Depression - Anxiety - Brain Chemistry

My thanks to Julie and rdionnecoury for their helpful postings on
this topic. We are touching on an important topic to just about
everyone, especially as our society moves further and further away
from the lifestlye our brains evolved to cope with. If we are not yet
suffering ourselves, we might in the future or at least have someone
around us who is suffering!

The "Upside"!
-------------
There is an upside to all this of course, which is that people who
manage to make the trip out of episodes of depression, anxiety,
psychosis people often seem to bring something with them, especially
creativity. Many mental health sufferers, e.g. famously Sir Winston
Churchill with his "black dog" of depression and many artists,
writers and entertainers have made important contributions to the
world.

Thanks, Julie, for those super files that you have uploaded for us,
especially your own article.
[to view Julie's files click on "files" in menu on left, then click
the folder "changing your biochemistry"

I know that you and Kayce have lots of experience of working with
anxiety, hyperarousal, trauma and depression in dogs. Not many people
know about the value of massage when dealing with disturbed animals,
and I have seen Kayce use this to good effect (perhaps she will tell
us more? - including the use of "Rolffing" massage?)

Hyperarousal
------------
This is a key issue and what a shame that more awareness is not
taught in schools about this - maybe antisocial behaviour would be
less of the huge and grwoing problem it has become.

Last Autumn I spent a couple of days doing shamnaic work with a group
of native Americans and I was impressed with their little girl, of
about eight years old. It is a long time since I saw "inner stillness"
in a child, and a long time since I saw I child so capable of being
with adults in a non-demanding way - just quietly entertaining
herself and doing creative things.

I mentioned this native American child to a teacher friend and she
told me that in her class she has some "Plymouth Brethren" children,
who are just the same - beautiful quiet kids, social, attentive and
whole within themselves, a delight to be with. The "Plymouth
Brethren" do not allow their children to watch TV or play computer
games - the teacher felt that this was probably the deciding
difference from the other "hyper", constantly demanding, fractious
and dissatisfied kids.

Lowering Arousal - Lifting Depression
-------------------------------------
I have gained much myself from increased awareness of Hyperarousal
and the ways to take the rest and satiation breaks that Julie
mentions in her article. I have found that massage, meditation
(especially moving meditations if you are too stressed to sit still),
Exercise, Singing and Dancing especially beneficial. Ralph Nimman,
who is on this list teaches "The Dances of Universal Peace" which is
about the most powerful "destressing and peacefulness" practice I
have ever come across. It incorporates that wonderful de-agitating,
de-depressing thing - being in loving company where you are valued
just for being a unique human being.

Brain Chemistry and Emotions
----------------------------
Julie recommends some books on this topic. I would like to add this
one:

"The Balance Within - The Science Connecting Health and Emotions"
http://www.lovehealth.org/info/psychoneurobiology.htm

which is written by a Canadian physiologist whose knew Hans Selye who
brought the word "stress" into the medical and popular culture
vocabulary.

On the same page www.lovehealth.org/info/psychoneurobiology.htm you
can access reading lists on the emerging science and health practise
of "Psychoneurobiology".

Healing
-------
Healing has an important part to play in the "brain chemistry" game.
Brain chemistry patterns that people often assume are "wholly
genetic" (very few health conditions are wholly genetic).

Barbara Brennan's book "Hands of Light"
http://www.stress-counselling.co.uk/sunflower/BOOKS/HEALERS.HTM
is famous for it's energy field content, but it also has some amazing
stuff on our "character patterns" - how they evolved from early life
experiences and how we can heal them to achieve the hidden potential
that lies within their dysfunctionality.

If you live in the Cambridge area and would like to do some healing work on your
current patterns, or would like to experience and learn some of the techniques
for lowering hyperarousal or lifting low energy/depression, do contact me.

In the meantime...

Blessing to your brain chemistry and hearth!
Mike