My limiting beliefs have hindered me for a major portion of my adult life. I was 27 years old when I was diagnosed with clinical depression. I was advised that my depression was either genetic, a chemical imbalance or environmental in nature. Since there is no known cure for depression, the best I could hope for was temporary relief through medication or psychotherapy.
I began to look at other possibilities such as alternative medicine and a depression support group. I moved through these experiences still holding the belief that my depression was something I would be stuck with for life. I contemplated suicide.
Then a friend gave me a copy of the interview, The Healing Power of Unconditional Love by Barry Neil Kaufman. I was so overwhelmed by its content, I purchased 2 of Bears’ books: To Love Is To Be Happy With and Happiness Is A Choice. I read, studied and absorbed their contents for 3 years, until I realized that my beliefs aren’t carved in stone and therefore can be changed anytime I choose.
What finally turned it around for me was the program, PowerDialoguesSM. I was looking for tools to help others, but found that it brought together all the learning I had assimilated from the books. I can attest that PowerDialogues is, without a doubt, “the ultimate system for personal change.” The only way to describe my feelings is to equate them with how Bears must have felt when Raun emerged from Autism. I finally understood that I was my own best expert and it was okay to make decisions on my own – including choices about my depression.
This truly hit home for me when I returned to my support group and shared my story of recovery. I had cured myself of depression. They responded by saying, ‘You may believe you can cure yourself, but you can’t.’
Well, here I stand, after nearly 40 years of depression, in defiance of the belief that you can’t change. I have been without depression for 2 years now and I am using what I learned at The Option Institute to help others. My story is a testament to your wonderful work. Thank you.
Brian Noakes, Retired, Canada