Depression Expert Voices Today

Hey Guys, Are You Depressed and Don't Know It?

My wife, Carlin, and I walked tentatively into the nicely restored old building to attend the “family weekend.” Our son had been in treatment for a drug problem and we were there to learn and offer support. As part of the weekend experience, all the family members were given various questionnaires to fill out. One was a depression questionnaire. We dutifully filled it out and my wife scored “high” while I scored “low.” More…

Anti-Depressants and Transits

I'm a little hesitant to bring up the subject of anti-depressants and astrology, for lots of reasons. But I'm going to mention it because the use of anti-depressants is so widespread in our society today, as is the use of other long-term medications that can have an effect on mood. Indeed, I read recently that there have been anecdotal reports of anti-smoking and asthma drugs linked with depression and suicidal feelings, even though the drugs aren't there to treat mood disorders. And of course, the use of ADHD drugs in children is another controversial topic. In some unsettling ways, it is as though we are all accidentally part of a gigantic social experiment in mood alteration. What does this mean for our personal lives and the astrology of our personal lives? More…

What happens in your body when you're grieving?

 This week, in a workshop I gave on body wisdom to a group of bereavement ministers, we explored together how grief shows up in our bodies. Common experiences for grieving people, in addition to weepiness, are sleeplessness, loss of appetite, shortness of breath, feelings of heaviness, and lack of energy or interest. The body goes into a contracted state, pulling inward, curling up and hiding, as it were. There may also be a tight jaw or an irritable scowl or a curled up fist, reflecting a simmering anger over the loss. One woman told me that her mother got very angry when her husband (the woman's father) died. The mother then had a heart attack and died shortly thereafter. Maybe the anger wasn't the cause of her death, but the emotions associated with grief are very strong, and our bodies report on them faithfully. More…