxiety which leads to depression. I have now been practicing Tai Chi since January 2001, and I was recently awarded my teaching certificate and am fully qualified to teach hand forms. Using my experience and new found knowledge, I now specialise in Tai Chi for Health.
www.uktaichi.com
Walking [back]
Carlisle journalist, Les Floyd, found taking up a regular walking routine was not only good for his physical health, but also for his mental health. Added to the self-confidence gained from losing weight through his daily exercise, he says walking helped him to rediscover a sense of control in his life.
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Les, 31, said: "It surprised me how quickly and easily I got into my walking routine. The benefits to my body were clear within the space of just a few short weeks, as the pounds started to fall away from me. But the most satisfying aspect is that I feel empowered, and each step I take is a step forward in terms of taking care of myself for the future."
He explained: "The sense of achieving, and of being in control, has done wonders for my mental outlook and I can't recommend regular exercise, especially walking, strongly enough."
www.ramblers.org.uk
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