Holistic Depression Treatment Center in Arizona

Sadness. Hopelessness. Isolation. Far too many people live under a cloud of depression. This serious and chronic condition saps your energy and can impact your relationships and your career. Depression can even make simple, everyday tasks feel impossible. Many depression rehabilitation programs teach that depression is an incurable presence you have to learn to manage. At The Sanctuary at Sedona, we believe in teaching people how to overcome depression.

We have seen that depression is entirely treatable, and the sooner you reach out and get help, the less time you’ll spend feeling bad. The longer unhealthy coping behaviors continue, the more firmly they become rooted in place.

Some people live in a depressive funk for years. Don’t let that be you. Treatment for anxiety and depression is available.

The Sanctuary is a holistic inpatient depression treatment center in beautiful Sedona, Arizona. Our focus is not only on treating the symptoms of depression, but also its underlying causes, for complete and lasting recovery. Within our retreat-style facility, you’ll gain insight and skills to help you find the healing you long for.

Signs of Depression

Sometimes depression occurs in the form of major depressive disorder, in which you’re completely debilitated and unable to carry out the tasks of your everyday life. But sometimes, there aren’t huge peaks and valleys, just a chronic, low-grade depression that makes everything seem a little bit harder.

If you’re struggling with functional depression, you may still be able to get up, go to work, and otherwise look just fine from the outside. But inside, you may feel exhausted, frustrated, and hopeless about your situation.

The obvious symptoms of depression are well known:

Fluctuations in appetite
Insomnia or hypersomnia
Low energy and fatigue
Low self-esteem

But you may not realize that the following can also be signs of depression:

Avoiding social situations and withdrawing from loved ones because spending so much energy pushing yourself to get through the day leaves less available for socializing
Feeling extra irritable and having little patience for the people around you, because you’re not feeling your best
Finding it hard to focus on things as simple as following the plot of a TV show; having to re-read things over and over because the information doesn’t register; difficulty making decisions
Constant worrying about the past or future
Being unable to control negative thought cycles
Struggling to sleep because you’re ruminating on a conversation you had earlier or your fears of what’s to come

The experience of depression can be so uncomfortable that it leads to unhealthy coping habits like drinking, gaming, and overeating as a means to numb what you’re feeling. If you’re finding that these behaviors are increasing and you suspect you may be struggling with depression, it may be a sign that it’s time to look into getting professional help.

How to Help Someone With Depression and Anxiety

Watching a friend or loved one struggle with depression can be painful — but there are ways you can help:

Listen to them and let them know you’re there
Offer to help them with everyday tasks
Be patient with their recovery process, even if it seems slow
Understand that even on days they don’t seem sad, the depression could still be there

One of the best ways to help your loved one dealing with depression and anxiety is to search out effective recovery programs. They may be unsure how to find the help they need. Locating a rehab for anxiety and depression, like The Sanctuary, could be their first step toward healing.

Holistic, Integrative Treatment for Depression at The Sanctuary

Typical depression rehabilitation programs focus on treating symptoms. At The Sanctuary, we take a whole-person approach to recovery. Our rehab program helps treat depression from the inside out. To do this, we integrate science-backed practices, Indigenous wisdom traditions and holistic treatments into a one-of-a-kind personalized experience. The result — complete transformation and healing from depression.

Types of Depression Treatment

Let’s take a look at some of the most common methods for treating depression, how we use these at The Sanctuary, and what’s different about our approach.

Medication

Many mental health professionals use medication as a first line of defense for treating depression. Commonly prescribed depression medications include:

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), like Celexa and Lexapro
Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), like Cymbalta and Pristiq
Tricyclic
Non-categorized antidepressants, like Wellbutrin and Remeron
Mood stabilizers
Antipsychotics

While medications certainly help some people ease their depression symptoms, they also carry additional risks. Recent research shows that depression medication may actually cause the chemical imbalance it’s purported to fix. The brain adapts to the constant presence of serotonin inhibitors and adjusts its natural functions accordingly. That’s why quitting antidepressants abruptly can cause withdrawals, increased depression or even suicidal thoughts.

