206: Dr. Michelle Bengtson | Battling Depression

Dr. Michelle Bengtson | Battling Depression

Dr. Michelle Bengtson has been a board-certified clinical neuropsychologist for almost 30 years, whose mission it is to restore hope, renew minds, and empower others to live in their God-given identity.

She is a multi-award winning author of Hope Prevails: Insights From a Doctor’s Personal Journey Through Depression , the Hope Prevails Bible Study , Breaking Anxiety’s Grip: How to Reclaim the Peace God Promises, and Today Is Going to be a Good Day: 90 Promises From God to Start Your Day Off Right.

She is an international speaker, national and international media resource on mental health, coach, podcast host of the award-winning podcast, Your Hope Filled Perspective Podcast with Dr. Michelle Bengtson that ranks in the top 2% of podcasts globally. Yet her most fulfilling rolls are as wife of 35 years, and mom to two young adult friends.

This doctor knows pain and despair firsthand and combines her professional expertise and personal experience with her faith to help others be all God created them to be.

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Dr. Michelle Bengtson and Amber discuss her journey with depression, the role Scripture played in her healing, the impact social media exposure has on our mental health, and the difference between feeling depressed and clinically depression.

Questions Discussed During Battling Depression:

You are a Neuropsychologist and you have walked through depression. When did depression first become a part of your story and what did treatment look like for you early on?
Do you think that the goal of treatment for depression should be complete healing?
When you talk about the spiritual dimension of depression, you say believing lies is a part of that. Share a few of the common lies that accompany depression, their impact on our brain, and practices we use to replace the lies with truth.
Do you feel like depression is happening more and more in our world today?
What are contributing factors in our daily life in the Western world, with the way our society has developed, that you see as particularly affecting people’s susceptibility to depression?
How would you describe the difference between feeling down vs. clinical depression where I need to seek professional help?
If someone is listening and your answer was confirmation that they are indeed depressed, what would you like to say to them in closing?

Battling Depression Quotes to Remember:

“I remember crying out to God and saying if this is going to be my life, I’m not sure I want to keep on living.”

“I would think, ‘I must just be joy immune, because I’m doing all the things, but joy is elusive’.”

“If his joy comes in the morning, and his promises are as much for me as they are for everybody else, I cannot be joy immune….I’ve never heard the audible voice of God, but it was as if he whispered to my heart, ‘As long as you don’t look at the spiritual contributors of disease, it is like you are putting a bandaid on an infection and hoping it gets well.’ I realized in that moment, I had been addressing the physical and the emotional, and the mental, but I didn’t even know there was a spiritual component of things like depression or anxiety, that began a life changing journey.”

“Sometimes we get in a trap of idolizing the healing, rather than seeking after the healer.”

“God showed me that the enemy comes to steal our peace, kill our joy, and destroy our identity. And if he can do those things, we won’t live in victory.”

“Depression is now our greatest epidemic worldwide rally. And at some point, in our lifetime, one in four people will experience depression.”

“Men don’t usually identify with the term I’m depressed, but they could be more irritable, agitated or angry, and that’s frequently how they will present.”

Scripture References

Resources Mentioned:

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