Posted by JahL on March 17, 2001, at 10:11:21
In reply to Re: What DOES one do? » Dr. Bob, posted by Shar on March 16, 2001, at 23:54:22
> > To me, it's the "do not give in to the Trauma" that's the key. The trauma is not everything.
>
> ......To the sufferer, the Trauma or Depression IS, IN FACT, everything, and if thought or mundane activity could change it so easily, I'm pretty sure none of us would be Traumatized, Depressed, whatever. Were it a Choice (as in taking a drink is a choice), I'm pretty sure very few people would choose it.
>
> In my experience, depression colors every sense, dampens every emotion, permeates every part of life; depression can feel like a 1,000 pound weight that ensnares me like a sticky spider web; it is on all of me. Now, I guess I could regurgitate words to the effect that depression is not everything, and it still would be in my every pore and thought-byte and nano-emotion. It still would IN FACT be everything.
>
> That's one reason it is so hard to deal with depression. It doesn't LOOK that bad, all another person sees is someone who won't get out of bed. All the boss sees is someone who is not as productive. All the preacher sees is someone who doesn't show up at church so much anymore. It looks dang normal from the outside.
>
> It SEEMS like it should respond to a little force of will--not accepting it, the depressed person shows up for teeth brushing and housecleaning and selfsacrifice bound and determined that the thing eating their brain out won't get THEM down! Because, it's not ev.........well, really we know it is.
>
> The best that could be said of the "it's not everything" school of thought is that the people AROUND the depressed person would probably be a LOT more comfortable to see the depressed person up and about, with renewed "vigor" and determination. Then they (people around the depressed person) do not have to deal with any of the other ick that the depressed person carries inside of him-or-herself.
>
> SharExactly. Which part of this post do psychiatrists & especially psychotherapists not understand?
I have done the sensible thing & 'surrendered' to the 'Trauma'. I know when I've met my match.
If the meaning of life is the attainment of contentment/fulfillment etc (which I guess it is) then anhedonia surely deprives life of all meaning (in which case the trauma *is* everything).
I will rejoin the human race when my meds start working...
J.
poster:JahL
thread:787
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20010315/msgs/833.html