Freedom from Depression

Essential Practices for Lasting Freedom from Depression The true source of healing from depression comes from within—not from doctors or medications. Yet when depression drains away our vitality and will, how can we find the energy to help ourselves? With Freedom from Depression, Dr. James S. Gordon reveals a new and empowering approach for dealing with this misunderstood condition—a way out of the darkness that helps you restore balance and joy to your life. Proven Techniques for Navigating Our Way to Wholeness Through both his personal experience and 40 years of research, Dr. Gordon knows just how serious depression can be. Dr. Gordon challenges the common medical model of depression as a strictly physical disease that is best treated with drugs—instead, he sees it as a wake-up call that our lives are out of balance. Drawing from treatments he and his colleagues have used successfully in places like Kosovo, Gaza, Haiti, and post-Katrina New Orleans, as well as experiences with patients in his US practice, he has created a set of simple and elegant tools for engaging more deeply with our lives instead of withdrawing. Here he offers practical training for using meditation, diet, guided imagery, movement, and more to help us deal directly with our own unique circumstances around depression. The path to freedom from depression is realistic, hopeful, well-traveled—and filled with unexpected rewards. As Dr. Gordon has seen time and again, we can emerge from the darkness with a deeper appreciation of life's richness and our purpose in the world. With Freedom from Depression, he offers a bold new way to find true healing from this condition—to turn our fears into teachers, renew our body and mind, and reclaim our ability to take joy in life. HIGHLIGHTS The science of depression—dispelling common myths about genes, drugs, and lifestyle Antidepressants—taking a hard look at the value and limitations of drug-based treatment Neuroplasticity—why our ability to rewrite the brain's neural circuitry empowers us to overcome depression Simple meditation practices for balancing the emotions, body, and spirit Using self-hypnosis and guided imagery to relieve anxiety and find inner calm Diet, movement, and creativity—effective ways to bring a sense of delight back into your life The seven stages of the journey to wholeness