THE ORGANIZATION OF CHAPTERS

This book is best approached, like most books, from the beginning, however, some may wish to focus on the chapters in any order they wish:

†† Chapter One presents depression as an expression of the psyche or soul, which, if seen and experienced with awareness, can lead to a sense of self-understanding that alleviates the painful effects of depression. This chapter also introduces Depression’s Seven Steps to Self-Understanding, or the evolving psychological and spiritual process of depression, which is the core of the book.

†† Chapter Two looks more specifically at some primary cultural and medical perspectives on depression, and includes the essential components of depression itself.

†† Chapter Three specifically explores the notion and the power of the “inner dialogue” that has the effect of determining the nature and severity of the depression itself as created by our own thinking. It also includes a deeper look into some primary perspectives on depression.

†† Chapter Four presents an ancient-to-modern history of depression and illustrates how American attitudes towards depression developed. This chapter also delves into the relationship between the “highly sensitive person” and depression.

†† Chapter Five speaks of the place and role of pathology within depression, and examines our attitudes towards pathology as something foreign to us. It also explores the notion of the nature of the soul itself as pathological.

†† Chapter Six explores depression as the psychological and spiritual “underworld journey” in terms of its archetypal and mythological stages of expression and development. This follows Joseph Campbell’s stages of the “Hero’s Journey,” as well as Dante’s Divine Comedy, and the Christian mystical notion of the Via Negativa.

†† Chapter Seven is the formal presentation of the process of depression as Depression’s Seven Steps to Self-Understanding. This chapter also includes a general initial application of the Seven Steps to our own particular circumstances.

†† Chapter Eight presents in detail a technique to access the experience of Depression’s Seven Steps to Self-Understanding, a means to put them to use in our own lives, and to personally benefit from them.

†† Chapter Nine provides a series of other varied tools and means that enable us to understand our depression and ourselves, and to be able to work with our depression.

†† Chapter Ten examines the idea of paradox which is inherent and necessary in providing us with a context in the work we do with depression, and enabling us to recognize depression as a gift.