Also see the

Radical Health page

in this e-book

& the

Mental Health page

There's a dialogue in our FB group about this subject (click icon to go there)

Dr. Stephen Ilardi is a professor of clinical psychology and the author of The Depression Cure: The 6-Step Program to Beat Depression Without Drugs. He earned his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Duke University in 1995, and has since served on the faculties of the University of Colorado and (presently) the University of Kansas. The author of over 40 professional articles on mental illness, Dr. Ilardi is a nationally recognized expert on depression. His work has been honored by the American Psychological Association's prestigious Blau Award for early career contributions to the field, and his research on the neuroscience of depression has been funded by the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH).

Dr. Ilardi has also received several major teaching awards in recognition of his dynamic, engaging classroom presence. Recently, he was selected from a pool of over 2,000 instructors as the recipient of the school's highest instructional honor, the HOPE Award for teaching excellence. He also maintains an active clinical practice, and has treated several hundred depressed patients over the course of his career. Dr. Ilardi lives in Lawrence, Kansas with his wife, Maria and daughter, Abby.

Ecology And Addiction

by Jack Rowe

A Common Thread of Distraction

Even a casual inspection of the major problems of our day—ecological collapse, societal breakdown, rising rates of depression and widespread disenchantment on a personal level—leaves us with the miasmic feeling that we will be smothered by an overwhelming, seemingly-disconnected mass of festering problems. At the same time, a closer look exposes a common thread running through the 'problems' we face.

Ecology 101: Distraction = Destruction

The common thread, the single defining dynamic underlying all our ecological, personal, and social problems seems to be that we have come to focus our consciousness and desires not on inner richness and development, but instead on outer, material distractions.

We have pursued the accumulation of material wealth far, far beyond our physical needs—unnecessarily pushing the limits of our planet's support systems to the point of failure, and actually contrary to our emotional needs.

Run Away!

I believe our consumptive lifestyles are ultimately based on a desire to avoid contact with our deeper feelings of emptiness and unknowing in the face of incomprehensible Life.

Dazzled by our tastes and toys, we are a planet of addicts willfully destroying the life of our planet in our refusal to face the unmanageable aspects of our own life energies.

Addiction is Universal

The behaviors which function as addictions—whether to the news, drugs, sex, 'knowing' or 'being right,' work, anger, 'saving' people, television, shopping, talking... the list is as endless as the number of humans—are all merely symptoms of an underlying, universal dynamic of avoiding the wounded and/or too-vast places within us. Addiction—running away from who we really are, in any of its forms—is the rule, instead of the exception we tell ourselves it is.

Don't Curse the Dark—Light a Candle

Addictive behaviors are symptoms of our unwillingness to face our own centers—to reach down into the dark, unlit parts of our beings and bring to light the feelings and fears which we find there. Instead we engage in any behavior which will momentarily divert our attention away from the inevitable angst of being alive, from the central fact of existence—that we cannot escape pain, suffering and death.

Having Compassion for Ourselves, We Liberate the World *

The only way to peace ultimately lies not in political action, but in traveling through the most frightening parts of ourselves—journeying toward the compassion and wisdom which would allow us to face ourselves without 'makeup' or 'white lies.' If we all faced ourselves honestly, social problems would evaporate—after accepting ourselves, accepting others is easy...and once we've accepted others, helping and sharing with them naturally follows.

What the F***, Run Amok!

By attempting to avoid the false 'problem' of the existence of pain, we create a great many real problems. For one thing, unacknowledged pains and fears always find a way to express themselves... denying pain and fear doesn't simply make them go away. The things we deny in our fear are still there, free to act out because we ignore them. Like unattended children in a department store, denying our fears does not keep them from running amok—it only allows them a freer rein.

Which Side of the Wall Are We On?

Furthermore, if we do not make a conscious decision to face our inner pain, we invariably and unconsciously begin building walls to separate ourselves from the 'problems' the pain seems to pose (the fact that pain exists is not a 'problem'—ignoring pain is the real problem).

When we have finally succeeded in building the walls which we think will protect us from the pain and suffering we feel in the world and in ourselves, we find to our surprise that we have succeeded in walling ourselves off from our own creative, life-giving centers. Now doubly pained, we have succeeded only in imprisoning our own souls.

The Only Way Out... is Through

In order to rekindle our creative sparks and reclaim our inner selves (and the richness and love which reside there) we must travel toward, into and through the pain stored within us. We must accept the experiences which caused our wounding back into our hearts. We must feel the feelings those woundings caused us—and this time, allow those feelings as valid and deserving of caring. In this way we begin the healing process which turns our old, denied experiences from pain and fear into wisdom and compassion—compassion both for ourselves, for others here with us and for the world we all are on.

Lao Tzu, born ca 600 B.C.E., author of The Tao te Ching ('The Way of Change').