The Spirit
What is pushed down in depression is not the brain but the spirit. Neuroscience tells us that conversation is the most complicated function of the brain and yet you are perfectly capable of talk in an episode of depression even though you might not feel like it. What you experience in depression is a collapse of the self, which is another word for the spirit.
The Brain
Neuroscience has identified six primary neurological impulses in the brain: fear, anger, suspicion, disgust, surprise and joy. Evolution has resulted in this mindset to optomise our chances of survival in nature.
When the spirit is pushed down by adverse circumstance, past or present, it loses control of the brain which left to its own devices is four fifths negative – a natural candidate for depression and anxiety. Feeling comes from the brain.
The spirit needs to be strong enough to be able to retain its identity in bad times and always remain in control of the brain. The solution is spiritual resilience achieved by the Power of Prayer and the Fellowship of Man, as advocated by AA, SS’s sister organisation.