Who hasn’t experienced, at least once, the feeling of hopelessness? Of being in a deep pit, into which no ray of light can penetrate? And maybe even the thought that it might be better to die?
In one word all these feelings can be described: as depression.
In this short article I want to briefly describe the two main perceptions known for treating depression and expand on a third, much less familiar perception: depression from a spiritual point of view.
The first perception sees depression as a physical problem: for example, if we go to a family doctor and complain about feeling depressed, he may send us for a series of tests to find out if we are suffering from a lack of B-12 and B-6 vitamins, or hormonal imbalances due to thyroid dysfunction.
A psychiatrist also considers depression a physiological problem that is a product of an imbalance in the brain, such as low levels of serotonin, and will therefore recommend medication.
The second perception sees depression as a mental problem. Therefore, if we go to a psychologist and describe an experience of depression, he may, in most cases, look for a traumatic event from the present or the past that has left its mark on our inner world, and will offer a therapeutic process.
But just as sometimes a doctor is not enough and we need a psychologist, sometimes the psychologist is not enough, and a spiritual therapist should be sought.
In other words, although the accepted definition of depression is a bad mood, the doctor or psychologist does not deal with the mood, that is, the spiritual state of the patient, but only in his physical or mental aspects.
Here a deep understanding of the nature of depression is needed. The word depression, in English and other Latin languages, is derived from the Latin verb ‘deprimere’ meaning “to press down”, “to depress”. But what part of us is depressed? The answer to that is: the spirit of man, the spiritual part of us, our true essence.
Therefore, when a person suffering from a bad mood seeks the help of a spiritual person, the role of the last is to help the person remove the oppression from his spirit and set him free.
Since each person is unique and different, it’s not possible to give a uniform description here about this process, which takes place in a personal meeting at ALMAINSPIRA, but I will try to give general guidelines for spiritual treatment of depression:
First, a depressed person is like a person who has lost his breath. Therefore, just as mouth-to-mouth respiration is needed, also in the case of depression, we must give “spirit-to-spirit respiration”. It is a process in which the teacher restores the spirit of the suffering person by giving him his own energy. This is something that may sound complicated or esoteric, but in fact it is a simple process in which the person who so far feels there is no chance, begins to see the light at the end of the tunnel and feel that there is hope.
It is important to understand that the oppression of the spirit is a result derived from the fact that the person is not on the right path for him, and he must go out in search of a deeper meaning to life. It may be that he needs to change jobs or even a profession, that he needs to elevate his relationship to a higher level (or break up), devote time to developing his inner world even though he needs to take care of his young children, or even (and I know one woman which that was the cause of her depression) ask God And look for the answers to life’s big questions.
Later in the process, the teacher will also teach the student how to connect to the inner voice of the spirit, which is his intuition, his “gut feelings”. In fact, we were all born with this ability to communicate with our most trusted source, but we lost it mostly out of an overdevelopment and a focus on the intellect. I always say that the teacher is nothing but an amplifier for the weak spirit of the student, but over time the student learns to hear for himself the instructions and warnings of the spirit.
Another important thing to learn is how to strengthen the spirit so that it does not fall, from all the pressures and difficulties that each of us is exposed to in life in the material world. In ALMAINSPIRA this section is taught and practiced through the ten exercises of the “Gym for Life” program.
Advanced students will also be given the knowledge, taken from the message of the Grail, how to call the various instructors who accompany us from the world that is beyond this world, and how a true prayer can be a “pill” against the most powerful depression. It is true that the spiritual path is longer and requires much more effort than taking pills, but it will lead those who walk in it, to the understanding that the darkest night – gives birth to the brightest stars and whoever can train and strengthen his spirit, will be able to conquer the world.
