Depression ranks as the #1 health problem in the developed world, and according to the World Health Organization, 300M of us suffer from depression on any given day. Yet after two full antidepressant trials, only 50% of people fully recover. So, what do we do when antidepressants aren’t enough?

Dr. Stuart Eisendrath is a Professor of Clinical Psychiatry Emeritus at the University of California—San Francisco and Founding Director of the UCSF Depression Center. He has 40 years of experience treating a full range of depressive disorders, and his lectures on Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) have more than 1.5M views. Dr. Stuart is also the author of When Antidepressants Aren’t Enough: Harness the Power of Mindfulness to Alleviate Depression.

On this episode of Men on Purpose, Dr. Stuart joins Emerald to explain how his interest in the mind-body connection and his own experience with depression inspired his work in mindfulness meditation. He discusses how mindfulness changes the way the brain functions, sharing his own daily meditation practices and offering reassurance for those of us who don’t respond to antidepressants. Listen in for Dr. Stuart’s insight on bringing mindfulness into all aspects of your life and learn how to notice negative thoughts—without taking them on!

What You Will Learn

How Dr. Stuart’s interest in the mind-body connection inspired his work

How mindfulness meditation helped Dr. Stuart recover from depression

Dr. Stuart’s storefront analogy for noticing negative thoughts without taking them on

Dr. Stuart’s simple mindfulness meditation practice

1. Close eyes and focus on breath
2. When mind wanders, bring attention back to breath

The evolution of Dr. Stuart’s career from researcher to writer and speaker

How mindfulness meditation changes the way the brain functions

Dr. Stuart’s reassurance for patients who don’t respond to antidepressants

How Dr. Stuart sought coaching as part of the creation process for his book

The two forms of mindfulness meditation that Dr. Stuart practices daily

1. Sit and watch breath
2. Dispositional mindfulness

Dr. Stuart’s insight on bringing mindfulness into all aspects of your life

Connect with Stuart Eisendrath

Dr. Stuart’s Website

Resources

When Antidepressants Aren’t Enough: Harness the Power of Mindfulness to Alleviate Depression by Stuart J. Eisendrath, MD

UCSF Depression Center

Dr. Stuart’s Free Guided Meditations

The Book Midwife

Wickedly Smart Women Podcast

Connect with Emerald GreenForest

Creative Age Consulting Group

Emerald’s Website

Emerald on LinkedIn

Emerald on Twitter