Thoughts on Depression Part II

The brain, to me, is the most fascinating and unique part of the human body.    Like any other organ, things can go wrong in the brain.   Unlike other body parts, however, imbalances in the brain are complex and difficult to sort out because of this uniqueness.   What other body part can be so directly affected by our own attitudes and experiences?   (Maybe the digestive system but we don't think with it so that's another matter).   Genetic factors aside, an individual's perception of the world and consequent behaviors can affect the state of the brain.  

I will never be a brain expert, but Dr. Greg Knopf, who I mentioned in a previous post (Thoughts on Depression Part I) is just that.   He also views the brain and all its quirks from a biblical worldview, and rightly so, for the human mind is surely one of God's most amazing creations.   

 Hormones called neurotransmitters are the key to understanding brain imbalances.    A deficiency in an essential neurotransmitter is not the same as a depressed mood, which is experienced by everyone at times.   Dr. Knopf puts it this way, "If the brain does not have an adequate amount of these hormones, the body’s nerve-messages don’t get delivered, and the body begins to malfunction. Some people inherit a tendency to have low hormone levels because their nerve cells either break down more of the hormones than other people’s do, or their body simply does not make enough of them."

A traumatic experience, such as divorce or death of a family member, can deplete the brain of neurotransmitters because it basically gets stuck in overdrive, or a high alert state.   For some people, this can lead to a prolonged depletion of neurotransmitters and the brain needs help "bouncing back".  Fortunately, time, rest, and wise counsel can often heal the brain.   God can heal anything in any way, but He also heals through medicine and this is  the case for the brain at times.   

There is a lot of misinformation about antidepressants and how they work.   The name "antidepressant" itself is a little misleading because people associate it with achieving an unnatural high, similar to what addictive drugs, such as narcotics, do.    Antidepressants don't do this and they are not addictive; they actually bring depleted levels of serotonin and other neurotransmitters back to normal levels.   

As Dr. Knopf's explains in the video below, "Antidepressants helps the body conserve what you've already made."  Conserve what we've already made for normal functioning.   Therein lies the difference between so-called recreational drugs and antidepressants.     The video also shows what happens when the brain is overstimulated by too much of a neurotransmitter and the unpleasant consequences of this.   
 

Sources:  http://depressionoutreach.com/
http://www.sermoncentral.com/articlec.asp?article=gregory-knopf-understanding-depression-medication&Page=1&ac=&csplit=9060

Downton Abbey: Facing Evil Alone

 I'm not much of a TV watcher but I was captured by Downton Abbey from the first ring of a servant's bell.   The events of this past week's show (Season 4, episode 2) were a little traumatizing.   Anna, arguably the kindest character in the series, is sexually assaulted by a visiting servant while her husband, and everyone else, is upstairs listening to a guest's opera performance.     The characters have endured heartbreaking losses and behaved badly at times but this event is the most depraved of all.    Anna is found afterward by Mrs. Hughes, the housekeeper, and makes her promise to tell no one, not even her husband Bates, what happened.   Her reaction to the attack initially seems counter-intuitive.    Not even her husband?!  

The show closed with Anna appearing very traumatized but determined to be silent.  Why?  Why not let her husband Bates go after her attacker immediately while he's still around?  For one thing, Anna knows Bates would be so angry he might kill him.  Good reasoning since she doesn't want to lose her husband to prison or the death penalty.  The more complex reason may be the social stigma she would have to endure in an era that was not kind to women of any class.   In other words, her entire future would be in jeopardy.   In our era, women are encouraged to seek help immediately in such a situation and generally have immediate resources to rely upon.   But not Anna.

The most disturbing aspect of this storyline is that it was a reality faced by some women during that time.   Although innocent, the victim could pay an even higher price by seeking justice.   Short of funeral scenes, the Downton Abbey producers rarely include anything about spirituality so this deeper aspect of the characters' lives is never developed.   We will probably see signs of depression in the normally cheerful Anna as she carries this awful secret alone (except for the housekeeper).   However she deals with it, internalizing trauma will have a profoundly negative impact on her.   

