Depression: Kick it in the butt and enjoy your life.Depression sucks but the good news is that there is help, and it doesn’t have to be medication.
My Dad used to tell me that” happiness is a state of mind, if you are not happy change your mind”. What a great idea, but anyone who has ever experienced depression knows it is not that easy. We now know that brain chemicals and brain pathways as well as food and many other factors play a part. It is not a one-piece puzzle. What is the opposite of depression? Some words pop up such as happiness contentment cheer joy hopefullness liveliness aliveness peace pleasure calm vitality encouraged What word would you choose? At HOPE Wellness Institute the focus of our team is to identify the various pieces of the puzzle and help you put it together. If you are tired of dealing with depression alone or would like additional help to what you are currently receiving here are a few of the benefits of working with HOPE Wellness Institute’s therapies to decrease your depression symptoms: • Increase your joy in life • Get back the ability to enjoy your family and friends. • Be able to see life as it truly is, not from inside a deep dark cloud • Help get rid of your grouchiness or short temper • Give up “The don’t give a rip attitude” • Boost your focus and productivity • Optimize your energy level • Increase your physical stamina • Improving the quality of your sleep • Get rid of your anxiety or depression • Decrease anger, frustration & procrastination • Control your stress • Diminish pain in your body • Decrease allergic responses • Increase your productivity • Raise your bottom line We provide consultations and evaluations to see if our work is a fit for you then decide together which of our services or combination of services are right for you at this time. All of our programs are individually designed to the person we are working with. The team at HOPE Wellness Institute welcomes challenges, enjoys figuring out the puzzles that each person present, and loves to help their clients to optimize their functional capacity. Each of the therapist is passionate about empowering their clients to meet and exceed their functional demands and personal goals they set to restore their mental and physical health. Depression presents itself in many ways. Most people think of depression as deep, dark and debilitating. And it often is. However it can also be just that nagging constant underlying unhappiness. Some of us hide it so well that people would never know we are depressed. That is because we are the masters of disguise. We put on that happy face when we are interacting with people, and no one ever knows how miserable we are behind that mask. Just as often we don’t realize how miserable we are ourselves. We may procrastinate, not be able to focus, be tired, but no one would really call you depressed. It is all a part of the dysfunction but it can also be part of the downward spiral. This is a very basic list of types of depression. • Situational depression, a traumatic event happened which threw you for a loop, such as, a loved one dying, loosing your job, divorce or moving. • Family of origin depression is the result of traumas or “stuff” that happened in our childhood that festered over the years resulting in depression and customarily takes years of therapy and or medications to dig out of. • Moderate depression seems to have no identifying event. It seems to have come on and lasts for a long time. It also may result in long-term therapy and medications being needed to combat it. • Severe depression often requires hospitalization or inpatient care, as well as long term therapy and medications, to prevent the patient for causing harm to themselves or others. The important thing to remember is that we are not all the same, and the way we feel is not text book. There is no right or wrong, each of us responds differently, and it is okay. What is traumatic to one person may not even be a blip to another. We must acknowledge we are individuals and accept that those around us are individuals as well. We are not all created equal. We all respond to life differently and it is okay. My belief is that depression is multi facetted. You could almost look at it as a black diamond except there is nothing beautiful about it. It can have so many components to it, so many symptoms and so many contributing causes. That is why one single therapy is the answer for everyone, a single therapy may not get rid of it, or why one therapy may work one time and not the next. Depression is a growing phenomenon and like many other growing health issues it may be the result of the perfect storm. If we were just subjected to one of the causes of depression, chances are we may be down for a little while but we would be able to process it and move on. Now we are bombarded with so many causes and perpetuating factors, all at one time that we hardly stand a chance to break out of the darkness let alone evade the deeper, darker depression that seems to taking over so many lives. Because the are so many parts and pieces it cannot be treated with a single type of