Trade Paperback
272 Pages, 7.52 x 10.31 x 0 in
September 15, 1999
Crown Publishing Group
0609804707
9780609804704
From Our Editors
Offering an unusual opinion on emotional disturbances,
Jonathan G. Zuess argues those brief periods of
mild depression - and the accompanying insomnia, soul-searching and
desire for solitude - can actually be a cleansing experience.
The Wisdom of Depression: A Guide to Understanding and
Curing Depression Using Natural Medicine also
outlines alternative therapies from St. John's Wort to relaxation
techniques and explains how they can aid, not suppress, the
beneficial emotional process.
From the Publisher
In The Wisdom of Depression: A Guide to Understanding and
Curing Depression Using Natural Medicine, holistic
physician Dr. Jonathan Zuess explains how the activation of
symptoms such as insomnia, preoccupation with one''s problems,
soul-searching, and the desire to be alone are natural reactions to
our harried lives. The initial stage of depression is designed to
enhance our ability to focus inward and find solutions to difficult
emotional challenges; in many ways our bodies and minds are forcing
us to create a contemplative environment much like the vision quest
of native cultures or the monastic quiet of a Western retreat.
However, if this process goes on for too long, we can become
"stuck," mired in an unproductive, even painful cycle. The gentle,
alternative therapies in this informative and practical book help
restart the healing work of depression, instead of simply cutting
it short. As an example, the herb St. John''s wort enhances the
dreaming cycle--an intensive problem-solving mode of
consciousness--unlike prescription antidepressants. Other therapies
covered include nutritional supplements, light therapy, music and
play, meditation, and prayer. Dr. Zuess also discusses
environmental toxins and drug side effects that mimic the symptoms
of depression, as well as how to find a psychiatrist if the
depression deepens to a clinical state and antidepressants become
necessary. The Wisdom of Depression is the
essential guide to the full array of treatments for
depression.
As a society, we have long misunderstood the process of depression.
Depression is not just a chemical imbalance in the brain. It can be
our bodies'' response to the need to address imbalance in our whole
lives and is in many ways about transformation. In fact, when
viewed and treated within a holistic framework, the process of
depression can become a powerful and potentially creative healing
path.
From the Hardcover edition.
About the Author
Jonathan Zeuss, M.D., completed medical school in
Australia, with residencies in conventional medicine and
psychiatry, and has studied herbalism, nutrition, Asian medicine,
and homeopathy. Currently he is a physician in the Department of
Psychiatry at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Phoenix. He
is the author of The Natural Prozac Program: How to Use St.
John''s Wort, the Antidepressant Herb.
From the Hardcover edition.