Dealing with depression

 

 

The unfulfilled pilgrim experiences depression. Fulfilment happens if and when she attains her goal. At that instant, the goal is fully energised and surplus energy is released. The released energy can be used either to generate the feeling of happiness (or bliss or joy) or as investment in a new pilgrimage.

 

The pilgrim experiences depression if she can’t reach her goal. That may happen for four reasons.

 

She has lost sight of the goal and is lost (chronic depression happens in those who have no goal).

The path to her goal is blocked and she is stuck.

She has run out of means to goal achievement and is stuck.

She has run out of energy and is stuck.

 

The experienced pilgrim, knowing that she alone (i.e. together with her genie) must solve her problem, resolves the impasse by one or more of the following methods.

 

The (smart) pilgrim either retraces her steps until her goal comes back into view. Or she recalls or reactivates it. Basically, she simply refocuses fully on her goal. The very fact of seeing her goal again, indeed by focussing intently on it, will produce a nano (i.e. a major ‘as if’ experience functioning as a small ‘as is’) goal achievement experience and which reorients her and powers her up, thereby reducing or eliminating her depression. Then she resumes her trip.

The (savvy) pilgrim diverts from her pilgrimage. She makes resolving the blockage a primary goal, which, when resolved, will clear the path to her goal and also power up.

She goes on an outer pilgrimage to forage for means (i.e. for self-building materials and skills), which when acquired (hence problem solved) will generate a fulfilment experience and boost her power supply (thereby eliminating her depression). In short, she becomes physically or intellectually active.

She forages for food (i.e. as in retail therapy, as in eating chocolate or smoking a cigarette – that latter mode still the most important personal regeneration means when in battle - and the pilgrim is in battle), which, when she eats and assimilates it, will fulfil her (i.e. with energy; should she not apply that energy, she will merely become obese, and which will push her further into depression).

The (cunning) pilgrim creates an expedient (to wit, self-serving, i.e. to a secondary fulfilment) diversion. She (temporarily) sets up a new goal (real or artificial, internal or external), which when achieved, fulfils her. She then uses the energy milked from that fulfilment to power up her trip to her primary goal.

The pilgrim does not ruminate on her situation. Rumination uses up a lot of energy, that loss resulting in even greater depression.

The clever pilgrim will have observed the frequent periods of elation and of depression, will have accepted these as a normal by-product of her pilgrimage, like the changing weather, and will simply knuckle down and get on with the job.

 

In short, the depressed pilgrim eliminates her depression either by refocusing on her goal and restarting her (Outer and Inner) pilgrimage towards it, or by diverting to a secondary goal, internal or external, and by reaching it (and fulfilment) is relieved (or released) from her depression. If she stays put, that is to say, if she does not start moving towards her primary or any other goal, she will fade (i.e. get even more depressed and disoriented, consequently experiencing herself as though she were lost in an arid, hot and windy desert, like Moses) and die (or get rescued by a Saviour).