Depression and Spiritual Growth

by Dimitri Mihalas

Overview

I am an astronomer, a professor, and a Quaker. In 1986 I passed through a year of major depression, the worst experience of my life; yet, starting in 1987 I have reaped incalculable benefits from it. My world view has changed radically for the better. My life now opens out on peaceful paths and breathtaking vistas I never knew existed. I share this essay for the encouragement of others who have known depression in any degree.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940150363595
Publisher:	Pendle Hill Publications
Publication date:	08/12/2014
Series:	Pendle Hill Pamphlets , #327
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	30
File size:	93 KB

About the Author

This pamphlet is an outgrowth of �interest groups� on depression and manic-depression led by Dimitri and Barbara Weibel Mihalas at the Inter Mountain Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends in Durango, Colorado in 1990 and 1991. The essay�s purpose is to describe the transition a depression victim can make from despair to a grounded place for spiritual growth. Discussion will touch on psychotherapy, suicide, a spiritual model for healing and wellness, the role of mystical experience, and the role of the Meeting.
Dimitri Mihalas has been a member of Boulder Friends Meeting for twenty years. He is an astronomy professor and has taught at Princeton University, University of Chicago, University of Colorado, and the University of Illinois. He has suffered from manic-depression for forty years, but only ten years ago discovered the source of his trouble.