Walking on willow tree roads by a river

Dappled with peach blossoms,

I look for spring light, but am everywhere lost.

Birds fly up and scatter floating catkins.

A ponderous wave of flowers sags the branches.

-Wang Wei (699-759)

There is nothing more encompassing than a depressed mood. Even waves of flowers will feel ponderous. The decision to seek professional help embodies a sense of helplessness and defeat. My clients struggle with the competing demands for relief and understanding. There are many approaches in therapy that are designed to address the symptoms. They have been proven with research to be effective interventions that provide new skills to be used to manage the ominous sense of despair and hopelessness. Psychoanalysis takes the deeper step to address the meanings of these very important experiences. The insights gained through links to basic assumptions about the self and others allows the spring light to reveal the true self. The coping skills that have been acquired become an essential part of their identity. There is an integration of joy and sorrow that allows for a balanced and mindful connection to who we are and our place in the world.