Dear A. B.
I have a question reading your book, you say that depression is a cycle and that all episodes don't last anyway - but brainswitching can shorten it. Does this mean that depression does heal itself naturally? The chemical imbalance does correct itself?
Thank you ever so much for your time you've spent on writing to me. I'm so grateful. Y_____
Dear Y________
No the chemical balance does not correct itself permanently. The reason depression is cyclical, and episodes end and start up again, is that the brain works by learned association. Even if the brain is on a dedicated neural track of depression, some maverick learned association could temporarily interrupt the track and the brain could get going in another direction away from depression.
Remember, the brain always follows the direction of its most current dominant thought. Interruption of the depressive cycle can happen naturally and accidentally due to learned association, but it could take a long time. Brainswitch interrupts the depressive pattern on purpose rather than accidentally. A. B. Curtiss
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Friday, August 6, 2010
Brainswitching does Get Easier Because of the Neuroplasticity of the Brain
Dear A. B.
Thank you very much for your replies.
It's true that I don't have much of a life that contents me at the moment, or I'm not sure if it's the depression that makes it seem like that, as I’ve suffered from this for so long. I feel that I've been quite a depressive and very insecure, and never had a lot of interest in things, though I’ve kept myself quite busy, active and social -- even when I haven't had serious bouts of depression.
And I've always had an unease with people, a strong sense of inferiority, though I've always faked being cheery and social. But your book and these correspondences have given me a lot of strengths.
What's been challenging at the moment is to focus on anything outside my head. I'm watching TV and trying to focus on the content but my mind keeps wandering to depressive thoughts, despite the attempts at mind switching.
I'm already doing better than a few days ago so I'll keep telling myself that I'm getting better and better; mind switching is getting easier and easier!
Warmest regards, Y______
Dear Y_______
You are new at this. IT WILL GET EASIER. Your brain needs to make new neurons that are more positive. Now you have too many negative neurons and not enough positive one in your brain so the negative neurons are always popping up. When you have more positive neurons they will start popping up instead of the negative ones and you will be able to have more positive trains of thinking happening. Also as you get going and making a life for yourself, more neural pathways will be formed. This is the process of neuroplasticity of the brain. It changes with new thinking and new experiences. When you say it changes, what you mean is that more neural patterns develop A. B. Curtiss
Thank you very much for your replies.
It's true that I don't have much of a life that contents me at the moment, or I'm not sure if it's the depression that makes it seem like that, as I’ve suffered from this for so long. I feel that I've been quite a depressive and very insecure, and never had a lot of interest in things, though I’ve kept myself quite busy, active and social -- even when I haven't had serious bouts of depression.
And I've always had an unease with people, a strong sense of inferiority, though I've always faked being cheery and social. But your book and these correspondences have given me a lot of strengths.
What's been challenging at the moment is to focus on anything outside my head. I'm watching TV and trying to focus on the content but my mind keeps wandering to depressive thoughts, despite the attempts at mind switching.
I'm already doing better than a few days ago so I'll keep telling myself that I'm getting better and better; mind switching is getting easier and easier!
Warmest regards, Y______
Dear Y_______
You are new at this. IT WILL GET EASIER. Your brain needs to make new neurons that are more positive. Now you have too many negative neurons and not enough positive one in your brain so the negative neurons are always popping up. When you have more positive neurons they will start popping up instead of the negative ones and you will be able to have more positive trains of thinking happening. Also as you get going and making a life for yourself, more neural pathways will be formed. This is the process of neuroplasticity of the brain. It changes with new thinking and new experiences. When you say it changes, what you mean is that more neural patterns develop A. B. Curtiss
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Should I be Constantly Fighting Negative Thoughts?
Dear A. B.
Thank you for your sweet and warm encouragement, it put a big smile on my face :). Yes, I'm determined to go on the path of self-responsibility, and you are my inspiration !
I just got back from an evening session of yoga - an activity I use to enjoy a lot -- however I found that I was having negative thoughts all the time. The more I relaxed, the more it came that was anxiety building. Of course, I practiced brainswitching, or trying to focus on the breath or anything else, also telling myself " it's just a chemical thing, it's not reality" or " it's not an option to think downer thoughts !!! I refuse !! ".
