NEWS: Brad Warner's Hardcore Zen: Depression As a Survival Tool?

CULTURE: Brad Warner's Hardcore Zen: Depression As a Survival Tool?

On Monday (February 12) the LA Times published an interesting article called The Mind As It Evolves. The subtitle was, “Depression as a survival tool?” As I mentioned in an earlier article, I’ve dealt with depression pretty much all my life and ended up reaching some conclusions about it that seem fairly uncommon. So I was interested in reading what the folks at the Times had to say on the subject. Apparently, there’s a new trend in psychology that speculates that depression may be an evolutionary adaptation, something our remote ancestors developed as a survival tool. This is pretty revolutionary since up till now depression was mainly viewed as an illness to be cured.

According to the article, Matthew C. Keller, a postdoctoral fellow at the Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, says in the August issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, that depression may serve as a way to signal a person to, “quit wasting effort and to conserve energy when a situation has proven itself unpropitious.” I had to go look up “unpropitious.” It means, “not seeming to promise success.” These fellows and their big words! So basically, Neanderthals and Australopithicusses gave up chasing Brontosauruses when they became depressed over not catching them once they ducked under water with only the tops of their heads sticking out and, instead, concentrated on snagging land-bound Stegosauruses, thus insuring their survival. This tendency to get depressed when things go wrong was then passed down to us, their remote descendants. Or something like that, anyway.



As mankind evolved and we changed our own environment drastically, what once served a healthy purpose and kept us alive became a disorder. Stephen S. Ilardi, an associate prof of psych at the U of Kansas, whose name I love because it sounds like Ghoulardi, a legendary horror movie host from Cleveland, says, “There’s increasing evidence that we were never designed for our sedentary, socially isolated, indoor, sleep deprived, frenzied, poorly nourished lifestyle.”

Daniel Nettle, a psych prof at the U of Newcastle in England, says, “For our ancestors, it was quite useful to follow impulses strongly and spontaneously.” But today it is so easy to satisfy our every whim that this kind of indulgence quickly turns into a disorder. Modern problems such as addiction are the result. Early man had little opportunity to get addicted to anything since it was so difficult to repeat any pleasurable experience over and over again. But what did we do with our highly developed brains but immediately use them to figure out how to feed our various cravings? Sometimes being wicked smart doesn’t pay.

Looking into my own past bouts of depression and how I deal with the problem now, a lot of this makes good sense. I used to go through long periods of ever deepening depression that would eventually resolve themselves at just about the point I was ready to throw myself into oncoming traffic. At the time it seemed like depression appeared out of nowhere, then it would go on and on and on until, again for reasons I could not understand, it would vanish. Not that I would feel totally great when it went away. I’d just be normal again, though “normal” for me at the time was pretty dour.

Although I used to imagine my bouts of severe depression came without any cause, the fact was I was living a pretty shitty lifestyle. I used to go for days with little sleep, drinking, using drugs, eating crap food, not doing much of anything physically, driving myself buggy to try and experience all kinds of stuff that advertisers, peers, and society in general told me I absolutely must experience lest I miss out on something really vital. It took a lot of work to finally see that that was no way to live. The reason I didn’t notice what I was doing was bad for me was because our society as a whole fails to recognize that the lifestyle it considers to be “normal” is anything but — except perhaps in the sense that normal also means common. Could it be the main reason people think they need so many drugs nowadays is because we’re trying to force our bodies to conform to mistaken ideas we've concocted about how life should be lived?

Waves of depression still sometimes hit me even now. But I’m much more clear about where they come from and what to do when they come. That doesn’t mean I can always pinpoint some easily definable cause. It’s more intuitive than that. When I get too down, it’s time to re-normalize my life. More Zazen is always a big help. This is because whatever the trigger for depression, the main thing that will cause it to grow to the point that it becomes truly problematic is thinking too much. The only way to solve the problem is to not think so much.

