Go Outside- bring your brain!

Look at how your body is designed. You have senses, you have limbs, and you are on grounded on planet earth.  Our bodies and our brains are designed to interact with the "natural" world.  It is essential for your brain health to go outside. Take walks. Look at the sky, watch the sunset, notice the frost on the leaves on the ground. Listen to the birds, the sound of waves, the rain. 
I live in a beautiful place, surrounded by incredible natural beauty and I take advantage of this every day. I encourage people all the time, go outside. It is great for your brain. If you are struggling with depression, daily walks outside will support your recovery. Look for something beautiful. Photograph the beauty that you see so you can retrieve that energy, the high, from seeing it. You can also do some journaling or drawing from the photo.
These red and green frost-tipped leaves filled my entire being with a sense of fulfillment. I felt satiated and full just looking at them. It reminded me as we enter the holiday season, to not get too focused on shopping and buying things, but to appreciate the fall and winter outside, the beauty that is free.

My Little Dove

There is a little dove that sits on top of the pole outside of my office. We can hear the sweetest sounds from this dove during sessions. I wish this little dove knew how much comfort it was bringing to people in therapy. Between tears, people will say to me, "Do you hear a dove?" and I answer, "You are not crazy, there is a little dove that sits outside this office, and yes, you are hearing a dove."
Sound can be profoundly helpful to us while we are healing. And these little dove sounds are so appreciated.
There is a woman on our island that is a sound massage therapist. She incorporates all kinds of sounds as a form of massage. I found her cd's to be very therapeutic and I highly recommend them.
I met two women who are thanatologists, they visit hospitals and play harp music for people as they are dying. They explain that they tune their music to the breathing of the patient. Patients report that it relieves their pain.
And silence, the absolute quiet can also be healing. The silence of meditation, the quieting of everything.
I am thankful for this little dove who freely sits outside my office and seems to visit when needed.

WIsdom

"There's the wind and rain
and the many stars that guide us
we have some of them inside us" song by Dar Williams

I believe that every single one of us has the wisdom we need inside of us. It's my job as a therapist to listen to your wisdom and help you to recognize it, become aware of it, and trust it.

Breakthroughs

Breakthroughs in therapy are achieved with dedication. There is a willingness to sit with what is intolerable and to learn. Depression is a teacher. Anxiety is a messenger. People put a lot of energy and effort into trying to get rid of depression. In therapy, we travel into it. It is often telling people things they don't want to hear. Things that seem unbearable. It takes time to learn to trust that perhaps some very big changes must be made to have a life that works better for you. If the depression goes unresponded to for too long, the brain can be affected with the chemistry. In addition to life changes, your brain will need you to take steps to restore it to a state of wellness.