This would work for a split second and I feel the relief, but right away boom! another negative thought would arise. Beneath the relaxation composure, I was in a constant fight, or shall I say chase -- to combat the negative thoughts that seemed to just auto-generate. I feel exhausted with a headache now from the "fight" but at least I don't feel as depressed as if I was not putting up a fight and letting the negative thoughts take me down further. Is "fighting" like this the right attitude, that I must do for every single negative thought?
How long does it take to get to a less painful place, where the thoughts don't have power over me? I know you say it's more qualitative than quantitative, but I remember reading somewhere that it took you 2-3 yrs.
Did you have to battle / fight constantly at the beginning?
Kindest regards and thank you deeply for this support, Y_______
Dear Y_________
Well, actually no. That's not exactly right. We shouldn't be fighting thoughts. Fighting thoughts just keeps them alive. Thoughts are very quick, they are over almost as soon as they pop up, unless you choose to think them again and again. You don’t really kill thoughts, you just don’t think them.
What you are doing is not fighting thoughts but choosing not to think them when they pop up. The best way to choose not to think any particular thought is to choose to think some OTHER thought instead of the thought that popped up. Thus substituting “green frog” or hippoty-hop” for the thought "I feel depressed." Remember that depression is first and foremost a thought.
As for how long it will take. It took 2 to 3 years until I was able to perfect the process for myself. But I was creating it as I went along. You have the whole process before you, laid out in the book. It should not take you as long. Some people say that, once they got the idea of blocking the acknowledgment in the neocortex with some nonsense word, they never suffered any more pain from depression. They used the word, got out of the pain, and then went on with the regular chores or work of the day.
One man wrote me that "green frog" totally changed his life. Another that "hippity-hop" was all he needed and his life was totally changed as well. But both these people already had good lives they had built and the depression was a side step out of their lives. Knowledge of how their brain worked allowed them to side step back out of depression and into their regular lives.
For you, it may be that you have more life-building to do so that once out of depression you have something viable to jump into. If you don't have much going on, where do you go when you get out of depression? You have to re-engage with life, but you have to have an ongoing life to re-engage with.
You certainly seem to have fragments of a life, family, work, etc. But there is not yet a serious investment on your part in these fragments to build into a more coherent whole life. But the mind exercise should always be able to get you out of the extreme agony of depression, even though you are not all that "happy." Remember though, that you can always be cheerful even if your heart may be a little heavy. And cheerfulness can become happiness in due time. It's that old psychological cliche--fake it until you make it. A. B. Curtiss
Thank you for your sweet and warm encouragement, it put a big smile on my face :). Yes, I'm determined to go on the path of self-responsibility, and you are my inspiration !
I just got back from an evening session of yoga - an activity I use to enjoy a lot -- however I found that I was having negative thoughts all the time. The more I relaxed, the more it came that was anxiety building. Of course, I practiced brainswitching, or trying to focus on the breath or anything else, also telling myself " it's just a chemical thing, it's not reality" or " it's not an option to think downer thoughts !!! I refuse !! ".
This would work for a split second and I feel the relief, but right away boom! another negative thought would arise. Beneath the relaxation composure, I was in a constant fight, or shall I say chase -- to combat the negative thoughts that seemed to just auto-generate. I feel exhausted with a headache now from the "fight" but at least I don't feel as depressed as if I was not putting up a fight and letting the negative thoughts take me down further. Is "fighting" like this the right attitude, that I must do for every single negative thought?
How long does it take to get to a less painful place, where the thoughts don't have power over me? I know you say it's more qualitative than quantitative, but I remember reading somewhere that it took you 2-3 yrs.
Did you have to battle / fight constantly at the beginning?
Kindest regards and thank you deeply for this support, Y_______
Dear Y_________
Well, actually no. That's not exactly right. We shouldn't be fighting thoughts. Fighting thoughts just keeps them alive. Thoughts are very quick, they are over almost as soon as they pop up, unless you choose to think them again and again. You don’t really kill thoughts, you just don’t think them.
What you are doing is not fighting thoughts but choosing not to think them when they pop up. The best way to choose not to think any particular thought is to choose to think some OTHER thought instead of the thought that popped up. Thus substituting “green frog” or hippoty-hop” for the thought "I feel depressed." Remember that depression is first and foremost a thought.