The reason so many of us make ourselves so depressed all the time is that we are constantly defining ourselves to ourselves in our thoughts. One of the best ways to define yourself is by contrasting your supposedly unique self with things that self doesn’t like. So depression, sadness and frustration are tremendously effective ways of sustaining the illusion. I think I'm depressed therefore I am. If you’re truly interested in breaking this cycle — and most people are not — it is necessary to drop the idea of “self.” This is very, very hard to do because we have been taught that it is vital to define and sustain this “self.” We fear that if we don’t constantly define ourselves we might vanish altogether. The interesting thing you learn in Zazen practice is that even if you stop defining yourself to yourself, nothing important really changes — except that you feel a whole hell of a lot better.

Another important thing is discipline. There’s a widespread misconception that Buddhism is an indulgent, “anything goes” philosophy. I’m sorry to burst everyone’s bubble, but Buddhism is not, nor has it ever been, an “anything goes” philosophy. Cuz even back in Buddha’s day the easy availability of various forms of indulgence had already led to tremendous problems. In the 21st century these problems have grown to crisis proportions. Sadly, though, the word discipline tends to be uttered in hushed tones by some popular Buddhist leaders who seem afraid of scaring off the masses. Discipline doesn’t always mean giving up what you like to do, but it does mean learning how much is too much.

One of the big turning points in my own struggles with depression came when I started regularly attending Zen retreats. At a retreat you are forced to live a highly disciplined lifestyle — out of bed at 4:30, followed by an inflexible schedule of Zazen and work periods, where even the meal breaks follow a regimented pattern. You commit yourself to this and for a fixed period of time you allow yourself to be forced to follow rules that are not comfortable or easy. Now I should mention that the retreats I’ve attended, and the ones that I lead now, are pretty undemanding by some standards. But I’m not sure how hard you need to drive yourself. If you’re serious and sincere about it, a little is enough.

Far from feeling trapped, at these retreats I felt freer than I’d ever felt in my life. In my usual life I miss that kind of discipline, to the extent that I even impose it upon myself when I don’t really have to. I work from my home with no fixed schedule and it would be easy for me to just stay up till all hours rockin’ out and roll out of bed sometime after the sun got hot. But I don’t. And while I don’t keep a retreat schedule at home, I do follow a set pattern as much as possible.

Of course everyone knows how militaristic discipline in the name of religion has led to all kinds of heinous cult activities, mass killings and bad weird hairstyles. This is why you have to not be a total idiot. There is a difference between following a disciplined lifestyle and deferring responsibility for your own actions to people who are clearly insane. Learn the difference.

I would never claim to have The Answer to the problem of depression. But I can say what has worked for me, and what continues to work. It’s not as easy or as quick a solution as popping a few pills each day. But in the long run it’s better to learn how to deal with your self by yourself rather than letting drugs do all the work for you. For one thing, you’ll never forget to fill your prescription. Yet the solution that worked for me involves opting out of what most people consider to be a “normal” way of life and “normal” over-indulgences. If you’re ready to make the sacrifice you’ll end up seeing it’s no sacrifice at all.

Brad Warner is the author of Hardcore Zen and the forthcoming Sit Down and Shut Up!. He maintains a blog about Buddhist stuff. If you're in Southern California and you want to try some Zazen for yourself, he has a group that meets every Saturday in Santa Monica.

I look forward to noon every Saturday to read your column. I give a lot of thought to the sort of thing you write about, and it's always heartening for me to see someone else thinking the about same thing, and putting forward ideas I can relate to. Today especially, you've addressed something I've been struggling with- discipline, learning to appreciate what I have in stead of brainlessly indulging in it, and finding ways to live in an environment I'm not adapted to, without having to force myself into the shape that it seems to demand. It's great to see all of this expressed so well, and without a bunch of sanctimonious or presumptuous bullshit wrapped around it. Your column is a highlight of my weekend, and I'm happy to be able to express my gratitude. I hope you keep at it.

Great article.

This kind of shit makes me want to hit someone.

I really, really liked the majority of your article. I did. It's immensely true that it takes work to change the patterns we get into that foster depression, and that oftentimes those patterns are what's encouraged by society at large. But there isn't a single medication out there that does "all the work for you," and it's thinking like that that keeps the stigma attached to psychiatric treatment and keeps people from seeking the treatment they sometimes need. Yes, need. I do believe that some people need medication. Medication doesn't do any of the work for you; it can, however, make you able to do the work for yourself in the first place, when you were unable to do so while in the midst of the illness. Not unwilling: unable. Of course not everyone who's depressed needs medication, but don't make some blanket characterization of psychiatric treatment as an easy way out for the lazy and spineless.

