Misunderstanding Depression:

The Clinical v. the Spiritual

By Joanne Comstock, Ph.D.

     Opening a newspaper can be a grim experience right now. There is much to be concerned about in today’s world, yet many of us continue to look for hope. For some, this is not easy because of an illness that is all too real. According to the latest statistics, one in 10 Americans will experience clinical depression. The numbers for women are even starker: one in four women will experience clinical depression at some time in their lives. In the United States the effect of depression costs $33 billion per year due to the loss of productivity (Greenberg, et.al., 1996). Amazingly, the typical depressed person doesn’t get treatment until nine years after experiencing her first symptoms (Kessler, 2005).  For many, depression is still veiled in stigma and misunderstanding.

     This became all too apparent when I spoke with a client who had suffered a recent bout of clinical depression and needed to be hospitalized to assure her safety. She was suffering in a very painful way. Thankfully, she had a support system – people who understood. Unintentionally, her spiritual leader was one of the least helpful people in her network. He was trying to help, but clearly did not understand clinical depression. He equated depression with disconnect from God, and could not fathom how this person could be depressed if she still had faith and sought God’s presence. The implication was that she was in some way responsible for her plight. She felt chastised for not being faithful enough and, more importantly, as if she was being punished by God for something she had done or left undone.

     Yes, there is a spiritual dimension to depression. It is a journey of despair where God may feel distant and little may be possible in the way of spiritual reflection. But, as an illness, the despair comes first and not as a result of distance or punishment from God. This is an important distinction, as depression is already laden with guilt and negative feelings and the suffering – mentally, physically, and spiritually – is acute. Healing comes through understanding and treatment, not through blame and judgment. Indeed, many of the world’s most noted theologians have felt depression and have journeyed through it to discover a stronger faith. Researchers are now exploring all types of post-traumatic growth or growth related to suffering.

     As the leader of a spiritual community, Parker Palmer experienced devastating depression. In his book, Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation, he recounts his journey through depression and his spiritual insights. Of God’s place in all of this he states: “I do not believe that the God who gave me life wants me to live a living death. I believe the God who gave me life wants me to live life fully and well.”

     If we believe God is in the midst of the suffering of those who are depressed, then we as humans must be the arms and legs of God for those who suffer. This begins with education, understanding, patience, empathy and compassion. As a counselor trained to help, I feel it is both humbling and gratifying to be a part of someone’s journey to restored health.

THERAPIST SPOTLIGHT: Kathleen E. Scheg, JD, MS, LCPC

     The need for counseling services just might be the one constant in today’s economy. The struggle of making due has many reverberations – into marriages, friendships, and working relationships. Now more than ever, people are wrestling with anxiety and stress in daily life. PC&CC’s Kathleen E. Scheg is one counselor seeking to help clients dealing with these mounting pressures.

     “The global economic crisis is causing personal emotional stress that goes far beyond the downturn in checkbooks or stock market accounts. The financial squeeze is putting pressure on old wounds and unresolved conflicts,” Scheg says. “You know if you squeeze an orange, you get orange juice. If you squeeze a tomato, you get tomato juice. Now, the economic crisis is squeezing my clients and whatever is inside them is coming out, sometimes even if they worked with the issue before.”

     For example, Scheg explains that current stress may mirror old feelings about a past divorce or childhood emotional abuse. “The out-of-control, powerless feelings are the same even though the circumstances are very different. Some with jobs are even experiencing survivors’ guilt,” she says, adding that many find relief with a counseling relationship. “I can’t solve their financial problems but I can help them cope better with the myriad of emotional and psychological challenges it is surfacing,” Scheg says.

     To that end, Scheg has developed a stress relief program and is offering it in workshop form at PC&CC. The first workshop takes place Friday, April 24 from 7:30-9pm at PC&CC’s Takoma Park location. “I have been teaching stress relief techniques as part of the Releasing and Transforming Anger [RTA] program for years. I was trained to lead progressive relaxation at the Montgomery County Abused Persons Program, augmented their breathing techniques with a belly-breathing exercise from Dr. Daniel Amen, and incorporated other techniques from my Core Energetics body-centered training and from Dr. Fred Luskin and Dr. Kenneth Pelletier’s work on stress at the Stanford University School of Medicine,” she adds.

