Learning to relax your mind is the first step to overcoming depression. When we are fearful, furious, or anxious, we are less intelligent. The intelligent,         problem-solving function of our brain becomes disconnected. We are               reduced to animal instincts- dealing with our problems by fleeing from them,   fighting them, or freezing. But our lives are much more complicated than an     animal's. Fight, flight, and freezing cannot solve the problems we must deal     with today.                                                                                                                            

Why do I feel tired all the time?

You may have had trouble getting off to sleep, or have been waking up too      early in the mornings. Even if you had sufficient hours of sleep, you could       have had too much dreaming sleep as your brain sorts out the stresses of      the day, and not enough deep sleep where the brain recovers and renews       itself. In dreaming, your brain uses as much energy as when you are awake.  Thus you are already tired before the day has even begun. If you use drugs    or alcohol to get to sleep, hangovers may have added to your                              chronic   tiredness. This tiredness may have led to exhaustion,                           inability to enjoy life,     inability to find solutions to your problems, and finally despair.                                                                                                                                  

What is the next step to overcoming depression?

Having taught you to relax, and to achieve sufficient natural refreshing sleep, the problem-solving stage of therapy can begin,

Clarifying and agreeing goals is the first step. How exactly do you want to        be? Imagination is a useful tool for exploring the possible changes you might choose to make. There will be opposition to these changes- often from other people who have got used to you the way you are, but mostly from within        yourself- the nagging thoughts that tell you "This will never work... You will     always be a failure..." These beliefs are generally derived from childhood. In    my experience there is always evidence against these false beliefs- evidence which, with practice, you will begin to notice.                                                             

I keep imagining the worst. Is it bad to have a powerful imagination?   

Imagination is one way in which we are superior to animals. But if it is misused, it can give us problems which no animal would have. People who are anxious or depressed imagine all sorts of horrors and disasters. You can be taught to use your imagination to experiment safely with new ways to behave, going through a situation in your mind, remaining absolutely calm, until it has become familiar and unthreatening to you. The "Fast Phobia and Trauma Cure" is a special application of this method.

What therapeutic methods do you use, and how long does it take?

Solution Focused Brief Therapy aims to make changes in as few sessions as possible. I use a wide range of well-researched techniques to achieve this. These include techniques of teaching  you to relax, let go of unwanted thoughts and feelings, and use your imagine constructively to rehearse new behaviour and create the future you would like to have. These techniques could be called mind training, guided visualisation, meditation, or hypnotherapy. Click on that last link for personal accounts of how clients experience hypnosis, and for an explanation of the misunderstandings many people have about this natural state of mind. 

Does therapy involve a lot of digging up the past?

My method is to focus on discovering solutions to problems as they affect you in the here and now, rather than on lengthy exploration of the past.  Research has shown that most clients do not require long-drawn-out courses of therapy.* However, where such therapy is required, I can provide this.

Does therapy involve focusing on my feelings?

Research has also shown that therapy focusing entirely on feelings is less effective than therapy which also looks at thought, imagination and behaviour.* Indeed, therapies which encourage too much dwelling on the past and wallowing in negative emotions can actually be harmful. Clients who have those kinds of therapies may even find they feel worse! My aim is for clients to always feel better when they leave my office.

Research has also shown that therapists who merely listen to their clients are less effective than those who also discuss what they could do differently. * Hence my clients and I often agree "homework" assignments- not written exercises like in school, but new ways of behaving for the client to try out.

Does a therapist tell clients how to live their lives?

Is everything kept strictly confidential?

Like all registered psychotherapists I am required to discuss my work with a small group of colleagues. This is to ensure that all clients are receiving the best treatment. In these discussions, no information is revealed that could identify the client. I would of course be legally obliged to report anything concerning serious crimes such as terrorist activity or ongoing child abuse, but apart from that, all is confidential. 

What if I feel suicidal?

If someone is coming to therapy, I would assume that they basically want to go on living, despite any suicidal ideas they may also have. I would start by agreeing a practical plan to help them to resist any suicidal impulses.

* The research referred to is summarised in the Handbook of Psychotherapy and Behaviour Change, by AE Bergin and SL Garfield, published 1994 by John Wiley & Sons, New York.