As for how long it will take. It took 2 to 3 years until I was able to perfect the process for myself. But I was creating it as I went along. You have the whole process before you, laid out in the book. It should not take you as long. Some people say that, once they got the idea of blocking the acknowledgment in the neocortex with some nonsense word, they never suffered any more pain from depression. They used the word, got out of the pain, and then went on with the regular chores or work of the day.
One man wrote me that "green frog" totally changed his life. Another that "hippity-hop" was all he needed and his life was totally changed as well. But both these people already had good lives they had built and the depression was a side step out of their lives. Knowledge of how their brain worked allowed them to side step back out of depression and into their regular lives.
For you, it may be that you have more life-building to do so that once out of depression you have something viable to jump into. If you don't have much going on, where do you go when you get out of depression? You have to re-engage with life, but you have to have an ongoing life to re-engage with.
You certainly seem to have fragments of a life, family, work, etc. But there is not yet a serious investment on your part in these fragments to build into a more coherent whole life. But the mind exercise should always be able to get you out of the extreme agony of depression, even though you are not all that "happy." Remember though, that you can always be cheerful even if your heart may be a little heavy. And cheerfulness can become happiness in due time. It's that old psychological cliche--fake it until you make it. A. B. Curtiss
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
I Got Out of Bed Today
Dearest A.B Curtiss,
Thank you ever so much for your replies. It's certainly encouraging to learn that our very nature is joy and once the despair and fear removed, it will resurface.
I believe I have a lot of repressed fear as I witnessed some traumatic things as a child. Sure, I have had numerous therapies over the years and at peace with the trauma. But I have overwhelming fear that I cannot look after myself, be an independent adult and eventually have a family when I can't even look after myself. I think often of just quitting and giving up, but I just cannot do that to the rest of my family.
Is there a way I can buy that chapter 10 part on line?
I'm almost done reading the Brainswitch book, and reading your replies and blogs...
Yet I still cannot will myself to get out of bed and do something, except for going to the bathroom. You keep mentioning we all have the will to do it, yet I cannot find this WILL and courage that you mention. Is this really a choice I'm making.... when I'm really fed up with depression and just want normalcy and joy back in my life? Y
Thank you ever so much for and for sending chapter 10, which I look forward to reading.
Do you have any comments/advice on how I can conjure up will and strength to get out of bed?
Thank you infinitely. Y
Dear Y_______
Check your self-talk to see if you are telling yourself you can't get out of bed and kind of self-hypnotizing yourself that it is impossible. Then start telling yourself over and over that you CAN get out of bed. Repetition is one way to self-hypnotize ourselves on purpose to get our brain to do things we want it to do for us.
Visualize a wave that is helping you and just float out of bed. This is a great visualization that Nurse Claire Weekes uses for Agoraphobics to help them go out their front door. Isn't it a shame what we do to ourselves? The good news is that what we have the power to do to ourselves negatively, we CAN also do positively. We have the power. We just have to use it better. Yes, it is our choice to stay in bed to get up and move forward with our day. Who else, or what else can you blame it on when, as you said, you get up to go to the bathroom, right? . A. B. Curtiss
Dear AB Curtiss,
Please allow me to ask another question, as I'm reading Brainswitch for the second round. Is the neocortex the same as what we call the "left brain"?
Besides the brainswitching exercises you suggest in your book, will doing some math or logical thinking exercises help with the chemical inbalance that depression causes? Will it help to strengthen this part of the brain, even when you are well - meaning - not having any negative / downer thoughts?
Thank you in advance for all your generous help since yesterday.
PS: I'm still in bed and it's already early evening, but don't feel bad at all for some reason -- perhaps some laziness for staying in bed the past 2 days, but not any negative / downer thoughts and able to focus more on your book that arrived yesterday.
Y___________
Dear Y_____
No the neocortex is not the same as the left brain. There are many ways to divide up the brain architecturally to study it, one way is right/ left, the other way is top/ bottom. The neocortex is the top of the brain and the subcortex is the bottom, generally speaking. For the purposes of getting out of depression, we are mainly interested in the brain functionally rather than architecturally. A. B. Curtiss
Dear A.B. Curtiss,
Thank you very much for your reply and the clarification. I was able to get out of bed and go about my day, and I feel a lot better to be productive.
