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    • The Way Our Minds Work

      An excerpt from When Antidepressants Aren’t Enough by Dr. Stuart Eisendrath

      Seventeen years ago, Dr. Stuart Eisendrath piloted research into the therapeutic effects of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) on people experiencing clinical depression. Ever since, he has been helping those who struggle with depression dramatically improve their symptoms and quality of life by changing how they relate to their thoughts and feelings.

      In When Antidepressants Aren’t Enough: Harnessing the Power of Mindfulness to Alleviate Depression (New World Library, October 1, 2019), Dr. Eisendrath outlines an easy-to-implement MBCT program that has been scientifically proven in a National Institute of Health study to bring relief to chronic sufferers of depression by helping them realize that their thoughts are not their reality. We hope you’ll enjoy this Q and A with him about the book.


      What is Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)?

      MBCT is a blend of some aspects of cognitive behavior therapy with mindfulness meditation. Mindfulness meditation is an ancient Buddhist technique that has been secularized so it can be used by all people regardless of their background. It teaches that in depression thoughts are often negative ones like “I’ll fail at whatever I try”. I’m not good enough” or “I’ll never get better”. In MBCT, you learn that such ideas are just thoughts, not facts.

      You say in the book’s introduction that you aim to help readers change their relationship to depression. How so?

      In traditional cognitive behavior therapy, you are taught to try and answer back to negative thoughts. This can be challenging because if you have been depressed for a long time you tend to believe the negative thoughts. In MBCT you learn a different approach. One by learning how to focus your attention you can let go of negative thought. For example if you can learn to focus on your breath, there is no bandwidth available to focus on negative thoughts. Secondly, MBCT is focused on the present moment. If you are focused on the present moment you let go of ruminations about the past or anticipation about the future. This is important because in depression you are often focused on past regrets and losses while with anxiety you are focused on upcoming catastrophes. Focusing on the present moment has a natural antidepressant and antianxiety effect.

      How has your own relationship with depression informed your work?

      With my first experience with depression I tended to believe the negative thoughts when they occurred. For example, when I felt guilty I tried to figure out why I was feeling that way. Had I down something in the past that warranted guilt? As I became more mindful, I realized such negative thoughts were symptoms of depression not facts that had to be investigated as actual realities. Moreover I began to see depressive moods as being similar to the weather. For example, if it is raining out today, it may mean I can’t go on a picnic but I realize it is a transient event and I can pursue alternatives for the day. So when I experience depression I can realize it is transient and not be completely flattened by it.

      You say in the book that when a depressive episode hits that it is important to see them for what they are: recurrences of an illness and not a personal weakness or moral failure. Tell us more about that please.

      When depression hits, as part of the syndrome, you are often filled with self-recriminations. There is a tendency to blame yourself and see yourself as having a personal weakness or failure. This is a rather specific aspect of reaction to an illness. You don’t see people with asthma or diabetes blaming themselves when they have an exacerbation. With a mindfulness approach you learn to accept things as they are. Winston Churchill embodied this approach when speaking of his depression; he said “the black dog is back today.”

      What advice do you have to offer someone who is interested in starting a mindfulness practice with the intention of healing from depression?

      If you want to learn mindfulness techniques to heal from depression, MBCT is a proven technique. I’d recommend taking an organized approach. This might be by taking a class or by following the program outlined in the book, When Antidepressants Aren’t Enough. Either way will serve as a guide that can offer a path to healing while helping avoid pitfalls.

      Tell us about the science behind Mindfuless-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)?

      MBCT not only has powerful psychological effects, it also has effects on the brain itself.
      In the PATH-D study we investigate participants by looking at how their brains functioned before and after treatment. We did this by using functional magnetic resonance imaging of the brain. This technique shows second by second changes in the brain. In our studies, we found that areas of the brain associated with emotion regulation were enhanced while areas of the brain associated with emotion production—such as anxiety and depression—were reduced. Although research on the effects is still being investigated, it is clear that MBCT has definite brain effects. These effects appear to reverse the changes typically found in depression.

      What do you hope readers will take away from your book?

      I hope readers will gain a better understanding of depression including both its effects and ways of dealing with them. I hope that readers will learn to treat themselves with more self-compassion in realizing depression is a widespread illness. It is not a moral weakness or personal failure. There are new and powerful techniques like MBCT that offer hope in healing depression and empowering the individual with skills that they can utilize rapidly and effectively.


      Stuart Eisendrath, MD, is the author of When Antidepressants Aren’t Enough and the founding director of the University of California San Francisco Depression Center. Visit him online at www.stuarteisendrath.com.

      Excerpted from the book When Antidepressants Aren’t Enough. Copyright ©2019 by Stuart Eisendrath. Printed with permission from New World Library.