I think the article would have been a lot, lot, lot more helpful to people without that bit. That really kind of ruined it for me, which is unfortunate, because you make a lot of really good, really interesting points otherwise.

I have to agree with Necia. There are people out there, some of my friends included, who need the medication to function on a level where they can help themselves. My girlfriend is one of those people who has never needed meds or anything to cope with situations in her life and she's been through some ridiculous shit. Even she, as gung-ho as she is about not using meds, has freely admitted that her best friend needs to go back on her meds in order to get herself to a point where she can help herself. She's also said the same thing of me. We've discussed it in depth quite a few times. Due to the paths that society has pushed us along or we have pushed ourselves along, some of us have gotten to the point where we can't help ourselves without meds. It seems to me that there are certain times when a person should be on medication in order to function at a level where they can figure things out for themselves. However, the problem with putting people on said medication is that they have a tendency to get addicted. While this fault lies mostly with those individuals for using such meds as a crutch, it also lies with the doctors who prescribe the doses. I suppose that in the end, I support both schools of thought. While some people do need the meds, it's up to them to use it as a tool to get them to the point where they deal with things on their own and not as a crutch.

I really enjoyed the article. I must also agree with Necia's statement as that is exactly where I cringed and went we just stepped out of sharing thoughts and experience and made a gratuitous assertion. It I think is a very negative one also. Had it not been for medication making me cable of the very long hard work of coming out of years of Depression and much more I would probably still be in a bed counting and trying to ward off a heart attack contemplating suicide. Over about 10 yrs They put more than a few Anti depressents, anti psychotics, Tranquilizers, Mood stabilizers, .......... If there's a magic bullet I'm suprised we missed it. Though we did find a couple that got me out of bed out of the ward jail self medicate cycle and eventually to participating actively in therapy and recovering to a large extent. I enjoy my life something I NEVER thought I'd say. Sorry for the rant, I really did like the article till then. That both hit a nerve and rang untrue to my personal experience.

I've been on medication for around 4 years or so, and so far I don't do well at all without them. I tried a few times to get myself off them (slowly) but only ended up exactly where I started. I can handle not feeling great everyday, but off medication I barely function at all. I only take as much as I need so I can work and be ok ...

As to the Paragraph mentioned above ... I read that to mean not letting drugs do all the work for you. Then again I didn't write it ... so I don't know. Either way, great article, as always.

Brad, you're glib. You're being glib.

seriously, however, i really like the notion of depression as coping mechanisim brought on in reaction to continued persistence down the "wrong road". not the individual's choices however, but rather the societal expectations *of* the individual's choices. a basic human lifestyle that really isn't the best way for humans to live.
this tends to support the idea that our constructed reality is just that: a construct. and what's worse, is that not only does it not jive with our basic human instincts, it actively seeks to thwart them.

it gives me hope. hope that there is "the right way" out there and we just need to find it.
if zen can help transcend this false reality, and cut straight to the heart of the real human experience, then sign me up!

Am I being too forgiving in my reading? When Brad says stuff like "don't use drugs, you can deal with it better in other ways", I assume he's not referring to the people who clearly have no other ways.

A lot of the people who use drugs don't need them as much as they think they do. Is there anything wrong with that? Brad thinks so.

Here's what I've learned about myself...
When I don't eat, I feel bad.
When I don't sleep, I feel bad.
When I don't beathe, I feel bad.

So I try to eat healthfully, I try to get regular sleep, and I try to sit on a daily basis.

That helps me with "existential ennui" (which is not depression). For anything more serious, I see a psychologist that I trust. I've been fortunate enough to have never been in a situation where psychiatric medicine is a necessity.

But breathing helps a lot...and knowing when I need to breathe.

While I consider myself climbing up the Zen ladder and am constantly reminding myself that there is no self (hehe), I have to make sure that this great article does allow for those who cannot even stop their minds from racing for long enough to stop thinking. My mind is close to one of these, but there are MUCH MUCH worse cases, and those are the people who need the drugs to treat their problems. The drugs don't do the work, they allow YOU to start working.