I look forward to practicing the exercises and getting better and better each day. I may have more questions along the way as I digest the materials more in-depth.
Thank you ever so much for your generous support, I think you are truly amazing to be really helping people!
With infinite gratitude, Y_____
Dear Y____________
Good for you and congratulations on your new life of self-responsibility.
Thank you ever so much for your replies. It's certainly encouraging to learn that our very nature is joy and once the despair and fear removed, it will resurface.
I believe I have a lot of repressed fear as I witnessed some traumatic things as a child. Sure, I have had numerous therapies over the years and at peace with the trauma. But I have overwhelming fear that I cannot look after myself, be an independent adult and eventually have a family when I can't even look after myself. I think often of just quitting and giving up, but I just cannot do that to the rest of my family.
Is there a way I can buy that chapter 10 part on line?
I'm almost done reading the Brainswitch book, and reading your replies and blogs...
Yet I still cannot will myself to get out of bed and do something, except for going to the bathroom. You keep mentioning we all have the will to do it, yet I cannot find this WILL and courage that you mention. Is this really a choice I'm making.... when I'm really fed up with depression and just want normalcy and joy back in my life? Y
Thank you ever so much for and for sending chapter 10, which I look forward to reading.
Do you have any comments/advice on how I can conjure up will and strength to get out of bed?
Thank you infinitely. Y
Dear Y_______
Check your self-talk to see if you are telling yourself you can't get out of bed and kind of self-hypnotizing yourself that it is impossible. Then start telling yourself over and over that you CAN get out of bed. Repetition is one way to self-hypnotize ourselves on purpose to get our brain to do things we want it to do for us.
Visualize a wave that is helping you and just float out of bed. This is a great visualization that Nurse Claire Weekes uses for Agoraphobics to help them go out their front door. Isn't it a shame what we do to ourselves? The good news is that what we have the power to do to ourselves negatively, we CAN also do positively. We have the power. We just have to use it better. Yes, it is our choice to stay in bed to get up and move forward with our day. Who else, or what else can you blame it on when, as you said, you get up to go to the bathroom, right? . A. B. Curtiss
Dear AB Curtiss,
Please allow me to ask another question, as I'm reading Brainswitch for the second round. Is the neocortex the same as what we call the "left brain"?
Besides the brainswitching exercises you suggest in your book, will doing some math or logical thinking exercises help with the chemical inbalance that depression causes? Will it help to strengthen this part of the brain, even when you are well - meaning - not having any negative / downer thoughts?
Thank you in advance for all your generous help since yesterday.
PS: I'm still in bed and it's already early evening, but don't feel bad at all for some reason -- perhaps some laziness for staying in bed the past 2 days, but not any negative / downer thoughts and able to focus more on your book that arrived yesterday.
Y___________
Dear Y_____
No the neocortex is not the same as the left brain. There are many ways to divide up the brain architecturally to study it, one way is right/ left, the other way is top/ bottom. The neocortex is the top of the brain and the subcortex is the bottom, generally speaking. For the purposes of getting out of depression, we are mainly interested in the brain functionally rather than architecturally. A. B. Curtiss
Dear A.B. Curtiss,
Thank you very much for your reply and the clarification. I was able to get out of bed and go about my day, and I feel a lot better to be productive.
I look forward to practicing the exercises and getting better and better each day. I may have more questions along the way as I digest the materials more in-depth.
Thank you ever so much for your generous support, I think you are truly amazing to be really helping people!
With infinite gratitude, Y_____
Dear Y____________
Good for you and congratulations on your new life of self-responsibility.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Will My Joy Eventually Return?
Dear A. B.
Thank you very much for your quick and thorough reply.
I will order your first book, as you have cited this Chapter 10 to me but also to many many people on your blog.
If I'm wired to practically autogenerate negative thinking 24/7 ( actually strangely, in my dreams I have positive thoughts and am joyful -- that's why I love to escape to sleep ), mind switching replacement thoughts will certainly take a lot of effort. It's the continual auto generation of thoughts that are so hard to tackle each time.
Also I have a question: why would you not replace a positive thought ( instead of neutral ) to the negative thought? I could not find that explanation.
