What is Depression ?


We all get fed up to varying degrees from time to time about some events in our lives but depression is much more intense than that. If you, or someone you know, is suffering from a number of the symptoms from the list below, then it is likely that it has become depression. Any negative event in our lives has the potential to kick-start a downward spiral into depression if left unchecked or unresolved. Most of us, with support, will manage to work through things over time, but a loss in one area of our lives can cause us to be less motivated about other things until that too becomes a loss and lessens our resolve to keep going. Each loss or withdrawal from any of the important areas in our lives will decrease the level of "Seratonin" in our systems and subsequently life becomes progressively harder. The chemical "Seratonin" produced by our brain is responsible for our mood factor and our level of motivation, and under normal circumstances if we are living a fairly satisfying lifestyle, this level is healthily maintained.


A satisfying lifestyle doesn't necessarily mean having lots of fun but this could be doing anything that gives us a feeling of satisfaction, such as getting a sense of purpose through our jobs, being a parent, being in a loving relationship that is supportive, a fun or satisfying sport or pastime. If your lifestyle includes a level of exercise and a fairly healthy and balanced diet then it is very unlikely that depression will take hold, but anyone of us could be vulnerable when unexpected events take place in our lives. It is easy to see how it could become a vicious circle, with each loss in our lives reducing our "Seratonin" levels, and with reduced levels this lowers our mood factor even more, and consequently diminishing our motivation still further.

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headshot of a deeply depressed woman one hand to her head looking in emotional pain

Some of the common symptoms connected to depression

  • Always grumpy, never seeing any good in anything
  • Complaining of regular headaches or other pains
  • Cannot make a decision
  • Constantly feeling sad
  • Constantly feeling fed up
  • Constantly feeling life is pointless
  • Feeling restless
  • Feeling that nothing really matters anymore
  • Feeling worthless
  • Frequent thoughts of suicide
  • Interrupted and unsatisfying sleeping pattern
  • Lack of any hope that things will improve
  • Loss of energy
  • Loss of interest in doing things that were fun
  • Loss of appetite or overeating
  • Loss of energy
  • Loss of sexual appetite
  • Low self esteem
  • Nothing seems to be fun anymore
  • Pointless physical movements such as pacing up and down, rocking in chair, tapping fingers
  • Regularly feeling irritable
  • Struggling to concentrate or remember things
image of a very depressed woman sitting on floor, back to the wall hand on head and knees close to her chest

My theory why depression is on the increase in modern life

Sadly depression has become a very widespread result of modern life. In the first half of the last century families tended to live in close proximity to each other and provided a supportive network. Regardless of the problem there would be someone in the family who could help resolve it. Some men used to mock the women of the day, curlers in their hair and scarves on their heads chatting over the garden fence to their neighbours but this provided a healthy outlet for things on their mind. When expressing their woes and getting a sympathetic response the tension was lessened, making counsellors largely unnecessary. An important point to make is that although a natural desire for the finer things in life was there, expectations of owning their homes and fancy consumer goods was realistically matched to what was affordable. In contrast to today where we are constantly bombarded with "things" that we just can't live without and really ought to have. Homes, cars, holidays, tv, audio units, computers, time saving or fun gadgets, social life etc.

Although on one level most of us are very aware of advertising hype and its lure, we nevertheless still get caught up in it and try to stretch our finances and often put immense pressure on ourselves. We are brought up to believe that everyone ought to own their own home despite the average price of a small house costing something like a quarter of a million pounds. That price represents something like 13 years work for the average person without paying for anything else at all during that period.

So with greater expectations for owning consumer goods and having an extravagant life style to live up to and other factors such as increased pressure to perform in our jobs, to become better qualified and to enjoy a rich social life the increased pressure is immense. It is therefore no wonder that we end up believing that somehow we are just not good enough and a failure.

Hypnosis Woking removes depression fast

There is no need nowadays to suffer with depression, at Hypnosis Woking we understand the causes and more importantly we know what needs to be done to reverse the situation.

There still seems to be a debate raging as to whether depression is a medical condition or a psychological one. My very firm belief is that it is most definitely a psychological one, but as it takes hold it of it's victims it clearly affects the chemical balance in the body making it a medical one as well too. Most people end up at the doctors sooner or later and get prescribed anti-depressants and that is perfectly ok and not a problem but it can never be the cure, all they can do is create a better chemical balance. With the balance restored people tend to feel a little bit better, however if the psychological issues are not resolved then after coming off the anti-depressants the chemical imbalance will once again be affected negatively.

For people who are instinctively against using medicine in general, it is entirely possible to be healed without them but maybe more difficult to get started sometimes.


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Understanding the chemical imbalance caused by Depression

In the section at the top of the page 'What is depression' it explains what happens when we encounter losses in our lives and how that affects the 'Seratonin' levels in our bodies, which in turn reduces our motivation and lowers our mood levels.

Understanding these facts helps us to kick start the recovery process by putting our focus on gradually engaging in some activity. I cannot emphasise enough that for the depressed person this is the last thing that they want to hear and any thought of doing something can seem like climbing mount Everest. It is no use waiting for the motivation to come because that wont happen on it's own, somehow the depressed victim needs to be encouraged to gradually become more active even if they have to do it in robotic mode to start with. You can then expect the motivation to slowly catch and match the activity attempted.

circular image of a medical prop with ball shaped atoms joined together in a pattern representing a group of seratonin At Hypnosis Woking we help our clients to find those inner resources necessary for recovery and explain how they can gradually take control of their lives and use the latest techniques to remove depression and prevent any further episodes taking hold again in the future.

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