Maria Gaian, creatrix of The Gaian Method

In this post, I want to introduce the Gaian Method and explain what it includes to help you to ditch the black dog of depression. 

Everything changed when I discovered the tools and techniques that I now call the Gaian Method™.

After struggling with depression for most of my life, I finally found the answers I needed to ditch the black dog.

It’s taken me a long time to get to this point. I’m in my fifties as I write this, and it’s my hope that by sharing what I’ve learned and experienced, you can ditch the black dog of depression much faster than I did!

I believe there are a million reasons why there’s an epidemic of depression right now. Many of these reasons have been created by our own Governments, societies and cultures.

These things leave us feeling powerless, helpless, and hopeless. We feel trapped and out of control of our own lives.

But you can help yourself and The Gaian Method™ can help you to feel more in control of your life and your future, no matter how bleak you might feel at the moment.

I believe it can save you a LOT of time and money and help you get started on your journey to feeling healthy, happy and whole.

What is the Gaian Method™?

Here’s a quick overview.

Firstly, the Gaian Method™ is holistic.

I learned very early on that most people only focus on the ‘mind’ element of depression and that’s never going to solve anything.

We have to look at our body, heart, mind, Soul and spirit as a whole if we’re to fully heal.

Secondly, the Gaian Method™ doesn’t use a cookie cutter, ‘one size fits all’ approach, but can help you to create your own personalised pathway to recovery and management of depression.

Third, and most unusually for a depression recovery program, this method includes connection, community and contribution as part of your healing journey.

I can almost hear you trying to run away now you’ve read this, but please don’t! It doesn’t have to be scary or uncomfortable! 

Depression makes us insular. It sounds harsh, but depression is a very selfish illness.  It focuses on our own pain and doesn’t consider the pain we might cause other people if we give in to it. Then it lies to us about our own value and tells us that other people won’t miss us, don’t need us. It persuades us that everyone would be better off if we just weren’t around. This is the worst lie depression can ever tell us and the first one we need to banish from our minds.

By being part of a community and making a contribution to society in a way that feels meaningful to us, we can heal much faster, and more importantly, keep depression at bay in future, too.

You’ll start your journey to recovery by finding out which stage of depression you’re in.

I developed the stages of depression after realising that you need different things at different stages in order to heal.

Doing the right things in the right order will help each step feel achievable and prevent feelings of failure that can keep you stuck in depression.

The stages of depression are:

1. Crisis Stage

2. Zombie Stage

3. Functional Survivor 

4. Motivated to Heal

5. Healing Stage

6. Maintenance Stage

You can move up and down these stages in no particular order or pattern. But discovering what stage you’re in will help you understand what you need to do to start healing.

I’ll go into these stages in more depth in other posts.

 Then we start the recovery process.

1. Dare to dream. What do you want your life to look like? You need to know where you want to go before you can create a map to get there. This is an ongoing process since many people with depression struggle to see a future for themselves.

2. Heal the wounds causing depression – these can be caused by anything from childhood abuse, to having to work with a nasty boss, or even living in a disorganised home. You may need to let go of something – the past, or people that keep on wounding you time after time.

3. Banish the psychological blocks. The wounds often leave behind habits that we don’t need anymore. Negative thought patterns, limiting beliefs, self sabotaging behaviours and fears linked to the old wounds often remain and hold us back. We have to rewild our minds back to our natural state –  meaning the person we were before we were wounded.

4. Manifest a meaningful life – a life you don’t need to take a vacation from. We humans so easily get stuck in ruts, but it’s easier than you think to change your life. Finding activities or work that give our lives meaning can be the key to ditching depression. This is where the 7 ‘C’s come in. You may need to restore the lost connections that caused you to feel depressed. 

There are four main tools that make up the Gaian Method™.

These are, in no particular order: –

1. Modern neuroscience based coaching and therapy techniques;

2. Practical lifestyle changes;

3. Therapeutic Witchcraft™ including Alchemical Ecotherapy™ and animal assisted therapy;

4. The Magickal ‘C’s of Change  – clarity, courage, confidence, commitment, creativity, contribution, connection, community, collaboration, and compassion.

In future posts, I’ll delve deeper into all the aspects of the Gaian Method™ and why these things are so important to surviving depression.

But I wanted to give you a broad overview of what the Gaian Method™ is all about.

Curious to know more? Try my FREE resources and get started on your journey to ditching the black dog of depression today.

NOTE: Please be aware that I combine modern coaching and therapy practices with the power of ancient witchcraft to help my clients to heal and thrive as if by magick.

If you’re wondering if all this magickal talk is a bit too ‘woo woo’ for you, please read this blog post:

Think I’m too ‘woo woo’ for you? Read this before you decide!

Have you found this post helpful? If you’d like to let me know your thoughts on this, please come over to my substack where I have a safe space for comments.