A Human Givens–based and hypnotherapeutic view of depression and the pathway out.

Depression doesn’t always crash in dramatically. Sometimes it arrives quietly like a gradual dulling of colour, a slow shrinking of your world, a heaviness you can’t quite explain. Other times it follows a major life event, a loss, a shock, or simply too many demands without enough time, support, or rest.

People often describe it as feeling stuck, flat, overwhelmed, disconnected from themselves, or strangely outside their own life. And while depression can feel deeply personal, even isolating, the truth is that it is also incredibly common. It is a natural human response when emotional needs are not being met and one that absolutely can change.

In my practice, I regularly use the Human Givens approach because it gives a clear, compassionate, and practical understanding of why depression develops and how people recover from it. More importantly, it helps people feel hopeful again, even when their internal world feels heavy.

What Depression Really Is

People ask “Why am I depressed”? Depression is not laziness. It’s not weakness. And it’s not something you “snap out of.” It’s a state of emotional and physical exhaustion, often caused by unmet needs and prolonged stress. The Human Givens model explains this beautifully: every human being has essential emotional needs such as connection, safety, a sense of purpose, privacy, meaning, recognition, and a feeling of control over life. When too many of these needs go unmet for too long, the system becomes overwhelmed.

This is why depression can feel like your mind and body have simply run out of fuel. You might stop finding joy in things you once enjoyed, or feel disconnected from people you care about. Even simple tasks can feel too much. Sleep becomes disrupted, energy drops, and the world starts to feel heavy and fogged.

None of this is your fault. It’s a sign that something important inside you needs attention and support.

How Depression Begins

Depression often starts slowly. It might begin with poor sleep or persistent overthinking the kind that keeps you awake or drains your energy before the day even starts. Perhaps the weight of responsibilities has been building for years, or maybe a difficult experience tipped everything out of balance. Life events such as relationship difficulties, grief, burnout, or major changes can all lead to depression, but so can long-term stress, feeling unsupported, or a gradual loss of meaning.

Human Givens therapists often talk about how people with depression dream excessively, particularly in REM sleep, which leaves them emotionally exhausted when they wake. It’s a cycle: you feel overwhelmed, you ruminate, the brain tries to process it in the night, and you wake even more tired than before.

This exhaustion, combined with unmet emotional needs, is what pulls people into depression.

What Depression Feels Like Day-to-Day

Depression shows up differently for everyone. Some feel numb and disconnected, while others feel tearful, irritable, or lost. Some describe it as a “heaviness,” others as a constant fog. People often withdraw from social contact, experience appetite changes, and find themselves unable to focus or make decisions. They may even feel guilty for feeling this way.

Yet again, depression isn’t chosen. It’s an emotional and physiological state, not a reflection of your strength or character.

How Recovery Happens

Recovery begins by understanding what your emotional system is trying to communicate. Instead of digging endlessly into the past, the Human Givens approach focuses on what’s not working in the present and on gently rebuilding resources so your emotional needs can be met again.

Healing involves lowering the overload, improving sleep, restoring balance, reconnecting with your sense of meaning, and helping your mind feel capable of moving forward. Sometimes that means small steps like reintroducing structure, rediscovering connection, or reducing rumination. Other times it involves deeper emotional work to release long-held stress or difficult memories.

It’s a process, but it’s a hopeful one.

How Hypnotherapy Supports Healing

Hypnotherapy enhances this process by working directly with the subconscious mind, the part responsible for rumination, fear, emotional exhaustion, and the feeling of being stuck. Hypnosis can quieten the internal noise, reduce anxiety, improve sleep quality, and restore clarity. It helps build confidence and motivation gently, without pressure.

Because depression often has several layers, emotional, physical, cognitive, it usually requires more sessions than something like a phobia. This isn’t failure; it simply reflects the depth of what’s going on. Each session helps the mind calm, reset, and gain a little more strength. Over time, small shifts accumulate into real, lasting change.

I’ve seen so many clients regain themselves, sometimes slowly, sometimes surprisingly fast, but always meaningfully.

There Is a Way Out

Depression can convince you that nothing will help. That you’re stuck. That you’ll always feel this way.

But those thoughts are part of the condition, not the truth.

You are not broken.
You are not beyond help.
You are experiencing a state that absolutely can shift, with the right support.

If depression has crept into your life and you want to feel lighter, clearer, and more connected again, I’m here to help you take that first step back toward yourself.

Book a session and let’s begin rebuilding your emotional strength, balance, and hope.