Oct 12, 2023 | Mental Health Ministry, Stronger Together Support Group
Just last week we had a lighthearted (but thoughtful and productive) conversation about joy. What a difference a week can make.
I suspect you are as heartbroken as I am, and maybe more. Let’s talk about it tomorrow, shall we?
I also want to share with you an article sent to me that was published in WaPo. On the surface it’s about Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, which we’ve discussed previously in Stronger Together. The underlying theme, however, is about how we prepare for mental health struggles ahead. The article was published Oct. 5, two days before the attack on Israel.
Our warm-up question for this week:
How are you feeling right now, and what have been the range of emotions you’ve felt over the past few days?
See you soon,
Alex
Oct 5, 2023 | Mental Health Ministry, Stronger Together Support Group
Last week we had a great conversation about clinical depression, and (thanks to the power of metaphors!) walked away with a deeper and more nuanced understanding of what this form of mental illness can feel like to those who experience it. This week we’re going to swing the pendulum in the exact opposite direction…which is what, exactly?
One way to think about the “opposite” of experiencing depression is experiencing joy. According to developmental psychologist (and Presbyterian minister) Dr. Pamela King, “[a] helpful way of thinking about joy is understanding what matters most in human life.” In the article Dr. King goes on to identify three areas that inform joy: (1) growing in authenticity and living more into one’s strengths, (2) growing in depth of relationships and contributing to others, and (3) living more aligned with one’s ethical and spiritual ideals.
We’re going to complement this cerebral, albeit brief article on joy with a video that is also short but offers a Biblically-oriented exploration of joy. How do these two understandings overlap, and what does that tell us about the relationship between feeling joy and feeling depressed?
Our warm-up question for this week:
What do you want to do for your next birthday party?
See you soon,
Alex
Sep 26, 2023 | Mental Health Ministry, Stronger Together Support Group
Hello friends,
Sometimes the simplest of metaphors help us see an issue from a deeper, more personal level. That’s why we’re going to watch a short video about a dog this week. [Insert joke here about how we’re not dogging it in Stronger Together, or about depression being a “total dog”, etc.]
In this case the “dog” is depression, and if you’ve never experienced what it’s like to live with clinical depression (as I have not), this is a great way to understand it through a different lens. Also if you’re like me and you happen to like dogs regardless of their coat color, you might feel ambivalent about this metaphor… at least until the end of the video.
Our warm-up question for this week:
Describe how your week has been using a metaphor. Similes are okay, too!
See you soon,
Alex
Aug 16, 2023 | Mental Health Ministry, Stronger Together Support Group
Hello friends,
One day photographer Danielle Hark found herself at her lowest point ever when something just “clicked” for her. She had been suffering from severe depression, had fallen to the floor in the midst of a panic attack, and then, “click”… she took a picture. That moment not only changed her life but set her on a course to change the lives of many other people living with mental illness.
We’re going to watch a brief video of Danielle’s story and talk about what it means to create community where (and in what form) it is needed. If you get the chance, please also check out the art and community experience Danielle founded at the Broken Light Collective. It’s an inspiring story that each of us can relate to in our own way. Join us for the conversation!
Our warm-up question for this week:
Without showing it, describe one photograph you have that you will never forget.
Aug 10, 2023 | Mental Health Ministry, Stronger Together Support Group
Hello friends,
Have you ever felt that receiving effective treatment for mental illness requires that we turn away from religious or spiritual support and instead seek help from clinicians? It’s easy to understand why this idea might have developed in encouraging people to seek structured, evidence-based care from trained mental health professionals. Have we gone too far in dismissing the role of religion and spirituality in protecting our mental health and combatting forms of mental illness?
Dr. Lisa Miller, a psychologist at Columbia University, would say that we’ve definitely underplayed the role of spirituality in preventing and treating depression specifically. In this week’s discussion we’re going to watch a brief video where Dr. Miller describes her research and what she and her team have found over multiple studies. Spoiler alert: she finds convincing evidence that spirituality–as defined by our connection to “something bigger than ourselves” (i.e., God)–can protect the human brain against despair and be an effective treatment for depression via altruism.
Maybe it’s time we move from “either or” to “both and” when it comes to religion and treatment for mental illness? Or is that a step in the wrong direction? Join us tomorrow to share your thoughts!
Our warm-up question for this week:
It’s said that certain scents can be very strongly tied to memories. What’s a memory you have, good or bad, that has a distinct smell associated with it?
