Do meetings help Depression?

by Gadget 29 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  reboot

  ((Hey you)) yeah. i know; im supposed to be working lol-had to reply to this though.

  This quote is so typical of someone who has no concept of the nature or treatment of depression;

  The only way to depart from the hands of depression is to separate yourself from the worldly things and put yourself in the things that are good in the sight of GOD.

  Can't get it out of bold now...

  I was told for many years that I depression was 'cured' by drawing close to Jehovah.It was'nt.

  I was told that the meetings were a 'tonic' and that going to councelling would show the councellor that Jehovah could'nt combat difficult problems which would. in turn, give a bad witness.What if the doctor was ever called on? What would he think? I was actively discouraged from looking for help for an abusive life and rape/ sexual abuse etc.

  The meetings did make me feel better, I remember saying that myself.But, in time, you come to realise that combatting serious problems by sweeping them under the carpet and forcing your self to take your mind away from them by emmersing yourself in the constant flow of repitition from the literature and the platform; just can't work.

  Slowly I realised that I was getting further away from my feelings and looking back the meeting dulled the pain enough to carry on...thats why it felt good.Now life is a bit more honest, and the pain hurts sometimes; but it's REAL and I can FEEL it.

  and now I can do something about it.

  I think it's a difficult situation for you.If she goes to a councellor and receives god advice to talk which may lead to a realisation that the way she is a t the moment is unhealthy for her emotionally...there is always the risk that the good advice given is'nt from the platform and can be discounted really easily when it gets too difficult as they can reason that it's worldy advice that makes them feel WORSE. So they go back to using the meetings as a crutch as they appear to make them feel better.

  So, i'd try and get her talking to someone professional again, cos when you reach that point of realisation and you break through that mental barrier, nothing said at the meetings would make sense again.
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  freein89

  O you silly kittens! Of course meetings help depression. They help make it much worse! Now if you are looking for help getting over it, well that is another matter.

  Thrice weekly verbal beatings don't cure depression. The very notion that hearing about how you can have control of the chemicals in your brain by going to meetings is a sure way to make you feel responsible and thus worsen the condition.

  That is my opinion.

  Deb
• 

  shamus

  Deb,

  What a great post! I couldn't agree with you more!
• 

  freein89

  Shamus,

  Well thanks honey! I've been missing you guys.

  Deb
• 

  Elsewhere

  I know people, way back who used to say the very same thing.

  Anything to save face/organizations reputation; especially over their own personal welfare.

  When I was leaving the bOrg, all I knew was that I did not like it. My self-esteem was so low that I had no idea that I was not deserving of all the sht they were giving me. I got to the point where I had a choice, leave the bOrg and face shunning, or put a bullet in my head and bring shame to Jehover's Organization (TM).

  Sadly, the only reason I'm still here is because I "protected" the organization from the shame of my suicide.

  It wasn't until later that I finally "woke up" and realized what all they did to me.
• 

  ESTEE

  Gadget,

  " Do More!" ... "MORE!!!"

  So how would you bring up the idea to them?

  Well, let me think ... How would, "Get off my back, buzzard-face!!!" sound to an elder ...?

  ESTEE
• 

  RedhorseWoman

  The only time in my life that I suffered from depression was while I was an active Witness. Did going to the meetings help ease the depression? Yes, about as much as a bandaid cures a ruptured artery.....it might hide the flow of blood for a short while, but soon the problem becomes evident again.

  As others have mentioned, attending meetings is a short-term "fix" for a deeper problem. Addiction is addiction, whether it is to drugs, alcohol, or religion. If you've been told that the meetings will "help" depression and you are addicted to that religion, then you will experience a temporary lifting of the depression when you do what you are expected to do. Not going to meetings adds guilt and makes the depression worse, so attending meetings assuages those guilt feelings....until the next meeting time rolls around. Attending meetings, however, does absolutely nothing to solve the root problem.

  Oddly enough, after making a complete break from the JWs, I found that I no longer had feelings of depression....even though I had been on the verge of suicide several times while active. Go figure, eh?
• 

  Gadget

  But how would convince somebody that said the meetings were helping tham that they were actually making them worse?
• 

  TresHappy

  Those old seats in the KH got really depressed from all those theocratic butts sitting on them...
• 

  reboot

  (((Gadget))) why not ask her

  1. Does she feel like she's making progress with her emotional state?

  2.Is the lift from attending meetings temporary? If it is'nt lasting then it is'nt working long-term

  3.How many more years of meetings does she think it will take to make her 'well'?

  4.If she has specific problems that are making her feel low they need specific councellors to deal with them.One size does'nt fit all.

  5.How can the meetings help if everyone there still depressed??

  and get on messenger-im bored