The Archetypal Imprint of Depression
Groundwork
Part Three
There are many reasons why some individuals are plagued with chronic depressive episodes through out their lives. According to the Nature versus Nurture theory, Nature being the first theory represented here, it supports the idea that those with depressive effect develop due to a genetic predisposition. Within the DNA, there lies a “depression” gene. Second, is the Nurture Theory, which suggests that depression is triggered from prolonged stressful encounters experienced within the environment and or from the primary individuals we come in contact. The Nurture theory states that the seeds of depression get planted during the first few years of our lives. For most, the seeds are planted long before verbal skills have been acquired. We have no means to describe or communicate what we are experiencing in early childhood. Nor the intellectual capabilities for which the identifier processes feelings. It makes sense that a recipient of mistreatment before developing a verbal palette or the emotional relativity to process a situation of abuse, neglect, or mistreatment, characteristically could establish a lifetime default setting consisting of chronic guilt, anxiety, and depression. More times over these early childhood memories are buried and not consciously accessible for identification. Unaware of the childhood origins of negative events the adult body emerges to experience unsettled feelings that seem to fall mysteriously upon the mood from nowhere. “Ta-da”, allow me to introduce the materialization of all this…the Adult/Child. For whom, believes they have no control over how, when or where positive change could possibly manifest because they have no recollection of how and when feelings of such a depressive nature began. Within the adult body remains feelings from childhood that rise and fall like an unfortunate stormy emotional hurricane. In his book, Homecoming, Reclaiming and Championing Your Inner Child, John Bradshaw writes, “the earlier the print of emotional trauma that deeper the damage. The limbic system of the brain begins to operate during the first six months of life. This is the brains emotion center that is developing is through our senses. The neo cortex is still developing during our early years on and the thinking brain needs a proper environment and proper stimulation in order to develop healthily. When we reflect on the fact that the visceral brain is concerned with survival issues and is governed by repetition, the idea of ‘permanent imprint’ makes sense”.
Neuroscientist Robert Isaacson has argued that traumatic memories are difficult to root out because they are memories of life-saving response. Since the visceral brain learns and remembers, but is poor at forgetting, he imprints the trauma with a permanence that will dominate the future. What ever a child survives in the first years of life, a time of intense vulnerability, will be registered with survival benefits in mind.
Fritz Perls, who developed Gestalt Therapy, often said we need to “lose our minds and come to our senses.” Through the gentle practice of Yoga, I am suggesting that we see in move through the original patterns of our minds by slowing them down and quitting the repetitious nature. A new relationship with our inner truth sales that is pure love can surface. It then becomes within our conscious control to recognize our “sensual” nature as the God conscious beings we were created. We can begin to move into a direction of identifying our personal power and gain control over our lives. Learning to manifest positive life changes, sustaining peaceful thought patterns, and ameliorating chronic depressive and anxious moods are basic gifts that are waiting. Yoga practices are the liaison that brings us to the Truth-we have been and are a reflection of all that is Divine from the very moment of conception! We awaken to the knowledge of that which is most basic and present in all of us — our Soul. There is only one Soul whether we are in this human form in this lifetime or not. There is only one consciousness. The Yogis call this Atman. This is our true nature.
