Mind-Body Medicine

Treating depression with holistic or complementary medicine will depend on the level of depression. For those suffering from chronic depression resulting from chemical imbalances, the methods offered by mind-body medicine may have little effect. On the other hand, those individuals who suffer infrequent bouts of depression or sadness due to a specific, identifiable reason, alternative medicine may help enormously.

Many people who are depressed have definitive reasons such as grief, loss of income, a short illness, or even irritation from poor or cold weather. To help overcome the sad or dark period, patients may express themselves through:

• art such as painting or carving in clay or wood;
• hobbies such as woodwork, crochet and knitting;
• music, either by listening to favorite pieces or recording one's own songs;
• and various forms of dance.

Any form of creative outlet that the patient previously enjoyed can have the ability to console him/her and alleviate the conditions. Creative projects are generally inspiring and uplifting, consequently, when people pass time doing things they enjoy, the process becomes therapeutic. Taking a walk in the woods and being surrounded by nature can have the same calming effect on many people. Gardening, washing and waxing the car, household chores, and activities that require little concentration tend to make depressed individuals feel better. The expression “keeping busy” applies here and it really is a form of mind-body medicine.

Because cultures like those in India, China and Japan have traditionally relied upon mind-body medicine, it is no surprise that North Americans have tried to copy or use these methods. Two of the most popular forms of meditation and relaxation that many Westerners practice are Yoga and Tai Chi. Like dance, the exercises transport participants to another plain where they are encouraged to focus their thoughts elsewhere. Both forms of meditation try to restore balance and harmony in the body and therefore, promote healing. For certain individuals suffering from depression, concentrating the mind and body on a specific purpose can be beneficial.

An interesting phrase coined by Christopher Devin Hastings, Winchester Hospital (Massachusetts) Certified Hypnotherapist, characterizes the correlation between the mind and depression. "Speak well to yourself because your deep mind is always listening." While he openly admits that treating depression is not as simple as dusting oneself off and moving on, he recognizes the need to change behaviors and practices hypnosis as a medium to facilitate change.

Additionally, “neuro linguistic programming” techniques involve establishing a predetermined result by following planned actions. Created by doctors John Grinder and Richard Bandler, NLP is based upon the notion that language could both negatively and positively affect the nervous system. And as a form of behavioral therapy, it seeks to change the “how” in what someone does as opposed to the “why”. In this way, results are much more successful for patients. They do not dwell on why they think a certain way, instead they focus on how to change those thought patterns.

Finally, one note that should be highlighted is that although mind-body medicine can be used to successfully treat depression, it does not follow that depression is always a result of one's thoughts or more commonly put, “all in one's head”. Many people mistakenly believe that humans should just talk themselves out of these sad episodes. For the most part, this is not possible and requires treatment, such as those outlined above, over a period of time.