From my first email : will joy eventually return?
Thank you very much for this correspondance. Y__________
Dear Y____________
There is a place for positive affirmation. However getting out of a depressive episode is not the time to use positive thinking. That's because the brain works by learned association (think salt and the neuron for pepper pops up). So a positive thought could just as easily generate a negative one. You might think "I will be positive," and your learned assocation thought "but it won't do any good" might pop up thus agitating the emotional subcortex even more.
The point of brainswitching is to use a non-emotional thought which will stimulate neural activity in the neocortex, withdrawing neural activity from the agitated subcortex. Thinking "hippity-hop" over and over generates no emotional response and not only helps to stimulate activity in the neocortex but perhaps more importantly, it blocks the acknowledgement in the neocortex that depression is being produced in the subcortex.
In order for a human being to feel any pain or emotion which is all produced in the subcortex, the signals must go up the brain and not only be received but acknowledged in the neocortex. This is why hypnosis works.And why a player can actually break a bone in a football game and feel no pain until the play is over. The neocortical concentration on the game prevents the acknowledgment in the neocortex that pain is being produced in the subcortex.
Will joy eventually return? Your very nature is joy. You are never without it. However repressed fear and anxious worry covers up your essential joy so you are separated from your original awareness, and therefore separated from your essential joy. It is there, but you are not aware of it. You are only aware of your despair. It's like a one-way mirror. You don't see beyond the despair to your essential okayness hidden behind the mirror of your despair.
Despair is extremely seductive. You are programmed to focus on it because it is an instinct built into your original subcortex defense mechanism. This defense mechanism is the human being's default position. When you are not actively engaged in on-purpose, directed or productive thinking, your brain automatically reverts to its defensive position. A. B Curtiss
Thank you very much for your quick and thorough reply.
I will order your first book, as you have cited this Chapter 10 to me but also to many many people on your blog.
If I'm wired to practically autogenerate negative thinking 24/7 ( actually strangely, in my dreams I have positive thoughts and am joyful -- that's why I love to escape to sleep ), mind switching replacement thoughts will certainly take a lot of effort. It's the continual auto generation of thoughts that are so hard to tackle each time.
Also I have a question: why would you not replace a positive thought ( instead of neutral ) to the negative thought? I could not find that explanation.
From my first email : will joy eventually return?
Thank you very much for this correspondance. Y__________
Dear Y____________
There is a place for positive affirmation. However getting out of a depressive episode is not the time to use positive thinking. That's because the brain works by learned association (think salt and the neuron for pepper pops up). So a positive thought could just as easily generate a negative one. You might think "I will be positive," and your learned assocation thought "but it won't do any good" might pop up thus agitating the emotional subcortex even more.
The point of brainswitching is to use a non-emotional thought which will stimulate neural activity in the neocortex, withdrawing neural activity from the agitated subcortex. Thinking "hippity-hop" over and over generates no emotional response and not only helps to stimulate activity in the neocortex but perhaps more importantly, it blocks the acknowledgement in the neocortex that depression is being produced in the subcortex.
In order for a human being to feel any pain or emotion which is all produced in the subcortex, the signals must go up the brain and not only be received but acknowledged in the neocortex. This is why hypnosis works.And why a player can actually break a bone in a football game and feel no pain until the play is over. The neocortical concentration on the game prevents the acknowledgment in the neocortex that pain is being produced in the subcortex.
Will joy eventually return? Your very nature is joy. You are never without it. However repressed fear and anxious worry covers up your essential joy so you are separated from your original awareness, and therefore separated from your essential joy. It is there, but you are not aware of it. You are only aware of your despair. It's like a one-way mirror. You don't see beyond the despair to your essential okayness hidden behind the mirror of your despair.
Despair is extremely seductive. You are programmed to focus on it because it is an instinct built into your original subcortex defense mechanism. This defense mechanism is the human being's default position. When you are not actively engaged in on-purpose, directed or productive thinking, your brain automatically reverts to its defensive position. A. B Curtiss
Monday, August 2, 2010
Another Bout of Depression. Meds Don't Seem to Help
Dear A.B Curtiss,
I've found your site, blogs and books by recommendation last week. Since then I've spent a lot of time reading your materials -- I've read every blog entry since you started, and the Brainswitching book arrived today which I've been reading. I'm very impressed about your work on answering emails and really helping people.
