I have written a novel and just under the title is the epitaph of Cardinal John Henry Newman, which reads: “Ex umbris et imaginibus en veritatem” (“Out of shadows and images into truth”). Aside from tending to the storylines and themes in the novel, the phrase can also be descriptive of the journey of someone suffering from depression – a journey I have traveled for many years. Without being fully conscious of it, I have been waiting for decades to find good material on depression and Catholicism.
It is not enough to chuckle and fall back on my heritage, as in W.B. Yeats’s famous quote: “Being Irish, he had an abiding sense of tragedy, which sustained him through temporary periods of joy.” It is not enough to know that chemical imbalances (the endogenous) can be causal, as well as occurrences (the exogenous) within the person’s life. It is important, but not enough, to know the various secular and scientific forms of treatment. And it is not enough to know that experiencing clinical depression is not a spiritual failure, although it comes dressed in spiritual realities, or a lack of fortitude, as some Catholics may still believe.
No, what really has piqued my interest is the intersection of a Catholic worldview, one that is overall humanistic and that stands at every corner for the sanctity of human life, and depression itself – that descent into darkness where hope wanes and despair lurks insidiously. It is also important for me to shape my expectancies accordingly; as one writer put it, to know that “the confessional can’t cure neuroses and the couch can’t forgive sins.”
So you can imagine my delight in finding a book that addresses these issues fully and instructively: “The Catholic Guide to Depression,” by the psychiatrist Aaron Kheriaty, MD, with Father John Cihak, STD. Aside from covering recent progress in continually emerging areas of treatment, such as in pharmacology, nutrition and physical exercise, Kheriaty also speaks to the potential value in electroconvulsive therapy, vagus nerve stimulation and transcranial magnetic stimulation as alternative, unconventional treatments which are sometimes considered. He explores the psychotherapy piece of treatment – especially the cognitive and behavorial modes – and he is quick to understand that many Catholics seeking help have encountered therapists who could not relate to their religious beliefs or moral convictions, or worse, who condescended in the face of them. It is hoped that one may find a therapist professional enough to respect one’s faith tradition, but as St. Teresa of Avila once said, if you had to choose between a holy spiritual director and a knowledgeable one, choose the knowledgeable one.
Kheriaty and Father Cihak also mention the emergence of Positive Psychology, a dimension of therapy formulated by Martin Seligman that emphasizes character strengths and virtues instead of the patient’s psychological weaknesses or vulnerabilities. This therapeutic model recognizes the spiritual being, and spiritual progress as a motivating factor.
And this is where the authors fuse the various secular and scientific treatments with their discussion of “Spiritual Help for Depression.” They recognize the importance of taking from other modalities what can be of benefit and leaving what is not. But they also laud the power of prayer in general and Catholicism’s rich tradition of meditative prayer. They speak eloquently of confession, spiritual reading and spiritual direction, of finding those saints whose lives may speak specifically to us, of the Mass as the “center and root of our interior life,” of a rededication to the sacramental life and the works of mercy, of sanctifying our work and of the sanctifying grace we may receive in our suffering. Indeed, it is this very grace that inspires my own faith journey and informs my work and my writing – be it fiction, non-fiction, poetry or commentaries such as this.
The book includes an appendix that is an address from St. John Paul II on the theme of depression. In it, he speaks of the “spiritual trial” depression can be and of the need to rediscover self-esteem, confidence in one’s abilities, an interest in the future and the desire to live. He recommends spiritual reading and meditating on the Psalms, the value in the recitation of the rosary, and employing the aid of Mary in our trials, as well as participation in the Eucharist.
And then he says: “In His infinite love, God is always close to those who are suffering. Depressive illness can be a way to discover other aspects of oneself and new forms of encounter with God. Christ listens to the cry of those whose boat is rocked by the storm (cf. Mk 4:35-41). He is present beside them to help them in the crossing and guide them to the harbor of rediscovered peace.”
If you are experiencing the slings and arrows of depression, you are not alone. Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind is that help is available. The shadows of deep sadness and the images of despair need not engulf you. The truth of God’s mercy and love is all around us. He is in the boat with us and – however rough the seas – there is, beyond any shadow of doubt, a harbor of rediscovered peace awaiting us.
Fred Gallagher is an author and editor-in-chief with Gastonia-based Good Will Publishers Inc.