     Scheg explains that these stress relief techniques are backed by solid scientific research. “There is no guarantee, but most clients can expect to experience some stress relief during the workshop,” she notes. “With continued practice, they can lower their overall stress level. When childhood wounds and unresolved conflicts are involved, individual psychotherapy will also be needed, but the stress relief techniques can help people cope while they address the underlying issues.”

Scheg works in PC&CC’s Takoma Park office. If you are interested in learning more about the Stress Relief Workshop or her other services, feel free to reach her at 202-449-3789 x710.

REFERRAL CORNER: Counseling Awareness Month

     This month we join the American Counseling Association (ACA) in celebrating our profession. It seems only appropriate that we take this opportunity to brag a little!

     The Handbook of Psychotherapy and Religious Diversity (Richards and Bergin, American Psychological Association Press, 2000) states that “the alienation between the mental health professions and religion for most of the 20th century is ending (p.3).” The authors recognize spirituality as a pervasive and influential facet of diversity which has long been ignored in the counseling room. However, “working sensitively and effectively with religious and spiritually oriented clients often requires more than just general multicultural attitudes and skills. It can require specialized knowledge and training…(p.12)”

     According to the American Association of Pastoral Counselors (AAPC), “Pastoral counseling is a unique form of counseling which uses spiritual resources as well as psychological understanding for healing and growth.”  Pastoral counselors treat the same concerns addressed by other licensed counselors – they may simply have a few extra tools in their bags. We are helpers “who have also had in-depth religious and/or theological training (AAPC).” It could be argued that working with a pastoral counselor is a value-added experience.

     When should you see a counselor? ACA notes that counseling may help those facing the following challenges:

• anxiety, depression, and other mental and emotional problems and disorders
• family and relationship issues
• substance abuse and other addictions
• sexual abuse and domestic violence
• eating disorders
• career change and job stress
• social and emotional difficulties related to disability and illness
• adapting to life transitions
• the death of a loved one

     The bottom line? ACA member Dr. William King notes: “If someone is questioning if they should go into counseling that is probably the best indicator that they should. You should trust your instincts.”

–Carolyn Buresh, PC&CC counselor

& assistant in the Pastoral Counseling Department at Loyola College

PC&CC News & Notes

• On April 2, PC&CC’s Dr. Joanne Comstock will attend a pre-conference workshop with Kenneth Pargament at Loyola College’s Mid-Year Conference on Religion and Spirituality. The workshop will consider spiritual-integrated psychotherapy.
  
• National Infertility Awareness Week begins April 25 and is sponsored by RESOLVE: The National Infertility Organization. PC&CC’s Cindy Thurston Bare is a professional member of RESOLVE and has special interest in assisting couples experiencing infertility. One in eight couples has difficulty conceiving and our professionals can offer hope and help during this challenging time. For more information, please contact Bare at 202-449-3789 x705 or email her.
  
• Our next Getting the Love You Want workshop for couples will be July 10-12 at the Wellspring Retreat Center in Germantown, Md. Click here for more information.

RELATIONSHIP TIP OF THE MONTH: A Round of Applause 
     My 14-month-old daughter claps for just about everything these days – a song on the radio, the sight of our dog, strawberries at lunch, etc. Of course I think this is charming, but lately I am finding her generous reception to be quite wise. When we receive applause or appreciation of any kind, it reinforces the value of our actions and increases the chances we will do whatever we did again. Gratitude from others inspires us to try harder the next time, and it builds on itself – we try harder, they try harder, and suddenly we’re all trying harder to make things better for those around us. Applause – even for the smallest of feats – can be the slight push that creates appreciative momentum in a relationship. And that momentum may be just the thing we needed to start moving toward something truly wonderful. 
                                                                                                                  -Stacy Notaras Murphy