Some people are not able to see the world through rose-colored glasses. Something within them feels broken. The consequence is quite sad: they are limited in their capacity to feel joy. Their entire existence is filtered through a mental opacity that prevents them from enjoying the present moment and expressing who they truly are. If you recognize yourself, even just a little, in this description — we all have moments when we feel bad or disconnected — then read on.
Depression as the “Dark Night of the Soul”
In many traditions (Christian, Sufi, Buddhist), depression is compared to the dark night. It is a time when the being is stripped of its bearings, attachments, and certainties, and enters into an inner darkness. Rather than a simple pathological collapse, it is seen as an initiatory stage, a necessary passage to be reborn more deeply and connected to the divine.
The main stumbling block with depression is that this possibility of rebirth through spirituality is often dismissed, as many societies have turned away from religion to embrace science exclusively (dominant scientistic doctrine: the philosophical position claiming that everything can be solved by science). Depression is no longer recognized as a mystical cry for help, but only treated medically and scientifically. The results of this approach show obvious limits, which is why it is necessary to reconsider the spiritual path as a lasting — or at least complementary — solution.
A Descent into the Depths
Mystically, depression can be understood as a katabasis (descent), similar to the myths: Orpheus in the underworld, or Moses and his people crossing the Red Sea, which lies below sea level. The forced withdrawal and absence of sensation become the soul’s “sojourn in the underworld.” This passage is not an end, but a rite of passage: to return to the light, one must first have known the shadow.
The greatest realizations often come from having been in error. An apparent evil may arise, but in reality it is there to make us aware of something we previously ignored. The challenge is not to interpret this evil as a curse, nor to stubbornly attempt to treat only its symptoms without seeking to understand its origin.
Those who thrive most in life are those who interpret every event, whether seemingly trivial or harmful, as divine messages, and who do their best to decipher them.
Purification and Detachment
In Christian and Sufi tradition, inner suffering strips the being of its ego and illusions. Depression is seen as a purgation: it forces us to let go of what is superfluous, worldly, or false. All of this is consumed in the experience of emptiness. This “forced detachment” prepares the opening to a higher reality.
Suffering is a source of inner progress, although most of us prefer to learn through pleasure and delight — a path with obvious limits. You have probably noticed that the most humane and empathetic people are often those who have gone through difficult, even extremely difficult, times. Of course, during those trials they were not necessarily the most empathetic. Only later, after reflection, could they transform those experiences into strengths and become better people.
The Kintsugi Metaphor
Kintsugi is a Japanese art that consists of repairing broken objects (most often porcelain) with gold or other metals. The result is an object that reveals its fractures, yet these cracks are filled with substances that make it even more beautiful.
This art is a powerful metaphor for the role of depression. Depression is represented by the broken parts, which can become opportunities for improvement. Everything depends on us, especially on our ability to “make use” of this situation to grow.
If the cracks represent depression, then what do the metals stand for?
-
Gold: gratitude, the capacity to accept and even welcome this experience with thankfulness (remember it can be interpreted as a divine message).
-
Platinum: forgiveness, essential for peace with oneself and with others.
-
Silver: wisdom, the ability to learn from this ordeal.
-
Bronze: courage, the will to endure and believe that the trial will become a means of purification.
The Life Companion
Another way to see depression is to consider it as a life companion, present at your side, who appears from time to time, and even speaks in your place without your permission — like a rude uncle who shows up uninvited.
Since he is part of the “family,” you cannot completely get rid of him. You have no choice but to accept him as he is. And strangely, the more you accept him, the more the relationship improves — or at least, his flaws become less burdensome.
It is the same with depression: by accepting it, you manage to put it aside and give it less power. Paradoxically, it is by accepting things that you can change them.
This is why Stoicism — which partly builds its philosophy on this very idea — is powerful. Instead of being a constant mental burden, this “companion” takes a side seat, like a sidecar, and you might even be able to look it in the eye.
This personification of depression allows distance, and creating distance from the affliction is the very goal of any therapy. In fact, not seeking perfection, not trying to eliminate the problem once and for all, maintains serenity, because perfectionism can worsen the situation by giving the illusion of total control.
Fully Accepting the Situation
Wanting to be flawless at all costs and building an ideal self-image can make the fight against depression counterproductive. Flexibility is necessary to navigate the situation.
Practicing a form of “mental judo” helps you avoid being stuck in constant resistance and instead redirect that stagnant energy elsewhere. It is by being compassionate toward your own shortcomings that you can begin to overcome them.
Depression as a Teacher Against Hubris
One clear advantage of enduring depression or low spirits is that it makes you realize you are far from perfect and helps you avoid hubris — that posture of considering oneself equal to the gods (in ancient Greek thought).
And it is through humility that one reconnects with God. Once again, these moments of doubt or darkness become a true spiritual school.
Depression as a Gateway to Understanding Others
What often prevents us from understanding others is our inability to feel what they feel (hence the word “compassion”). Someone who has never gone through dark times cannot truly understand the depressed, and will be more likely to judge them. From this judgment, discord naturally arises.
Being able to feel a wide range of emotions, both good and bad, is the key to connecting with others. Thus, this is an opportunity to seize if we wish to better understand the world and the humanity that inhabits it.
Greek Vocabulary to Identify Depression
-
λύπη (lúpē) — grief, sadness, moral pain. Aristotle used it to describe the affect opposed to pleasure (hēdonē).
-
ἀθυμία (athumía) — literally “absence of thumos” (vital energy, courage); discouragement, melancholy; close to “moral depression.”
-
κατήφεια (katḗpheia) — downcast look, melancholy, somber mood. Used to describe someone lowering their eyes.
-
δυσθυμία (dysthumía) — from dys- (“bad”) + thumos (“heart, energy”); bad mood, lasting sadness. This gave rise to the modern term dysthymia.
-
μελαγχολία (melancholía) — literally “black bile.” In Hippocratic medicine, an excess of black bile in the body; used to describe deep sadness, sometimes with physical and psychological symptoms. → The closest ancient equivalent to our clinical “depression.”
