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The 2 Tools That Actually Helped Me Heal Depression
Published 21 days ago • 7 min read
Happiness On Demand
Hello Reader,
Whether I’m writing for my website or talking with people, the same question keeps popping up over and over again:
"Is there a practical 'how-to' guide for making our way out of depression?"
My answer is, that if there were a simple, universal guide to healing depression, I would give it to you in a heartbeat.
Unfortunately, life doesn't work that way. Our minds and histories are entirely unique, meaning your path to recovery will be uniquely yours.
Now, that doesn't mean that help isn't available.
Even though your healing journey is uniquely yours, you can learn from others. Use the tools that have been found useful. Consult the professionals who have studied this subject for their entire careers. Ask a friend. You don't have to go about your journey alone or without help.
But true help doesn't come from looking for an easy fix. It comes from bravely exploring your individual truth.
That being said, today I want to tell you my healing story, and share the two tools that helped me heal depression.
The full version is available on my blog, but you'll find all the important details in this newsletter.
The first time I struggled with depression was almost 15 years ago now.
Back then, I thought I had it all figured out.
I had a secure corporate banking job, a great salary, and a life full of traveling and partying. It was exactly the "dream life" I had always wanted.
But under the surface, I was completely falling apart. I was 30 pounds overweight, anxious, chronically exhausted, and numbing myself with wine every single night. Worst of all, genuine happiness kept eluding me.
And as if things weren't bad enough, one dark autumn night I received the kind of life-shattering news that no one ever wants to hear:
I lost my brother to his battle with severe depression.
I had no idea how to deal with the flood of emotions that followed. I became depressed myself.
And because I had never learned how to deal with any of my emotions, I did the only thing I knew:
I ignored it. I repressed the grief, worked harder, and refused to take a single day off for the fear of having to confront my grief.
But while I told everyone I was "fine," my body and mind disagreed.
I developed a severe heart arrhythmia. My resting pulse skyrocketed to 120 bpm, and I spent nights covered in cold sweats, convinced I was going to have a heart attack.
There was no way out but to check myself into a hospital. But after a thorough examination and an EKG, the doctor delivered some deeply puzzling news: Physically, there was absolutely nothing wrong with me. He said my heart was perfect—like it was an example taken from an anatomy textbook.
That's when I realized my physical symptoms were psychosomatic. My mind was breaking my body. I didn't know how to deal with grief and depression, so my body was "piling them up", starting to break like a dam under all the pressure.
But this also sparkled a profound realization:
If my mind had the power to break my physical body, it was also the very thing that could fix it.
That started me on my path to healing. I wanted to know more about the mind and the mechanisms of how it works. I yearned to know the secrets of a happy, healthy life.
Now, the path to my recovery was hardly standard advice, and it certainly didn't happen in a doctor's office or a psychiatrist's couch.
Instead, by keeping an open mind, I stumbled across two very specific, unorthodox resources.
TOOL #1: THE HEALING CODES BY DR. ALEXANDER LOYD
The first turning point was meeting a woman who possessed an aura of deep empathy (a highly unlikely encounter in a nightclub of all places). She was an unusual type, who recognised that I was not okay and shared her own story of overcoming severe hardships and finding peace.
She told me about a particular book that had helped her heal.
When I got home from the club, I ordered the book. When it arrived a few days later, I sat down and read it almost in one sitting.
The book turned out to be just what I needed. In it, Dr. Alex explains how negative thoughts, trauma, and repressed emotions often manifest as psychosomatic illness.
The book outlined a very simple, 15-minute, energetic, and psychological exercise designed to clear these “cellular” memories and emotional blockages.
Skeptical (but desperate), I did the exercise that first day.
The next day, I practiced it three times as recommended. I kept going into the third day.
But on the morning of the third day, just two and a half days after starting, I woke up and immediately noticed something strange.
My heart arrhythmia was gone.
