Almost everyone has experienced "depression" in some manner or form in their lives. Feeling down, low energy, no motivation, or just flat. Or a bit more extreme in the case of chronic depression sufferers. It has been a topic in the news this year due to a few high profile suicides. It has become as common a condition and experience as anxiety, and most of us are well versed in both.
I have had a few clients come onto my table that have suffered from depression. And quite simply, the results I have seen from CST with these clients has really amazed me, so much I felt the need to write an article about it. CST can help clients with their depression, and depressive symptoms.
Why is this? I felt it necessary to ponder this a bit. In my CST training, there is what I now personally call a "depression protocol" that you can do with clients who suffer with depression. It involves three really simple techniques in the body. But the results of it are amazing time and time again.
To explain it here: when certain structures in the body become stuck and immobile, it can create a depressed feeling in the body and mind. Our body structures can become stuck when we go through something traumatic and stressful. It is like the body goes into protective mode, to support us through the impact.
When the body cannot move, we feel restricted and limited. Our energy decreases. We don't feel like ourselves. It is a cascade of feelings and emotions that build, and we begin to shut down. We go into a mode that is less than our normal state of relating. And our body reflects this.
The thing about the body is, is that it never forgets. It tends to hold onto these stresses and traumas, until we seek to resolve and release them. This isn't a bad thing, it is the way our system protects us. It is survival. But over time, this immobility can lead to a depressed and dysfunctional state. That is when we experience things like pain, depression, or any myriad of body-mind imbalances.
Underneath depression is usually other emotions. No surprise, as depression can be viewed as that which is "depressed" quite literally. One client experienced sadness when I did the depression protocol with her. Another felt joy. Once the structures and tissues were gently released, both clients could experience the emotional states that were suppressed, for whatever reason.
CST is gentle, it does not force. It gives the body a chance to unwind and express what has been suppressed. It can provide relief for the nervous system, depressed state, and any accompanying emotions and sensations. It can release what has been immobilized, leading to a greater access to more positive feeling and body states.
I am not saying CST is a cure-all for depression, but it can certainly help. Done in conjunction with the therapeutic healing work of a Psychotherapist or Counsellor, CST can be a perfect supportive therapy for depression recovery.
© Jodie Cara Lindley