“What is the spiritual solution for persistent depression that has been longstanding and difficult to understand in terms of why it is present?” ~ Lulu, Cape Coral, FL
Dear Lulu,
Depression plagues many individuals. I resist cookie-cutter responses because there can be multiple factors contributing to the problem: situational, medical / chemical, and, of course underlying these, karmic. It does no one any good to ponder the causative “why” of depression because that is effectively crystal ball gazing in hopes that a response will provide relief. It won’t. Unless one is a genuine master able to identify specific karmic origins, none can provide a verifiable answer.
Depression is linked to conscious or unconscious transgressions of health or moral laws in the past which find their repercussion expressed in this incarnation. Take a multi-dimensional approach to resolving the issue:
- Appropriate medication if your system requires it to establish proper chemical balance. There is no shame in this. God works through doctors as well as spiritual healers, gurus, etc.
- Counseling is viable if it addresses situational or underlying factors contributing to the problem.
- Spiritually, associate with uplifting persons / environments that magnetically elevate your energy
- Maintain all health (diet & exercise) and moral (self-control) laws as able.
To this, add some hatha yoga or chi gung to stimulate energy flow, plus, a steady diet of affirmation and meditation. Affirmations (see Scientific Healing Affirmations by Paramahansa Yogananda) are extremely effective when understood and practiced properly. Scientific meditation will, over time, burn away seed causes of karmic conditions lodged in the brain and re-wire it in a healthy manner. This may take time but is worth the effort. Although I follow the Kriya yoga path of Paramhansa Yogananda and can vouch for its efficacy, you may find another system resonates more for you.
And pray. Recruit Spirit to guide your healing. Never give up hope of being happy; joy is the essence of your soul. (Where There Is Light, Paramahansa Yogananda.)
Rev. Alan L. Pritz
Rev. Alan L. Pritz, an Interfaith Minister and spiritual disciple of Paramahansa Yogananda, began consulting in 1988. He founded Inner Resource Enhancement - later LifeALIGNMENT (DBA Awake-In-Life) to offer innovative Lifestyle Management, Work/Life Balance, and Performance Enhancement seminars for business, healthcare, and educational organizations. These programs blended holistic vision with practical application to help clients lead more productive, meaningful lives. Noting an increasing need for personal training, Rev. Alan later added Executive Coaching for corporate leaders to aid in the more subtle EQ and Spiritual Intelligence factors of their pre-existing skill sets.
Rev. Alan served as adjunct faculty at the U of St. Thomas Management Center where he developed and taught a workshop on spirituality in the workplace. He subsequently was asked to write a training component on this topic for the American Management Association in Training for Tough Topics (AMACOM: 2000), addressed the National Wellness Conference on Opening Organizational Doors To Balance & Spirituality, developed an integrative medicine training on Yoga, Meditation, and Spirituality for the U of St. Thomas Center for Medical Affairs, wrote numerous articles concerning related themes for Minnesota Physician, Employee Benefits News, Twin Cities Wellness, The Edge and has been on various radio or public speaking events. His work has been written about in journals including Business Ethics Magazine, Employee Benefits News, and Alternative & Complimentary Therapies.
To provide an outlet for his deepest passion, teaching meditation and spiritual practice, Rev. Alan started the Center for Inner Awakening (2005-2009) as a nonsectarian yoga facility to help people nourish their inner lives. As part of this expression, he wrote Pocket Guide To Meditation (Crossing Press: 1997), Meditation As A Way of Life (Quest Books: 2014), and produced several CDs of devotional chants and meditation. He subsequently became ordained as an Interfaith Minister (2010) so people of all faiths would feel included and, accordingly, be more receptive to learning.
His principal interests are expressed through private practice work that offers meditation training and spiritual counseling / guidance / life coaching services to help individuals and organizations address inner growth and work-life issues from a higher-perspective framework.
To learn more see Awake-In-Life.com. To schedule an appointment, call 612-721-4100.
Past and Upcoming Releases: Pocket Guide To Meditation | Meditation as a Way of Life, due out in October 2014 (Quest Books)
For more information, please visit www.Awake-In-Life.com
Recent Releases
Pocket Guide To Meditation - Book
Meditation As A Way of Life - Book (out Oct. 2014)
The Art & Science of Meditation - CD
Heart Songs: Meditative Chants from the Paramhansa Yogananda Tradition - CD
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