Perhaps the most effective approach in the last 40 years for dealing with depressing thoughts and feelings, has comes from research in the field of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). To learn more about CBT check out Step 4 under the 7 Pillars of Brain Health on Strategies for Overcoming Stress . There you will find the following paragraph and link to a webpage featuring a lecture and illustration of how this can be used to reduce anxiety by David Burns, M.D., one of the lead pioneers of CBT, and one of the top experts in the world on alleviating depression. In that article is this simple and paragraph, with a key instruction.
“Learn to see stressful situations from a different perspective or point of view. For example, many anxious or depressing thoughts actually arise from inaccurate, limited, or distorted interpretations of events, and many problems may be seen as opportunities for learning or impetus for making improvements. (Click on this link to a great website on this topic with a TED talk by our friend David Burns, M.D. (read down or skip down a few pages to David Burns), on how he got into this, and why this approach works better than meds. That website also offers examples with worksheets and suggestions to help visitors work through their own distortions.”
If you struggle with anxiety or depression we would strongly recommend reading his new book Feeling Great: The Revolutionary New Treatment for Depression and Anxiety. (His earlier book Feeling Good, was a classic in this field, but he has some new more effective strategies in this book – now available through Amazon. We suggest starting with Chapter 31, then reading the first 3 chapters and Chapter 17, then the rest as you have time. It’s a well written, fascinating book, which teaches in detail an empirically proven process.
Does this work? Yes! Exceptionally well! In fact in one study people who simply read Feeling Good, his first book, found that more helpful than therapy with a live counselor, or prescribed medication.
Perhaps the most effective program for overcoming depression is Neal Nedley, MDs Depression and Anxiety Recovery Program. This program is likely the most comprehensive, insightful and effective program on the planet for overcoming depression and anxiety. It combines the principles and strategies of Cognitive Behavior Therapy, with a great review of the role of various nutrients and supplements, as well as other behavioral approaches that have proven to be vey helpful.
After having improved the lives of tens of thousands throughout the U.S. through public classes, this 8 part video based program is now available online for individuals, for only $175. And if you are depressed because you are out of money, and can't come up with that, his best selling book Depression The Way Out is available on Amazon for as little as $8.95 for a used copy.
Another good book on that topic (though not as comprehensive) is Telling Yourself The Truth for only $3.89 used.
Other related therapies to pursue that have been built on the principles of CBT or mindfulness, which we may elaborate on in the future include:
Meditation
Mindfulness
Heart Math
NDE based suicide prevention
The Power of Awe
The Power of gratitude
A Refocus on helping other
The Power of Faith & Prayer
