Out of Darkness: A Christian Approach to Overcoming Depression

By Michael Kuiper

Got the blues? Have you ever told yourself you should just snap out of it? Perhaps you have you been hurt in life and you think you should just “get over it.” Sometimes, we actually can shake off a bad mood. Serious depression, on the other hand, is a different matter. The Bible tells us it is foolish to sing songs to a sad man. Yet the scriptures are also full of hope and ancient wisdom that invite us to move from sorrow to joy. Psychologist Michael Kuiper pulls together both biblical principles as well as modern insights to offer hope and guidance in overcoming this common yet difficult life experience.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Michael Kuiper
• Release date: Jul 25, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310412790

Book preview

Out of Darkness:

A Christian Strategy to Overcome Depression

J. Michael Kuiper, Ph.D.

Copyright 2015 by J. Michael Kuiper, Ph.D.

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of Contents

Foreword

About the Author

Introduction

How Serious Is This?

A Look at the Personal Cost

Where Does This Thing Come From?

The One, Two, Three Punch

From Depression to Joy: A Multi-Pronged Attack

Who Is God?

Who Am I? Old and New Ways of Understanding Myself

Who Are All These Other People?

What Could Be My Purpose On This Planet?

A Final Note on Monitoring Moods

Foreword

This book is very well done! Michael Kuiper’s style of writing is approachable and engaging and his thought process and the guidance offered to help people change is solid. One aspect that sets it apart from other works on depression is the description of a new basis for self-esteem, namely, God’s view of us. The concept that we can hold a new view of ourselves based on the gift of his ransom payment for our sins was insightful and well-articulated. Mike’s thoughts on the problem of evil were also very well stated and refreshing. His approach is simple and direct, as well as experiential in the sense that it invites the reader to a personal wrestling with the issue. The book invites us to live with our difficulties within the limits God gives us. This encouragement is reassuring and comforting and helps shift our mindset from complaint about pain to an acceptance of the loving intent of God.

I heartily commend this e-book to those fighting the difficult battle with depression. Indeed, it is a battle worth fighting! It is good to remember that God’s heart for us is not to stay miserable. Or, as the psalmist proclaims, weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes in the morning. (Psalm 30:5)

David N. Day, PhD

Psychologist and former director of the Christian Counseling Center, Pleasanton, California

About the Author

Michael Kuiper tackles the subject of depression from two angles. First, he has tasted the bitter symptoms of this malady. He knows that one doesn’t just snap out of a troubled mood. It takes effort, caring people and wisdom. Second, he has been a practicing psychologist for 25 years and has helped many overcome their suffering from this common disorder. Mike holds a B.A. degree in psychology from Westmont College and an M.S. in psychology from Central Washington State University. His D.Min. degree in pastoral and marriage and family counseling is from Fuller Theological Seminary. He earned his Ph.D. in clinical psychology at the Center for Psychological Studies where his dissertation focused on the image of God, object relations and conversion to Christ. Mike has worked in a number of different Christian counseling centers and has spent several years teaching counseling in the Philippines. He is licensed in California (psy14346) and currently maintains a private practice in Redding.

The cover painting is by Karen Staal of Ashland, OR. More of her fine paintings can be found at www.karenstaalpaint.com.

Introduction

When I greeted her in the waiting room, she didn’t look up right away. It took a moment before she pulled herself out of the chair and shuffled into my office. As she sat down again, she shot me an apologetic look, grabbed some tissues and held them to her face. I could feel my own spirit sag as I waited for Sarah to describe what she was feeling and thinking. But regardless of the particular circumstances that she was dealing with in that session, one thing was very clear. She was in pain. A kind of pain that consumed her--as if her whole being hurt.

Depression. What does this word bring up for you? There is a good chance that you feel depressed right now and that is why you are reading this e-book. If so, you are not alone. In fact, some have called depression a 21st Century epidemic. Since 1999, the suicide rate for adults in America has increased by 25%. Most depressed people do not attempt suicide, however, and we do not often hear of spectacular personal tragedies such as when Robin Williams took his own life. For most of the 35 million American adults who will at one time or another suffer from depression, the experience is a more private and lonely struggle. And depression is by no means an American problem:

According to worldwide projections from the World Health Organization (WHO), by 2030, the amount of disability and life lost from depression will surpass that from war, accidents, cancer, stroke, and heart disease. In fact, WHO reports that for youth aged 10 to 19, depression is already the number one cause of illness and disability.¹

So if you are one of the many in this world struggling with a depressed mood, you should also know that this is not a hopeless condition. There are things we have learned about depression and there are things you can do to work to overcome this troubling affliction. In this book we cover both the symptoms of depression to help you recognize what’s going on and give you some practical ideas as to how you can pull out of it.

When I asked Sarah to tell me about her week, she just sighed. Nothing. Nothing happened and she hadn’t felt like doing anything. Several minutes passed before she could find the words to describe what else was going on with her.

The word depression means different things to different people. Sometimes you might find yourself just feeling listless -- as if you simply don’t have any energy and don’t feel like doing anything and then you might decide that you are depressed. Or it may be that deep feelings of sadness or discouragement are what dominate your senses. Or you just feel down in the dumps. Everyone, of course, experiences normal periods of being up or down as they go through the joys and disappointments of life. Sometimes, however, people find themselves living with a more serious and deep depression, referred to as a clinical depression. Whether it’s a common everyday depression or a serious clinical depression, we are talking about a life experience that can be a very painful, troublesome state of mind. No one likes to feel down and miserable.

To make matters worse, you might have noticed that everyone else around you seems to be doing just fine! You see people laughing on TV or warmly greeting each other at church and you feel all the more isolated. You might feel envious. They all seem so happy together, so connected and so full of life. Down deep, you know that you too need people. You also know it would be good for you to reach out, to try to make connections and to be able to share. But as you watch others, it