None of the anti-depressants work, anti-psychotics, any of it!

I would like to know why none of the prescription medications have ever worked on me. All any of them ever did was make me extremely intoxicated and often made the symtoms worse, leading to some unfortunate situations for me, very unfortunate. They did more harm than good. I would like to learn more about transpersonal therapy because nothing else has ever worked with any "real" relief from the severe depression that I suffer from everyday of my life. I have been off of all psychotropic drugs for over a year now and still no change. But at least I don't have all of the horrible side effects now. Depression is still there...I want to either live with it or get rid of it once and for all. I have been dealing with this all of my young life and now as an adult. I am stronger than this depression...I want to win, and I want to help others win! I know I have to be my own hero here. I live on a very fixed income and am wondering...just because I don't have the money, does that mean that I cannot get the kind of help that could save my life? So how much does all of this cost and is any insurance taken or how does it work? I have had to suffer more because of my lack of money than because of the depression, no access to treatment and the treatment I can pay for is just the same old bottle of pills treatment that never worked in the fifteen years that I tried it. I think knowing I am a throw away in most doctors eyes because of money actually hurts more than the depression at times, or just adds to it I think.
Thank you for your time, I hope to receive an answer soon about more information and the cost of treatment...

Ben's Answer:

I can certainly understand your frustration about the lack of access to quality services. I see this all the time in my own community. Everyone should have the right to good, effective treatment, and pills very often do not work. I've seen many people suffer due to inability to afford therapy. I always see some people for little or no cost, but I'm limited in how many I can do this with (or I would soon be the one without any money to live on).

In my community - Sonoma County, CA - there are several low fee counseling clinics with some very skilled, licensed therapists. In many urban areas you can find this sort of thing. Some of those therapists may have a Transpersonal orientation.

The two things that I have found to be the ultimate self-help methods are 1. Meditation and 2. Meridian Tapping/EFT.

If you were to do those 2 things on a daily basis, excercise daily, and eat a simple, clean diet, it is very likely that you would change your life even without professional help.

The cost of therapy varies widely, In my area the average cost per hour of therapy is about $100.

I think the most cost effective way to work on your own depression is with the 2 recommendations above.

I will have an eBook completed this week, full of techniques for using Meridian Tapping and Mindfulness for Depression. This might be something to consider. To start with I suggest you learn the basic technique from this site. You can also download a free manual on the basic technique form www.emofree.com (which is excellent, but doesn't go into depth regarding treatment of depression).

Best wishes,
Ben Schwarcz, MFT
Santa Rosa Therapist