Thread by @DanGoldfield

My student ended a 14-year addiction to antidepressants after we spoke just once.

2 years later she's never looked back.

Here's how she transformed crushing depression into unlimited wellbeing...

(And the 7-step mindfulness practice I gave her that guaranteed it) ↓

Vikki had tried everything to get free of her crushing depression:

🔹Counselling
🔹Therapy
🔹More drugs

But sadness continued to haunt her.

The reason is simple...

Every "expert" Vikki spoke with was trying to fix her...

But she was never broken.

As a child she was given drugs to dull her emotional pain.

Of course, she got hooked.

And all the "experts" remained unaware of the one thing that could've really helped Vikki...

When we got on the phone, she told me she'd tried mindfulness but it hadn't worked either.

I asked how it was presented to her.

It was presented all wrong...

Vikki had been told to practice mindfulness as yet another "fix":

🔹"Try to clear your mind"
🔹"Replace your negative thoughts with positive ones"
🔹"Practice 20 minutes in the morning and you'll feel better the rest of the day"

This sh*t makes me want to vomit 🤮

I told Vikki it wasn't her fault that her practice hadn't worked.

We spoke about the difficult issues in her life and got some perspective on them.

Then I said "let's pretend you've never heard of mindfulness and start over..."

"Is there any time in your week that you're happy?" I asked.

Vikki told me she shot photos in the forest with her camera whenever she could. She said it was her "happy place", where all her troubles disappeared.

"But..." she continued...

"As soon as I finish shooting and head back toward the car, I start feeling heavy in my chest again—like my heart is being swallowed by darkness as I go back to real life."

"Vikki!" I said, "this is great! Let me tell you why..."

I explained that Vikki already had a ray of hope, which was all she needed...

And how we were going to use that ray of hope to create the solution she'd been seeking for 14 years...

See, Vikki was happy in the forest. That proved something: she *could* be free of her depression!

She wasn't locked into some awful hell realm—because she experienced relief at least once a week.

She wasn't broken!

"Oh right, yeah!" She said, "why didn't anyone tell me that?!"

Here's the 7-step practice I designed for Vikki:

1. Your "happy place"—the forest—is now your home base. Go there as often as you can and enjoy it to the fullest.

2. While you're there, investigate the happiness you feel. Pay attention to how it follows you wherever you go within the forest.

3. Experiment with bringing your happiness back toward the car with you. If it starts to fade, stop and remember what it's like to be in the forest. (Or even turn around and go back!)

4. Slowly work on taking your happiness into the car. Then on the drive home. Then into your house. Then onto a phone call with someone you love. Then onto a phone call with someone difficult. Then into a face-to-face conversation...

5. Finally, take your happiness with you to the most challenging place: work.

6. If you need to go back a step, remember: that's perfectly fine. Go all the way back to the forest and start again from scratch if you have to. There's no rush.

7. Use a deep breath as a reminder. Close your eyes and visualize your favourite spot in the forest. No matter where your body is, your mind can be in your happy place.

When I checked in with Vikki 2 weeks later she told me she hadn't taken a single antidepressant since our phone call.

In fact she'd thrown them away!

And her life had changed rapidly...

She'd started boxing and seeing friends again.

Her performance at work had doubled!

But she wanted to be sure to share with me the most important change she experienced...

Vikki told me she finally knew she wasn't broken—and never had been.

All the "cures" she'd been given, she said, could never have worked because they were just covering up her real issues.

Now, she did have to face those issues after our call...

When she stopped the drugs, the emotions they'd been suppressing for 14 years came to the surface.

But now Vikki had a way to deal with them.

From her happy place, she could accept her difficult emotions—which began in childhood—and examine them freshly as an adult.

She shone the light of her new perspectives on her issues. And this brought the relief she'd been seeking since she first saw the doctor as a little girl.

Without drugs dulling her experience, she could enjoy life like never before...

Vikki could enjoy the adrenaline buzz of intense exercise.

She could enjoy the warm, fuzzy feeling of helping a client at work.

And something really surprised her...

She could even enjoy the challenge of navigating the difficult family relationships that were at the root of her old depression!

Vikki's rapid journey from addiction to wellbeing is one of my greatest successes as a teacher.

But I'll be honest...

Such a profound transformation usually takes longer than 2 weeks.

Vikki had a lot of emotional leverage to use: she *really* wanted freedom from her suffering.

She was ready.

She was determined.

And she was successful.

But I have good news for you...

If you're struggling, mindfulness can work for you too.

And it doesn't matter how long it takes to get the hang of it.

Small benefits can be found instantly. Then you just ride the wave to ultimate wellbeing...

I don't recommend stopping medication like Vikki did—that was her call.

But I always recommend mindfulness—to anyone and everyone—regardless of their situation.

And so does Vikki.

If you're suffering with depression and want to talk to someone, say "hi" in the DM's.

And if you want to learn more about how mindfulness can work for you...

Join 208 subscribers reading my latest Wellbeing Letter ↓
dangoldfield.ck.page/posts/3-steps-…