Of course, the storyline has to develop so I'm guessing eventually other characters will know about it.  In the meantime, what could Anna (or anyone who's ever been in a similar situation) do?    There is One who she can go to for help.   God views rape as a grave offense.   Deut. 22:25-27 states:

But if in the open country a man meets a young woman who is betrothed, and the man seizes her and lies with her, then only the man who lay with her shall die. But you shall do nothing to the young woman; she has committed no offense punishable by death.  For this case is like that of a man attacking and murdering his neighbor, because he met her in the open country, and though the betrothed young woman cried for help there was no one to rescue her.

Society in that era might try to lay some of the blame on Anna (e.g. "She must've provoked him") but God makes it clear that she is to be viewed as an innocent victim.   No excuses!   Supposing justice never comes for Anna and the man is never held accountable to anyone, there is still comfort in the knowledge that God will not let it go.   Although God is love (1 John 4:8), he is also a warrior (Exo 15:3), a and defender of the weak and helpless (Ps 68:5).   Someday those who commit such crimes and never repent will stand before God and it will be absolutely terrifying, for Hebrews 10:31 states,  "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."

Thoughts on Depression Part I

Sometimes you have to learn stuff the hard way.   The positive thing about learning the hard way is that, despite the pain of it, the lesson usually sticks.    Seven years ago, I learned a lot about the title of this post the hard way.   When I was pregnant with my first child, I had heard of postpartum depression but I had only a passing interest, if that.   I'm a naturally cheerful person so what was about to happen to me was so unexpected that I was in complete denial until my daughter was two years old.   

The nutshell version is that before I left the hospital with my baby, I was fighting against a state of despair and extreme exhaustion but unable to sleep.   Some part of me knew this wasn't normal but for some reason I just couldn't recognize it.   Looking back, I struggle to understand how I couldn't see what is now so obvious.   This was a whole new world and I made sure I hid this from everyone.  I just kept smiling and saying everything was fine - even to my husband.  

Dr. Greg Knopf is an expert on depression and he's done much to shed light on this issue in the Christian community.   He writes that people often struggle to recognize depression because depressive symptoms, "... often suggest to those who experience them that they may have some kind of low grade virus or some other illness that is dragging them down. That’s why many eventually end up at the office of their primary care physician, looking for a diagnosis that would provide a solution."    

One of the most profound lessons I took away from my experience is learning the difference between sad, depressed feelings due to an external circumstance and a physiological depletion of essential neurotransmitters (e.g. serotonin).    The word depletion seems to characterize it well.   I think of a sad mood as a mental state in which there's an addition of sad feelings.   Clinical depression is an absence of essential neurotransmitters that create a sense of well-being and normal energy levels; its a negative state. 

The origin of depression is complex and many factors, such as genetics, can play a role.   It can also be brought on by our own choices, especially when drug abuse is involved because of its effect on brain chemistry.   There is no shortage of  opinions on depression and certainly so within the church.   Our natural instinct is to base our beliefs about depression   on our own personal experiences.  In other words, we tend to think subjectively about it instead of objectively.    Thinking objectively about an emotional topic is difficult, but this becomes less challenging as we learn more about it.  

It is not easy to write about this topic in such a personal way and I've postponed it for a long time.  Even so,  I can honestly say that I've gained more than lost from the experience. 




Dr. Greg Knopf, http://depressionoutreach.com/

Names of God

This is the only time of the year when you can hear songs about God, or "religious" Christmas songs,  almost anywhere.   The popular song "Angels We Have Heard on High", for example, sings of "Jesus Lord of heaven and earth", "Christ the Lord, the newborn king", and "our Savior's birth".    Famous musicians release Christmas albums with songs lyrics such as these.  I hope they sing with sincerity, but  I also wonder what they really think of the claims in made in these songs.     

The word "God" can mean different things to different people, depending on the person's perspective about who He is.    At Christmastime two years ago, I wanted to help my clients in recovery to know more about who God is so I made the following list.    Its not a complete list, but if you've never heard any of these beautiful names, then surely they will bless those who are seeking to understand why people sing "Glory to God in the highest", or "Gloria in excelsis Deo".   

 
 El Shaddai (All-Sufficient One, Lord God Almighty)
This refers to God completely nourishing, satisfying, and supplying His people with all their needs as a mother would her child. Connected with the word for God, El, this denotes a God who freely gives nourishment and blessing, He is our sustainer.

