Finding Meaning within Depression

Depression can feel like moving through the world wearing a heavy blanket—the world appears muted, your energy depletes quickly, and even simple decisions can feel overwhelming. You might find yourself disconnected from people and activities that once brought joy, or notice a persistent heaviness that medication or other therapeutic approaches haven’t fully addressed.

If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. As a counsellor in Nelson BC, I work with many individuals navigating this difficult terrain. While finding relief from these experiences is essential, my approach also creates space to explore what your depression might reveal about your life and what might support deeper healing and growth.

Looking Beyond Symptoms to Meaning

When you’re in the midst of depression, focusing solely on removing symptoms can sometimes miss important dimensions of healing. In our counselling sessions, we create a space where both immediate relief and deeper understanding can unfold together.

We might gently explore questions like:

Are there aspects of your life that feel misaligned with what truly matters to you?

Are there emotions or experiences that haven't had space for expression?

Might this difficult period be signaling a need for change or transformation in how you're living?

This approach doesn’t imply that depression has a simple “purpose” to be revealed or that depression is a moral failing. Rather, it acknowledges that there may be important information about your needs, values, and life direction that deserves attention alongside taking direct action to loosen depression’s grip.

Honoring Loss and Grief

Often, depression contains elements of unrecognized grief. Our fast-paced world rarely provides adequate space for processing losses—whether concrete losses like relationships, health, and opportunities, or more subtle losses like unfulfilled dreams, changing identities, or global changes.

In our work together, I offer a compassionate presence that can acknowledge these losses without rushing to “fix” them. As unsupported as grief can be in our society, these experiences do not mean that you are broken. Many clients discover that having their grief recognized and validated provides relief and begins to shift their relationship with depression.

Sometimes what feels like depression is partly grief that needs witnessing before new possibilities can emerge. Our therapeutic relationship provides a container where this grief can be honored as a natural human response rather than something to overcome as quickly as possible.

Reconnecting with What Matters

Depression often involves a profound sense of disconnection—from yourself, from others, from meaning and purpose. The path through depression frequently includes rebuilding these connections in ways that feel authentic and sustainable.

Together, we might explore:

What activities, relationships, or practices have brought meaning to your life in the past?

What values feel important but perhaps neglected?

What small steps might help you reconnect with these sources of vitality?

This exploration isn’t about forcing positive thinking or setting overwhelming goals. Instead, it involves gentle, manageable experiments that can gradually open the way to natural forward movement and help you source your strength from what you love most.

The Wisdom of the Body

Our bodies hold important information about our wellbeing, yet depression often creates a sense of disconnection from physical experience. As a therapist with a focus on body-oriented approaches, I incorporate somatic awareness into our work when appropriate.

Simple practices focused on breath, sensation, and movement can help regulate your nervous system when depression feels overwhelming. These approaches can provide immediate relief while also building your capacity to be present with your experience.

By listening to your body with compassion and curiosity, you may discover important insights about what nourishes you, what depletes you, and what supports your sense of aliveness and connection.

A Different Relationship with Depression

Over time, many people discover they can develop a different relationship with depression. Rather than seeing it as an enemy to defeat or a permanent identity, it becomes an experience you can navigate with greater awareness, self-compassion, and resources. Full aliveness is possible even within depression.

The insights gained through therapy can help you recognize early signs of depression, develop supportive practices, establish necessary boundaries, and make choices that align more closely with your wellbeing and values.

This doesn't mean depression will never return, but many find they can meet it differently—with less fear and more understanding of how to care for themselves through difficult periods.

My Approach to Working with Depression

As a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) in Nelson BC, I bring a holistic perspective to our work together. My background includes training as a Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapist and Registered Craniosacral Therapist (RCST), offering body-centered perspectives that complement traditional talk therapy approaches.

My practice integrates meaningful conversation, mindfulness-based approaches, and somatic awareness, providing multiple pathways to address both the immediate experience of depression and its deeper dimensions.

We would begin by establishing safety and addressing your immediate needs, while gradually creating space for deeper exploration at a pace that feels manageable for you.

Is This Approach Right for You?

This way of working with depression might be particularly suited for you if:

• You're looking for relief from suffering while also exploring what your experience might mean

• Traditional approaches have helped somewhat but feel incomplete

• You sense there might be deeper dimensions to your depression

• You're interested in incorporating body awareness into your healing process

• You're open to seeing this difficult period as potentially meaningful, even while acknowledging its challenges

Depression can be an enormously difficult experience, but you don't need to face it alone. With appropriate support, it's possible to find not only relief but also a deeper understanding of yourself and what supports your wellbeing.