Depression And Faith

As someone who suffers from cyclical depression, I want to give my perspective on depression and faith.  For others who suffer with depression, I wish to let them know that it is not a failing of faith, or in moral character, and that they are not alone.  To do this, I will discuss the views of two notable personages of the Christian Faith, Martin Luther and John Wesley.  I will also share some of my own experiences and views.

Martin Luther, famous for initiating the Protestant Reformation by nailing his Ninety-Five Theses on the door of the Wittenberg Cathedral in 1517, suffered from depression. 

Herbert David Rix in his book, Martin Luther: The Man and the Image, notes:

"He suffered from depression much of his life. Apparently he did not believe depression was something shameful, to be hidden from others. In his work he often revealed his own problems with depression...In a large portion of the letters Luther wrote during the latter half of 1527 he alludes to the symptoms of his depression."

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"For about three months I have been ill not so much in body as in mind so that I have written next to nothing."

(Martin Luther October 8th, letter to Michael Stiefel in Tolleth)

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Luther in his writings offered some rather "earthy" treatments for depression:

Having been taught by experience I can say how you ought to restore your spirit when you suffer from spiritual depression. When you are assailed by gloom, despair, or a troubled conscience, you should eat, drink, and talk with others. If you can find help from yourself by thinking of a girl, do so.” And even, “Copious drinking benefits me when I am in this condition” (Martin Luther)

Now, while I don't endorse his remedy of, "copious drinking", as alcohol is a depressant, I do recommend the principle of taking as much pleasure as you can with what your depressed state will allow you.  Other therapies he suggested included, "music and good exercise". 

“The first . . . pertains to the spirit and serves to drive away care, while the second pertains to the body and practices the limbs by jumping and wrestling.”  (Martin Luther)
https://gratefultothedead.wordpress.com/2011/08/24/martin-luthers-anfechtungen-his-own-dark-nights-of-the-soul-and-how-they-affected-his-teaching-and-ministry/

I'll return to these proposed treatments when discussing my own experience later after we have explored the views of John Wesley.

John Wesley, although he did not report experiencing depression himself, wrote an entire sermon on, "Nervous Disorders", where he gave his thoughts on causes and treatment.  It is important to note that he did not consider, "the sinking of the spirits", as due to a lack of faith.


This is eminently the case with regard to those which are termed nervous disorders. And faith does not overturn the course of nature: Natural causes still produce natural effects. Faith no more hinders the sinking of the spirits (as it is called) in an hysteric illness than the rising of the pulse in a fever.”

We sometimes say, “A man is in high spirits;” and the proper opposite to this is, “He is low spirited.” Does not this imply, that a kind of faintness, weariness, and listlessness affects the whole body, so that he is disinclined to any motion, and hardly cares to move hand or foot? But the mind seems chiefly to be affected, having lost its relish of everything, and being no longer capable of enjoying the things it once delighted in most. Nay, everything round about is not only flat and insipid, but dreary and uncomfortable. It is not strange if, to one in this state, life itself is become a burden; yea, so insupportable a burden, that many who have all this world can give, desperately rush into an unknown world, rather than bear it any longer.”

John Wesley, The Complete Works of John Wesley,

Vol. 11: Thoughts on Nervous Disorders;

Particularly that which is usually termed

lowness of spirits (Albany, NY: Sage Digital

Library, 1996), p. 606.

John Wesley, The Complete Works of John Wesley,

Vol. 6: Sermon XLV11 - Heaviness through

Manifold Temptations, (Albany, NY: Sage

Digital Library, 1996).

http://bachdevelopment.com/bach17h.html
https://sites.google.com/site/outofthetomb/john-wesley-and-depression

At this point, I would like to give some of my own experience and thoughts on depression. Although I suffered from homesickness and minor depression during part of my first year at University, it wasn't until my third year that I had my first major episode of clinical depression.  Since then, I have endured periods of depression that have lasted only months and periods that have lasted years, but fortunately I can say the same for times I have lived depression free.  I've had times when I could do little other than read, watch television, and sleep, where eating the last of the bug infested oatmeal was preferable to leaving the apartment to buy food.  I've also had long periods of "functional" depression, where I have been able to work and have only had a couple of days where going to my job was beyond what I was capable of, times where I could take care of the necessities of life, but not had the energy for much else.  I am sure that others have had much worse experiences of depression than my own, this illness comes with varying severity and symptoms.

