Depression Treatment

Are You Sick and Tired of Feeling Sick and Tired?

Have you lost interest in your life? Do you fail to enjoy the activities you used to love? Have you been avoiding domestic responsibilities, social gatherings, or even recreational activities due to diminished motivation?

Does persistent fatigue make it hard for you to get through the day? Is your sleep pattern so off—from either sleeping too much or not sleeping enough—that you wake up feeling tired? Are you eating poorly, or at times, not at all?

Are financial difficulties, an unsatisfying career, or domestic quarrels wearing you down?

If you’re struggling with depression, you may find it difficult to fulfill your domestic obligations or accomplish your professional goals. Unhappy with your life and lacking the energy, confidence, or motivation to change things, you may feel stuck.

With the help of a professional therapist, it is possible to improve not just your mental health, but also many elements of your life situation.

Depression Has Many Causes

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 7% of American adults had at least one major depressive episode in the past year. Depression is slightly more common in women and minorities, but it crosses all demographics. Its severity can range from mild to severe, and its causes can be both internal and external.

It’s only natural that you should feel sad if you’ve recently experienced a job loss, bad breakup, or the death of a loved one. Unfulfilling careers, financial shortcomings, argumentative partners, difficult neighbors, political conflicts, and holiday stress are all common causes of sadness and depression. And according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, seasonal depression—a condition referred to as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)—is also very real.

For some, unhealed emotional trauma can cause depression symptoms to arise out of nowhere. Of course, occasional sadness is part of human life, but persistent depression can be debilitating. As it progresses, it may begin to affect your career and personal life, deepening your depression in what can start to feel like an endless cycle.

Therapy For Depression

An empathetic, experienced, and knowledgeable therapist can be a powerful advocate for you against depression. Unpleasant emotions (such as anger, sadness, anxiety, and grief) and low self-esteem can cause you to view your life with pessimism. Therapy can help you find creative solutions to your problems.

Before addressing the external causes of your depression, though, we’ll first rule out the need for medical intervention. Biological forces such as brain chemistry, genetics, and even hormonal imbalances may impact mood.

If your life circumstances are playing a role in your depression, we’ll brainstorm practical, outside-the-box ways to improve your situation or your capacity for coping with it. We’ll emphasize the importance of self-care. It can be difficult to find the energy to take good care of yourself when you’re depressed, so we’ll brainstorm ways to gradually reintroduce activities that nourish you—mentally, physically, and spiritually.

Our therapeutic style is empathetic, caring, and warm. We will never judge you, blame you for your depression, or ask you to make unwanted changes in your life. When you do commit to making a positive change, however, we will ask that you follow through with it. We’ll walk hand in hand with you through your toughest challenges, all while gently pulling you in an emotionally productive direction.

Unhealed past emotional trauma(s) can be a major cause of multiple mood disorders. And everyone has experienced some form of trauma. Unless the emotional damage caused by trauma is healed, depression is likely to turn up again and again.

Brainspotting is a cutting-edge, research-proven neurobiological protocol that can access and heal the negative emotions created by depression that reside in the sub-cortical part of the brain. Brainspotting is the best therapy for depression, especially for people recovering from trauma. Whether you were a victim of sexual abuse/assault, a combat vet in the military, a victim of a violent crime or auto accident, or were ignored and put down in your early years, Brainspotting can facilitate deep and often permanent healing.

With the neurobiological protocol of Brainspotting, you’ll experience healing from negative emotions created by hurtful and harmful experiences. You’ll have more clarity to deal with life challenges when painful emotions are decreased or eliminated altogether. As your energy levels increase, you’ll take better care of yourself and those around you, granting you a greater sense of purpose and fulfillment.

If you commit to the self-improvement plan we’ll develop, you’ll also heal from the outside in. At first, you may have to force yourself to pick up that old gardening hobby, musical interest, or travel plan, but you may wake up one day and find that you suddenly enjoy them again.

As you consider therapy for depression, you may worry…

I’ve been to therapy before, and it didn’t work.

If you have unhealed emotional wounds, talk-based therapy and practical life suggestions may make you feel good for a while, but a trigger may cause your depression to resurface. That’s why we emphasize Brainspotting in our sessions, to dig out your depression by the root and prevent it from coming back.

The decreased motivation that comes with depression can make it hard to enact positive changes in your life. Even if attending therapy is the only positive thing you can motivate yourself to do right now, it may ultimately be enough to initiate the healing process.

I don’t want people to think I’m crazy.

In the past, situational depression was sometimes misdiagnosed as a serious mental illness. As recently as the 1960s, some people were even locked up in psychiatric hospitals if they reported symptoms of depression.

Fortunately, years of research have taught us that depression is neither unusual nor incurable. Rather than being viewed as a character flaw, depression is increasingly regarded as a temporary, treatable condition. Just like a physical ailment, depression can have many biological and external causes, all of which can be addressed through outpatient therapy.

Short of handing me a winning lottery ticket, you won’t be able to fix my life.

Most of my clients experience situational depression, a sadness originating from unfavorable life situations. Believing there’s nothing they can do to improve their circumstances, they often assume that their depression is unavoidable as well.

It’s true that some things in your life can’t be changed. But there are also many things you can change, including how you react to your circumstances. In therapy, you’ll learn to face challenges with greater optimism and creativity. A clearer perspective, combined with the insights and motivation we’ll provide, may lead you to practical solutions you hadn’t thought of before.

Take The First Step To Healing

The Southern Colorado Hope for Healing Institute serves clients in Pueblo and Colorado Springs. We offer an experienced, compassionate, and results-driven staff and the only Brainspotting-trained therapist for depression in Pueblo County. For a free, 15-minute consultation, call us at 1-719-271-6677 today.

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Testimonials

“I’ve been in lots of therapy both in and out of the VA system and Brainspotting is the only protocol that’s helped my PTSD!!  I’d recommend it to any vet struggling with PTSD.”

-Steven J.
Canon City

“After Brainspotting, I now feel less angry with more clarity to set up healthy boundaries with my family.”

-Richie P.
Pueblo

“Following my last Brainspotting session, I feel much better…alert and energized.”

-Michael R.
Pueblo