Journeying the Dark Night of the Soul

So here I am again. For many years I have traversed the path of depression and anxiety with varying degrees of intensity.

Those familiar feelings of sadness, listlessness, avolition and despair could almost be called my oldest associates. The continued attempts to cover it up from my nearest and dearest lest they worry. The anti depressants ( although vital at times to relieve the more extreme behaviours depression can elicit ) usually only really serving to put a temporary plaster on an emotional haemorrhage. The counselling and therapy where I have tied myself in knots without really appearing to address what the actual problem is. But this time I may do things differently.

I’m a kind of spiritual sort of guy and have thus for many years found a resonance with Carl Jung and his ideology. For some reason unbeknownst to me I had never thought to incorporate a Jungian view on my situation. His theory being that depression is not something to simply be rid of but a sign something is fundamentally wrong with a persons life. This ‘ problem’ may be many things and sometimes unconscious.

He suggests two ways of dealing with it. Firstly by going outwards and indulging in beauty / work and outer activity. The other is by going inwards. By ‘wrestling with the angel’ in order to learn from the depression. Through this it is said healing can take place and a possible growth of the personality towards wholeness.

The latter is the path I choose this time. I am fearful, yes, however this has gone on too long not to be faced up to and confronted once and for all. Wish me luck……