In my experience, depression and anxiety are like two sides of the same coin.  Part of what I experience when I'm depressed is a pervasive non-specific anxiety, a feeling of dread and insecurity which saps my confidence and will.  In response, I seem to freeze up and all my energy is channeled into battling these feelings.  Social contact becomes difficult and a burden.  My insecurity makes me feel like others will find my company boring and irksome.  My feelings of being overwhelmed and low on energy and mental resources makes me feel even more insecure when interacting with others.  I fear that they will make demands I don't have the resources to respond to, that I will need to assert or defend myself and will not have the energy.  I know that I have emerged out of depression when I suddenly notice the people around me, when I enjoy spending time with them, when I find them interesting and want to ask them questions and feel worthy to share about myself and believe that they will find it interesting and of value.

Depression is a sapping of will, spirit, and motive energy.  Things that usually give you pleasure are flat and listless and just require too much effort to enjoy even if you could.  Initiative and changes in direction seem to take an overwhelming amount of energy.  It is a state of inertia where the body is stuck in a molasses pit that defies motion.

It is a black hole of negative feelings and thoughts that require constant effort to resist and which saps your strength and will.  Since we are cognitive beings, we are compelled to unconsciously rationalize these overwhelming negative feelings and begin to view the world through the lens of despair.  We start thinking that the reason we feel the way we do is that the world, our circumstances, even ourselves, really are terrible.  This may lead to persistent and obsessive negative thoughts which become a negative feedback loop that digs us ever deeper.  It may also descend into self destructive or self injurious thoughts with an unconscious rational that if our feelings tell us that we are bad then punishment may offer relief. 

For many of us, depression is just our physical and genetic weak link. Those who suffer from this illness usually have a family history of the disease. Like those who are physically predisposed for heart disease or diabetes, this condition is the point at which we are prone to break first when our bodies are under physical and emotional stress.  I know for myself that stress, emotional conflict, and cognitive dissonance (distress caused when your actions do not match your belief system in regard to the world or yourself), have sometimes been contributing factors pushing me into a depressed state or lowering my resistance to its appearance.  Like other predisposed illness, one needs to manage the factors that can exacerbate it; stress, diet and exercise. 

There is a tendency when depressed to search for the cause.  I have know times when depressed where I was obsessed with finding the psychological and emotional cause for my feelings, where I was convinced that there must be something wrong with my life, my life decisions, and the path that I was taking, and that this must be the "reason" for my depression.  A number of these times, after emerging from depression and having the energy and will to take action,  I made major life changes, breaking a wedding engagement, changing career or faith direction.  I started University studying the humanities and as an intended candidate for ministry in the United Church of Canada, having not taken a course in mathematics past grade eleven, and now work a technical job and have a Limited License in Electrical Engineering.  These changes have all been serendipitous, but were never addressing the, "cause", of my depression. I would certainly suggest that those experiencing depression seek counseling, along with other medical treatment, to deal with those stresses and life problems that may be contributing to thier illness, but caution them against viewing them as, "the cause", and making dramatic life changes in response.

