Is Stress at the Root of Depression? “Yes,” say Neuroscientists

I said I would do my best, and this article is one step.  She is deeply concerned that people aren’t getting the help that they really need.  So am I.  And I’m thrilled to have her urging on our efforts to spread the word.  It takes caring and energy to spread useful information quickly.  Please help by sharing this email with those you know who might benefit.

There is a great need for more research in this area, but EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing psychotherapy) therapists will not be surprised by this finding.  We find traumatic stress is at the root of so many conditions.  And Francine Shapiro does clearly point out that trauma can be “Big T” trauma, such as war or rape.  Or, it can be “small t” trauma, such as never getting hugged or affirmed as a child, being criticized by parents, siblings, peers, and so on.  Such events have a traumatic effect on our brains, as well.

Knowing this background to depression, what happens when you only deal with the chemical aspects of depression, or the cognitive aspects?  The depression returns.  Everyone knows that medication doesn’t have a lasting effect.  If you quit the medication because of the side effects, the depression returns.

And Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, though it is known to be effective for depression, results in backsliding when PTSD therapy is over. EMDR therapy for PTSD helps to resolve depression that is a part of PTSD.  Research has shown that with EMDR, the improvements actually continue building after therapy is complete.  This is because we are getting at the underlying cause, and making actual differences in the brain. If you never treat the underlying cause, it is there ready to “brew trouble” when something triggers that traumatic reaction (including depressed feelings) again.

There is a great need for more research on EMDR for Depression.  It still has not been done extensively for depression as it has been done for PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). But EMDR therapists and their clients report good results.

One client this week told me, “I didn’t even realize that when I first came here, I was depressed and agoraphobic [afraid of leaving home].  Now I’m happy, and I enjoy people!”

To find more information about Comprehensive EMDR treatment, please go to the home page of www.ComprehensiveTherapyApproach.com

To find an EMDRIA-Certified EMDR therapist who specializes in treating depression in one of the communities served by ComprehensiveTherapyApproach.com (see link below), go to our directory and search for your community.  Many of our therapists are experienced in treating depression.

We have therapists in California, Washington State, Arizona, Colorado, and Boston and Eastern Massachusetts by now (December of 2012).

EMDR Therapist, Psychologist and Counselor Directory

If you are outside of the communities we serve currently, please go to the EMDRIA website, FIND A THERAPIST, scroll down to choose either “Certified Therapist” or “Approved Consultant” and search the specialty field near the bottom for “Depression.”

We wish you, or dear ones suffering from depression, the best at getting at the root cause of your depression and helping your brain to reach it’s more positive, more adaptive capacity.