Depression, The Iceberg and the Secret Language of Your Body

A lowered sense of self-worth, sadness, apathy, loss of interests, lack of energy, feelings of guilt and failure – these are feelings that are widely known. It is likely that each of us has experienced, at least for a brief moment, a state that could be called 'almost depression'. In popular understanding, depression is often seen as a long and debilitating illness that lasts for months or even years. In reality, you can enter a state of depression in one minute, you can leave it in one minute, but you can also remain in it for decades, as long as you do not recognise its biological purpose.    

The key to understanding depression, according to the Recall Healing and Total Biology approach, is to stop seeing it as a simple illness. Instead, it should be regarded as 'a special programme from Mother Nature that enables the individual to survive'.  This change in perspective places depression in a completely new light – as a deliberate, biological defensive strategy.  To fully grasp this, you can use the metaphor of an iceberg, where only 10% of the problem is visible on the surface in the form of symptoms, while the remaining 90% remains hidden under the water.  These invisible elements are our emotions, conflicts, beliefs, and programmes that guide our behaviour at a subconscious level.    

The language of the body, in this case the symptoms of depression, is directly controlled by our automatic brain, whose primary goal is to ensure survival, even at the cost of temporary discomfort.  In this system, the psyche, brain, and body form an inseparable triangle, in which what happens in one sphere has an immediate impact on the others.  This report aims to unravel the mysteries of this biological language, showing that depression is not random, but is a logical response of the body to specific, often unconscious, conflicts.    

Hormonal Stalemate – Mother Nature's Genius Strategy

In biology, in situations of extreme stress, the body has two basic defence mechanisms: fight or flight.  However, when neither of these programmes is possible to execute, the automatic brain, guided by the ultimate goal of survival, activates a third, ingenious solution – a state of 'freezing' known as a hormonal stalemate.  This mechanism is the biological equivalent of a stalemate in a game of chess.  In chess, a stalemate is a drawn situation in which neither player can make a move, and further play is impossible.  In biology, it is similar: the body deliberately immobilises and 'desexualises' the individual at a functional level to prevent a move that could end in failure, or even death.    

A perfect analogy for this mechanism is the behaviour of wolves in a pack.  In a confrontation between two males, the weaker individual, who instinctively knows that the fight is a lost cause, lowers his head and walks away.  He can neither fight nor leave the pack, because the latter move would threaten his survival.  In this perfect solution, the weaker wolf's body enters a state of temporary depression, which suppresses his aggressive instincts and allows him to escape with his life, while also ensuring the survival of the species.    

The same mechanism can be observed in everyday human life.  An employee who feels humiliated by their boss can neither talk back nor quit the job they need to survive.  Similarly, a person in a difficult relationship may not have the strength to fight or the ability to leave.  In both cases, to avoid disaster, the body activates the hormonal stalemate programme, which manifests as a feeling of low self-worth, lack of energy, and sadness.  These feelings are therefore not a senseless punishment, but a physiological expression of a situation in which the individual 'lowers their head' and chooses survival over a hopeless fight.    

A Map of Hidden Conflicts – The Language of Organs and Territory

Understanding depression also requires decoding the language the body uses in response to territorial conflicts.  In Total Biology, the concept of territory is broad and symbolic, encompassing everything that is of value to us and our living space: from our home, to our job and partner, to our ideas and projects.  The main depression programme is always linked to a territorial conflict, which, in combination with a hormonal stalemate, manifests in the psyche as feelings of guilt and inferiority.    

The table below presents a map of the main biological territorial conflicts and their connections to organs and potential illnesses if the body does not use the hormonal stalemate programme.    

Territorial Conflict	Organ Involved	Example Situation	Possible Illness (without a stalemate)	State with a Hormonal Stalemate
Loss of Territory	Heart, coronary arteries	Betrayal, loss of a job, a breakup	Heart attack, ulceration of the coronary vessels	Depression with loss
Marking Territory	Urinary bladder	Living with a mother-in-law, a lack of privacy	Bladder inflammation, cancer	Depression with marking
Dispute over Territory	Bronchi	An argument at work, a feeling of suffocation in someone's company	Asthma, pneumonia, bronchial cancer	Depression with dispute

The conflict of losing territory is most often experienced in a very violent way.  For example, when a man catches his wife with a lover, he experiences a feeling of losing territory. If he sees the rival as inferior, his brain programmes micro-lesions in the coronary vessels so that the heart can pump more blood to fight, which can lead to a heart attack. If, however, the lover is seen as someone better than him (e.g., a famous actor), the man feels that a fight is impossible, and his body, to avoid a fatal heart attack, activates the hormonal stalemate. In this way, depression appears, which in this case is a way of surviving.    

The conflict of marking territory is typical in situations where we cannot set our boundaries, just as animals mark their territory.  An example could be living with a mother-in-law who meddles in the lives of the household. At a biological level, during the active phase of the conflict, micro-ulcerations occur in the lining of the bladder, which are intended to increase its volume so that the territory can be symbolically 'marked'. If the conflict is too intense and the individual cannot cope with it, the body will again choose a hormonal stalemate, entering a state of depression, which is a milder form of biological response than, for example, bladder cancer.    

A dispute over territory, experienced as a feeling of 'suffocation' in someone's company or the fear of 'what people will say', is related to the bronchi.  Biologically, the body aims to widen the airways to be able to take in more air, which is supposed to help in identifying the threat. In the event that a fight cannot be undertaken, the hormonal stalemate protects the individual from more serious illnesses such as asthma or pneumonia.    

