Depression
Oxford Dictionary Definition
Depression (noun): "a medical condition in which a person feels very sad, anxious and without hope and often has physical symptoms such as being unable to sleep, etc."¹
Gabor Maté
Definition of Depression: Maté views depression as a protective shutting-down of painful emotions—a coping style learned when authentic feelings threaten vital attachments in childhood.
• Depression is "the pushing-down of feelings that were too much to bear," not an inherited brain disease² • He describes it as anger turned inward: unexpressed rage and grief are somatised, sapping vitality³ • Diagnoses such as depression are "manifestations of trauma," useful labels but not real explanations⁴ • Recovery starts with compassionate inquiry that makes it safe to feel—restoring connection to self, others and the body⁵
"Depression is supposed to be this genetic disease. Really? What does it mean to depress something? It means to push it down…" — Gabor Maté²
Bessel van der Kolk
Definition of Depression: Van der Kolk frames depression as a state of physiological numbing that follows overwhelming trauma; the body dulls emotional pain when it no longer feels safe.
• Traumatised people "learn to hide from themselves," cutting off interoceptive signals and sinking into flat affect⁶ • ACE data show child abuse and neglect to be "the single most preventable cause of mental illness," including chronic depression⁶ • Antidepressants alone can't resolve the body memory of trauma; somatic practices (yoga, EMDR, rhythmic movement) are central to healing⁷ • Restoring felt safety through attuned relationships re-awakens pleasure circuits and lifts shutdown⁸
"Neuroscience shows the only way we can change how we feel is by becoming aware of our inner experience and befriending what is going on inside." — Bessel van der Kolk⁶
Deb Dana
Definition of Depression: Dana locates depression on the Polyvagal Ladder as a dorsal-vagal shutdown—an ancient "immobilisation-with-despair" response when the nervous system perceives inescapable threat.
• Dorsal states feel numb, hopeless, helpless, mirroring classic depressive symptoms⁹ • Without a neuroception of safety, the ventral social-engagement system remains offline and vitality collapses¹⁰ • Therapy begins with tracking state shifts, anchoring tiny cues of safety, and co-regulation to climb the ladder toward connection¹¹ • Her "home-away-from-home" concept explains how people get habitually stuck in shutdown yet can learn new autonomic pathways¹²
"The survival landscape offers protection through disconnection and collapse. If you begin to feel pulled into shutdown, remember you are still connected to safety." — Deb Dana, Anchored¹³
Allan N. Schore
Definition of Depression: Schore describes depression as a right-brain hypo-arousal: early relational trauma disrupts affect-regulating circuits, tipping the autonomic balance into prolonged dorsal-vagal "void" states.
• Early abuse impairs right-hemisphere systems that modulate stress, leaving the individual prone to long-lasting low-energy collapse¹⁴ • Dorsal-vagal activation decreases metabolic activity and heart rate—neurobiological markers of severe depressive inertia¹⁵ • "Loss of ability to regulate the intensity of feelings" is trauma's most far-reaching effect, underpinning mood disorders¹⁶ • Right-brain-to-right-brain psychotherapy—moment-by-moment emotional attunement—re-sculpts these circuits toward flexible regulation and lifts depressive shutdown¹⁷
"Dysregulation of the right brain is a fundamental mechanism of traumatic attachment and the psychopathogenesis of mood disorders." — Allan N. Schore¹⁰
References
Oxford Learner's Dictionaries. Depression. oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com
Goodreads. Gabor Maté Quote. goodreads.com
Facebook. Gabor Maté explains where depression comes from. facebook.com
Goodreads. Quotes by Gabor Maté. goodreads.com
The Guardian. The trauma doctor: Gabor Maté on happiness, hope and how to heal our deepest wounds. theguardian.com
Goodreads. The Body Keeps the Score Quotes by Bessel van der Kolk. goodreads.com
Financial Times. Psychiatrist Bessel van der Kolk: 'When trauma becomes your identity, that's a dangerous thing'. ft.com
Goodreads. Bessel van der Kolk Quotes. goodreads.com
Cork Psychotherapy and Trauma Centre. The Polyvagal Ladder. corkpsychotherapyandtraumacentre.ie
Allan Schore. Dysregulation of the right brain. allanschore.com
Sounds True. Deb Dana: Befriending Your Nervous System. resources.soundstrue.com
JustinLMFT. Deb Dana's Essential Polyvagal Theory Contributions. justinlmft.com
Goodreads. Quotes by Deb Dana. goodreads.com
Francine Lapides. Attachment trauma and the developing right brain. francinelapides.com
Allan Schore. Attachment Trauma and the Developing Right Brain. allanschore.com
Stop the Storm. Dr. Allan Schore on Emotional Regulation – Notes. stopthestorm.org
Beacon House. Developmental Trauma Close Up. beaconhouse.org.uk
