welcome to this meditation for depression i am dr dawn elise snipes depression is
associated with feelings of hopelessness helplessness and a lack of pleasure
depression meditations can help you go to a happy place in your mind which will
trigger the release of dopamine and serotonin which may help you feel a little bit better
as with all meditations make sure you are in an environment where you can feel safe and relax free
of interruptions including your phone vibrating the dogs barking the ups man you don't want to be
startled out of your relaxed state it's preferable to lay down but at least get comfortable
if you're not comfortable closing your eyes pick a stationary object in the room to focus on
or you can just look at the image in this meditation you'll experience a walk in the forest
pay attention to the things you see hear smell and feel you may notice things that i don't notice
as i get out of the car i smell the earthy smell from the decaying leaves i smell smoke from a fire
and the hint of honeysuckle and jasmine from the vines growing over the dilapidated fence
what do you smell
i feel the cool breeze blowing through the trees and the dampness of the forest on my skin
what do you feel i sit down on the bench in the forest there are trees as far as i can see
oaks maples pines but it's an old growth forest so there's not a lot of
undergrowth and i can see the vines and the ferns growing up from the ground moss covers the rocks
a blanket of leaves covers the ground there's a gently flowing stream lined
with thousands of colorful stones it's banks covered in blackberry brambles
a cute little brown bunny hunkers down underneath the blackberries hoping i won't see him
in the distance i spot a small log cabin with white rocking chairs on the front porch
and smoke billowing from the chimney
a pair of squirrels chasing each other around the trees and chattering catches my attention
and makes me smile as i watch them play i notice another squirrel digging through the leaf litter
looking for bugs and a downy woodpecker high up on a tree pecking for food what else do you see
i start to notice all of the different sounds i hear the wind flowing through the trees
and the stream as it flows across the rocks i also hear birds i hear the chickadees
the cardinals chirping a pair of bobwhites are calling to each other
in the distance i hear a hawk screeching
and a red-bellied woodpecker calling out and pecking for food what else do you hear
i'm happy i'm relaxed how do you feel i continue to look around and see a
little box turtle sending itself on a flat rock in the middle of the stream
a group of deer has appeared downstream they're getting some water and munching on the
blackberries but keeping a close eye on me it's starting to get late the temperature is dropping
the forest is getting quieter suddenly i hear the soft cooing of a great horned owl
somewhere in the treetops i can't see him i can only hear him
sit with this image for a few more minutes
seeing what else you notice thinking what else you would like to see there
in your scene that would make you happy