This is a common misconception, I feel, among almost every person I meet. One of my best friends is amazingly good at calming down people who are literally losing it (she has done so for me) but suffers from horrible bouts of depression and OCD. So at times, her brain will not even allow her to do Zazen. Thus, she has been prescribed drugs to help the neurology "get right" so that she can psychologically "get right" on her own.

Again, this is nothing against the article or its author. I have tremendous respect for both. I merely want to add, especially as a Buddhist, that there is a middle way, and we ought to see it. We ought not make statements that fall too far on either side, so as to push others away at no fault of their own.

I am probably the last person that should be commenting on an article about depression, but i interpreted this:

Differently that most of you did. I am an addict, there is no doubt in my mind about it. Part of trying to get over depression on my part used to be by falling back on addictions and alcohol, i was trying to find myself in any street drug that i could.

From what i made of that, there is no street drug that has all the answers, henceforth it's insane to repeatedly use them to try to find yourself. I didn't read it as mood enhancing prescriptions, i read it as street drugs....of course that just may be the way i look at things.

I have always been told that the Rx's would actually help me out, i am a naturally depressive person, who battles with OCD on a daily basis. but with my past history, have never filled a prescription out of fear more than anything else.....pills and i don't mix. So reading this actually helped me and has made me take an interest in alternative solutions.

"But in the long run it's better to learn how to deal with your self by yourself rather than letting drugs do all the work for you. For one thing, you'll never forget to fill your prescription. "

That statement was not made in reference to street drugs; as indicated by the next sentence. Street drugs don't have prescriptions.

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When I wrote that line about Zazen being better for depression than popping pills I was not imagining a person with cripplingly severe depression who turned to medication only after everything else failed. Sometimes the medical solution is the only way to deal with a problem that has become too severe to be dealt with in any other way. If I were in a car crash or diagnosed with cancer I would want to see a doctor, not a Zen Master.

But with the heaps of cash the pharmaceutical companies are pouring into developing new markets for their potions, it often looks to me like an entire generation of Americans has been duped into believing they can't possibly deal with life without artificially altering their brain chemistry. The ads for those tonics make it sound like every case of existential ennui calls for a dose of Prozac® or Paxil® lest you begin questioning the society those drugs make you capable of fitting in with.

Still, there's no way for me to know the hearts and minds of the people who've been upset by what I said. Maybe they were among those rare cases whose situation was so severe that drugs really were the only reasonable solution. Maybe without them these people would be out there shooting up their high schools or assassinating pop stars and politicians. I do not know. I cannot judge.

I can't speak about anyone else. But this is what I can say about myself. I'm thankful that I got through my adolescence before anti-depressants were fully developed and that I spent my twenties too poor to afford psychiatric treatment because I have no doubt whatsoever I would have been prescribed medication to relieve my depression. Had I gone that route I might never have been forced to dig out the deeper cause of my pain.

I do not doubt the effectiveness of these medications. But, to say they are effective means that they produce the desired effect. I wonder if the effect we desire is always what we really need. I used to suffer from severe headaches on an almost weekly basis. Large doses of Ibuprofen were an effective treatment. I took the pills and the pain stopped. Yet my reliance on the magic solution provided by the Advil corporation kept me from having to deal with the actual causes of my headaches. It also turned my poop hard as a rock, the repercussions of which I still deal with today. It was only when I stopped taking medicine and began trying to get at the real problem that I was able to make my way towards solving what really needed to be solved. There are times when pain, even emotional pain, is a signal that something important needs to be dealt with directly. My experience was that drugs could be a very effective way to avoid confronting what's really wrong.

Once when my Zen teacher, Nishijima Sensei, had injured his back, one of his students brought over a thing that looked like a heating pad that was supposed to zap some kind of healing electrical energy into your muscles. After the student badgered him for a long time, Nishijima finally gave it a try. His verdict was that the machine was "too excellent" and he preferred to let his injury heal naturally. Likewise, I think most of our medications are "too excellent." They're good when you need a quick fix. But whenever it's possible to use a more natural approach, the natural approach is always better.

Well put