therapy. Otherwise you never really get rid of it, and it keeps coming back. Media often incites or perpetuates depression as we are constantly bombarded with the negativity of world events, and social media give us the opportunity to constantly compare ourselves to others who seem to be doing much “better” than we are. A number of years ago I was treated as an inpatient for depression. We did group counseling, individual counseling and of course medication. At the time I it probably my life and I will always be grateful, however even then I felt that it left a lot to be desired. Before that I had spent a number of years in and out of therapy. It was always more of a Band-Aid or a panacea. It really didn’t take care of the issue, but it calmed the waters. Still every so often it would raise its ugly head and I would calm it again. As a result I have spent the last 20 years delving into a variety therapies and doing my own research looking for ways to heal myself. HOPE Wellness Institute is the result of all of my research. And I continue to dig, to find more nuggets to help people, because it seems to me that depression is a growing pervasive problem. Signs and symptoms of depression include: • Helplessness and hopelessness: The glass is not only half empty but it will never get better. It doesn’t matter what you or any one does or says to help there’s nothing that will improve your situation. • No interest in daily activities: You don’t want to be with anyone, or talk to anyone; you have lost all interest in normal activities, such as hobbies, pastimes, social activities, or sex, even family and friends. You’ve lost your ability to feel joy and pleasure. • Changes in appetite or weight: Some people eat and seem to have an endless appetite; others lose all interest in food. And it can go to the extremes of totally not caring and eating all the junk in the world, eating your favorite addictive food choices, or being so restrictive and hyper focused on what is reasonable to eat. • Sleep changes: Sleep can also go from one extreme to the other. Your either have insomnia, where you can’t go to sleep or you often wake in the early hours of the morning, unable to go back to sleep. In all those hours of not sleeping your mind goes round and round gnawing on all the feelings of guilt, woulda, coulda, shoulda, and self incrimination, or you just lay there numb, staring at the wall, not caring enough and not having the energy to think. The other extreme is sleeping all the time; there is no energy to do anything else. • Anger or irritability: Excess feelings of agitation, restless, or even violence. You have no tolerance level, you are short tempered, and everyone and everything gets on your nerves. You lash out at everyone and everything. It is easier and safer to be alone. • Loss of energy: There is no energy to do anything. Everything feels like to big of a chore to even think about. You feel fatigued, sluggish, and physically drained. Your whole body may feel heavy, and even small tasks are exhausting or take longer to complete. You feel like you are slogging through quick sand. The world moves in slow motion. • Self-hatred / Self-loathing: When you have the energy to feel you wallow in deep feelings of guilt, shame or worthlessness. Everything is your fault. You can’t do anything right. You harshly criticize yourself for perceived faults and mistakes. • Reckless or addictive behaviors: Escapist behaviors become the norm. These can be dangerous behaviors such as substance abuse, compulsive gambling, reckless driving, or dangerous sports, drinking, sex, and / or many others. Addictions are about not being willing to feel the feelings. The can also be “harmless” addictions such as reading, watching TV, gambling, or exercise. • Concentration problems: Unable to focusing, make decisions, or remember things. Many people have feelings of being a space cadet, or nobody is home. • Unexplained aches and pains: Physical complaints such as headaches, back pain, aching muscles, stomach pain and overall achiness become more pronounced, The list goes on and on. There are too many symptoms to name them all. Of course we can have some of the symptoms at times and not be depressed. The more of the symptoms we can identify, the more likely it is that depression may be the culprit. It is often easier to identify these symptoms in others we are close to rather than be able to identify them in ourselves. It is not unusual for us to not recognize that place we are in, as depression. There are many causes of depression. Studies point to depression being a chemical imbalance. However no one is sure which comes first, the chemical imbalance, or the depression. It can be the result of life events such as giving birth which causes the hormones to changes, or from thyroid or other parts of the endocrine system, which are not functioning properly. Science has proven a link between the thyroid and some forms of depression. Depression can also be the result of the slow slide down resulting from illness, injuries or traumas. Foods, chemicals that we are exposed to, and other environmental factors can also be contributing factors. Of course PTSD and head injuries will play a part in depression. There are probably as many causes depression as there are people depressed. Antidepressants and psychotherapy are the norm and beneficial for treating depression. However there are many therapies that can be beneficial besides or in addition to antidepressants. Quick tips to start breaking the hold of depression on you. 1. Put your brain in Neutral. Look up to the center of your forehead; place your tongue on the roof of your mouth. Breathe in to the count of 7, hold for the count of 7 and breathe out to the count of 7. 