We have great expectations of how the healing should change the world around us and and somehow lose sight of the changes we need to make within. This mechanism of depression activation is taking place for everyone--healer and non-healer alike.

We recently held a seminar on nullifying depression and in this process of self-discovery the participants came to a key understanding of the central causes for depression. These findings can help everyone--healer or non-healer alike. The difference is that the healers can actually work in an empowered way to change their lives but where they fail to do so, they must necessarily experience depression.

• Living in the false 'should be' causes depression.

  Treating a non-existent speculative future reality as what one should have or deserves, but does not have due to having somehow 'lost' it, is a major cause of depression.

  This is not to say that one should not have ambition or expectation. This may appear to be contradictory, but it is not.

  Consider this: When one has ambition or expectations and works towards getting there, doing whatever is needed to reach the goals--there is no depression, but rather a positive energy of enthusiasm, creation and movement.

  Where there is no action on our part to get to our expected goals in a practical way, helplessness and depression follows.

• Not paying attention to the needs of one's present reality and life situation causes depression.

This is the same as the first point, viewed from another angle.

Not having a realistic appreciation of the present realities allows one to speculate on some unreal future reality as though it was always meant to be or that such reality exists and one has been unfairly removed from it.

In other words, the thinking is that the expected reality not experienced is somehow a 'loss'--something one had but has lost out on due to an unfair god or evil-minded people who took away or blocked opportunities.

While all of us have experience of facing obstacles or blocks in the way of our objectives in life, it does not follow that the goals are an actual reality that has been lost. It is important to understand this, as well as the fact that such thinking prevents us from taking corrective action for the present situation.

• The truth is, that such thinking is a false understanding of a reality that was never there, but treating it as though it was. So it is not the same as, "I had this and lost it... due to others actions/unfair karma/unfair god etc.", but rather, "I never had it to lose in the first place!"
• I am repeating this in different ways to underline the necessity of understanding this thoroughly. If we can actually have this understanding, then we can re-evaluate our goals and actions needed, and may decide either to change our approach or change our goals.

  Either of these decisions are positive, because we can then move on in life without depression.



• Healing creates opportunities for us to act.

  The beautiful part of healing is that it creates opportunities for us, which we can work towards, or not--depending on whether we are living in acknowledgment of reality or in an unreal depression fantasy. This is a key understanding.

  Healing does not always create situations where things 'automatically' get rectified without our direct participation in action. Sometimes it does, but where things do not change according to our expectations, we need to ask--"what is it that I need to do to get to this goal?"

  Of course, after asking this, I need to get a proper understanding of what I need to do and then finally--to actually do it.

  Does this sound simplistic? Maybe and then again, not really, if you consider how many times in the last one week or one month you have been in this situation and not done what you need to do to make your expectations happen.

• Opportunities need to be acted upon rather than be expected to give results without our actions.

  Lazy and speculative thinking leads to inaction which leads to lack of results desired and this leads to depression. Once we have this understanding we can work to change our position and response to any situation.

• What you have in your life are your strengths and weaknesses. Knowing this and acting accordingly eliminates depression.

  Acknowledgment of this is your super-strength or intelligence with which to progress in life. The inability to work from a realistic understanding of life's reality is the cause of depression.

  A common thread running through all causes of depression is the lack of directed action. Therefore it is important to acknowledge with gratitude and thank all that we have in life.

  This allows us to focus on our strengths while working on our weaknesses. Acting with this intelligence will bring the results we are looking for. This attitude builds great inner strength and a positive 'can do and will do' determination which can overcome the greatest of obstacles in our life.

• Understand and live with what is, and not with what should be or might be or could be.

  Work towards your as yet unachieved expectations and goals with knowledge of your personal reality of life. This will nullify depression and create all success in your life.