Gen 28:3 - And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people

El Elyon (The Most High God)
It expresses the extreme sovereignty and majesty of God and His highest preeminence.     When the two words are combined — El Elyon — it can be translated as "the most exalted God.”

Psalm 57:2 - I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills {his purpose} for me.

Adonai (Lord, Master)
Plural form; Isaiah 28:16 - Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: "Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem, a firm and tested stone. It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on. Whoever believes need never be shaken. (This cornerstone is Jesus Christ.)

Yahweh/YHWH (Lord, Jehovah; omnipotence of God, absolute ruler)
Yahweh is the promised name of God. This name of God which (by Jewish tradition) is too holy to voice, is actually spelled "YHWH" without vowels.  This is the name most often used for God in the Old Testament (6, 519 times).  

Malachi 2:17 - You have wearied the LORD with your words. "How have we wearied him?" you ask. You have wearied him by saying that all who do evil are good in the LORD's sight, and he is pleased with them. You have wearied him by asking, "Where is the God of justice?"

Jehovah Nissi (The Lord My Banner)
Jehovah is translated as "The Existing One" or "Lord." The chief meaning of Jehovah is derived from the Hebrew word Havah meaning "to be" or "to exist."

In Exd 17:15, Moses, recognizing that the Lord was Israel's banner under which they defeated the Amalekites, builds an altar named Jehovah-Nissi (the Lord our Banner).

Exodus 17:15 - Moses built an altar and called it The LORD is my Banner.

Jehovah-Raah (The Lord My Shepherd)
A shepherd is one who feeds or leads his flock to pasture (Eze 34:11-15). An extend translation of this word, rea', is "friend" or "companion." This indicates the intimacy God desires between Himself and His people. When the two words are combined — Jehovah Raah — it can be translated as "The Lord my Friend."

Psalm 23:1 - The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

Jehovah Rapha (The Lord That Heals)
Rapha (râpâ') means "to restore", "to heal" or "to make healthful" in Hebrew.  Jehovah is the Great Physician who heals the physical and emotional needs of His people.

Psalm 6:2 - Have compassion on me, LORD, for I am weak. Heal me, LORD, for my bones are in agony.
Jeremiah 3:22 - "My wayward children," says the LORD, "come back to me, and I will heal your wayward hearts." "Yes, we're coming," the people reply, "for you are the LORD our God.”

Jehovah Shammah (The Lord Is There)
Shammah is derived from the Hebrew word sham, which can be translated as "there."

Ezekiel 48:35 - "The distance around the entire city [Jerusalem] will be 6 miles. And from that day the name of the city will be 'The LORD Is There.'”

Jehovah Tsidkenu (The Lord Our Righteousness)
(pronounced “tsid-kenah”)  "to be straight," or "righteous" in Hebrew

Jeremiah 33:16 - In those days Judah will be saved, And Jerusalem will dwell safely. And this is the name by which she will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS

Jehovah M’kaddesh (The Lord Who Sanctifies You)
Meaning "sanctify," "holy," or "dedicate." Sanctification is the separation of an object or person to the dedication of the Holy. When the two words are combined — Jehovah Mekoddishkem — it can be translated as "The Lord who sets you apart."

Lev 20:8 - Keep my statutes and do them; I am the LORD who sanctifies you.

El Olam (The Everlasting God, The God of Ancient Days)
Olam literally means "forever," "eternity," or "everlasting".

Jeremiah 10:10 - But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth will tremble, And the nations will not be able to endure His indignation.
Isaiah 26:4 - Trust in the LORD always, for the LORD GOD is the eternal Rock.

Elohim (Creator God)
Genesis 1:1 - In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Psalm 8:5 - For You have made him [man] a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor.

Pater (Father)
Matthew 5:16 - In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Qanna (Jealous, zealous)
The fundamental meaning relates to a marriage relationship. God is depicted as Israel's husband; He is a jealous God, wanting all our praise for Himself and no one else.

Exodus 34:14 - You must worship no other gods, for the LORD, whose very name is Jealous, is a God who is jealous about his relationship with you.
 
Jehovah Jireh (The Lord Will Provide)
Genesis 22:14 - And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, "In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided."

