Depression is more than low mood
Understanding depression as an altered state of consciousness, like a dream or drug trip, could help people awaken from it
«we don’t yet know the neural mechanisms underlying any global state of consciousness, be it wakefulness, dreaming or the psychedelic state.»
More from Aeon+Psyche
How to know what you really want
From career choices to new purchases, use René Girard’s mimetic theory to resist the herd and forge your own path in life
«These are people whose desires are in some sense intertwined with your own – they can affect your desires, and you can in turn affect theirs»
Slow down, it’s what your brain has been begging for
It’s no small task to live a life of sustained attention. So slow down, and give your brain a break to do its work
«Paying attention to the moment during a walk shifts focus away from the internally generated, anxiety-provoking scenarios, creating much-needed space.»
To meet your goals, forget willpower and fill your toolbox
Achieving your goals has nothing to do with willpower and everything to do with using the right mix of psychological tools
Dogs are symbolic containers of human hopes, desires and vices
In all its baroque and sometimes cruelly overbred forms, the dog is a paramount symbol of both human hopes and foibles
«As a rising middle class started to focus on their own family trees, creating an ‘elite’ from new money, so dogs started to be classified too.»
Empathic friends can provide the right kind of peer pressure
Research on empathy development in adolescents suggests an under-appreciated potential for positive peer influence
You May Also Like
The link between stress and depression … and the 10 simple words that could help
Neurological insights into how the brain processes stress, and how it can develop into depression, have led to new interventions
The voice of sadness is censored as sick. What if it’s sane?
We keep chasing happiness, but true clarity comes from depression and existential angst. Admit that life is hell, and be free
«Heaven is no longer about the transcendental realm, but about attaining a total state of happiness and transforming Earth itself into Heaven in the now.»
7 dimensions of depression, explained
From baboon hierarchies to the mind-gut connection, the path to defeating depression starts with understanding its causes.
Depression is probably not caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain
A new shows there’s no clear evidence that depression is caused by abnormally low levels of serotonin in the brain.
«drug trials show that antidepressants are barely distinguishable from a placebo (dummy pill) when it comes to treating depression.»
A Decisive Blow to the Serotonin Hypothesis of Depression
An exhaustive new review debunks the “chemical imbalance” theory of depression.