Faith and hope are important factors in enduring depression.  By faith I don't mean surrendering your understanding to a greater authority or an authoritarian interpretation of Scripture beyond the evidence of experience and reason.  I mean trusting in the larger principles that you have come to be convinced of due to reason and a wider range of experience and not letting oneself be dissuaded by immediate dissenting events.  Just like a successful gambler when placing his bet has to trust in the actual odds and not make decisions based on a streak of occurrences, you need to keep faith in your broader understanding.  The fact that he has lost the last seven hands does not make it any more likely that he will win or lose the next one.  The chances of a coin coming up heads is 50% each toss no matter the results beforehand.  As a Christian, I trust that life is good, generous, and loving, as Jesus testified and as wider experience has taught me, and not as my feelings during depression would otherwise try to convince me.  During my first bout with major depression, some of the hope that sustained me was based on my spiritual interpretation of the situation.  I believed that there was directed purpose in my circumstances, that God was directing my depression in order to halt my current path and reveal his desired direction.  Later, that faith and hope came from the knowledge from my earlier experiences that my depression would not last forever, I would emerge at some point and be able to live and enjoy life again, and that what I was feeling during depression did not bear up to what my feelings tell me when I am not depressed.

Along with cultivating faith and hope, I have some other suggestions to help manage depression.  The first is to get professional medical help and work on long term strategies with your health professional.  This is an illness and it requires medical assistance which sometimes includes medication to control or manage.  The second is to cultivate physical and mental health both as a preventative and as a part of treatment.  This means taking care of yourself, eating right, good sleep practices, exercise and other forms of stress management.  It may also mean taking care of your emotional health, being proactive in solving relationship problems or issues of resentment or forgiveness.

http://www.strongmindbraveheart.com/wp-content/uploads/eeyore-1024x537.jpg

I can not stress enough the importance of relationships and a supportive social network of family and/or friends.  I attribute much of my endurance and recovery from periods of depression to the support and care of my wife, daughters, and friends.  I know from experience that maintaining social contact while depressed is difficult, but having friends that will accept you and just allow you to be present with them is incredibly helpful.  There are times where you just may not be up to social interaction, but please don't close the door.  If you can't manage an invitation today, let the person know that you still want to get together with them and try to reschedule for the next day or week.  One of the social interactions that I was able to maintain during my last period of depression was playing saxophone with the community band.  Some weeks I couldn't manage to go to rehearsal, some weeks I could only manage the first half of rehearsal and left during the break, but it was always important to try and maintain that routine and habit.

Two things that Martin Luther suggested were exercise and music, and I readily endorse both.  It doesn't need to be strenuous exercise, just getting out for a walk in the open air is helpful.  If it involves a team or social activity, all the better.  I've read studies where exercise can improve mood almost as effectively as medication, but please do not think of it as an alternative, follow your Doctor's direction.

I personally find music to be very helpful, particularly making music oneself.  As I mentioned, I play saxophone, but also play the piano and sing in choirs.  I've read a number of articles about the positive effects of both producing and just listening to music on the brain.  Singing and playing wind instruments also have the added benefit of deep breathing which also has a positive effect on mood.

The last thing I will mention today is storing up positive experiences and meaning during those times when you are not suffering from depression.  Live life when you are able and build up a storehouse of experiences and memories in your heart to draw on during the lean times of depression and to look forward to again when you recover.  Do things that you will find meaningful; volunteer, help others, spend time with friends and family.

A little over a year ago, I finally emerged from a three year period of "functioning" depression.  Over the last year and a bit, I have been doing my best to, "make hay while the sun shines".  I have been in a number of community theatre productions, have been singing with a church and community choir, and continue to play my saxophone . I also have been able to create a whole new art portfolio.

http://hughgardiner.daportfolio.com

To close, I would like to leave you with a link to an article that gives world-renowned scientist Stephen Hawking's words on depression in a recent talk. Mr Hawking is known for providing us with complex yet invaluable insights into space, time, and the nitty-gritty of theoretical physics. He has also lived with motor neuron disease for almost 53 years – despite being told he had just two years to live when diagnosed in 1963. I would encourage you to read his inspirational words in the link below.

http://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/stephen-hawking-gives-some-beautiful-advice-depression