Jehovah Shalom (The Lord Is Peace)
Judges 6:24 - And Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and named it Yahweh-Shalom (which means "the LORD is peace"). The altar remains in Ophrah in the land of the clan of Abiezer to this day.

Jehovah Sabaoth (The Lord of Hosts, The Lord of Armies)
Jehovah Sabaoth can be translated as "The Lord of Armies" (1Sa 1:3). This name denotes His universal sovereignty over every army, both spiritual and earthly. The Lord of Hosts is the king of all heaven and earth.

Isaiah 3:15 - How dare you crush my people, grinding the faces of the poor into the dust?" demands the Lord, the LORD of Heaven's Armies.
Zechariah 1:3 - Therefore, say to the people, 'This is what the LORD of Heaven's Armies says: Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of Heaven's Armies.'

I AM  הָיָה
Exodus 3:14 - Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?"
God replied to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you."

John 8:24 - That is why I said that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I AM who I claim to be, you will die in your sins."

The Alpha and Omega (The Beginning and The End)
Revelation 1:8 - "I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end," says the Lord God. "I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One."

Revelation 21:6 - He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.”
 
Names of Christ (not a complete list)

Jesus/Yeshua/Joshua
Means “Jehovah is salvation”, “God incarnate”
Matthew 1:21 - "And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins."
Revelation 1:5 - “...and from Jesus Christ. He is the faithful witness to these things, the first to rise from the dead, and the ruler of all the kings of the world. All glory to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us.”

Emmanuel (God is with us)
Matthew 1:23 - "Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means 'God is with us.'"

Ya'ats (Counselor), Pele (Wonderful)
Isaiah 9:6 - For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Sar Shalom (The Prince of Peace)
Isaiah 9:6  (prophecy) - For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Messiah/Christ (Anointed)
John 4:25 - The woman said, "I know the Messiah is coming—the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us."

Soter (Savior of the World)
John 4:42 - They said to the woman, "We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world."

Agnus Dei (The Lamb of God)
John 1:29 - The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

Hodos (The Way), Aletheia (The Truth), Zoe (The Life)
John 14:6 - Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
Matthew 7:14 - "Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Poimen (The Shepherd)
John 10:11  - "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

Ampelos (The Vine)
John 15:5 - "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.  He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn't produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.”

Every Moment Counts

The other day my first grader stayed home from school with a cold.   She looked and sounded terrible.   She was up and about, not really sick enough to be crashed on the couch all day and well enough to be bored by 9:30.   Sick and bored, with only half her normal energy level.  I had thought I would escape the bug, but by the afternoon I knew I hadn't.      

After a movie, a craft, games, a napless toddler, someone always asking for food but never eating much, constant running of interference between sick child and napless child, and a box of Christmas stuff dragged out of the closet as a desperate attempt to keep them occupied, I was ready to call it a day.   Before dinner.      

By 8 pm,  the girls were clean, fed, and snoozing soundly.   While breathing in as much steam as possible in a hot shower, I pondered the day.   I've had much harder times as a parent, but for some reason I wanted to feel a sense of accomplishment, some kind of tangible result from a day's work.   

Wouldn't it be nice if someday, years from now, my older daughter would say, "You remember that day when we all felt like crap but you did a fantastic job anyway?  Thank you for being such a super awesome workhorse parent!   I will treasure the example you set for me forever."  Realistically, she probably won't remember this day because nothing of any significance happened, at least not in an earthly sense.   

Then suddenly I was hit with a thought:  every moment counts.   Every.  Moment.   "God?  Is that you?   So if every moment counts in your eyes then I have to be a perfect parent and we both know that's not gonna happen."  

If God was sending a little encouragement my way, and I believe he was, then the basic message is not perfectionism but this:  Love is never in vain.   Every loving thing we do for our children counts, no matter how seemingly mundane.  No one else may see, but God sees and this love is impressed on their young hearts.    

A long while back I had an insight about love.   If the ultimate example of selfless love is Jesus dying for mankind, then warm fuzzy feelings have little to do with it.    He did not feel warm fuzzies when he died.   

Its easy to love my adorable girls with warm fuzzy feelings but there are times when parenting does not feel like this at all (some vomit memories come to mind).   In such times, we can look to Jesus' sacrificial attitude as the foundation of how we love our children.  Not out of drudgery, but from a  heart full of grace.  