2. Slowly decrease your sugar intake. 3. Be aware of the foods you eat and how they make you feel. If you find that shortly after you eat something your mood spirals down or you become tired, cranky or achy take that food out of your diet and see what happens. 4. Move: No one feels like exercising when they are depressed but it is one of the best ways to decrease depression. The best exercise is the one that you will do. 5. Take a luxurious bath using Epsom salts and your favorite uplifting essential oils. If you only shower, hang a bag of Epsom salts with your oils on it in the shower and let the steam do the trick. Specific Therapies used as HOPE Wellness Institute for Depression BRE (Behavioral Relationship Entrainment) As life throws us curves our brain adjusts to deal with those curves. The brains main function is to keep us alive. It changes our behaviors as needed to do just that. However long after we are out of danger the brain may not realize we are now safe and continues to function as if we were still in danger. It has created pathways to take care of us. The longer that we have operated in those pathways the more ingrained they become and the more we function on autopilot. Now our brain is functioning on automatic in ways that have kept us safe in the past but now is inappropriate for your success, happiness and overall quality of life. BRE is a sophisticated cloud based program that analyses your brain and assigns a specific sound protocol for you to listen to that retrains your brain to handle life. It takes away your brain running on inappropriate autopilot and lets you be in charge of your brain. The beauty of the BRE program in that it is not diagnosis specific but works with what is not working optimally in your brain and chooses the proper protocol to bring that back into balance. We literally reboot your brain. Since BRE is cloud based we can work with anyone, anywhere often changing the level of your depression in days not months. At the HOPE Wellness Institute we have worked with dozens of clients with depression and BRE and seen amazing differences. Please see the testimonials on our web site. Foods and Nutrition Each of us reacts differently to various foods. What most of us can eat with no problems can cause severe reactions in others. Many of the foods in our daily diet increase our susceptibility to depression. In addition we now have chemical additives in our foods, their processing, and the GMO problems. When we eat a food that our digestive system has a problem with it causes an inflammatory reaction. That reaction can set off other reactions, which affect the brain and mood chemicals. As this continues we begin to crave the very foods that are causing the problem. Many foods are known to increase depression because they change the neurotransmitters, and the brain chemicals. Sugar is one of the biggest culprits that most of us have issues with. Sugar itself increases inflammation. It causes a change in our PH making us more acidic which is the basis of disease in the body. Sugar is very close in its chemical makeup to heroin and it has a highly addictive nature. Our team at HOPE Wellness Institute can help you identify foods that may be adding to your depression and keep you in this state no matter what therapies or medications you are using. It is easy for our awesome nutrition staff to work with you wherever you are. Massage Therapy Depression can be the result of pain as well as cause pain and achiness. Massage therapy is significantly associated with alleviating depressive symptoms. At HOPE Wellness Institute our therapists are trained to address your specific conditions. We assess your body to find the cause of pain. One of our beliefs is that pain always lies so where you feel the pain is seldom the origin of that pain. Massage increases circulation and oxygenation and produces an overall feeling of wellness. Massage not only treats the problematic areas of your body but also affects the whole body through normalizing your circulatory, muscular and nervous systems and their interdependent functioning. Physical pain can be the cause of depression or the result. There are many physical components as a result of depression on the body. We tend to curl up in a ball, which shortens all the front muscles as well as decreasing our ability to breathe deeply. Focused massage will lengthen these muscles decrease overall pain, helping you to stand up straighter and breathe more deeply and increase your