Everything you say makes sense, and if anything I'm made aware that I've had depressive negative thinking as my dominant thought for a very very long time. I'm currently experiencing another bout of debilitating depression, I'm nearly 40, and off work for a couple months. Since I'm off work and don't have a routine, it's very hard to motivate myself to do anything but stay in bed everyday. I've read what you have to say about the importance to just push yourself and get out of self-focus.
I have absolute zero interest in anything and just the minimum self care is what I'm able to do every day -- even this with a lot of effort. Even if I will and force myself to get out of bed and do something, since I have zero interest in anything, I'm at a loss what to do. Will interest and eventually joy in things come back? What kind of activities, tasks do you recommend when I really have zero interest in anything at the moment?
My first debilitating depression was in college. And ever since then, for the last 20 yrs, every 2-3 yrs I'll get hit really badly, where it takes I wish I didn't have to live. I'm on Effexor XR right now, but not sure if it's really helping. I've done numerous therapies for the past 20 yrs more or less, but still in this state, and at this point the only thing that resonates is your explanation on how the brain works.
Everything you advocate makes sense 100% and the little I experienced with mind switching this weekend -- some did provide a little relief.
However my brain is wired to pick up & associate negative, depressive thoughts from practically anything and everything I look at, or anyone and everyone I speak to. So the mind switching exercises effects don't last long at all. You say, get on with your tasks, but even the few task I've tried from house work to physical exercise will bring back up the old system thoughts. Socializing with others was challenging, as I'll have negative thoughts as I'm engaged in the conversation and feel like I can't exactly do mind switching exercises.
I would gratefully appreciate if you could comment on my situation and if you had any advice.
Kindest regards, Y_________
Dear Y____________
You have to make new neural patterns in your brain of productive thinking and objective thinking rather than self-focused and subjective thinking (about how you feel). If you have not done this before, naturally it will take some effort. But you will never have to be helpless again because now you know that you CAN get up, you CAN make your bed, you CAN brush your teeth, you CAN volunteer to help at some institution (public library, hospital, childrens' home, public school) you CAN clean up your space and organize your life.
Every time your brain slides back into thinking about what you are feeling you can force it to think about something objective, someone else, look at some tree and think about the tree.
You can always pray for someone who is ill, suffering, even someone in the news who has suffered a tragedy, someone you don't even know.
You can always sing nursery rhymes to yourself to get going. And, of course, you have to make a life for yourself that does not include depression. Isn't it a tragedy that doctors keep you from doing that by teaching you learned helplesness.
You have zero interest in anything because you have not invested yourself in anything. It's like a bank. You have no money in the bank because you haven't put any in. You have zero interest in anything because you are not doing anything.
And you have a lot of repressed fear because for many years you have used chemicals instead of courage to face the day ahead. I would also suggest you read Depression is a Choice, especially chapter ten. This first book of mine is the psychological autobiography of how I got out of the manic depressive mind set.
I will be glad to answer any questions as you move forward with your day.
A. B. Curtiss
I've found your site, blogs and books by recommendation last week. Since then I've spent a lot of time reading your materials -- I've read every blog entry since you started, and the Brainswitching book arrived today which I've been reading. I'm very impressed about your work on answering emails and really helping people.
Everything you say makes sense, and if anything I'm made aware that I've had depressive negative thinking as my dominant thought for a very very long time. I'm currently experiencing another bout of debilitating depression, I'm nearly 40, and off work for a couple months. Since I'm off work and don't have a routine, it's very hard to motivate myself to do anything but stay in bed everyday. I've read what you have to say about the importance to just push yourself and get out of self-focus.
I have absolute zero interest in anything and just the minimum self care is what I'm able to do every day -- even this with a lot of effort. Even if I will and force myself to get out of bed and do something, since I have zero interest in anything, I'm at a loss what to do. Will interest and eventually joy in things come back? What kind of activities, tasks do you recommend when I really have zero interest in anything at the moment?
My first debilitating depression was in college. And ever since then, for the last 20 yrs, every 2-3 yrs I'll get hit really badly, where it takes I wish I didn't have to live. I'm on Effexor XR right now, but not sure if it's really helping. I've done numerous therapies for the past 20 yrs more or less, but still in this state, and at this point the only thing that resonates is your explanation on how the brain works.