  

The ABCs of Thinking Part 2

 I love these verses that emphasize what, in a nutshell, describes a healthy state of mind:   For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace (Rom 8:6); We have the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16), ...to be renewed in the spirit of your minds (Eph 4:23); And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:7).   

 Its clear from these scriptures that thinking and spirituality are related.   Your spiritual "eyes" are your filter.   After Phil 4:7, Paul tells his readers to dwell on things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise.   Much easier said than done!   Try watching the ten o'clock news and come away with any information that comes close to pure and lovely. 

The good news is that the spirit does some of the work for us since we can't (e.g. renewing our minds).  We modern folk have more of a challenge being exposed to nonstop bad news and other negative media (primetime TV anyone?), but in the long run we are responsible for how we think.  

Here are some common unhealthy thinking habits:

All-or-nothing thinking - rigid black or white thinking; there's no middle ground; perfectionism
Overgeneralizing - one bad thing leads to negative assumptions about other things; words like always, never, nobody, everyone.   Ex: "No one ever cares about what I have to say."  
Magnifying/minimizing - exaggerating negatives and ignoring positives; everything is a catastrophe
Mind reading - Assuming what others think without asking; leads to resentment
Fortune telling - Worrying/fretting/freaking out; assuming the worst will happen or, if it does, the consequences will be unbearable
Emotional reasoning - Assuming your feelings always accurately represent reality.   Ex: I feel like a loser right now so I must be one.  

These habits can be so entrenched in us that we don't even realize we're doing it.    How often do we stop and think about our thinking?     People struggling with addiction often relapse long after their bodies are drug free because they fall into the same old negative patterns of thought.   

You can be sure that Satan knows how to take advantage of our weaknesses.   James 1:13-15 describes how this happens:  "When tempted, no one should say, 'God is tempting me.' For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death."

We don't have to go through life forever analyzing ourselves, but if we allow the Holy Spirit to expose our weaknesses we will find freedom.   2 Cor 3:17, "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."

Adapted from Nelson Binggeli at http://www.nelsonbinggeli.net/NB/CBT-CR.html

The ABCs of Thinking Part 1

 Every day we spend a lot of time reacting and responding to the people and circumstances around us without giving much thought to how we respond because its basically automatic.   Ten people may have a different emotional reaction to the same situation.    We all know that person who is prone to freak out about something that, in the long run, just isn't a big deal.    And there's  the person who passively accepts whatever comes along, the "oh well" type.   I might be tempted to strangle both in a real emergency, but fortunately most of us fall somewhere in the middle of these extremes.  

So what gives?  Why do our emotional responses vary so much?   There is a fairly simple concept called the ABC Model.   A represents an activating event, B represents our beliefs about the event (perception), and C represents the emotional and behavioral consequences.   Most people assume that their response is caused by the event, or that A causes C, but this is inaccurate.  In fact, our beliefs about the event, B, cause our response.    

Example: After two days, someone still hasn't responded to your very important email.   Person 1 may think: This person is unbelievably inconsiderate.   People are rude and selfish.   Person 2:  I must have done something to offend him/her.   I'm always screwing stuff up.  Person 3:   I'm not important enough.  I'm a loser.    Person 4:  Maybe this person is busy or the message ended up in the junk folder.  I'll try again.    

Each person's response was based on a sneaky little underlying belief:   People are rude and selfish/Its my fault/I'm a loser/There's a rational explanation.   Person 4 obviously has the healthiest mindset, even if the one of the other possibilities is true.    The first three people pay a heavy emotional price and, generally, will go through life viewing the world this way because they are unconsciously looking for evidence to confirm these beliefs. 

I used to show this video clip to people I counseled in recovery:  Monkey Business Illusion
 9 times out of 10, no one saw it.   They saw only what they were told to see.   This experience proved to be a great demonstration of how powerful our perception can be.    My favorite of Jesus' sayings again:  The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!  (Matthew 6)

There is an unseen enemy who does great damage to each of us by deceiving and accusing us.   He is unfathomably evil and brilliantly creative.    We cannot fend him off in our own strength.    1 Peter 5:8   Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.






Note:  The ABC Model was creative by Albert Ellis.  I like his idea.   He was an atheist so we part ways in perspective beyond that.