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Navigating the Depression Bardo
It’s different for everyone, and there are as many ways to deal with depression as there are people. Some need pharmaceuticals. Others, therapy. And others swear by less conventional methods: soul retrieval, or transcranial magnetic stimulation, or cuddling, or even a practice called “bouldering.” (Swear to God, it’s a thing. Google it.)
But those are all tools aimed at the the big D, not the “bardo” that comes after it. In Tibetan Buddhism, the time between death and rebirth is called the bardo. The Depression Bardo, as I’ve named this other state, comes just after the worst of the depression has subsided, but before you feel solid. You wander around, and the horrible is gone; but you’re still identified with the depression and can’t imagine who you’d be without it.
I’ve been there. Several times.
For months, I carried around a big load of darkness. (It runs in my family so I’ve developed skills for getting through these waves.) But when I noticed some red flags (don’t wanna eat, get out of bed, or even Be Here), I reached out for help.
My doctor, my wife, and my therapist all came through — doing what they could to help steady my boat. They adjusted medication, dragged me into the sunlight with puppies…