A board-certified psychiatrist heads the Sanctuary’s clinical team, and we’re more than happy to review the medications you’re currently taking to make sure your regimen makes sense for you. However, prescription medications aren’t our primary go-to and do not serve as the backbone of our program. Our goal is to encourage your mind, body, soul, and spirit back into a state of balance so that depression naturally subsides.

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy consists of talking with a therapist, who may use methods like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) or interpersonal therapy. This can help you:

Identify the negative thought patterns that lead to your depression and replace them with truer, more positive ones
Develop healthy coping strategies
Set goals for changes you want to make
Adjust to the challenges you’re facing
Learn how to manage stress
Have a place to talk about what’s going on

Holistic Therapies

Holistic treatment focuses on healing your whole self from depression. While most conventional treatment focuses only on the psychological aspects of addiction, holistic depression treatment at The Sanctuary employs advanced strategies for:

Healing the brain using a brain-healthy, anti-inflammatory diet, natural supplements, and brain-calming activities like meditation and eco-therapy
Healing the body using bodywork to release depression from where it lives in your cells
Healing the spirit using energy medicine to address the larger energetic causes of depression and release it from your energetic field
Healing the soul using ritual, ceremony, and therapeutic creativity to help you reconnect to your essence and restore your passion for life

The residential setting of our holistic depression rehab center offers a completely immersive treatment experience. This means you’ll have access to a high level of support at all times, and live in a safe, calming environment that supports the thorough therapeutic work you’re doing.

Why Holistic Depression Treatment Works

While it’s often maintained that depression is caused by chemical imbalances in the brain, the truth is that there is no scientific evidence to support this claim. This belief is often cited in conventional therapy when prescribing medication as a foremost treatment method.

At The Sanctuary, we understand that your brain has the ability to change: to grow new cells and neural networks that don’t include depression. And this doesn’t necessarily mean you have to be on medication for the rest of your life.

When your immune system is healthy and your brain is functioning well, you’re more easily able to attain mental balance. And by seeing holistic depression treatment as not just an intervention but a journey that gives you the tools for a depression-free lifestyle, you’re better able to sustain a balanced, happy, and connected life.

How Our Treatment Heals the Mind and Body

Holistic depression treatment at The Sanctuary starts by calming your nervous system and treating the symptoms of your depression so that you start to feel better. Then, we look into treating its root cause.

We’re not born chemically imbalanced — so what caused your depression to manifest? At The Sanctuary, we’re interested in asking why and helping you dig deeper to find the answers.

Real change occurs when the brain adapts to different habits and begins to operate more normally. To help you reach this place, we focus on healing you from the inside out, as opposed to simply managing symptoms with medication.

I’ve had Depression for 15 years. Can You Help Me?

Many of our clients have come to us because of what seemed like inescapable chronic depression — and they were able to find levels of healing they never experienced before. Here’s what some of our program graduates have to say about our holistic treatment program for healing depression:

“Clinically speaking, I got everything that I needed and more here, in terms of dealing with my ‘illnesses:’ my depression, my anxiety, my addiction. We met with psychologists; we met with psychiatrists. I actually had a psychiatrist help me come off of my meds in a safe, great way. To actually feel like a participant, rather than a recipient, was the biggest difference that I noticed.”

“I’ve gotten so much healthier. I feel so much better after eating super well, and moving, and living in a conscious environment where I get to be reminded to be grateful and to breathe: these things that seem so simple but have such a huge impact. I feel physically healthier, and I want to be in my life. Those are the biggest changes.”

Contact Us Today to Take Charge of Your Depression Treatment, Call Us

So many medications prescribed to treat depression are just creating more of it. But that doesn’t have to be your story.

Depression may feel inescapable, but it can be overcome — and you don’t have to do it alone. If you’re looking for anxiety and depression help near you, our talented team of healing experts is here to help restore you to wholeness so that you feel true to yourself and connected to life once again.