Dark Nights of the Soul: Reflections on Faith and the Depressed Brain, Second Edition (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781087922447)

2019 WINNER: WRITER'S DIGEST SELF-PUBLISHED EBOOK AWARDS, CATEGORY NONFICTION

The first edition ebook won first place in a Writer's Digest contest. This new edition, whether in ebook or paperback, contains the material of the award-winning book plus additional material: a dedication, foreword, acknowledgements, and a bonus essay I'm calling "The One Thing: The 5,000 Most Important Words I Have Ever Written (So Far)."

Dark nights of the soul happen at the intersection of faith and depression. In 2000, I was diagnosed with clinical depression. I had been living with a depressed brain my whole life and didn't know it. How many more people are walking around sad, irritable, and cynical, and don't even know why? Or maybe they have a reason, but it hits them harder than most people.

How many more feel this underlying sorrow and think it's normal?

How many more think they can't be (or shouldn't be) depressed, because a personal relationship with Jesus is supposed to make you immune to it?

I started a blog in 2015. In this book, I've collected the posts that speak to recovery from depression. The book includes:

- A look inside the mind of someone with clinical depression

- 4 Principles for Recovery (that came from hard experience)

- Understanding the voice of the depressed brain (and how to fight back)

- 22 scientifically proven ways to help cope with and alleviate depression

- How faith and religion can either help or hurt your recovery

- Resources for finding professional help.

Recovery is one day at a time. After twenty years of one day at a time, I can say a happy and fulfilling life is possible, even if your depressed brain colors everything in gray.