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    • Double Vision: Can Physical Exhaustion Be Spiritual in Nature?
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      I am physically exhausted most of the time. I have had all sorts of medical tests and consultations with various doctors and such, and no biological reason has been found for this. Now I’m wondering if perhaps there is a spiritual reason I feel this way, and if so, what I can do to feel better. Thanks!

      – Patricia

      Dreamchaser:

      In some women, hormones are often overlooked as a source of fatigue, and they are a common cause of the sort of exhaustion you describe. Hormonal balances can cause disrupted sleep, worry, depression, hot flashes and night sweats, adrenal insufficiency due to poor diet, stress, etc.

      Ironically, a lack of physical activity can also be a reason for depression and fatigue. So many women say, “I don’t have the time or energy to go work out.” You must make that time. Go for a walk around your neighborhood for 20 to 30 minutes a day. Do something. The more you work out, the stronger you’ll get.

      Poor diet and improper nutrition can also create a hormonal imbalance that results in fatigue. If you are a yo-yo dieter or follow a low-fat diet, you could very well become fatigued more easily than others. You also may have an insulin issue, which can disrupt your body’s energy metabolism. Also, if you eat a lot of sugar or a high carbohydrate diet, you will tend to get that quick rush followed by an energy crash.

      In addition to reviewing your diet and checking your hormone levels, you should also look at your daily schedule. How busy are you? Stress occurs when we place demands on ourselves that we do not have the capacity to meet. We then have to live in overdrive in order to accomplish everything we’ve taken on. The pressure of deadlines, a lack of proper support, and high expectations of yourself (placed there by you or others around you) will cause burnout and exhaustion.

      When you live with stress day after day, your body tries to compensate for your growing mental and physical exhaustion by shifting into energy conservation mode. That low or no energy feeling you get is your body fighting to conserve its resources.

      In this state, you will become forgetful, you will not have the ability to focus, and you will tend to procrastinate. You will lose interest in work and intimacy and you will begin to feel more and more exhausted, no matter how much you sleep.

      Other common signs include social withdrawal from friends and family, resentment, anger, cynicism, apathy and increased substance use of nicotine, caffeine, alcohol, food or drugs.

      The acute exhaustion stage is where most people finally get a clear sense that something is seriously wrong. That is where you are now. The signs of this stage are chronic sadness, stomach or bowel problems, mental or physical fatigue, headaches, and an almost complete lack of ability to focus. Often times when people get to this stage, they quit work, leave relationships and avoid family and friends.

      Get your hormones checked, but above all, commit to taking good care of yourself. I wish you wonderful health.

      *****

      Astrea:

      It sounds like you’ve been associating with psychic vampires. Psychic vampires don’t drink human blood, they sap human energy! Sometimes recognizing them is difficult, but if you go through all the people with whom you regularly interact, you’ll begin to see certain patterns emerge as relates to your feelings of low energy.

      Just as old-fashioned vampires drained human corpses of blood for survival, psychic vampires must find those of us with abundant, joyous energy to attack and drain. A person under attack feels just the way you describe, and there isn’t any medical test available to detect this problem.

      This creature will also feed off your fear and anxiety that you may have a serious medical problem that is going undiscovered! Worry is sweet nectar to a psychic vampire.

      While the ancient vampires sometimes seemed (in stories, anyway) to regret being bloodsuckers, psychic vampires enjoy the pain and suffering they inflict on others. The evolution of their kind has made them more clever and difficult to identify. Once you figure them out, however, it’s much harder for them to victimize you.

      Usually, people are victimized by a Psychic Vampire at work. Someone around you who seems jealous, envious, or rude is a good candidate. Incompetent bosses and peers who steal your ideas and take credit for your work may meet the criteria.

      Often they will attempt to become your “best office friend” in order to keep draining you. Take a long hard look around you at work, and try to distance yourself from anyone who gives you that tired feeling.

      Wear a religious medal, and carry some rose quartz in your purse or pocket to bring only loving feelings to you while you’re there. This is especially important if the vampire is your boss, as you have to work with that person.

      St. Michael is great protection against psychic vampires, and any religious bookstore will sell St. Michael cards and medals at very reasonable prices. Often, clients who come to me for psychic readings will try that energy draining on me, so I have tons of protection around me and all over my office.

      Family members who themselves have been victimized can also become psychic vampires, and staying overnight at one’s home can sap the light and life right out of you. If you feel worse after you’ve been to a family gathering, go through the guest list and see who you talked to, and review how you felt afterward. Also, this malady tends to run through families, so where you find one, you may find many.

      Learning to recognize psychic vampires will prevent them from sneaking in and stealing your energy, and empower you to manifest a sense of well-being.

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