Want to generate an emotional insight? Try this.

[Eh Steve]

https://web.archive.org/web/20120116201902/http://www.psychresources.net/depression/

 

This is the website of my old Coherence therapist who has since moved on in his career.  I asked his permission and am allowed to spread around the old archive for people interested in a do it yourself process.  There are different examples at the top bar of the page to choose from.  I will post the exercise for depression here.  This process is based off of a therapy known as Coherence therapy, that was deliberately developed and refined to produce consistent insights and breakthroughs.

 

Let me know how this goes for you. I hope it is helpful.

 

Free Self Help Exercises

You might find that one or two of these exercises may not be a great fit for you, but it is important that you try each of them. You may discover some uncomfortable truths about yourself in doing these exercises. Try to be nice to yourself, and schedule a session if you want some help or support. If you become overwhelmed at any point, just stop and rest. If you have a history of abuse, panic or thoughts of self-harm, please schedule a session or go through these exercises with your therapist.

Some of these exercises ask you to complete a sentence. Please read the sentence-stem either aloud or silently and then let the sentence finish itself without trying to pre-think an ending. Feel free to change the sentence-stem in order to make it feel more true. Repeat the exercise over and over until you are not getting any new endings before going on to the next one.

 

1. Please imagine the important people in your life (including your family) and get a clear picture of them. Now imagine saying to them, “I need to be depressed because…” and let the sentence finish itself.
Keep doing this until you are getting no new endings.
When you are finished, write down some of the sentences that felt strongest.

2. Now continue to be there with those people and try saying to them, “If I’m not depressed, then…” and let the sentence finish itself.
Keep doing this until you are getting no new endings.
When you are finished, write down some of the sentences that felt strongest.

3. Now imagine waking up in the morning and going through the day without any trace of feeling depressed. Not only is there no depression, but you know that you never will feel depressed again. Pay careful attention to anything that feels unwelcome about this reality. Spend some time with this experience before moving on.
Write down what you learn.

4. Now get in touch with your feeling of depression. You may imagine a scenerio that would provoke it. Feel the depression in your body, and then ask it, “What is your job?” or “How do you serve me?” and wait for it to answer.
Spend some time with this experience before moving on.
Write down what you learn.

By this point, many people will feel like they have found a part of themselves that they did not know existed. You may have discovered that you had an important purpose for being depressed. It may have been a way to ask for care, or a way to protest the way you have been treated. It is important not to turn this part of yourself into an enemy, but rather make it into a friend. You can do this by not trying to change it. Instead just accept it and let it be true. You should also spend some time each day reading over what you have learned about your depression. Many people will feel a strong need to have someone with whom to share this new truth. You can tell a trusted friend, a support group or schedule a session with a therapist.

 

Eh_Steve:  As an addendum.  When you have a breakthrough, write it down on a card and emotionally feel its truth frequently over the next few hours and day.  Attempt to keep it as a persistently felt new awareness. This will help solidify the breakthrough.

To test the efficacy of a breakthrough.  Wait a day or a few hours and attempt to re-trigger the previous emotionally held belief.  If you find it persists, repeat this process and look for extra layers of beliefs that may be keeping this one in place.