The Power Of Depression And The Illusion Of Loneliness: Rest In Peace, Robin Williams

Yesterday, Robin Williams committed suicide by asphyxiation. He was 63.

He had been battling the demons of addiction and depression for many years, and so many of us have been affected by his passing. Particularly, because we remember him from our childhood TV shows and movies, and he put smiles on our faces.

His passing has brought a spotlight on depression and suicide. And, unfortunately, the depth of darkness of depression is so powerful, it can make us believe anything. Including the illusion that we are totally alone, that our deep heartache is permanent, and that there is no way out of it.

The feeling of loneliness is truly an illusion, because, in reality, we are not alone. On this plane, although it may seem fleeting, we are provided with support by the Universe, if we only look for it, and reach out for it. And, on other planes, we are supported cosmically (check out my previous blog post, “How To Communicate With Your Spirit Guides”, to find out more information on that tip).

The beliefs that we are alone, that the world is out to get us (or takes joy in our failings), that we are inadequately equipped to deal with this world, that we are flawed beyond saving, and that we are stuck in a downward spiral that leads into a black vortex, all stem from fear. And fear is an excellent smokescreen, an illusion of what’s not real. The only thing that is real is love. All else is not.

Although fear is an illusion, it is so potent that it intertwines with our thought patterns and ways of thinking (for it is our brain that assigns significance and power to these beliefs, and it is our thought patterns that manifest our realities), enough to illicit profound sadness and despair, making us feel sad, incapacitated, disconnected, and paralyzed in our lives.

I realize the above sounds like a rather mechanical breakdown, but that is really what’s going on. It is the power our mind that shapes how we perceive what is going on in our lives. This is the reason why certain experiences may not effect some people, but may greatly effect others. It depends on our perception.

We have a choice what we focus our thoughts on.

Although I didn’t know Robin Williams, I knew people growing up who had ended their lives early, for various reasons. In addition, I had my own experience of my dark knight, which has finely tuned me as a practitioner in the healing arts. It is because of this that I am acutely attuned to the balance of spirit, emotion, and manifestation of light in the body (or lack, thereof).

And, because of my experience, and having come out the other side, whole and healed, I quickly recognize where the pain resides in my patients, and help them see it, so they can heal it (because no one heals us, we heal ourselves). This is why I understand the depths of my patients’ pain, and why I know how to help them come out of it. It’s become a sort of unexpected specialty in my practice, helping my patients to remove self-imposed blocks, so that they can reconnect with their Spirit and Heart!

Personal work and energy work has made me more in touch with my intuition, as well, so I am able to hone in to what is speaking out to be healed, even though verbal words may not be spoken. It has made me more powerful at what I do in my private practice. And, for that, I am grateful.

Sometimes the divine journey of being human means being pushed to our limits, and being challenged with whether or not we can weather our personal emotional storm(s), so that we can realize that we are strong, after all.

Or, sometimes we go through the fire (it could be a few days, or many years) because we are being honed like an exquisitely made steel blade, perfected in the searing temperatures and pressure.

Since Robin Williams’ passing, I am hearing the word “disease” being thrown around a lot to describe what he was going through, to describe his mental state. I’m not sure I agree with that description. Since, in my humble opinion, depression occurs when we are disconnected with our Heart, which can happen at various stages in our lives, and can impact some, more than others. Because we live in a society that glorifies disconnection with ourselves, I suppose you could say that, yes, the proliferation of disconnection is a disease of modern living.

But, we become depressed when we neglect our hearts. When we defy what she/he is telling us. When we neglect our passions, what we really want to be doing in our lives.

In Chinese Medicine, our Spirit (Shen) resides in our Hearts, and the energy of the Heart is to move up and out. It is very Yang in nature, and when our Hearts are healthy, we are able to express in ways that are authentic, and people are able to hear us the way we want to be heard. The season of the Heart is Summer (which is why my blog topics this summer have been focusing a lot on communication and speaking authentically).

Additionally, memories are carried in the blood, in Chinese Medicine. So, you can imagine what is flowing through our veins when we are not authentic, and not connected, with our Hearts! The more we negate our Heart center, our Spirit, the more we flow what is not authentic throughout our entire body. And, energetically, this makes us sick. After all, all disease manifests in the physical body, only after it has manifested in our etheric/energy bodies.

In other words, you have the power!

Even when you are barely hanging by a thread of sanity, you have the ability to choose to change things up at any time. At. Any. Time. That split second shift can begin the unraveling of years of limited negative belief systems.

Things that may be helpful to say to yourself when you need to create an instant shift:

• “I have a choice. And, even though I feel like my world’s imploding right now, and I don’t see an end in sight, I am choosing to love myself. And that is enough.”
• “I choose to see that I have options.”
• “I am enough.”
• “What I do is enough.”
• “I choose to listen to my heart.”
• “I choose to connect with my heart.”

Seriously, it’s that easy to throw a wrench into the well-oiled system of negative vortex thinking. Our hearts are hard-wired to connect.

That’s what we really want to do on a human level, connect. And when we are ready to connect with our hearts, the Universe takes care of the rest.

The deprogramming of previous negative behavior may take some time, but habits usually take 90 days to take, if you go at it consistently. And, the horns of the past may rear up once and a while. But, that’s ok. They are just tests of what we know to already be true: that we are on our way to being truly connected to ourselves (if we are not already).

Some methods to get in touch with the powerhouse of your Heart connection:

1. Hand over heart. Check in with your heart every so often, by placing your hands over your heart. The heart is our connection to the Universe, and how we access our Higher Self. It is like a power charger. When we place our hands on our hearts, we activate our energy system, and tap into our connection with Source. Find out what your Heart has to say. Ask her/him what she wants today. Really wants. Then do it!
2. Buy yourself roses. I’ve said this before, but the Heart Chakra resonates with roses. Bringing freshly cut roses into your house imbues your atmosphere with Heart Chakra love!
3. Drink rose tea. Another suggestion I’ve mentioned before, but I love this ritual! Prepare rose bud tea (which you can get in most tea stores, especially down in Chinatown, since it’s considered a Chinese herb, not so coincidentally for the Heart channel) by pouring boiling water over an odd number of rose buds (even numbers are considered not as lucky as odd numbers in Chinese Medicine). While placing the rose buds in your favorite mug, set an intention of the kind of love your are cultivating, whether it be for yourself, to be more connected to your Heart, or to have a more open Heart to connect with others with more ease, the choice is yours!

When it comes down to it, and all the chips are down, you feel flattened out by the seeming bulldozer of life, and you feel like you’re void of worth, significance, and connection, remember that you are never alone, and people who have never met you (and your Team of Light) are rooting for you to surpass this temporary challenge! Because everything changes and shifts. Hang on, so you can discover that your light and beauty is meant to empower, and make a difference in, this world.

What do you do to empower yourself when you’re depressed?
Let me know in the comments below, what’s worked for you. I’d love to know!

In light,

 

 

 

 

 

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