Move Through Depression With Mindfulness, Compassion, And Care
Depression often makes everything feel heavy, and even simple tasks can feel hard. Energy drops. Motivation feels lost. Rumination and self-criticism may take over. And there can be a persistent sense of emptiness, loneliness, powerlessness, or hopelessness that no amount of effort seems to shift. For many people, anxiety presents concurrently with depression, compounding weight with worry and restlessness.
If any of this resonates, please know that you’re not alone.
In therapy for depression sessions, we don’t fight or try to fix your experience. Rather, we turn toward it with kind attention—noticing thoughts, feelings and body sensations, as well as softening the inner critic. With a focus on creating more softness and spaciousness through practicing inner friendliness, relief often follows.
Understanding Depression
Depression affects millions of people every year. It can present in response to a major life event, such as the end of a relationship, the loss of a loved one, or a stressful transition. Or it may come on without any clear reason. Sometimes our experience with depression is situational and brief. And, sometimes it’s chronic, perhaps tied to genetics, family history, trauma, chronic stress and/or pain, or unresolved grief.
Depression generally impacts many, if not all, aspects of our lives—how we think, feel, and function day- to-day. Sleep and appetite may change, concentration feels foggy, rumination or self-criticism can grow loud, and relationships might feel strained. Many people who seek therapy for depression are also navigating anxiety, attachment wounds, codependency, and issues connected to self-worth, self-love, and self-esteem.
However your experience with depression is presenting, our work together turns toward that which helps. In a safe, steady therapeutic relationship, we slow everything down enough to mindfully name and notice what is happening. Together, we get curious about patterns and gently practice developing an inner friendliness so that you can begin to move through your days with more self-kindness, steadiness, and choice.
Therapy for Depression: A Compassionate, Mindful Approach
At the heart of therapy is relationship, and in our work together you will find a safe, supportive space where the wholeness of your experience is welcome. My approach weaves mindfulness and Buddhist psychology with Western psychotherapy and advancements in neuroscience, helping you understand how your thoughts, emotions, and the nervous system interact, as well as how to soften and reframe patterns that may be driving the depression.
In therapy for depression sessions, you don’t need to push away what feels dark or difficult. Instead, we gently turn toward what’s asking for attention with curiosity and compassion, creating room for new understanding, more spaciousness, and a shift in perspective.
Together, we explore the loops that often drive low mood, such as rumination, avoidance, body tension, numbing patterns, and stories, giving attention to what’s asking for it. We’ll also work on befriending yourself, replacing the inner critic with an inner ally. As you increase your capacity to relate to yourself with warmth rather than harshness and learn to listen inward with kindness, the inner critic can soften and an inner friend begins to emerge.
In therapy for depression, people often become more able to:
notice thoughts as events, not facts, and respond rather than react.
steady attention with breath and body so waves of feeling don’t overwhelm.
cultivate inner friendliness and self-compassion to soften harsh self-talk.
name patterns (avoidance, overworking, numbing, withdrawal) and choose small, doable next steps.
expand their window of tolerance, meeting difficult sensations and emotions without shutting down.
repair relationship patterns through an attachment-informed lens, including boundaries and self-worth.
work gently with grief and life transitions, giving attention to what needs tending.
improve sleep and daily rhythms that support mood and nervous system regulation.
communicate needs with more clarity and kindness—both inwardly and with others.
practice self-compassion and inner friendliness as ongoing anchors for change.
integrate Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) skills to step out of habitual loops and prevent depression relapse.
Bringing Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) Into Sessions
MBCT weaves together mindfulness meditation and cognitive therapy to help you step out of the cycles of rumination and worry that fuel depression. Instead of becoming overwhelmed by difficult thoughts, emotions and sensations, you learn to notice them, hold them with compassion, and choose how to respond.
Research shows MBCT is highly effective in preventing relapse of depression and in reducing anxiety, stress, and even chronic pain. Many people describe it as discovering a new way of being—with more spaciousness, more choice, and a gentler relationship with themselves.
For those curious about mindfulness, we can incorporate MBCT into sessions.
Let’s Connect
Living with depression is difficult, and it’s important to know that you’re not alone. It’s also important to know that there are ways to soften and even alleviate depression symptoms so you can live with more peace and ease.
If you feel drawn to therapy for depression and live in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York and Virginia, please reach out to schedule an initial call to connect. I offer a free 15-minute phone consultation, and I’m happy to connect to discuss needs and goals, as well as to answer questions you have about therapy and my practice.
Please note that all work with clients is done through online therapy, allowing you to engage in this healing process from your office or a quiet and comfortable space in your home. From wherever you join when we meet, I design our time together to be meaningful and transformative.