Healing Depression

*I Have Everything I Need
Buffalo symbolism is a reminder that you always have everything you need. It also means that your attitude towards abundance influences the rest of this planet. You will always have plenty when you express gratitude to every part of creation. Buffalo symbolism is also representative of prayer, gratitude, and praise.
 
When you are stuck in depressive pain patterns, feeling of gratitude can feel out of reach. Painful emotions will weaken your will for the good as you practice them over time. When negative emotions gain a foothold in your consciousness it is possible to spiral down into a dark hole of despair.
 
Gratitude for even the smallest things can help you to climb up out of depression. When you notice the good things, the little pleasures, and the blessings that are in your life right now, you can begin the "climb" out of hopelessness.
 
In each moment, there is always something to be grateful for, and there is always something to be upset about. It is your choice to tune into the level of life experience that you want to see. This does not mean that the circumstances of your life have to be going well. Even bad experiences hold something to be grateful for. Once you have learned the lessons in your life circumstances, you can even appreciate the experiences that feel difficult because you have grown into a stronger version of yourself.
 
Writing New Joy - Shelley Klammer (1)
 
Tuning in to the Radio Channel of Gratitude
 
"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend."

~ Melody Beattie

If you experience a lot of emotional pain, a regular gratitude practice can support you to trust that goodness exists in the world. Gratitude is like a radio channel that you can choose to tune into any time, no matter what is happening. But, you have to practice the higher frequency of gratitude often -  in order to stay tuned in. 
 
The attitude of gratitude feeds into and sustains feelings of enthusiasm, love, and joy. Because your brain is hardwired for protection and survival with a negativity bias,  you will need to regularly practice positive feelings in order to "rewrite" them in your nervous system. (See Hardwiring Happiness by Dr. Rick Hanson.)
 
Gratitude Practice - HEAL
 
Have a good experience: Find one small thing - anything at all - to appreciate.

Enrich the experience: Amplify your appreciation into a feeling of deep and intense gratitude. Hold this experience for 10-20 seconds to install it in your longterm memory.

Absorb the experience: Extend this intense feeling of gratitude. Sense the warmth of gratitude sinking into you and absorbing in your body and mind.

Link the positive and negative feelings: Staying strong and steady with your positive feelings, bring this "higher vibration" of appreciation into your negative mind states to soothe and heal old pain.

Repeat the HEAL process as often as possible during the day.

Source

Gratitude

Gratitude Painting

In order to install positive feelings in the body and mind, it is helpful to paint your gratitude when you are feeling it. In this way, you will have a visual imprint afterwards to meditate upon. I enjoy creating intentional energy paintings to anchor and extend good feelings in my body and I have found that watercolour painting is a profound way to anchor gratitude into my consciousness.

Method:

Amplify gratitude as explained above in the HEAL process.

Spontaneously paint a watercolour painting to extend the feeling of gratitude in your body and mind.

Fun Fact: 90% of your body is made of water. See how thoughts of gratitude create beautiful crystalline structures in your body HERE