Everything you advocate makes sense 100% and the little I experienced with mind switching this weekend -- some did provide a little relief.
However my brain is wired to pick up & associate negative, depressive thoughts from practically anything and everything I look at, or anyone and everyone I speak to. So the mind switching exercises effects don't last long at all. You say, get on with your tasks, but even the few task I've tried from house work to physical exercise will bring back up the old system thoughts. Socializing with others was challenging, as I'll have negative thoughts as I'm engaged in the conversation and feel like I can't exactly do mind switching exercises.
I would gratefully appreciate if you could comment on my situation and if you had any advice.
Kindest regards, Y_________
Dear Y____________
You have to make new neural patterns in your brain of productive thinking and objective thinking rather than self-focused and subjective thinking (about how you feel). If you have not done this before, naturally it will take some effort. But you will never have to be helpless again because now you know that you CAN get up, you CAN make your bed, you CAN brush your teeth, you CAN volunteer to help at some institution (public library, hospital, childrens' home, public school) you CAN clean up your space and organize your life.
Every time your brain slides back into thinking about what you are feeling you can force it to think about something objective, someone else, look at some tree and think about the tree.
You can always pray for someone who is ill, suffering, even someone in the news who has suffered a tragedy, someone you don't even know.
You can always sing nursery rhymes to yourself to get going. And, of course, you have to make a life for yourself that does not include depression. Isn't it a tragedy that doctors keep you from doing that by teaching you learned helplesness.
You have zero interest in anything because you have not invested yourself in anything. It's like a bank. You have no money in the bank because you haven't put any in. You have zero interest in anything because you are not doing anything.
And you have a lot of repressed fear because for many years you have used chemicals instead of courage to face the day ahead. I would also suggest you read Depression is a Choice, especially chapter ten. This first book of mine is the psychological autobiography of how I got out of the manic depressive mind set.
I will be glad to answer any questions as you move forward with your day.
A. B. Curtiss
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Intelligence Can be Defeated by Ignorance Every Time
I heard from a man recently whose wife is suffering from depression. She is on medication and is quite convinced by her doctor that she needs it to remain comfortable. She just wanted a suggestion for some meditation or hypnosis tapes so she could relax better.
The man said that his wife was helped by my website but had never read either of my two books, and was not interested in reading any more information about depression.
He asked my advice and I said to just get her some meditation or hypnosis tapes as she had obviously (to me) decided to be emotionally dependent rather than be a free person who was in charge of her own mind, as evidenced by the fact that she was not interested in any more information.
Perhaps that was a little harsh on my part (maybe I was miffed that she had dismissed my books), for the man quickly responded that she was a very intelligent woman who had a professional career.
I think he said that to convince me that her position about the necessity of her struggle with depression and being on medication had to be legitimate, and must be respected, because she was so smart, and therefore didn't need any more information.
Being depressed is not a matter of intelligence. It is a matter of education and mind set. If you are ignorant about how your own brain works, you will unwittingly be giving it wrong instructions when you are in the throes of a deep depression or under great stress. That's because if you don't know how the brain works, you will be convinced that you have to BE depressed, or stressed and you will keep on thinking about your depression and your stress.
You will not believe that you can simply direct your brain to think some other thoughts besides depression and anxiety, and if you think some other non-emotional thoughts, both depression and stress will go away. This is because the brain always follows the direction of its most current dominant thought. And by changing your thoughts, the brain will stop following the depressive or stressful neural patterns, and start following the new more productive neural patterns you have chosen. Then depression and stress will stop.
It is a fact of life that a lot of intelligent people are depressed. Similarly, a lot of smart doctors and surgeons, before a doctor's assistant named Semmelweiss tried to change their minds in 1847, did not believe they should wash their hands between operations.
Semmelweiss tried to convince the doctors and surgeons in his hospital to wash their hands and maintain antiseptic conditions during surgical procedures. Although he never saw any microbes himself, Semmelweiss deduced, from mere personal observation, that blood seemed to be a carrier of disease. Semmelweiss used to yell at the doctors parading in their bloody aprons from patient to patient "You are killing the patients."
