How to break the cycle of depression
(edited from Using the HG Approach workshop notes)
- Build rapport whilst lowering the depressed person's emotional arousal. (When you calm them down their higher cortex can come into play.) Find out about their resources i.e. any skills or good qualities they have (sense of humour, creativity, a caring nature, intelligence, bravery etc.), and find out about their life achievements (information gathering). Look for what needs are currently not being met in their lives and/or how they are misusing their imagination.
- Your job is to stop them emotionally introspecting by any means. (Remember, forms of counselling and psychotherapy that encourage negative introspection should never be applied to a depressed or anxious client... even if they come with the expectation that that's what they need.)
- Focus their attention outwards towards getting their needs met (goal setting); encourage physical activity and problem solving, (accessing resources); find ways of bringing pleasure back into their lives; explore how they could improve their relationships and challenge black and white thinking (agreeing on strategies for change).
- Use guided imagery to get the depressed person to use their imagination positively, stack their resources and see how things can be different. Get them to vividly rehearse success and the changes they need to make in the way they approach living their life (rehearsal). Also, reinforce their focus on positive life aspects and their ability to have a good quality of sleep at night.
During the workshop part of Using the HG approach workshop, the rapport, information gathering, goal setting, accessing resources, agreeing on strategies for change, and rehearsal (guided imagery) aspects of the therapeutic model are demonstrated and practised.