Depression is extremely common. Virtually no one can ride the crest of life without experiencing periods of darkness, gloomy thoughts, low moods, and the feeling that life does not spark joy anymore. A buildup of unresolved pain, tension, challenging experiences, past emotions, old wounds, present struggles, and future worries can cause depression. Many of us go through situational depression and anxiety attacks when we experience the death of a loved one, a major disagreement with our spouse, the loss of a job, a childhood trauma situation, a natural disaster, or life’s tragedies and struggles. Depression manifests in varying degrees of severity, ranging from mild to moderate feelings of gloom to the most debilitating and life-threatening mood disorders. Depression can run in families.

The mainstream treatment for depression mostly consists of anti-depressant and anti-anxiety drugs. While it helps chase away the dark clouds, the source of the symptoms seldom disappears. It is just made less noticeable. Although an understanding of brain chemistry and neurotransmitters is among the more popular views concerning the origin of depression, the cause and triggers for depression still remain unclear.

The reason being that in medicine today, we tend to separate organs and body systems from our emotions and our spirit in the way we think about things. The truth is that there is an inherent interconnectedness between the physical, mental, and spiritual dimensions of our being; the body, mind, and soul are all connected. If one thinks an anxious thought in the mind, the body reacts by producing stress hormones. If one is constantly thinking anxious, worried, and fearful thoughts because one lacks clarity about an aspect in life, he/she bathes the entire body in these chemicals that affect their brain and immune system, causing sleeplessness, palpitations, high blood pressure, and a host of health problems.

In some cases, depression can be a result of physiological issues such as cancer, vitamin deficiency, hormonal imbalance, etc. Above all, one’s Being can create low feelings which cannot be shaken off. As a way to lift their spirits or to numb painful thoughts, many depressed individuals fall prey to addictions.