What did the doctors do about this upstart? They had him committed to an insane asylum where he subsequently died.
These doctors were not stupid. They were uninformed, ignorant, (ignorant is not the same thing as unintelligent) and convinced in their minds that bloody aprons were not dangerous, but rather a badge of honor for their profession. They were the authority of medical knowledge, and coming from their great position of authority as chief surgeons, etc., they also came from a position of certainty.
When people come from a mind set of certainty, they do not bother with any information to the contrary of that position of certainty. This is the case of people that are convinced they cannot control their own depression, anxiety, panic attacks, claustrophobia, mania, etc. And most medical doctors,psychologists, and psychiatrists feed this belief. Indeed, one has to assume that they believe it themselves rather than they are just trying to make money from other people's agony.
I don't know why some people are open to new information and other people are not. It is a complete mystery to me. Those who educate themselves can learn how to get out of depression, anxiety, insomnia and a host of other things that people who think they have enough knowledge already, thank you very much, will be taking medication for for the rest of their lives. Perhaps this is a harsh thing to say, but there is nothing more harsh than suffering helplessly from depression when you can educate yourself how to get out of that helplessness by learning how your own brain works.
The man said that his wife was helped by my website but had never read either of my two books, and was not interested in reading any more information about depression.
He asked my advice and I said to just get her some meditation or hypnosis tapes as she had obviously (to me) decided to be emotionally dependent rather than be a free person who was in charge of her own mind, as evidenced by the fact that she was not interested in any more information.
Perhaps that was a little harsh on my part (maybe I was miffed that she had dismissed my books), for the man quickly responded that she was a very intelligent woman who had a professional career.
I think he said that to convince me that her position about the necessity of her struggle with depression and being on medication had to be legitimate, and must be respected, because she was so smart, and therefore didn't need any more information.
Being depressed is not a matter of intelligence. It is a matter of education and mind set. If you are ignorant about how your own brain works, you will unwittingly be giving it wrong instructions when you are in the throes of a deep depression or under great stress. That's because if you don't know how the brain works, you will be convinced that you have to BE depressed, or stressed and you will keep on thinking about your depression and your stress.
You will not believe that you can simply direct your brain to think some other thoughts besides depression and anxiety, and if you think some other non-emotional thoughts, both depression and stress will go away. This is because the brain always follows the direction of its most current dominant thought. And by changing your thoughts, the brain will stop following the depressive or stressful neural patterns, and start following the new more productive neural patterns you have chosen. Then depression and stress will stop.
It is a fact of life that a lot of intelligent people are depressed. Similarly, a lot of smart doctors and surgeons, before a doctor's assistant named Semmelweiss tried to change their minds in 1847, did not believe they should wash their hands between operations.
Semmelweiss tried to convince the doctors and surgeons in his hospital to wash their hands and maintain antiseptic conditions during surgical procedures. Although he never saw any microbes himself, Semmelweiss deduced, from mere personal observation, that blood seemed to be a carrier of disease. Semmelweiss used to yell at the doctors parading in their bloody aprons from patient to patient "You are killing the patients."
What did the doctors do about this upstart? They had him committed to an insane asylum where he subsequently died.
These doctors were not stupid. They were uninformed, ignorant, (ignorant is not the same thing as unintelligent) and convinced in their minds that bloody aprons were not dangerous, but rather a badge of honor for their profession. They were the authority of medical knowledge, and coming from their great position of authority as chief surgeons, etc., they also came from a position of certainty.
When people come from a mind set of certainty, they do not bother with any information to the contrary of that position of certainty. This is the case of people that are convinced they cannot control their own depression, anxiety, panic attacks, claustrophobia, mania, etc. And most medical doctors,psychologists, and psychiatrists feed this belief. Indeed, one has to assume that they believe it themselves rather than they are just trying to make money from other people's agony.
I don't know why some people are open to new information and other people are not. It is a complete mystery to me. Those who educate themselves can learn how to get out of depression, anxiety, insomnia and a host of other things that people who think they have enough knowledge already, thank you very much, will be taking medication for for the rest of their lives. Perhaps this is a harsh thing to say, but there is nothing more harsh than suffering helplessly from depression when you can educate yourself how to get out of that helplessness by learning how your own brain works.
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