Catholic Guide To Depression

How the saints, the sacraments, and psychiatry can help you break depression's grip and find happiness again Countless Christians—including scores of saints—have suffered profound, pervasive sorrow that modern psychiatrists call “depression.” Then, as now, great faith and even fervent spiritual practices have generally failed to ease this wearying desolation of soul. In these pages, Catholic psychiatrist Aaron Kheriaty reviews the effective ways that have recently been devised to deal with this grave and sometimes deadly affliction — ways that are not only consistent with the teachings of the Church, but even rooted in many of those teachings. Extensive clinical experience treating patients with depression has shown Dr. Kheriaty that the confessional can’t cure neuroses, nor can the couch forgive sin. Healing comes only when we integrate the legitimate discoveries of modern psychology and pharmacology with spiritual direction and the Sacraments, giving particular attention to the wisdom of the Church Fathers and the saints. Here, with the expert help of Dr. Kheriaty, you’ll learn how to distinguish depression from similarlooking but fundamentally different mental states such as guilt, sloth, the darkness of sin, and the sublime desolation called “dark night of the soul” that is, in fact, a privileged spiritual trial sent to good souls as a special gift from God. You’ll come to know how to identify the various types of depression and come to understand the interplay of their often manifold causes, biological, psychological, behavioral, cultural, and, yes, moral. Then you’ll learn about exciting breakthroughs in pharmacological and other medical treatments, the benefits and limitations of psychotherapy, the critical place that spiritual direction must have in your healing, and the vital role that hope — Christian hope — can play in driving out depression.

How would it feel to live through periods of emotional fragility and be surrounded by a supportive community, get up most mornings believing your life has meaning, and be confident that Jesus understands and holds your tears as sacred? It might seem an incredible dream, and almost impossible when we consider the feeling of utter emptiness, the collapse of the will to live, the devastating loss of self-worth that fills the heart of the person who lives with the heavy burden of depression or mental illness. Sr Kathryn Hermes knows the dull ache of depression firsthand and in Surviving Depression offers a practical method to progressively greater health and wholeness. Surviving Depression shows you how to take the first steps to healing and how to build into your life practices that will help you embark on a spiritual journey through the darkness. You will learn how to reconnect with your heart, build connections with others, grow in self-esteem, stop spiraling negative thoughts, and live with more inner peace and gratitude. This edition incorporates additional material that reflects new developments in wellness with regard to depression and is more grounded in the interlinking of God’s life within us and our concrete psychological makeup. Practical tips for friends and family members of someone suffering with depression appear at the end of each chapter, as well as an entire chapter devoted to companioning a depressed friend. Things can be different. Surviving Depression will guide you from the winter of first diagnosis to the spring of new life.

2023 College Theology Society Best Book Award 2023 Catholic Media Association Third Place Award, Theology – Morality, Ethics, Christology, Mariology, and Redemption 2023 Association of Catholic Publishers Second Place Award, Theology Dust in the Blood considers the harrowing realities of life with depression from a Christian theological perspective. In conversation with popular Christian theologies of depression that justify why this suffering exists and prescribe how people ought to relate to it, Jessica Coblentz offers another Christian approach to this condition: she reflects on depression as a wilderness experience. Weaving first-person narratives of depression, contemporary theologies of suffering, and ancient biblical tales of the wilderness, especially the story of Hagar, Coblentz argues for and contributes to an expansion of Christian ideas about what depression is, how God relates to it, and how Christians should understand and respond to depression in turn.

Those caught in the grip of porn may withdraw in shame and despair, thinking there is no hope. Author Marcel LeJeune shows readers that the road to freedom from pornography cannot and should not be traveled alone. LeJeune offers scientific evidence of the addictive and destructive power of pornography, and provides resources and suggestions for keeping your home and family safe.

Three parts sexual license, two parts corporate I ladder, with a dash of Monolo Blahnik. If a woman's single years were a cocktail, that would be the f culture's preferred recipe.

This is a Marian Consecration that people don't want to see end. Healing miracles, reunited families, and Catholic conversions have occurred because of the graces that flow from this self-guided retreat. Mary's Mantle Consecration: A Spiritual Retreat for Heaven's Help, endorsed by Bishop Myron J. Cotta, offers an outpouring of grace upon your life and your loved ones. St. Pope John Paul II said that his consecration to Mary was "a decisive turning point in my life." It can be the same for you. Mary's Mantle Consecration comes to us in tumultuous times. Today it is important that we consecrate ourselves to the Mother of God, entrusting our lives to her protection, guidance, and care, inviting her to conform us to the likeness of her Son. There is so much need and brokenness in the world, in the Church, in our families, and in our hearts. By preparing for consecration through the power of the Rosary, a little fasting, and a two-minute daily reading of a beautiful meditation on a virtue or gift of the Holy Spirit (people's favorite part), we can expect heaven's help. This self-guided retreat for consecration is perfect for individuals, couples, families, groups and parishes. It comes with an additional opportunity to dive even deeper into God through a companion workbook with quotes from saints, passages of Scripture, and insightful questions for reflection, called Mary's Mantle Consecration Prayer Journal.

Whether we are carrying out routine life behaviors, trying to pray, or conversing with others, the way our minds work significantly impacts how well we function. But many times we may feel like our mind has a mind of its own. -- You fall into bed exhausted at the end of the day, craving a good night's sleep, only to have your mind race in a million directions. -- Prayer is an exercise in futility, full of distractions and wandering thoughts. -- In the midst of a conversation, you suddenly realize you haven't heard a word the other person has said.-- You arrive at a destination with no recollection of how you got there. These all-too-common occurrences are examples of of how our minds can seem to be completely out of our control. We end up merely going through the motions day after day, feeling anxious and preoccupied. But it doesn't have to be that way. Dr. Greg Bottaro explains how mindfulness can help us become aware of the present moment and accept it. Catholic mindfulness is a way to practically trust God more in our lives. Instead of separating faith from day-to-day life, mindfulness helps bridge the gap so we can feel the sense of safety and peace God intends us to have. Following the simple exercises in this book, you'll discover how mindfulness can help you be more present to everything in your life from a trip to the grocery store or relaxing with friends to listening more attentively to a homily or meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary.

When people die by suicide, they leave behind family and friends who suddenly find themselves mourning the person's loss and wondering what happened. This guide addresses many personal issues related to a death by suicide, including telling others, working through the grief, finding what helps people to heal, and grieving in children and youth. This Ontario guide also outlines practical things that need taking care of, such as arranging a funeral and dealing with the deceased's personal, legal and financial matters. A resource section lists organizations, websites and books that may help.