San Diego Therapist Blog: Regina Huelsenbeck, PhD

Once depressed, you are fairly likely to experience depression again. The first depressive episode often surfaces in response to a trauma or loss of some sort. However, the negative feeling states and thought patterns seem to get wired together and can recreate depressive states more easily the next time, and easier the next time...and so on and so on.

Researchers have found that regular mindfulness practice significantly decreases the relapse/recurrence of depression (Teasedale et al., 2000).

How does this happen? Why do mindfulness practice help someone who suffers from depression?

The brain is filled with billions of neurons- These billions of neurons are connected to each other via synapses- specifically about 10,000 different synapses connect 100 billion neurons. A neuron fires whenever we have an experience.

IF you begin to practice mindfulness REGULARLY- you could, over time, by repeating this mindfulness experience INCREASE "synaptic densities in those regions that were activated with mindful practice" (Siegal, 2007). In essence, re wire your brain....making it more likely that you will be in the mindfulness territory of your brain when new stresses or potentials for depression arises.  

In fact, "mindful awareness is a form of experience that seems to promote neural plasticity". Neuroplasticity is essentially brain rewiring- "neuroplasticity is the term used when connections in the brain change in response to experience" (Siegal, 2007).

If you are interested in more information on mindfulness and neuroplasticity get David Siegal The Mindful Brain. Siegal is an MD out of UCLA who has been researching this brain stuff for years. He's also a great speaker and writer- who takes tricky brain concepts and puts them into digestible terms----and soooooo interesting.

Love & Light,

Regina