I was asked to give some resources for depression and anxiety on the Unstarving Musician Podcast. I always feel like I need to disclaim my ideas about bipolar, anxiety, and depression. Mainly, because the path I found to genuine freedom in my own life was not rooted in mainstream prescriptions and therapies. I put away all the pills and most of the ideas of the medical industry and took a different route altogether.

I suffered greatly from the worst symptoms of what is called "Bipolar 1". For over a decade I was in 'treatment', and my life was a whirlwind of mania, painful depression, panic attacks and an unsettling misery that never ceased.

My family has been profoundly affected by my own suicide attempts, and also by close family and friends who have taken their own lives; so It is very difficult for me to think of this problem being helped by any 'resource' list. The best I can offer is some books and ideas that helped my perceptions.

The depths that depression can travel are far deeper than anything I can solve. Ultimately, I found there was no magic pill, no book, and no system that, in itself, was a solution. I found that it took a great deal of effort and honesty with myself. In fact, it took more effort than I ever imagined I was capable of to finally find a life that is mostly happy, meaningful, and even serene. 

I found that path and I'm no genius and I'm no saintly angel. I make some songs, but really, there is nothing special about me. So I believe it is possible for others to escape into a better life also.

In my story, there was one big thing at the root of my despair and depression and that was my view of reality and life. My 'beliefs' changed a lot through life, from Christian to atheist to agnostic, to 'spiritual'... but always, hidden from view, was a belief that I was ultimately alone and there was little true purpose, if any at all, to my life.

There was another really big thing that I had been hiding from myself and others and that was the fact that I was dependent on alcohol or drugs (depending on the year). I could hide this from myself and others because there were large sections, even years, where I did not use any alcohol or chemicals. But, even when I was sober or clean, these addictions had a hold of my very perceptions of what it meant to feel good and be normal.

Through my healing from alcoholism, I also found healing for depression, bipolar etc. So I can not really untangle the two things personally.

I still had panic attacks regally while sober. But what this new sober/spiritual path did is make life so much more bearable and meaningful for me that I found it easy to start tackling these more problematic symptoms in my life.

I let go of all the medical/pharmaceutical solutions before I found something that worked but I am not against all medical directions. It just did not work for me. Where I found healing was on the spiritual/religious/philosophical path and the 12 step journey. 

These resources are from my own personal actions. Books I read, people I listened to, and since I found help in a 12 step program; I'm including some 12 step resources that are meant for people who want to try the 12 steps, but are not alcoholics/drug addicts.

I'm also including one Bipolar resource that looks at bipolar from a different direction than most pharmaceutical solutions. Though I have not taken the Bipolar Advantage courses, It certainly looks like something I would have taken hold of in those early days .

I don't get into too many details about my alcoholism recovery in public, so, If you would like specifics on how I recovered from alcoholism you can contact me personally. Contact me, but know that I am by no means a therapist. I don't know how to help anyone. I can only point you to where I went and what I did.