energy. Depression can contribute to extreme muscle soreness in the body, which when untreated creates dysfunction in the affected muscles, and the surrounding areas. Massage is unparalleled in relieving this soreness and also helps normalize the functioning the affected muscles. Massage has the ability to reverse or improve the physiological changes brought on by depression where medications, and psychotherapy, cannot. According to the Centers for Disease Control," Depression can adversely affect the course and outcome of common chronic conditions, such as arthritis, asthma, cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and obesity. Depression also can result in increased work absenteeism, short-term disability, and decreased productivity." A multitude of studies on over 700 participants have shown that massage therapy is significant in decreasing the effects of depression and is a component of reversing it. All trials showed a positive effect of massage therapy on depressed people. Cortisol is the body's response to stress, and massage therapy lowers it by as much as 50%. Massage can fight depression by lowering cortisol levels. At the same time, massage also can increase the levels of serotonin and dopamine, which are both neurotransmitters that help stabilize your mood. Fitness Training Accidents and injuries often result in using our body differently, which may result in more pain and dysfunction. We use fitness training to reeducate the specific muscles so decrease pain and dysfunction. Our therapists are specialists in the restoration of the body’s functional coordination systems and reconditioning of the human movement system. We assess each client physically and combine that with their individual goals, pains, pathologies, musculoskeletal dysfunctions and neuromuscular disorders to devise a treatment plan helping them to minimize pain, maximize optimal function and to reach their overall health goals. We believes that strategic bodywork is key in restoring function, that movement is medicine, and that both are vital in increasing optimal health and to achieve the highest quality of life. Aromatherapy Remedies Mood is tied to scents Our olfactory center sits next to our mood center so our sense of smell and our mood is tied very closely together. Aromatherapy oils and blends can reduce the feelings of depression and lift your spirits. Because the sense of smell can trigger depression the oils you use should be individually selected. A few of the oils that help with depression are Coriander, Davana, Frankincense, Geranium, Jasmine, Lavender, Melissa, Neroli Orange, Rose, and Sandalwood. These oils are uplifting and increase your overall sense of peace, Blends such as Peace & calm, Present time, Acceptance, Citrus Fresh, Forgiveness, Harmony, Joy, Brain Power, Clarity, Highest Potential, and Live with Passion, Motivation, HOPE, and White Angelica by Young Living are specifically formulated to assist in increasing support, mental clarity and strength productivity, as they help you to awaken your creativity and passion for life. Essential oils must be selected carefully as many also contain additives that will cause more problems than they help. Our therapist is trained to help you select the best oils for you. We can work with you by phone and or / email to help select the best oils for your healing process. Biolight Laser Therapy Increases overall energy, decreases inflammation Depressive symptoms can be heightened or mimicked by allergic responses. We have all seen people who seem to be fine one minute and down in the dumps the next. It could be something they ate that is changing the chemical reactions in their body. The Biolight Aura unit analyses the body’s negative responses to specific items in your environment that may be contributing to your depression. We can assess your responses to all the types of substances listed above. With the use of low level laser light and specific frequencies those negative responses can be decreased or neutralized resulting in less depression symptoms. Intuitive Healing Depression can be one of those things we may have dealt with for years. It just seems to have mysteriously appeared, and no matter how many things we try to get rid of it, it just continues to be there. We have worked with medications, psychotherapy, nutrition, massage and all the different modalities, and it just hangs on. One of the modalities we use is medical intuition and intuitive healing. Medical intuition is tuning into your bodies energy field just as if one was tuning into a radio station. Your body is always talking and we are trained to listen and help you understand what it is saying. Many of us have things stuck in the energy field that can only be healed at that level, which is why things don’t change no matter how much we work on the physical level. Working with the energy field allows us to work with you wherever you are. Whatever the basis of your depression, we understand and have tools to help. Call us today to Kick it in the Butt and take charge of your life. 916-955-6558
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