(Research on physical and spiritual depression. By Jane Clayson Johnson)
Much of the research surrounding depression and other mental illnesses is focused on the physical and, specifically, the chemical makeup of the brain and how its functions and malfunctions affect our minds and bodies. But spiritual depression symptoms are just as real. We are taught that the spirit and the body united is the soul of man. The two are explicitly linked. What affects the body also affects the spirit. Depression leads to the tripping of our circuit breakers. So the powers still try to get through, but the depression keeps us foggy and confused.
There is a philosophical reason why this kind of breakdown happens. The system within your body that helps regulate your stress reaction and your moods and emotions includes a component known as the thymes and pituitary, located in the brain and adrenal glands, which are just above the kidneys. These glands are always talking to each other
“biochemically” to determine what’s true and what’s not. As they communicate and make sense of the messages received and sent, they activate different systems within the body to respond.
One role they take is helping us determine if something is a threat. Fears, anxieties, depression, etc. From a gospel perspective, this is very interesting because it means our Heavenly Father placed something in our brains, a system that indicates we are under threat, that this isn’t safe, and something needs to happen. These threats are more internal and can come from how we think. Scientists now know that there is no difference between perceived and real threats. (hiking and seeing a rubber snake on the path) if you perceive it to be real, your reaction will be the same as if there were an actual rattlesnake on the path or trail. Apply this to our thoughts and feelings. And it’s easy to see how the feedback cycle can become negative.
People believe things about themselves and the world around them that may not be true. And when we begin to incorporate these things into our minds and lives, our anxieties go into overdrive... When this happens, we get detached or disassociated from reality, and we become numb and depressed. It seems to take away love, joy, and peace. It is very important to know that when this happens we feel detached and feel like we have lost spirit. But know that the feelings you are feeling are a symptom of depression, not reality, and certainly not a permanent condition. It is important to know that our physical and emotional states can affect our spiritual states.
As you change your thought processes by creating a safe place where you can start to rebuild that joy and happiness through the things you tell yourself, your body will then start to turn off the stress responses, flipping off toxic stress hormones like cortisol and epinephrine and flipping on relaxation responses that release healing hormones like oxytocin, dopamine, nitric oxide, and endorphins. Not only does this turn on the body’s innate self-repair mechanisms and function as preventative medicine or treatment if you’re sick, but it also relaxes your nervous system and helps heal your mind of fears that cause depression, anxiety, anger, and feelings of disconnection.