Childhood Trauma – The Roots of Depression Hidden in the Past

Depression is often a state that has its roots in a very early period of life, or even in childhood, when emotional and biological programmes are 'fixed'.  Childhood is an ideal time for 'programming' depression, because a child, unlike an adult, cannot stand up to or run away from a parent. In a situation where they experience a conflict, their body, lacking other options, enters a state of hormonal stalemate, choosing submission as the only way to survive.  This mechanical lowering of the head and feeling of guilt, regardless of the validity of the reprimand, becomes a habitual reaction that can last a lifetime.    

Such a 'frozen' programme from childhood can keep a person in depression for many years, or even decades.  Dr Gilbert Renaud told the story of a 55-year-old female patient who had been in a state of depression for 50 years.  The reason turned out to be a childhood trauma: as a five-year-old, in her mother's absence, she accidentally overturned a pram with her younger brother, who fortunately was not hurt. Instead of support, however, she was met with insults from her mother and told that she was 'stupid and inept' and that 'it was her fault'.  This event gave rise to a sense of guilt that she lived with unconsciously until she became aware of it during therapy.    

Another example is the story of Renata, a 46-year-old doctor, who, at Dr Renaud's workshop, recognised her own life in this story.  As a little girl, she was publicly humiliated and verbally abused by her mother in the presence of the whole family after the pram with her sister had tipped over in the garden.  The feelings of guilt and humiliation were so strong that she ran away into the forest and spent a whole day there.  These stories show that the thoughts characteristic of depression – 'there is no present, there is no future, there is only the past' – are a direct result of being trapped in a traumatic event from early life.  The feelings of guilt and inferiority felt by a person in depression are an objective, physiological expression of this hidden, unresolved conflict.    

Awakening – When a Word Erases a Programme in One Second

The most promising and surprising discovery of Total Biology is the possibility of leaving a deep state of depression in just one second.  This is not magic, but a direct, biological reaction of the body to the realisation and verbalisation of a conflict. When we find the right 'key' – a word, a situation, or an event that reveals the cause of our state – the brain automatically 'deletes the unnecessary programme'.    

Frustration, which is a key element in the mechanism of depression, arises when we have a need or desire that cannot be met.  Our brain, in order to avoid the painful feeling of frustration, switches off these needs, 'sweeping all emotions under the carpet'.  This is what leads to apathy, loss of interests, and the feeling that 'nothing makes us happy or interests us'.  Therefore, to get out of depression, it is crucial to re-name and become aware of these dormant desires.    

A Return to Balance – Practical Tools on the Path to Self

A return to balance, finding the path to self and coming out of depression, requires an integrated, holistic approach that includes both the body and the mind.  The table below organises practical tools that support this process, according to the Recall Healing model.    

Area of Balance	Recommended Action	Biological/Psychological Goal
Body	Change diet (probiotics, omega-3, avoiding sugar)	Improvement of gut flora, increased serotonin production.
	Regular physical activity and 'ecotherapy' (contact with nature, sun)	Increase in brain neurotrophins (BDNF), release of endorphins, and normalisation of insulin levels.
Psyche (Mind)	Practice of Byron Katie's 'The Work'	Questioning and freeing oneself from false beliefs, such as feelings of guilt and inferiority.
	Energy Psychology (EFT)	Clearing emotional blockages through acupressure, allowing for the release of trauma.
Spirit	Conscious rediscovery of purpose and desires	Realising one's true needs that were 'switched off' by the hormonal stalemate.

Supporting the body is fundamental. Many studies point to a strong link between diet and mental health.  The gut, often called the 'second brain', produces a huge amount of serotonin, a neurotransmitter responsible for a good mood, and the control of aggression and appetite.  Therefore, taking care of the optimal bacterial flora of the gut, by consuming fermented foods (such as kefir, sauerkraut, or natto) or supplements, is one of the first steps.  Vitamins B and omega-3 fatty acids also play a key role in the proper functioning of the brain.  An interesting and important finding is also that a low level of cholesterol in the membranes of nerve cells can reduce the number of serotonin receptors in the brain, which leads to an increase in aggression and suicidal thoughts.  This phenomenon may be linked to the widespread use of statins.    

At the psychological level, the key is to reconnect with one's own emotions and thoughts that have been 'swept under the carpet'.  Psychological tools, such as Byron Katie's 'The Work', allow us to question our deepest, negative beliefs, such as 'I'm not good enough'.  Instead of unconditionally believing these thoughts, we learn to turn them around, which allows us to distance ourselves from them and find a new, more supportive perspective.    

Summary: Depression is Life's Courage, Not Its Defeat

Depression is a state that, in its nature, has a biological purpose – it is a painful, but effective programme that saves our lives in a situation where fight or flight is not possible.  Instead of seeing it as an illness that should be 'eliminated', we can see it as a signal that our life has reached a dead end, and our biological system has made the only right decision to ensure our survival.    

'You may feel "worthless", but you are ALIVE'.  These words perfectly capture the most important conclusion: depression is not a defeat, but a triumph of the will to survive. The feelings of guilt and inferiority are only a symptom of a hormonal stalemate that has allowed us to avoid much more serious health consequences, such as a heart attack or cancer.    

The awakening and release from depression begin the moment we become aware of the hidden conflict that our automatic brain has been trying to solve.  It is the realisation that what we perceive as an illness is in fact a logical and purposeful programme that we can 'delete' when we understand its purpose.  Our lifestyle, diet, physical activity, and above all, our awareness and attitude towards difficulties, have a decisive impact on our mental and emotional health.  The responsibility for our life and our reactions to it lies solely in our hands. As Charles Swindoll stressed, we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way, but we can change our attitude towards life, which is the only game we can play.  

 Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Please consult with a qualified healthcare professional for any health concerns.