My pulse was steady and calm, exactly how it should be. The arrhythmia that medical professionals implied I might have to live with and medicate for the rest of my life had completely vanished.
To this day, over a decade and a half later, those heart problems have never returned.
Note: The book leans towards “spiritual” and probably fits the brackets of “energy healing”, but as you just read, it’s highly effective. I was skeptical, but curious and open-minded enough to give it a try, and I have zero regrets. I encourage you to be open-minded, too, as help can present itself in unexpected ways.
TOOL #2: RTT (RAPID TRANSFORMATIONAL THERAPY) BY MARISA PEER
While my physical symptoms were gone, my psychological issues were far from healed.
At work, I had the skills for a raise, but “bureaucracy” (or something else) always blocked me. I was anxious and irritated most of the time because of how hard I worked and how little respect I was given in return.
In my personal life, I dreamed of a relationship, but I subconsciously sabotaged every romantic connection because I held a deep belief that love brought misery—a belief I’d picked up during my parents’ divorce.
But as luck would have it, I stumbled upon an online course by world-renowned hypnotherapist Marisa Peer.
I took another leap of faith and bought the course (on Mindvalley, by the way, a personal development platform that I can also highly recommend. I’ve bought many courses from Mindvalley over the years and even been an on and off member).
In the course, Marisa explained the mind’s ability to adapt based on the thoughts and images we feed it.
So instead of trying to force change using willpower, hypnotherapy allowed me to access my subconscious mind and literally rewrite my core beliefs.
The changes I experienced were nothing short of miraculous:
Within three months of starting the course, new opportunities emerged. I was headhunted by a different company and offered the exact high salary I had been chasing for years.
After another three months, I had stopped sabotaging my relationships. I met an amazing woman, let go of my fear of commitment, and moved with her into a beautiful apartment in my favorite part of the city.
After struggling for so long, I was finally happy.
N.B.! I don't get paid to recommend these tools and I'm in no way, shape, or form affiliated with the aforementioned authors. I am recommending these tools simply because they worked so well for me, and I hope they can help others, too.
So that's my "origin story" if you will.
When I lost my brother and started my journey to a happy, healthy life, I vowed that if I ever get better it will become my life's purpose to help others heal as well.
I saw what depression can do to people. I experienced it myself (twice, which I hope will be the end of it).
And even though my story has these "life altering" moments that, quite frankly, to this day seem pretty miraculous to me, the fact is that
Healing isn’t a miraculous single event.
It is a journey of self-discovery.
Over the last decade and a half, I have kept experimenting with countless tools, modalities, and practices.
I have done the heavy lifting of figuring out what works, what falls short, and why.
Through that 15-year “masterclass” (my life seems to be about learning things the hard way) in getting to know my own mind, body, and spirit, I learned how human transformation actually happens.
That deep understanding is what allowed me to synthesize the best practices into my own frameworks and methods.
I developed the AAA Framework (Awareness, Acceptance, Alignment) to find and clear the blockages that prevent us from healing and being happy.
But even though I encourage you to try the tools, use the “shortcuts” I’ve built, and to let my story guide your first steps,
what I really want is to encourage you to bravely take on your own journey of self-discovery.
You can use the tools mentioned in this newsletter and/or my methods as your foundation, but the most important thing is to remain curious.
Find out what works best with your unique mind, body, and spirit totality. Healing is not a one-size-fits-all formula, but a deeply personal journey.
And remember: Even though your healing journey is individual and unique, you don’t have to undertake the journey without tools or help.
Until next time,
Think happy thoughts!
- Atte
P.S. If my mind could completely reverse a decade of physical and mental suffering, yours can too. Let my story be the proof you need today that things can turn around. You can read the full story right here: The 2 Tools That Actually Helped Me Heal Depression
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Happiness on Demand is dedicated to helping people conquer mental health challenges and find lasting happiness. My newsletter offers insights to help you live a happier, more fulfilling life free of stress, anxiety, and depression.
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